"No problem, Rome." I wide-eyed him and tried to steer him off with a look, but he was studying Georgie's hand on my neck.
"Look, we don't allow manhandling in our bar."
I shook my head at him, trying to get him to stop. Georgie didn't like being told what he could and couldn't do with me. It made him feel inadequate. Useless. And that led to reckless behavior.
He squeezed me a little harder. "My girl gets what she deserves."
I smiled at Rome with a plea in my eyes but bunched my shoulders. I wanted Georgie to think he had control, that he was dominating me, but that required me to play the damsel in distress. I wasn't sure Rome would be able to see through the act.
Rome straightened and brought a hand to his chin. "Your girl?"
Georgie yanked me back into his belly by my neck. "Yeah, my girl. And tell your bartenders that too."
Rome's lips lifted at the corners. It wasn't a smile, although some would mistake it for that.
I knew Rome rarely smiled. Not really. Over the years of being around him, I’d discovered he could glare, growl, stare someone down, and deliver on every threat he made.
When he stepped toward Georgie, I knew my night was going to end badly. Georgie must have known it too.
Rome got closer to us. "I'm a little confused."
Georgie stuttered as he shifted me in front of him as if he could use me as a shield to ward off Rome. "There's nothing to be confused about."
I tried to hide my eye roll at how cowardly he was. Sure, Rome was intimidating. He stood taller than everyone who came into the bar, and tattoos snaked around every one of bulging muscles.
Quite frankly, his dark features were overkill.
But no man should have been using me—who stood at a mere five and a half feet—as a shield. Especially when I'd put on a wonderful performance throughout our relationship of being a meek, terrified woman he could throw around.
Rome stepped closer until his body was inches from mine and he looked over my head. "Isn't there? Kate-Bait comes in here all the time, and I'm positive she belongs tonoman."
I widened my eyes at Rome, trying to signal for him to stand down. Mario must have told him about Georgie, there was no doubt. Rome knew most of the ins and outs of what we were all doing. He needed to back off.
“Rome, don’t you remember? I told you about Georgie.” I emphasized his name, trying to jog his memory. “You know how good Georgie is to me, how he always treats me like I’m a treasure.”
Rome blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. Damn, he was in a mood and wanted to take it out on someone. “And yet he grabs you like you’re trash. Like I said, it’s not allowed in my bar.”
Georgie's temperature rose. I felt it in his grip and the way his stance against mine changed. He wanted to prove himself.
Rome ran his tongue over his teeth as if counting how many he had before he unleashed the beast that must have been bouncing around in him. He looked straight at me, and I couldn't quite tell if he was going to let it loose on me or on Georgie.
He looked lethal either way. Deadly, unhinged, and, unfortunately for me, way hotter than Mr. Georgie behind me.
Georgie thought being hot meant exerting your power, though, and I was just a bit too late in realizing it to avoid him slamming me sideways into the wall.
My head ricocheted off a stud, and I saw maybe one or two stars. Nothing to write home about, I promise.
I could have saved the night. I could have tried to calm them both down.
Really, Georgie didn't hurt me too bad, he didn't have the strength to. Flying into a wall was a piece of cake, but it pissed me off that I hadn't caught it. That I'd probably have a bruise on my head the next day because I’d been paying attention to Rome rather than him.
And maybe, just maybe, I'd come here to pay attention to Rome or get attention from him in the first place. I wasn't sure.
All of it pissed me off.
So, I couldn't be held responsible for losing my shit and turning to Georgie as Rome shoved him into the wall.
I pushed Rome off him and growled, "Oh, no. He's mine to fuck up now."