Drake stood there, stunned, then jogged to catch up with her brisk, determined pace.
“Cupcake? Why are you mad at me?”
She stopped so suddenly and spun toward him so fast that he almost mowed her over. Instead he caught her shoulders, both to balance her and to stop himself.
“Can you please stop calling me that?”
“Okay,” he agreed readily. It was an honest mistake anyway.
“I could have handled that,” she said, her tone not angry or irritated, but rather flat and resolute.
Drake frowned, confused. Okay, just a moment ago she had clearly been angry with him, and now she seemed guarded, pulling up a wall of strength. It made no sense.
“I have no doubt you could have handled it. I saw the gator deal. But I was just trying to help.”
“Well, don’t.”
She started walking again, and again he followed, although this time he didn’t rush to catch up with her. He couldn’t figure her out. In Madame Renee’s she had willingly accepted his protective touch when that letch Donald had been giving her a look like he’d like to eat her whole. Yet, he stepped in when some drunk dude was actually getting physical and she was pissed. Women were confusing at best. This one was utterly mind-boggling.
He started to hasten his pace to catch up with her, especially since she was going to walk right past Toulouse, when another man approached her. This man was tall and barrel-chested. Far more intimidating than the silly drunk.
What the hell? All this male attention was getting to him. She was definitely cute—well, beautiful if you asked him, but damn there were plenty of pretty women on Bourbon. Why did men feel the need to approach his lady?
His lady? Okay, where had that come from? And he needed to stop that kind of thought right away. Josie Lynn wasn’t even close to his lady. She could barely stand him.
Still he felt his protectiveness—and possessiveness, if he was being honest, rise up again like hackles on a feral dog.
“Hey Josie Lynn, how are you feeling tonight?”
Some of Drake’s protective concern tamped down as he realized the man knew her. Then he looked at Josie Lynn and realized from her puzzled expression that she had no idea who this man was.
Even though she’d just informed him she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he moved to stand close beside her.
“Drake,” the man greeted, extending a beefy hand toward him.
Drake accepted in, knowing for a fact he’d never met this man before.
“I bet you’re feeling even rougher than this little one,” the man said, jerking his head toward Josie Lynn. “You two were pretty wrecked. And wild.”
The big guy smiled, but Drake didn’t sense any lasciviousness or even judgment in his grin. He’d genuinely found them amusing.
“Yeah, we were,” Drake agreed, really hating that he had no idea what he was referring to.
“Come have a drink with me before I start my shift,” the giant said jovially.
Drake looked at Josie Lynn, who shrugged. It probably made sense to do so, since clearly this guy remembered them from last night. And from his familiarity must have talked to them for quite some time.
“Sure,” Drake said and waited for the man to lead the way.
It shouldn’t have surprised Drake, but it did, as the man led them straight to The Dungeon.
They entered the dark entryway that seemed to be set up more like a novelty haunted attraction than a bar. The man led them through a few hallways to a back bar that was mostly empty, although the hard rock still pounded off the walls and made it hard to hear.
“What can I get you?” the man asked.
Drake ordered his usual whiskey, neat. Josie Lynn hesitated, then after an uneasy look around the place, asked for a glass of wine.
“So dude, you two had a pretty kick-ass night last night,” the man grinned with approval. He turned to Josie Lynn. “You are pretty damn feisty.”
Even in the shadowy light, Drake could see her blush.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get the better of Obsidian. Woman or man.”
Well that answered two suspicions of Drake’s. Yes, Josie Lynn’s run-in had been with Obsidian. And he’d been right to avoid that chick. She was scary.
He glanced at Josie Lynn, who looked embarrassed and bemused all at once. But she did seem to find her voice, having to practically shout over the music.
“Why did I fight with her?”
The man gave her a somewhat surprised look himself. Apparently he hadn’t caught on to the fact that they had no clue what had happened. For the entire night.
“She was trying to make moves on your man here.” He tilted his head in Drake’s direction. Then he frowned, his gaze moving over Drake. “Interesting outfit, buddy.”