A growl rumbles up out of my throat as I cut through a yard when I see cars stopped in front of me.
A man screams at me as he jumps to the side but I ignore him. If it was his woman, he’d do the same.
I ditch the bike as soon as I’m close enough to barrel to her front door.
Screaming from inside the house makes me grind my teeth and ram the door at full speed.
Growling and snarling like a rabid dog, I grab the asshole hovering over my Brandy on the couch. She’s got her feet up and she’s kicking the hell out of him which gives me the chance to grab him by the back of his shirt.
“Wha…” he barks out. That’s as far as he gets. My fist connects with his face with a satisfying crunch.
“Who the fuck are you?” he grunts, picking himself up off the floor, wiping at the blood pouring out of his mouth. I lunge at him and he groans when I slam into him.
Wrestling, we knock over a table and chair. I slam his head into the floor and get my hands around his throat, squeezing hard. His eyes bug out and he gasps, choking.
“Stop, Judas! Don’t kill him! The cops are here!” Brandy pummels me and then two cops grab my arms and pull me, fighting and growling off the idiot who sits up coughing.
“Man, I don’t know why you’re so bent out of shape,” he snarls roughly, coughing and wheezing.
“That’s my fiancé, dickhead. You tried to put your filthy hands on what’s mine. I should have killed you.”
More cops pile in and take the guy into custody before the rest of them drop my arms.
Brandy runs into my arms, sobbing and shaking and I hug her tight, shushing her sobs.
“It’s alright, baby. I told you I’ll always be here for you. No matter how stupid you act.”
She yanks herself back and her cheeks flush angrily. “What are you talking about?”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you just stayed in bed where you should have been. How do you think I felt when I opened my eyes and you weren’t there this morning. I was just about to chase your little ass down and spank it when Promise called.”
“She called you?” Brandy’s tear-soaked eyes widen.
“She apparently realized what was going on and called me as soon as you opened the door. I need to buy that woman a car. Or a house. Maybe a yacht. Whatever the hell she wants, she can have it.”
Brandy chokes on a giggle. “She won’t take it. She’s been taking care of herself and her son for a long time.”
“Tutors. Maybe a bike? Anything. I’ll give her money. She can buy whatever the hell she needs.”
Brandy moves back into my arms and I sigh, feeling my body collapse into her when she touches me.
“Fuck, you scared me to death. You must have taken ten years off my life. From now on you’re going to have a security detail.”
Her head jerks up and the cops beat it out the door when she glares at me. “We’ll just wait out here so we can get a statement. We’ll give you a few minutes alone.”
“Chickens,” I mutter under my breath.
“There is no way you’re putting a security detail on me, Mr. Cartwright. No way in hell. I’ll make sure I lose them every damn time.”
“Then I’ll fire them and get someone else. Sooner or later, I’ll find someone who can keep up with your slippery little ass.”
Her eyes glitter furiously, the gold burning hot and bright. “Not going to happen, Judas.”
“It will happen. And if you attempt to lose them I’ll spank your ass and get new guys. And if you lose them I’ll spank your ass again and get more men. We’ll do this dance until you realize that I’m not giving up. I don’t care if you’re mad at me or not. The only thing that matters to me in this life is keeping you safe.”
I tug her closer, struggling to hold myself in check. “I’m begging you, Brandy. I can’t lose you,” I whisper into her soft hair, running my hand down her trembling body. The soft, warm scent of her wraps around me and I’m so close to losing my mind. “It would kill me. Please don’t kill me. Let me love you. Let me take care of you.”
She sighs and relaxes into my arms. “We’ll talk about it. But you need rules. I get the feeling you’re gonna push until you get what you want and I’m not going to put up with that. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”