“Howdy, big man,” Tyler says, breaking my reverie as he swaggers over.
I clench my teeth.
The last thing I want to deal with today is Tyler’s antics.
He stops just short of me with a stupid grin on his face, his eyes glinting in a way I don’t like.
It’s like he’s plotting something.
“Hello, Tyler.”
I sigh gruffly and push away from the wall, staring at him expectantly.
“I saw something very interesting on the way to the set today.”
“Is that so?”
He nods, lifting his hand as though to run it through his styled hair. But then he remembers that his hair has been meticulously quaffed, and his vanity won’t let him disturb that.
“I saw you and that little bitch who sabotaged our costumes arriving together. And you know what else I saw, big man? I saw you kissing in the car—”
He cuts off when I surge forward, so close he must be able to feel the rage emanating from me. My whole body feels suddenly ready for war, my heart hammering loudly, as waves after waves of protective impulse course through me.
“What?” I snarl. “Go on, big man. I’m pretty sure you were about to say something else.”
I take another step forward, forcing him back. At the edges of my vision, I see some of the crew exchanging glances, as though wondering if they should get involved.
But I don’t turn to fully look at them.
Instead, I keep my eyes on Tyler as the coward trembles before my eyes.
“You’ll never talk about Bria like that again. You’ll never call her a bitch, or anything. Anything. If you do, I’ll break every goddamned bone in your body. Do you understand me?”
His mouth falls open as he stares at me, his eyes flitting from side to side as though he’s searching for somewhere to flee.
“I…”
“What?”
“I was just…”
“You were just what?” I growl.
My voice rises on the last word, a deep throaty growl that causes even more of the crew to stop what they’re doing and take notice. But I don’t give a damn, can’t give a damn, not when this piece of filth has just spoken about my woman like that.
“I don’t know,” he says after a moment. “Shit, man. I didn’t know she meant so much to you. I didn’t even know you were together. I’m sorry.”
“She means everything to me,” I snarl. “She means more to me than anything in the whole damn world. She is my world. We’re going to have a family together, so you keep her name out of your mouth.”
He nods like a kid being scolded in class. “I get it. Jeez. Alright.”
“Good.”
I push past him, clenching my fists so tightly I feel all the muscles in my forearms straining, and then abruptly stop when I see Bria standing off to the side.
She’s got a bundle of fabric in her arms, clearly on set to help with a costume, and the emotion flickering across her expression tells me she heard the whole exchange.
I stride over to her, stopping just short, staring down at her with wave upon wave of possession moving through me. It’s a never-ending torrent, a whole universe of primal passion.
“I’ll never let anyone talk like that about you,” I growl. “I’ll never let anyone insult you. Or make you feel small. Or ashamed. Ever. Do you hear me, Bria?”
The words are for her, but my voice booms out loudly, loud enough for the whole set to hear. I don’t give a damn.
In fact, they need to hear this, need to hear the fury I’ll unleash if any of them ever dare to misstep like Tyler just did.
“Thank you,” she whispers, with that same vulnerability in her eyes from last night.
“You don’t need to thank me,” I growl. “It’s what I’m here for.”
I don’t think about the fact half the set is watching us, the fact that word will get to the press before we’ve had a chance to make an official announcement.
All I think about is the taste of her lips and the fact that I’ll never, ever let anyone hurt her.
She makes that adorable whimpering sound as I lean down and kiss her, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing her close. She shivers against me, her body sending lustful signals blazing through her, the same as mine does to me.
I step back before the feeling can take full possession of me.
Otherwise, I’ll snap and devour her right here, even if we’re being watched.
“I need to go and be someone else for a little while,” I say, lowering my voice. “But I’ll see you later, Bria.”
“Later?” she whimpers, her lips glistening from the kiss, her cheeks blooming tempting red.
I lean close, letting her read the nearly unhinged carnality in my eyes.
“Later.”
I walk away, leaving her to breathlessly consider my words.
This time, I’m going to let my woman sink into her pleasure, explore it, and then – once she’s primed and soaked and ready – I’m going to claim her, claim her softly at first. But then hard.