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“Johnny, we need you in on this. Please?”
Simon gritted his teeth hearing the sweetness in her voice directed to the
burly man with an obvious attitude. He was hers, and by damn, Johnny
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would have to get used to it, or Simon would take care of it the hard way
with his fists.
“Fine. I’m sayin’ right now it’s Delight I listen to, not you, Boothe,”
Johnny said. “I ain’t about to see her killed for your vendetta.”
That showed how much he knew because Delight had her own score to
settle with William. When he met her gaze, he could see she wanted him to
say nothing about her past, so he kept his mouth shut. With the plan set, the
men went back out to play cards and enjoy the rest of the night. The whiskey
and bourbon poured freely while men talked and laughed. Johnny drank glass
after glass, sitting at the bar and throwing him dirty glances every so often.
When he turned his attention to Delight, he practically drooled, and it was
wearing on Simon’s very thin nerves. Simon watched Delight go upstairs, and
when she came back down, she had changed her clothes. He was sure if he
took a deep breath he would be able to smell her scent. Simon wanted her
again. Desire curled in his belly and made his cock ache between his legs. He
would take her when the bar closed, upstairs on her bed. Johnny was sitting
at the corner of the bar, and when Delight passed to go back to work, his
hand snaked out, and he pulled her between her legs. Before she could utter
a sound, his lips were on hers, trying to force a sloppy kiss on her. Simon
moved so quickly out of his chair that it skated across the room and fell over.
“Ah shit, Johnny!” Clem said. “Why’d you go and do that?”
Delight pushed away from his chest just before Simon reached him.
“Simon, no!” she yelled, but there was no stopping him.
Simon was past hearing anything but the blood rushing in his ears as his
temper boiled over and his fist met Johnny’s face. The blood that spurted
from his nose brought Simon enormous pleasure. Johnny tried to swing, but
Simon sidestepped it easily before connecting a fist with the man’s solar
plexus and kicking him out the door. The rain had started, and when Johnny
hit the ground, it was with a wet and muddy splash.
“Simon!”
Delight’s voice came to him as he stepped off the bar’s porch, into the
street, and grabbed Johnny up by his collar. His fist connected with Johnny’s
jaw again and sent him sprawling to the ground. Simon was soaked, but he
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didn’t care. He dropped to his knees next to Johnny and systematically
pounded his face until Clem and a few others pulled him to his feet and held
him back while he struggled.
“You’re dead if you ever touch her again. You hear me, Johnny? You are
dead!” Simon’s voice roared out above the sound of the rain. “I want you
gone. If I ever see you in this bar again, you won’t walk out!”
“You won’t see him, Boothe. I’ll make sure of it.”
Boothe didn’t know the man who spoke up and helped Johnny to his
feet. He really didn’t care. Johnny stumbled down the street holding on to his
friend. It was only then that Clem and the other men let him go. On the
porch Delight threw him a look and went back inside. She had something to
say. He could see it all over her face. Simon was still angry when he walked
through the door and found her wiping the clean bar furiously. The rest of
the bar patrons were drinking quietly and pretending not to pay attention to
them. But Simon could feel each and every eye watching them with avid
attention.
“Say what you gotta say.” He stood across the bar waiting.
She pointed a finger at him. “I’ve been taking care of myself long before
you stepped into Desert Gulch. You had no right for doing that.”
Simon waved his hands in the air. “He put his hands on you. He kissed
you. I had every damn right! No red-blooded man would see that and not
beat the living shit out of him! He is lucky I didn’t fucking kill him because
of it!”
“Johnny is harmless. I could’ve taken care of it. You don’t own me,
Simon Boothe!” Delight shouted. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]