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bangs back behind her ear. Then she leans over the bar to hand out beers to new customers. My eyes stray directly to her sweet, rounded ass so flagrantly on display. I wait for the rush of desire to hit me. Maybe, I’ll ignore that stupid rule and finally relieve some of this damn tension.
    However, I find myself being drawn to the pair of never-ending legs across the room. Now, my blood is pumping and I can’t seem to look away. The little hellcat is bouncing between tables and bestowing that Miss America smile on every man but me. My jaw clenches as the guy she is currently serving can’t seem to lift his eyes from her chest, and I’m about to go over there and rip his fucking balls off for staring at my girl when I feel a hand on my arm.
    I glance down to find Niki standing next to me, skimming her hand up my bicep and over my shoulder, kneading the muscles in my neck. Damn. Some of my rage melts as the muscles begin to relax.
    “I’m here until close, Slade, but I’m off tomorrow. Maybe you should let me help you relax.” Her hazel eyes are looking up at me in mock coyness.
    A smirk starts to form on my lips. This is what I need. It’s not J; I just need a woman.
    “Sure, Nik. Sounds good.”
    Her smile widens as she gives my neck one last squeeze. Then her hand slides to my ass for a parting smack before she heads over to serve customers who just sat down.
    I lift my head to do another brief sweep of the place and stop when I see J watching me from a table just across the left side of the bar. The sparkle in her blue eyes has dimmed and a frown is playing around the corners of her sweet mouth. Her eyes flit over to look at Niki then dart back to me.
    She heard.
    Good.
    If my taunt from earlier didn’t make it clear that she should stay away from me, this should effectively drive it home. She needs to know what I am. I don’t do sweet and innocent, I don’t do commitment, and I don’t cross that line with someone I need to protect. I continue to hold her gaze unapologetically until she finally looks away. As she walks away, lead settles over my chest and the tension in my shoulders notches up. I am so damn tired.
    I turn my attention back to Niki and she throws me a wink.
    Yeah. Just what I need.

    There’s a mountain of paperwork in my office that needs to be done, but for the rest of the night, I stay at the bar and help Niki serve. It’s a weeknight, so it’s not as busy, but we normally have two people manning the bar. Not that she can’t handle it alone, but I need to be out front.
    I need be able to see my girl.
    I shake my head at that thought. What the hell is up with that? She’s not my damn girl! It’s my responsibility to protect her, not fuck her. I grind my teeth together every time I see some son of a bitch leering at her. I’m not a killer, but I know how to make a man scream in agony. These fuckers are just asking for it.
    When one in the morning rolls around, I catch Delia’s eye and lift my chin to let her know that she needs to make her way back here. She nods in acknowledgment before finishing wiping up her table. Delia signals to J, who is wiping up the next table, and they head back to the bar. Now that she’s in front of me, I can see the utter exhaustion that’s taking her over. She isn’t used to this kind of work. I have to tamp down the guilt and rising sympathy I feel for not having realized this would be so hard on her.
    Life isn’t all roses and glitter.
    She’s going have to suck it up and—Really? My mind went there? Yeah, it did.
    “You’re done for the night,” I growl. I’m talking to them both, but my eyes never leave hers.
    Delia murmurs her thanks then grabs J’s arm to lead her to the back.
    “Wait.” The fire is back in J’s eyes, turning them to a deep sapphire. “We don’t close until two.”
    “You’re done for the night,” I repeat, my voice hard and unyielding.
    Delia seems to sense a brewing storm and scampers off to the back room,