“Nah. Just needs a fight ring out back to be perfect. A few of these fellows could stand to work out some of their aggression.” He gestured to a group roaring over a football match on the telly.
“Work out something else, more like,” Ana said as she caught sight of a couple groping each other in a darkened corner. A flash of jealous heat streaked through her. She glanced at Cam. Her state of mind was contagious, and the dark heat in his gaze made her turn away from him and sip her whiskey to get control of herself.
But when had alcohol ever made one wiser or less prone to their baser instincts?
A man stepped up next to her on the side away from Cam. He caught her eye and grinned. He was handsome, and nearly as big as Cam. But he left her cold.
“Buy you a drink when that’s finished?” he asked.
Cam made a low noise in his throat, but didn’t intervene. He didn’t treat her like property that the other man was encroaching upon, and she liked it a hell of a lot.
“No, I’m good,” she said.
“Come on. One drink won’t hurt.” He put his hand on her back, and her skin prickled uncomfortably. Didn’t this moron understand no? Or that she was with Cam?
A low noise, like a growl, sounded from her side. It was Cam. She caught sight of his fists on the bar, the knuckles whitened.
“Seriously, I’m not interested.” She scowled up at the man, who hovered too close.
“Come on, bird.”
That’s it. She set down her whiskey tumbler and shoved the man so hard that he flew across the room and slammed against the wall. She grinned darkly. Being a god might suck, but the strength was a real bonus.
The man righted himself and surged toward her, his scowl-twisted face red as a sunset. “You bitch.”
She stood, but before she could face him, Cam slipped around her side and collided with the man. He lifted him up by his shirt collar, and Ana caught sight of Cam’s face in a mirror on the wall. Pent-up aggression twisted his features. She hadn’t seen him in a fight ring in a while, but the fighter was still there.
He shook the man, and Ana swore she heard teeth rattle.
“You sure you don’t want to rethink your approach?” Cam growled.
Ana moved to stand next to Cam, unsure of whether or not she wanted to kick her annoying suitor or save him from possible death. “I can handle my own fights!”
Cam glanced down at her and growled, “No doubt. But I’d like to help.”
Warmth spread within her. She liked to handle her own battles, but something about having Cam fight for her was undeniably appealing. She wanted him, more than she’d ever wanted anyone else. All it took was a glance from him, much less a fight on her behalf, to send her toward the deep end. Anything else—anybody else—was just fleeing from the very real thing that was developing between them.
“I think we’re done with him,” Ana said, nodding at the man, who had gone limp in submission.
Cam dropped him and turned to her. The man caught his balance and scrambled away.
“I didn’t like seeing you with him,” he growled. Something like jealousy or desire glinted in his eyes. Maybe both.
“Then with who?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Me.” Cam stepped forward until he’d caged her against the bar. He wanted to grab hold of her and never let her go. He’d tried to resist. He didn’t deserve her, but even that couldn’t stop him now. With every passing day, he was reminded of all the reasons he’d grown to care for her in the past. Seeing that bastard come at her with violence in his eyes had thrown his situation into sharp relief.
He cared for her more than he cared for himself.
“You?” Ana was breathing so quickly he could see the pulse flutter in her throat.
“Yeah. What we have is better than anything you’ll find anywhere else.” He knew that for sure now. Knew that everything in their past hadn’t been a fluke.
“Maybe that’s not what I’m looking for.” She didn’t sound like she believed her words.
“You’re looking to run away, that’s what you’re looking for.” He pulled her toward him, his hands on her waist. “I remember what it was like when I first left Otherworld and came to earth. Getting close to anyone was strange as hell, even if I didn’t feel things quite as strongly as mortals.”