Page 32 of Real Good Love
Dear Lord, please stop me from knocking out this girl’s teeth because I’ll probably have to buy her veneers, and I’ll be pissed because her teeth will look better than mine. Amen.
Sucking in a deep breath, I meet Tricia’s hate-filled gaze again.
“You’re just a piece of ass to him. When he’s done, he’ll send you crawling home on your knees, although that’s probably how you’re used to spending your time.”
Damn, she’s really trying to piss me off, and now ... she’s succeeding. My temper flares, and the crowd around us grows.
“You must think you need to save face in a big way right now, because you’ve got no skin in this game, Tricia. Seriously, back off. I don’t give a shit what you say to me—”
“I bet you’d give a shit if Logan Brantley buried himself balls-deep in Emmy Harris’s ass. You’re just a warm-up for what he really wants.”
That’s it. I’mdoneplaying nice.
“Go fuck yourself, or better yet, go fuck your inbred hick brother.”
Her mouth drops open, and I must have hit a nerve because she launches herself at me with a battle cry.
“Don’t you dare talk about my brother. My mama didn’t know!”
The words don’t even compute in my head—beyondwhat in the ever-loving fuck—before her fist flies toward my face.
Pain from the glancing blow shoots through my cheekbone as I stumble backward, knocked off my feet. Another stab of pain screams up my spine as my tailbone connects with the hard floor of the bowling alley.
All of a sudden, Tricia is on top of me, and I hear Stan yelling, “Girl fight!Liveat Pints and Pins!” in his best impression of that Buffer guy who’s always getting people ready to rumble.
I raise my hands, trying to protect my face, wishing I’d joined the jujitsu craze at my gym a few years ago. Tricia tries to slap me, but I throw my elbow up to block. And damn, she’s a hell of a lot heavier than she looks because she’s like dead weight on top of me.
Everyone’s yelling, and I’m just trying to cover up—until she reaches for my brand-new necklace.
Oh, fuck no, bitch. That’s my Swarovski splurge.I grab her wrist and twist it until she screams, and someone lifts her off me.
“Did you see what she did? That bitch! She assaulted me.” Tricia’s screech cuts through the rising sound of the crowd around us.
Someone touches my shoulder, and I lash out before I hear Logan’s deep drawl.
“Whoa, Bruce. It’s me. You okay?” Logan’s face is a picture of fury.
I start to nod, but pain coming from my cheek and my ass and the back of my head brings tears to my eyes.Dammit, I will not cry in front of these people.
“Shit. You’re not okay.”
“I’m fine.” I sniffle and bite my lip. “It just hurts a little. She’s heavier than she looks.”
Another person crouches down next to me. Nicole. “And she’s already had three Jack and Cokes and was talking shit about you before you got here. I swear, the chip on her shoulder hasn’t shrunk since high school. You want me to go kick her ass for you, since Logan here is too good of a guy to ever lay a hand on a woman?”
Logan growls something, but my head is pounding too loudly for me to make out his alpha-speak right now.
“I just want to go home.”
“Y’all get back to your seats. Nothing to see here,” Ben croaks out as he shuffles toward us, leaning on his cane. “Shit, please tell me she didn’t hurt you. If you sue me, I’ll lose everything.”
Logan helps me to my feet, and I face the old man.
“It’s not your fault. I should’ve walked away.”
When he holds out a white bag, I stare at it, unmoving.
“I don’t have frozen peas or a steak, but here’s some frozen tater tots you can hold on your face for a little bit. Shit, you can even keep ’em for a snack later if you want. On me.”
