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Jumal became aware of the approach of a tall blond-haired man from the corner of his eye. The man casually slung an arm around Pippa’s shoulders. She didn’t flinch at his touch. “This man bothering you, Pip Squeak?” the new stranger checked, before bending down to kiss her cheek. Christ, her head barely came up to his chest. Presumably this was the tall bastard Malik had told him about—the challenger for Melina’s affections—but he was slightly older than Pippa and full of self-confidence.
Had that growl come from him?!!!
“No more than usual and nothing I can’t handle,” she replied, smiling and winking at Jumal before continuing and waving her arm between the two men. “Jumal, this is James. James, Jumal. James is Matt’s vet at the stud. I thought you two might have met when you were over last year.”
“No,” Jumal replied gruffly, knowing he sounded curt as he held his hand out to shake hands. So this was James; James who had flown thousands of miles to see her. Tall bastard.
“Good to meet you finally, mate. Heard a lot about you from Matt,” the tall bastard said, smiling and offering his hand.
Jumal acknowledged the strong handshake from James for what it was—a silent but clear declaration of his territory. His shake said, “Back off, asshole; hands off.”
Yeah well, right back at you—mate. “You too. Welcome to Dubain. I hope you enjoy your stay,” he replied, insincerely.
The tall bastard carried on unperturbed, “So Matt tells me you two went to university together and have been friends ever since. That’s cool.”
“Yes,” he acknowledged, letting out an impatient sigh, his gaze once again turning to Pippa, but it seemed James wasn’t done with the conversation yet. Jumal sighed inwardly.
“I delivered Pandora’s foal, which I believe is here with you now. I’d love to see how he’s getting on before I leave. Are your stables close by?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” he said, reaching into his jeans pocket for his wallet. “Here’s the card for the stables. Call ahead and they’ll give you the tour and introduce you to Apollo. He’s doing very well, has his mother’s wonderful temperament and his father’s strength and focus.”
Pippa had once again turned her back to him, focused her attention back on the shots Jake had lined up on the bar and was giggling at something the spotty teenage kid was saying. Okay, so he wasn’t exactly spotty. In fact he would probably be classed as good looking and he wasn’t a teenager either, most likely in his early to mid-twenties. Malik had been right about that. So all in all, probably perfect for Pippa. Handsome bastard wouldn’t even have lines around his eyes yet. In truth it was just another needless, stark reminder of Pippa’s youth.
But what the hell was it with all these men swarming around Pippa? If any of them thought they were going to get lucky tonight with his—with Pippa, they could damn well think again. He had promised her brother, hadn’t he…
He felt James’s heavy gaze—probably trying to work out what his intentions were towards Pippa.
He leaned forward again to speak into Pippa’s ear. “I changed my mind. I want to dance with you.”
She flicked her hair back over one shoulder before casting a glance back towards him. “Sod off. I asked you earlier and you rejected me. FYI, I don’t take rejection well. Go dance with your fiancée,” she said, tossing back another shot before licking something off her hand, squeezing her eyes closed and shaking her head. “Wowzer, that’s got a kick.” She was giggling again. Just how many of those had she had?
There was only one way he was going to get her on the dance floor.
“What’s the matter? Too drunk to handle me now?” he challenged intentionally, tilting his head to the side and crossing his arms over his chest. The challenge had been laid.
She turned and slammed the shot glass on the bar, giving him a cool look that he supposed was meant to be a scowl but in actual fact was just cute. “What happened to ‘I can’t dance.’?” He fought to keep his lips from curving into a smile at her imitation of him.
He leaned back over to her ear, pleased that the noisy environment gave him a perfect excuse to place his lips so close. “I said I don’t dance, not that I can’t dance.”
She leaned back and propped her elbows on the bar, her eyes narrowing on his as if she was sizing him up for a new suit; he liked her attention on him. He caught the pissed-off look from the kid who looked like some bigger kid had just stolen his lunch money; James, however, was continuing to weigh him up as if for a fight until Melina sauntered up to him and handed him a bottle of beer.
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