Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Spade

I sense the change in her and see the sad look that comes across her face. And I don't like it at all. In fact, I hate it. More so because I'm not sure what dragon I have to fight for her, what demon I have to exorcise, to make her smile again.

Was it because I almost called her baby? Was I coming on too strong? Does she know that her being a little… off-center does it for me? I didn't really see myself getting turned on by a woman tripping but there it is…my dick getting hard anytime that sweet little thing falls against me. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that every time she falls, her body - and all those curves - brush against me and cause a fire to ignite where we touch.

I start to make small talk with her, asking her about what classes she is taking, what her favorite was, and what she likes to eat. Food is especially important to me. Food is a simple way to say you love someone. There are plenty of people I wouldn't feed… hell, there are people I wouldn't eat in front of, but my friends can have my last slice of pizza, the last chip in my bag, the last french fry. Now that's love.

We meet up with the Girls, Whit, and Bear out in the parking lot of the restaurant so we can all go in together and some of the tension I was feeling eases a little. Maybe it's a sense of not having to be so on-guard with everyone concerning Pearl, especially the men.

And then Kent Rogers opens his damn mouth. Again.

"Hey, hot stuff, why don't you come on over here and find out what a real man is like."

I try, I really do, to shake it off and tell myself it isn't my place, he doesn't mean anything by it, and even if he could get his dick up, Pearl is too smart to pay any attention to him. And then he goes too far. He reaches out and takes her hand to stop her from going any further.

I am on him like melted cheese on a hot pizza in July. "Don't touch!"

He laughs it off like I might be telling him a big joke never looking at my face which isn't laughing. "Please Spade, it's not like you're her Daddy. She can talk to me if she wants to. Or are you kinky like that?" He reaches out for her again, wrapping his hand around her wrist, "Is he kinky, baby?"

He makes several mistakes in the span of a heartbeat; one being the fact he asked something like that in front of every fucking body and two, giving me the idea of Pearl calling me Daddy. It's enough to make me act before I can think about what I am doing. Before I know it, my fist is drawn back and I send it, right into Kent's stupid, smiling face.

The restaurant goes silent, and Whit and Bear are up ready to back me up if I need them. But I don't. I hit the asshole so hard that he's flung out of his seat and lands on the floor with a split lip and a bloody nose.

"I told you not to touch her, you fucking idiot."

I start to go for him again, but Whit and Bear take a step in front of me placing their hand on my shoulder. I know it's just to keep me from beating the hell out of him and going to jail because of it but for a wild moment, I want to throw them off me so I can do exactly what they think I'm going to do.

It's the soft, light voice that finally has me pulling back. I look over and see her give me a soft smile. "It's alright Spade. I…why don't you sit here?"

I pull away from Whit and Bear and disregard the look on their faces, before going over to sit down beside Pearl. She gives me a small smile and for just a second, I wonder if I might have scared her with my outburst. But then her face loses the smile, and her eyes widen. Before I can try to explain this is not how I normally act and I just feel protective of her she is taking me by the hand, her attention fully centered there.

"Oh my gosh, you've hurt yourself." I look down at where she has my hand in hers and see the bruised and bloody knuckles. Apparently, that jackasses face is harder than I first realized. She dips her hand in the glass of water that's already been set at the place she has chosen to sit so she can use the ice in it. She wraps the cubes in a cloth napkin before she puts it on my knuckles.

It"s sweet but unnecessary. "I'm alright, you don't have to…"

"It's okay, I don't mind. After all, you were kind of standing up for my virtue or whatever, so in a way, I kind of caused it."

"You…weren't the cause of it at all. You didn't run your mouth or touch someone who didn't want to be touched. He needs to learn not to touch without asking first."

She gives me a tiny smile that does more for me than the ice ever could. And the sense of being in trouble hits me in the face again…almost as hard as I hit Kent.