Bittersweet (Redemption #3) - Jessica Prince Page 0,39

as Rina pushed off the table and glowered at me. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

I didn’t miss a beat as I replied, “It means everything you say and do would humiliate a normal person into never leaving their house. The fact that you’ve actually managed to top that doesn’t make you an overachiever, it just makes you a pathetic joke.”

“Ah shit,” Gage mumbled, looking down at his clasped hands on the table in an attempt to hide his grin.

“Bitch! Who you callin’ pathetic?”

At that, I rolled my eyes and let out a groan. “God, she even takes the fun out of insulting her,” I said to no one in particular.

Rina took a step forward like she was prepared to make things physical, and Jensen pushed off his stool, as if he were ready to wade into the fray when a guy I’d seen a few times in the bar with the rest of the Riders spoke up. “We got a problem over here?”

If I had to guess, the dude was in his mid-to-late thirties and roughly the same height and weight as Jensen, and it couldn’t go without saying that he was damn fine. Jensen moved closer, stepping in front of me like he was worried the guy was about to cause trouble, and partially obscuring me behind him.

I might not have been feeling like myself tonight, but I wasn’t in the mood for his protection, not after I’d seen Rina’s grubby little hands all over him. I’d been standing at the bar, chatting with Poppy and Wynn who’d arrived a few minutes earlier when I saw her approach their table. Jealousy had surged through me so hard and fast that it was frightening. I’d reacted without thinking, leaving my friends behind and storming over to their table to make it stop. That was all I could think about, making it stop and getting her as far away from Jensen as humanly possible. Preferably to somewhere like Alaska.

I didn’t know this guy, but I assumed that since he was the one to get up and approach, he was in charge somehow. If there was anyone in this situation who could get Rina the hell out of Jensen’s space, it was this guy.

Moving from behind Jensen, I stopped at his side and informed the man, “Not to tell you who you should or shouldn’t be hanging with, but you may want to re-think your association with this one,” I told him, jerking my chin in Rina’s direction.

I was halfway expecting him to get hostile, so when one corner of his mouth hooked up, I was slightly surprised. And it had to be said, that partial grin wasn’t the worst thing to look at. “Really? ’Cause it sure seems like that’s exactly what you’re doin’.”

I shrugged like it was nothing. “Just doing my part to help mankind out. She’s a brand of trouble that’s just not worth the hassle.”

At that, Rina lunged, snarling, “Fuckin’ cunt!” Her arms lashed out, but before she could get hold of me, the big guy’s smile fell into a frown as he grabbed her and yanked her to a stop. Letting out a sharp whistle that had everyone in the bar coming to a dead stop in whatever they were doing, he glanced over his shoulder and issued a command. “Bane, come get your bitch on a leash before I do it for you.”

Another guy appeared all of a sudden, wordlessly taking Rina’s arm and dragging her toward the exit as she spewed her special brand of nasty with every step.

“Sorry about that,” he continued, his eyes never wavering from mine. A tiny thrill shot up my spine at the sound of a low growl rumbling up from Jensen’s throat as he moved even closer, grabbing my arm to pull me behind him once more.

The burn of jealousy had finally started to peter out, but seeing this side of Jensen heated my blood in a completely different, far more pleasant way.

The dude gave him a cursory glance before turning on his boot heel and heading back toward his table where the rest of his guys—minus Bane—still sat.

“You good?” Jensen asked, his rough fingers coming up beneath my chin so he could tilt my face up to his. It was a move he used to do all the time whenever he wanted my attention. Even if I was listening while looking somewhere else, he’d gently take my chin and bring my eyes to his. He’d said