I knew it had to stop soon because the cops had probably been called. The minute I thought that, sirens could be heard in the distance. Needing to end this quickly, I pulled my arm back and punched redhead in the eye. She screamed and fell to the floor.
“Dean, Jimmy, Tara… We have to go!” They all looked at me and nodded.
Grabbing my hand with a smile, Dean led us all out the back of the bar and into an alleyway. Chaos still sounded inside as we ran away as fast as possible. As soon as we got somewhere quiet, we stood around to catch our breath.
Tara started laughing. “Shit. I’ve never had so much fun in my life. What the fuck was that?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. That redheaded crazy bitch started shouting something about hurting Joe Hardman.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “Shit. I think he’s the quarterback for the Washington Redskins.”
I laughed. “Seriously? That asshole is a professional football player?”
Tara giggled. “Oh yeah, baby girl. You just got hit on by somebody famous.”
I looked over and saw Dean’s jaw clench. “I’m glad I hit that fucker.” His fists were still clenched.
“What happened?” Jimmy looked at Tara and me.
Tara shrugged. “We just went to the toilet and came out to find this big, huge bearded guy telling us to leave for disrespecting his clients. Naturally, Jessica and I had something to say about that.” She looked at me with a wink.
“We put in our complaint. I think the owner heard us loud and clear.” We both giggled, but Dean still looked fired up.
“Do you want me to go back there and kick his arse for you?”
Walking over to Dean, I placed my hand on his chest. He took a shuddering breath, then seemed to relax once he exhaled. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Shit, man. I haven’t had a good old-fashioned fight like that in ages. You got to admit, that was fun.” Jimmy looked across at Dean and I saw his lip curve up into a heart-stopping smile.
“Yeah, that was fun, turd-brain.”
“Faggot.”
“Dipshit.”
“Fucknugget.”
Dean started laughing. “Where the fuck do you get some of these?”
Jimmy shrugged. “What can I say? Sometimes my imagination runs wild.” He looked at Tara, a mischievous grin on his face. “I’ve seen some women fighting in my time, but this was, by far, the biggest turn on ever. Where have you been all my life?”
Tara started giggling. “About four thousand miles away, it would seem.” She fluttered her eyelashes for good measure.
Jimmy smiled. “Well, even this distance seems too far apart.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please.”
Jimmy cocked his eyebrow at me. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you, Tyler. You haven’t been the one to hear all the gushing love stories from lover boy over there.” He motioned to Dean with his thumb.
Tara suddenly walked up to Dean and pointed her finger at his chest. “You better not hurt her. Tyler is a different person now. I know because I had to hear the stories for myself. You screw up and you’ll have Thunder Tara raining down on your ass. You hear me?”
Jimmy looked Tara up and down as he licked his lips. He obviously loved feisty Tara. I couldn’t blame him. She was quite the woman.
“I really don’t want that to happen, Thunder Tara, so I’ll promise I’ll be good. Tyler is the love of my life. I would protect her with my own until the end of the earth.” He looked at me when he said this. As usual, his blue eyes penetrated my own.
Tara pointed her finger one last time at his chest. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad to hear it.” She then walked over to Jimmy, extended her hand, and said, “Hi. My name’s Tara Becksworth, and I’m a nurse at a local hospital in Fairfax. I’m thirty-six, divorced, no kids.” They shook hands. “Oh, and I like chocolate. In fact, I fucking love the stuff. Buy me some chocolate and I’m yours for life.” She winked at Jimmy and I saw him blink in awe.
He looked up at Dean and I. “I think I might just be in love.”
I started laughing. “Tara is a very easy person to fall in love with.” I looked over at her and she beamed at me. “So, Jimmy, what’s your story?”
Jimmy looked at Dean, then back at me. “My name is Jimmy Taylor, I’m thirty-seven, and I’m…kind of a freelancer.”
I raised my eyebrow. “In what, exactly?”
Dean came over to me and put an arm around my waist. “Why don’t we find another bar far away from here? We can’t stay in this alley for long. We’ll get caught.”