Rodeo Rebel by Joanne Rock

Author:Joanne Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-10-27T13:00:18+00:00

* * *

Lauryn couldn’t imagine what had prompted Gavin to stride toward her with a look on his face like he was going to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to his man cave, but something about that expression made her body tingle head to toe.

Lingering at the most delicious places in between.

“Incoming,” her friend Kendra muttered, setting aside her phone. “But no one leaves this table until we finish what we came here for. Agreed?”

On her other side, Lauryn sensed her friend Hope nodding emphatically. “Absolutely.”

Forcing her attention away from Gavin, Lauryn wished her heart would quit knocking around so hard in her chest. “Um. Sure. Okay.”

“Girl,” Kendra warned in her most severe tone, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow to glare at her. “You called this meeting. Stick to the plan.”

She nodded, knowing her public relations–expert friend had a valid point. Beside her, Hope’s eyes darted to something behind Lauryn’s shoulder, just before an oily, unfamiliar voice sounded from that direction.

“Hello, ladies.” The greeting came from a cloud of cologne, heavy on the musk, at the same time a hairy elbow planted itself on the table between Hope and Lauryn. “What are we drinking tonight?”

A young man’s face followed the elbow as the guy settled a narrow chin in one hand to leer at Lauryn. Her first thought was that this was why Gavin had charged across the bar toward her.

Her second was a moment of dismay to realize Gavin only had that caveman expression on his face because he wanted to intercede and not because he planned to bring her back to his lair and have his way with her.

Which shouldn’t be such a letdown.

“No touching,” Kendra barked at the newcomer. “Respect our personal space, please.”

“We’re good, thanks,” Lauryn assured the guy as she edged away from him.

Only to find herself leaning into Gavin, who’d rounded the table to slide an arm around her on her opposite side. The warmth and strength of him—from his hand gently squeezing to the weight of his limb draped along her shoulders—sent a shiver through her.

“Sir,” Gavin addressed Hairy Arm respectfully, even if he flexed his muscles like a junkyard dog’s hackles. “The bartender has your tab ready for you and your party. You can settle it up front.”

Hairy Arm straightened, taking some of the cologne cloud—mercifully—with him. “We’re not leaving—”

“You will be if you don’t allow these ladies to enjoy their evening in peace,” Gavin warned, his arm still wrapped possessively around her.

The touch was for a good cause, of course.

He was helping her send the interloper packing, and probably doing a faster job than they could have managed on their own. Even Kendra, with her big-city street sense and willingness to go toe-to-toe with anyone, couldn’t have ousted him as quickly as Gavin. Because even now, Hairy Arm huffed his way back to his own table, muttering curses.

Sadly, no matter how many strides the sisterhood made forward, some misogynist creeps only paid attention when a fellow Y-chromosome carrier did the talking.

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