“What’s wrong with you?” The man gasped.
“You don’t ignore my woman when she speaks to you, and you never fucking touch her – understand?” His knife had found its way to his free hand, and the adrenaline made him want to stab this fucker in the face.
The man’s eyes were panicked, probably because Severin was tightening his grip. “Sorry, Leduc. I had no idea.”
Severin sneered, but let his hand fall away from the buyer’s throat.
“Mister Leduc,” Minnow said quietly, “Rodrigo has offered to handle this transaction if you’d like to come inside.”
Staring into the man’s eyes, Severin cocked his head and let the man see just how unstable he was. He let Minnow take the knife out of his hand and lead him inside to the receiving room off the foyer. His body and mind were buzzing hard. Everything in him wanted to charge back outside and show the man exactly what happened when someone laid a hand on Minnow, but she was coaxing him into a chair, and jail seemed less interesting than watching her cleavage as she resheathed his knife in his boot.
“Mister Leduc!” she admonished. Red mottled her face and her chest heaved. Was she angry or afraid? He hadn’t meant to scare her.
“What?”
“You can’t go around choking people and threatening them with knives!” Her body shook.
“He almost knocked you down.”
“You pulled a knife on him!”
“I did.”
“If he presses charges, you could end up in jail!”
Severin smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m too big and ugly to be someone’s girlfriend.”
“Jail, Mister Leduc. It’s not a joke.” She sidled up to him and leaned her leg on his, then moved back. He was sorry she did, because he’d liked it.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. Although she leaned away from him in protest, it was short lived. After a moment her stiff posture melted, and she let him pull her close.
“Did I scare you?”
She nodded. “I thought you might kill him.”
“The thought crossed my mind. I won’t tolerate you being treated with disrespect.”
“Unless it’s by you.”
He kissed her forehead. “Yeah, but you get off on that.”
Although she glared at him, she didn’t deny it.
“Don’t kill anyone because of me, okay?” She pressed her face against his chest. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that, Mister Leduc. That should just be a given.”
“Miss Korsgaard, when a man gifts you with the blood of your enemies, you’re supposed to be flattered.”
“You’re just mad he touched your property.”
“That too.”
She thumped her forehead against his chest.
“Even if he didn’t realize you were my woman, he should have showed you respect as my employee.” He paused to see if she’d rise to his bait, but she didn’t say a word. “That and the fact that you’re a little fucking badass who could serve him his balls on toast.”
“Screw that. If he wants toast with his balls, he can make it himself. I only cook for one man.”
He brushed his knuckle over her bottom lip, loving her ferocity.