how to be strong. I couldn’t tell by his expression if he knew I was thinking about the burly guy’s offer and Cheryl’s willingness…
Austin pulled the cork out of a bottle and reached for the glass.
“Whoa, whoa.” My anger and annoyance momentarily took a back seat. Sometimes wine sat around forever in this place. He’d poured me the equivalent of grape vinegar a few times. “How long has that been open?”
A blue-sleeved arm reached into my vision, and Gary’s damp hand grasped my forearm. “I’m sure it’s fine,” he said. “Just take it.”
I knew he was reacting to Austin’s natural predatory dominance, sensing the hierarchy and falling in line so as not to upset the rather large man with lots of muscle and crazy eyes, but his attempt to subdue me just added coal to my locomotive.
I gritted my teeth and sweat coated my forehead. My fingers tingled and I wasn’t sure why, but I was sure his hand was in the wrong place, as was the muzzle he was trying to place on me.
Before I could turn—before I could even speak—Austin leaned forward with such unspeakable malice that I, strangely, felt a little relief from the furnace raging within me. His gaze beat into Gary’s face as he somehow poured the glass without looking. Add that amazing party trick to his long list of talents.
“Opened when you sat down,” Austin growled, the roughness of his voice spreading a crazy, primal fear through my body.
Run! Run now! it screamed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could just see the burly guy next to me get up and walk off toward the pool and bathroom area. Beyond him, Niamh had both hands clasped on the bar and a determined expression on her face. She felt Austin’s power and was actively trying to ward it off.
“Yes, well, th-that’s wh-why I told her to take it,” Gary stammered. “Did you hear me? I told her—”
“I heard you. It is not a man’s job to police his date. It is his job to make her comfortable and show her a good time. So far, you’re failing. Try harder.” Austin turned away. Not a drop had been spilled.
Paul landed in a moment later with the gin and tonic. “Sir,” he said, and then scampered off.
I reached for my glass as Gary turned to me, face red with anger and embarrassment from being put in his place. Austin’s ego might not be fragile, but this guy’s sure was. “Well, now do you see?” Spittle slapped my face.
That was about all I could take. Time to see what I was made of, and how quickly I could make him run from this bar. If he wanted a kiss good night, that kiss would be from Cheryl’s spring-loaded blade.
5
“Jessie, ye gotta walk away now,” Niamh said before I could let him have it. “You’re on the edge, girl. The whole bar can feel it, just you trust me. If ye accidentally do another summons for help, I’m not sure we’ll like what shows up from this send-off. Walk away. Let Austin Steele sort this out. This type of thing is what the big lummox is good fer.” Her voice reduced to a mutter. “Lord help us if someone is sneaking around Ivy House tonight. That el’ house will feed off your mood and flay those poor bastards alive. Edgar will go hungry, and then he’ll wander around the town with his weird smile and hunched body and the cops will come callin’. I couldn’t be botherin’ with them tonight, sure I couldn’t.”
I hesitated, because I knew Niamh was speaking in my best interest (and also her own). Usually she’d egg me on, hoping for violence. Given she was forgoing a show and talking about Ivy House getting violent because we were connected, and Edgar did say it fed off my emotions…
“If you’d just taken the wine like I—”
I held up my finger, and when Gary wouldn’t stop muttering about my perceived shortcomings, I talked over him.
“It was nice meeting you. I think we both know this isn’t going to work, and it’s not just because you seriously lied on your profile. Update your pictures, bud. This is one step away from catfishing. If you weren’t doing such a bad job of it, I’d wonder if you were trying to land someone for your vampire friend—”
“And that’s your cue, Jessie,” Niamh said.
“Yup.” Couldn’t talk about vampires to normal folk. Whoops.