“Thanks for stopping by, but Natalie and I are enjoying our drinks, DJ. Have a good night.”

“Mind if I join you?”

Jesus, no one ever accused him of being smart.

“Yes, we do mind. Goodbye, DJ.”

“Oh, c’mon, don’t be like that.” He runs his fingers down my cheek, and I catch his wrist in my hand and pull it away from me.

“Don’t touch me. Just go away.”

“Or what, Jules?”

“Or I’ll have to kick your ass,” Nate murmurs quietly behind him.

Chapter Twenty Six

Fuck.

I look over and Nate and Luke are both standing behind DJ, Luke with his arms crossed over his chest, watching, and Nate glaring at the back of DJ’s head, his gray eyes hard and narrowed.

DJ turns around and offers Nate his cocky smile, the one he thinks is charming, and winks at him. “Hey, dude, I got this. I fucked her a few years ago, and if I play my cards right, I’m hoping to fuck her again later tonight.”

I hear Natalie gasp, and then everything happens in slow motion. Nate bares his teeth and grabs DJ by the shirt and physically drags him away from our table, past the bar, and right out the front door, with Luke right behind him.

Natalie and I look at each other for a heartbeat, then scramble out of the booth and follow them outside.

Nate has DJ up against the wall of the building, his face inches from DJ’s, and enraged.

“Who the fuck taught you manners, asshole?”

“Fuck you,” DJ spits out and kicks Nate in the shin. Nate grunts, but doesn’t lose his grip on DJ’s shirt. His arms are flexed tight in anger.

DJ looks over Nate’s shoulder at me and smirks. “Hey, baby, did you miss this?” He grabs his cock through his jeans and laughs at his own joke.

“You have no idea who you’re fucking with,” I murmur.

Nate hasn’t moved a muscle. He’s glaring at DJ, breathing hard, but he’s completely controlled, and obviously isn’t hurting the other man, given that he’s able to make rude gestures at me.

DJ looks Nate up and down and smirks again.

“What do you want me to do, Julianne?” Nate asks softly.

DJ smirks. “Gotta ask your girlfriend for permission, pussy?”

“Kick his ass, Nate.”

“Thought you’d never ask, baby.”

Nate takes a step back, releasing DJ, and turns his back on him, and I know what his strategy is: let DJ take the first shot.

Nate is not disappointed.

DJ grabs Nate’s shoulder and pulls him around to face him and punches him, square in the jaw, Blood spatters from the corner of Nate’s mouth.

“What do you think of that, asshole?” DJ sneers.

“I think you have a pathetic right hook, moron.”

Nate punches DJ twice, once in the nose, then in the gut, sending DJ to the ground, but the other man is stupid and gets back up, swinging. Nate weaves out of the way and counters with another right hook to the jaw, then grips DJ’s shoulders and pulls him down against his knee, right to the gut and throws him to the ground again.

“Stay down,” Nate growls.

“Fuck you!” DJ stands again, more shaky this time, and rubs his stomach. He lunges for Nate again, fists flying, but Nate crouches and catches DJ around his torso and lifts him, slamming him against the wall with his strong shoulder, and drops DJ to the ground again.

Holy fuck! I knew Nate was strong, but seeing him, like this, is just amazing. Not only could he really hurt someone, he could kill someone.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down, motherfucker.”

DJ wheezes and coughs, wincing in pain. I’m sure his ribs are bruised, if not broken. He gets up to his knees, and Luke speaks for the first time.

“Are you learning impaired, dude? Stay the fuck down before he puts you in the hospital.”

DJ is clearly embarrassed as he falls back to the ground, sits on his ass and winces again. A small crowd has gathered to watch the show, mumbling and laughing at DJ.  He looks up at me and glares.

“I should have beat the shit out of you when I had the chance. You’re nothing but a fucking whore anyway.”

Nate rears back to kick DJ in the face, but I yell, “Don’t!”

He stops and whirls on me, his eyes raw with rage. “What?”

I shake my head and look back down at DJ.  I offer him a sweet, fake smile, walk sassily over to him, and squat in my heels so I’m close to him.

“You tried to kick my ass, remember, DJ? And I beat you bloody. I’m pretty sure that nice scar there by your left eye is thanks to me.”

I stand and walk away from him and he calls out, “Cunt whore!”

“Do it,” I mutter to Nate as I walk past him, and I hear DJ’s low grunt, then his head hitting the pavement, when Nate punches him one last time in the face, knocking him out.

***

“Well, one thing I will say about our nights out, it’s never boring.”  Natalie turns around in the passenger seat of their Mercedes and looks back at Nate and me.

“No, never boring,” I murmur and kiss Nate’s bruised and swollen knuckles. “Are you okay?” I ask him.

“I’m fine,” he mutters. He won’t look me in the face, and aside from me touching him, he’s hardly laid a hand on me.

Luke pulls into my driveway and Nate and I get out of the backseat. I lean in Nat’s window and kiss her cheek.  “Kiss Livie for me. I’ll call you tomorrow.”