Page 54 of Ruled By Wizard

“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

She quickly turned toward the counter. “I don’t know why. I told you I was coming.”

He moved closer, placing his hands on the bar on either side of her, trapping her within his arms. “I thought you’d have enough self-preservation to stay away.”

“Why?” she scoffed. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be.” Wizard lowered his head until they were at eye level. “I don’t understand where you got the mistaken impression that I’m some goofball you can lead around by the nose. Outside the club, I play by your rules. In here, you play by mine.”

CHAPTER 21

A SURE THING

“Is that so?”

The silly woman had no earthly idea who she was dealing with, or she never would have responded so flippantly.

Wizard met Natalia’s confident gaze, almost feeling sorry for her. She couldn’t fathom the type of man he was. Most people—especially women—thought they were good judges of character, relying heavily on their ability to recognize red flags. What they didn’t realize was he was an expert at concealing them. Rarely did he set one in motion, and even more rarely did he raise one high enough to trigger an alarm.

“I gave you fair warning before we went to the drive-in, and I’m giving you another one now. I’m pretty fucking sure Arden has warned you about me a few times, too. I won’t give you another. I’ve never been stupid enough to cut off my nose to spite my dick.”

“I think I’m the one being underestimated.” Anger glittered in her eyes. “I knew what type of man you were before a single word ever came out of your mouth. Why don’t you go pester some other woman and leave me the hell alone? I’m sure there is some desperate woman just waiting to grab your attention. I can take care of myself just fine. I don’t need you standing over my shoulder all night.”

Raising one hand, he traced her jawline with a calloused finger.

“Luckily for you, I have bigger fish to fry tonight, or I would show you just how wrong you are.” He scoffed. “Don’t mistake my restraint for being pussy-whipped when I was an inch from fucking you into the next century.”

Curling his lips into a mocking smile, he stepped back. “My dick will be five inches inside you before you even think about changing your mind, and all you’ll be able to say is, ‘Fuck me harder.’”

Wizard kept his eyes locked on Natalia as he made the boast, ignoring the attention their conversation had drawn.

A tinge of red crept up her neck and colored her face. “Five inches isn’t much to brag about,” she sneered, pointedly dropping her gaze to his crotch.

“Baby, I’m not ashamed of only five inches. God knew what He was doing. I can fuck you into Wonderland with the five inches I was blessed with. I can take any woman to heaven’s gate. Believe that, even if you don’t believe anything else I say.” He grinned. “Be thankful God didn’t give me more. I am. Imagine the damage I could do with a bigger dick.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“You’re not the first woman to tell me that, and you won’t be the last.” Unperturbed by her escalating fury, he gave her a confident smirk.

Spotting Doom entering the clubhouse, Wizard gave her shoulder a patronizing pat. “You really shouldn’t have come tonight, but I’m glad you did. I’ll catch you later.”

Containing his laughter at her furious expression, he shouldered his way through the crowd to join Doom. “You give those girls my message?”

“Yes.” Doom nodded. “They won’t be sneaking in here again.”

Glowering at anyone unfortunate enough to be near him, Wizard searched the club. “Check out the bleached blonde cuddling up to Puck in the back booth. Make sure she’s legal. I don’t think she’s any older than the last four you escorted out.”

Doom’s gaze shot toward the booth. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath. “How’d I miss her?”

“She probably ducked into the restroom when she saw you checking the other girls’ IDs,” Wizard reasoned.

Every muscle in his body tingled, as if preparing him to fight for his life. The instinct had never failed him. It had saved him numerous times, both during and after his military service.

Doom headed toward Puck’s booth, where the girl was licking the side of Puck’s neck as if he were her favorite brand of popsicle. Wizard resumed scanning the club.

This many under drinking age women sneaking inside couldn’t be a coincidence. One or two on a Friday night was normal. Four was unusual. Five smelled like a fucking setup.

Seeing Doom approach, the blonde made a break for the restroom. She slid out of the booth and tried to disappear into the rowdy crowd. Confused, Puck must have asked Doom where his popsicle licker was going. Watching Puck’s face turn a sickly shade of green when Doom apparently told him the girl groping him beneath the table was under drinking age was the highlight of Wizard’s night so far.