order with the bartender, and beside Quickdraw was a gorgeous brunette with a bright smile as she looked up at Quickdraw like he was the hottest thing in the whole world. Which was accurate.
“I’ll be back,” Anabelle growled.
“Go get your man!” Raven whooped.
“He’s not mine,” Annabelle called over her shoulder but, inside, her wolf disagreed, and now the snarl in her throat was unstoppable.
Settle down, calm your tits. The girl is probably just lost. In the bar. And asking for directions. Quickdraw is probably really good at directions. No need to kill her. Everything is fine.
She’d never been great at pep talks.
But then something awful happened, and the trollop leaned into Quickdraw, who leaned back away from her, but the bar was crowded and Dead was in the way of his escape. So now that horridly beautiful little beast was inches away from Quickdraw’s face.
Annabelle reached for the barstool the tramp was sitting on to pull it out from under her and dump her perky little ass on the floor. But right as she moved to yank it, a huge, tattooed, impossibly strong hand wrapped around hers and stopped her progress.
“There you are,” Quickdraw murmured, his face so close to hers, the bill of his hat rested on top of her head. “I’ve called your name three times. I thought dogs had good hearing.”
“Well, I thought bulls were loyal and didn’t flirt with women right in—eep!”
Quickdraw pulled her right in front of him and pinned her between his massive body and the bar top.
“Hey, listen,” he said to the ho. “My lady has had a long day, and she could use an easy night. Now, I saw you come from that big group back there, and there’s plenty of empty seats by them. You mind if she takes this one?”
Ho’s eyes went round but then narrowed on Annabelle. “Dead of Winter is way funnier than you on his Instagram page anyway,” she hissed at Quickdraw, and then she shoved off her stool. “What kind of gentleman refuses to buy a girl a drink?” she asked loudly as she walked away.
“The kind that’s already got a woman he’s getting a drink for,” Annabelle barked after her. Lord, what was wrong with her? “And furthermore! What kind of woman expects free drinks?”
“The kind that’s used to getting them,” Quickdraw said. His grin was obnoxious.
“What are you smirking at?” she snapped.
His dumb smile got bigger, but he shook his head and said, “Nothing.”
“You’re vicious,” Dead told her from Quickdraw’s other side. The bartender was lining up drinks in front of him. “I like vicious.”
“Yeah, well, if that skank was hitting on you, you bet your ass Raven would’ve been up here causing a scene, too.”
“Yep. Difference is,” Dead said languidly, “Raven’s my woman.” His wink was dumb, both of the boys’ smiles were annoying, and everything was stupid.
“You like me,” Quickdraw murmured. “You liiii-iiii-iiiiike me.” Oh, God, now he was singing it.
“I do not. I was simply helping you out of an uncomfortable situation.”
“Okay, I’ll play. What kind of uncomfortable situation was I in?”
He still had her pinned against the bar, facing him. He locked both arms on either side of her. Stupid, stupid grin. How could it get any bigger?
Flustered, she rambled, “Well, you’re famous so you can’t be rude to women, and you can’t tell them to go away, and that you find them horridly unappealing, or that it’s a turnoff when a grown woman feels entitled to free drinks from a stranger. Or that her legs are stumpy!” Remembering the manners her momma taught her too late, Annabelle clapped her hand across her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. I don’t know why I just said all that. Her legs weren’t that stumpy.”
Oh, he was laughing now as he pulled her hand away from her lips, and his smile just about did her in. Quickdraw straightened up and reached behind her, handed her a glass of sparkling water. And then he picked up his own and tinked it against her glass. “To your territorial little ass.”
“You’re not my territory.”
“Am I not?” he asked, his dark eyebrows arching under the brim of his hat.
“I…I haven’t decided yet.”
“You sure about that?” Quickdraw took a sip of his drink. “Because it seems to me your wolf sure has. I heard you growling from across the room.”
Annabelle stalled on her response by busying herself with primly squirting the lime wedge into her water. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“There ain’t a damn thing wrong with