Asa scrubbed his hands over his face and Duke and Mick both groaned.

“Don’t judge! It didn’t come up. Why would I tell her something unpleasant when it doesn’t matter anyway?” He shrugged at Ellen. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Ellen rolled her eyes. “But not everyone is nice. Some people in this crowd like to play mind games. Also, she’s hot, so you know some guys are going to see this as a way to get around you.”

Duke burst out laughing. “Don’t sweat it, Ellen.” He looked at Asa. “You have to tell her, but mainly because it would be hurtful for her to hear it elsewhere. No one is going to try to snag PJ. Everyone knows she’s with you.”

“Including PJ. She’d ice any dude who tried.” Mick shrugged.

PJ touched up her lipstick and headed over to order some more beers for their table.

For most of that night their group had been pretty much the only people in the restaurant. But a group of dudebros had installed themselves at the long bar and the volume level had gone up considerably. She rolled her eyes inwardly as she made her way through them to get the attention of the bartender.

“Well, hello there. Buy you a drink, pretty lady?” This came from her left. One of the invading dudebros no doubt.

“No thanks.” PJ continued to watch the bartender because she didn’t want to look over and start anything.

“Aw, come on. Why you gotta be so mean? You think you’re too good for me?”

Ugh. A drunk dudebro was dangerous. He had trouble hearing no. Liked using his size to intimidate women. No matter what she did, he’d be annoying, so she chose to ignore him. She’d said no and that was all he needed to know.

She pointed at a pitcher and held up two fingers when the bartender saw her. He nodded with a smile, indicating he’d bring the pitchers over shortly.

But when she turned to leave, the dudebro she’d been ignoring stepped into her path.

“I didn’t say you could go.”

PJ looked up into his sweaty face and then she looked around until she found the one dudebro who looked embarrassed. She motioned at the drunk one. “Are you fucking kidding me?” And then back to her problem dudebro, “Move out of the way and leave me alone.” She’d just had an ugly scene two weeks ago with Gary Weston. She didn’t want to do it again.

He stepped with her, keeping her from leaving. He grabbed her arm as she tried to pass. “The fuck you say? Big tits and blond in a bottle doesn’t mean you can open your mouth to me like that, bitch.”

Shocked, it took her a second to react. And then a wall of man showed up, breaking the hold dudebro had on PJ’s arm before she could connect with his balls with her knee.

“You’d best tell the lady you’re sorry and get yourself gone, son.” It wasn’t Asa, but Duane. Massive, but not Asa massive. Still, big enough to pick this jerk up and wipe the counter off with his body without breaking a sweat.

Dudebro doubled down, stepping a little closer. “Why, you her boyfriend?”

“No. He is.” Duane tipped his chin in the other direction and they swung in unison… and froze at the sight of Asa stalking in their direction like a storm of fuck-your-face-up.

He headed straight to PJ and looked her over, his expression darkening at the red spot on her arm where the guy had grabbed her so hard.

“Outside.” Asa said it to dudebro but continued to look at PJ. He traced across her cheekbone and kissed the same spot briefly. “Stay in here. I’ll be right back.”

The dudebro wasn’t very bright.

“Look, man, she came on to me. You can’t give me shit when your girl has a wandering eye. Am I right?”

Asa spun on his heel, took up two handfuls of dudebro, and carried him out the door, tossing him into the street.

Dudebro’s friends rushed out. A few of them held their hands up, palm out, asking for Asa to let it go and they’d take their friend away.

But Asa wasn’t done. He stalked out to the middle of the street, picked dudebro up one-handed, and dragged him back to where PJ now stood.

“This is my lady. You hurt her. That make you feel like a big man? Terrorizing someone half your size? A real man doesn’t need to scare women. Or hurt them. You owe her an apology.”

“Sorry. I’m sorry!”

Asa shoved him hard, sending him stumbling. “I see you anywhere near here and I will deliver the beating you deserve. Piece of shit.”

The other dudebros scrambled to their friend and took off down the street without even looking over their shoulders.

Asa visibly got himself under control before he shifted his attention back to her. “You okay?”

She didn’t even know what to say. The whole thing was so surreal. Nodding absently, she rubbed at the spot on her arm. She’d have a bruise there most likely. She bruised easily and he’d pressed his thumb in really hard.

Of course, Asa’s attention went right to that and she cringed.

He touched her cheek again as he had inside. Like she was precious.

“Hey, baby girl.” Duke approached with Mick and gave her a gentle hug. “I brought your stuff in case you guys wanted to duck out. The manager is glad you took it outside, but he’s understandably anxious to have us all vacate the premises.”

She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. “This keeps getting better and better.”

Duke thought that was hilarious. “Asa, your lovely lady seems to be under the impression this is the first time we’ve been asked to leave an establishment.”

Asa grinned and she saw the light in his eyes. Noted the gleam. He was hot for her right then and there, and it was probably because he’d just tossed some dude out in the street like trash to protect PJ.

But it didn’t offend her sensibilities. Whatever that meant about her, PJ just didn’t care. It was hot seeing him be so badass to protect her. She wanted to lick him and thank him and go find that jerk and kick his face and also sleep and maybe have a doughnut.

“We get kicked out of a lot of places.” Asa shrugged as he took PJ’s things from Duke. “This isn’t even the first time we’ve been asked to leave this particular restaurant. We’ll stay away for a month or so and come back and things will be fine.”

Duke and Asa seemed to find it hilarious, which made her feel a little better.

“You’re an unruly lot.”

Asa nodded solemnly and then winked.

Mick hugged her. “You okay, baby doll?” He looked her over carefully. Since that apology, he’d claimed her much the way Duke had. She was theirs because Asa was too.

“I just wanted to order some more pitchers. I didn’t mean for it to turn into a fight.”

“Aw, honey.” Asa kissed the top of her head. “We’ve fought over far less.”

Duke shook his head. “A person should be able to order a damned pitcher without being assaulted by a drunken frat boy. And the asshole who makes that impossible for women all the time needs to be thrown out into the street like garbage.”

Mick and Duke did some sort of handshake/fist-bump thing and sauntered off.

Ellen waved as she came over. “It was nice meeting you. Do you have a card? I was about to ask you for it when all hell broke loose.”

PJ pulled a card from her purse and handed it to the other woman, taking the one Ellen offered in return.

“I’ll call you about doing some work down in the south Sound.” Ellen waved and headed off with a knot of the people they’d come with. Many shouted their good-byes and locations for wherever they’d head next, but she could see in Asa’s eyes that he and she weren’t going anywhere but to his house.

He put her in the car and paused a moment before he got in on his side. He needed to pull it together because he didn’t want to aim any of the violence he felt right then in her direction.

She’d had enough for one evening. And while he and his friends ate the adrenaline of fights in the street right up, he was sure it wasn’t a regular part of her life. Nor would he want it to be. Especially when it was the result of some shitty treatment.