“It was your mother’s, Emma. You gave it to me when you were still reeling after the breakup. I never should’ve accepted it, and I want to give it back.”
“Gina doesn’t like it?”
“She loves it,” Maddie said. “But it’s yours and you should have it.”
“I don’t need it.” As much as I appreciated the thought behind Maddie’s words, I wanted to focus on the twins, not on things that were tinged with sad memories.
“You might someday. Please just let me—”
“Whoa!” A large hand touched my arm, and I flinched. The comb-over man, who had to be in his late forties, was staring at the stage. “Look at them shake those things! Does that turn you on, little lady?”
I pulled my arm out of his grasp, but he was still right next to me, crowding me. My head swung to the back of the room, looking for Knox. I finally spotted him standing between two women who were clearly trying to kill each other. Feeling a bit panicky, I looked over at the bar, but there were so many people around it I couldn’t even see Tonio.
Maddie was as close to the wall as she could get, so there wasn’t anywhere else for me to go.
A large hand clamped down on my thigh and I shrieked. I tried to jerk away, but the creep’s fingers were already sliding up my inner thigh, pushing my skirt up as he went.
Desperately, I looked around just in time to see Austin racing toward me. He didn’t slow as he approached the front of the stage. Instead, he leaped into the air, soaring over two rows of rabid fans and landing between tables of astonished-looking customers.
The intrusive hand vanished as Austin grabbed the creep by the throat. Chairs were knocked over as he pinned him to the wall beside our table. Shock filled me as I tried to take in what had just happened.
Austin was shouting at the guy, but I couldn’t make out all the words over the loud music. It was clear he was angry. Really angry.
Then Knox was there, and for the first time, I could see what he meant when he said he scared people. Right now, he looked scary as hell as he took hold of the man who’d bothered me, pinned his arm up behind his back, and manhandled him toward the door.
Austin looked as if he wanted to follow them out and beat the crap out of that guy, but I grabbed his hand. “I’m okay.”
He looked down but I didn’t think he was truly seeing me. His eyes were narrow, and he looked dangerous. I’d never seen him like this before.
Then Tonio ran up. His first concern was for me, but when I indicated I was okay, he turned to Austin just in time to stop him from pounding after Knox.
“Emma, are you okay?”
I turned to find Denver crouched between Maddie and me. Both of them were watching me worriedly.
“Yes,” I said automatically, and then I stopped to assess if that was true. I felt shaky, and every place the man had touched felt like my skin was burning. “Yes, I think I am.”
Maddie took my hand. “I can drive you home if you’d like.”
That was the last thing I wanted to do. At home, I’d be all by myself. I wanted to be here, where my guys were.
“I’m okay, really,” I insisted. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your routine, Denver.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said.
I glanced up at Tonio and Austin. Tonio was saying something to his shirtless friend, keeping his hand on Austin’s arm as if to hold him back. “I’m worried about your brother, though.”
Denver nodded and stood up, squeezing my shoulder once before moving to his twin. For the first time, I noticed how many people were staring at us. The music was still going, but the spotlights only illuminated the empty stage.
Now Denver was whispering rapidly in his brother’s ear. I didn’t know what he told him, but a change came over Austin. He nodded, some of the tension seeming to drain out of him. He and Denver turned to the shocked women around them and did their best to set them at ease. The twins smiled, apologized for the commotion, posed for selfies, and used their considerable charm until everyone was smiling again. They even ordered pitchers of beer for the nearest tables once Tonio was back behind the bar.
By the time the next stripper was announced, most of the audience seemed to have put the incident out of their minds.
Knox made his way through the crowd. “Come with me,” he said to Maddie and me.
“I don’t want to go home,” I told him.
“You’re not.” He waited while Maddie and I gathered our purses and jackets. Knox led us to the bar, his large frame easily cutting through the crowd.