He is taken aback by the sudden action and turns his face to me. I give him a devious glare that makes him step back, but he gradually regains his composure.
“What the fuck, man?” he mutters.
Nadine also senses the forceful pull away from him and looks at me. I know she hates my guts; she scrunches her face in disgust, but my name rolls out of her mouth. “Logan.”
That is my cue to step closer to her. “Let’s go home. And what the fuck are you doing here with this dude?” I say, pointing at the guy standing.
Nadine’s eyes narrow as she looks at me.
“None of your business, Logan. I came here to get away from you.”
The guy steps forward, his fists clenched. “She doesn’t need to go anywhere with you if she doesn’t want to.”
“Leave her the fuck alone,” I growl, turning to him with my jaw clenched and fists held in check, resisting the urge to punch him.
How dare he touch what is mine? He has no right to touch my Nadine, and now he made her rest her head on his goddamn chest.
“Who are you to fucking tell me she doesn’t want to be around me?” I ask, stepping closer to him with each step.
I can feel the anger boiling inside me. My thoughts are consumed with rage and jealousy, and all I can think about is getting Nadine away from this guy.
He is scared, but I can tell he is trying to put on a brave front. Everyone’s eyes in the bar are on us, and I hate drawing this kind of attention.
I shake my head, dismissing the violent thoughts running through my mind, and turn to Nadine. I can see she’s scared out of her mind.
I hold her hand, but she yanks it away from me.
“Leave me the fuck alone! I can find my way to your goddamn house,” she says, pushing me off.
My face reddens with rage, my eyes blazing with intensity as my jaw clenches.
“Don’t push me, Nadine,” my voice booms with anger, but I notice she isn’t moved.
“I can fucking be, dance, and rest my goddamn head on whoever I choose to. You’ve lost your chance with me, and let’s keep to whatever agreement we have between us,” she says, storming out of the bar while I follow her.
The thought of her talking about the agreement burns inside me. I know I have brought up the contract many times since Samantha came into the picture, and I could see the hurt in her eyes whenever she mentioned it.
But even before Samantha, I would always shut her down whenever she talked about the contract.
She is soon out of the bar, making her way far away from me. Where the hell is she walking to at this time of the night?
I know she is angry and has every right to be, but she has no idea how damn worried I am about her. Now that I have found her, she is making her way to God knows where.
“Nadine!” I call out to her as I follow, but she doesn’t stop and continues walking. I hurry my steps, running to catch up to her. When I reach her, I lift her from behind and onto my shoulder.
She yelps in surprise, pounding her small fists against my back.
“Put me down, Logan! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Ignoring her protests, I carry her towards my car. “You’re not wandering around alone at night,” I say firmly. “Not when there are so many dangers out here.”
She thrashes her legs. “Leave me alone! Somebody help me!”
I am surprised to see Richie with me. “Open the damn car!” I call out to Richie.
He hurries to the car and opens the door while Nadine is shouting her lungs out. “I don’t want to be anywhere near you!”
I hit her bum. “Shut your mouth, woman.”
She continues shouting like a deranged woman. I get to the car and dump her into the back seat. Richie walks around and gets into the driver’s seat.
Richie starts the engine, and we pull away from the bar. Nadine’s shouting doesn’t stop, and her resistance is exhausting.
She’s right to be angry, and I’ve been pushing her too hard. I know our relationship is far from perfect, and this incident only highlights how much damage has been done.
She eventually stops shouting but folds her arms defiantly and looks away from me, staring out the window.
I glance at her with longing, knowing I haven’t been the best partner. Samantha’s constant attempts to seduce me have only complicated things.
The drive to the house is deafening. I try my best to strike up a conversation, but Nadine doesn’t respond.
I gently touch her shoulder, and she stiffens before shrugging my hand off.
“Leave me alone, Logan. I don’t want to have anything to do with you,” she says firmly with her expression reddened with rage.
I smile and say, “You know, you look sexy when you’re angry,” I say and reach to touch her face.
She slaps my hand away just as we arrive at the house.
She hurriedly opens the door, barges out of the car, and runs, trying her best to stay as far away from me as possible.
I shake my head and head back to the living room. As I enter, I see Samantha walking out of the kitchen leisurely.
“Oh, you’re back. Did you find her?” she asks with a sly smile on her face. All I want is to march up to her and wipe that smile off her face.
“Yes, she is up in her room,” I answer, pointing toward the direction of her room while I sit on the couch.
Samantha comes over and sits beside me, her hand resting on my thigh and drawing circles on it.
Before now, I would have been turned on by her advances, but this time I feel so lost and just want to get away from her.
“You know you don’t need her; you have me,” she says, bringing her mouth close to mine.
The anger within me boils over as I push her hand away. “This is not about you. This is about my wife.”
Samantha recoils slightly, her eyes widening at my reaction. She pulls back, her expression shifting from confident to hurt. Then she pouts, looking annoyed.
“She doesn’t appreciate you the way I do.”
“Just stop it,” I say, standing up. “You have no say in issues that concern me and my wife.”
I need to figure things out with Nadine, so I make my way to her room. Samantha watches me as I walk away.
When I glance back, I notice a smirk playing on her face. I know she’s enjoying the chaos her presence has caused.
Still, I doubt she’ll want things to go back to the way they were before Samantha came into the picture.
I’m not giving up on hope. Standing outside her door, I raise my hand to knock.
Just as my knuckles are about to touch the wood, I hear a faint sound from inside a muffled voice, but it’s not clear if it’s Nadine’s. My heart races, unsure of what to do next.