Free Dakota's Claim by Jenika Snow Page B

antagonize Dakota, to try to piss him off even worth
by bringing up their non-date dinner and movie, was now pissing her off.  
    “I’m
not doing anything, Tawny. All I was saying was that I enjoyed our date, and
the kiss at the end of it.” Gabriel grinned and glanced at Dakota, as if
rubbing that statement in.
    If
she didn’t get Dakota out of here, shit was really going to hit the fan.   

Chapter
Eight
     
    Dakota
saw red, but told himself that he didn’t want to get into this with a fellow
Brother. Gabriel was part of his family, a brother of the club, and starting
shit with him would be bad all around. He was also drunk, and Dakota knew the
other man well enough to know that right now he was probably pissed that the
girl he had wanted wasn’t feeling him, and was with Dakota now. But it was hard
to ignore the fact that despite Gabriel being intoxicated and a part of him was
probably hurting right now, that he kept eye-fucking Tawny. Maybe Gabriel
hadn’t wanted her for more than a night of sex, which in itself infuriated Dakota—but there also may have been a part of the other man
that had really started to care for Tawny. It was hard not to when Tawny had
every attribute that turned a man on. He looked at her, saw the beauty in her face and body, the intelligence in her mind and the
strength she held herself with. She was the whole package, but she was his. Only his .
    He
let go of her, took a step toward Gabriel, and said in a low voice, “Brother,
I’m not going to do this with you right now.”
    Gabriel’s
nostrils flared, and he flicked his gaze to Tawny, but Dakota moved to the
side, blocking his view.
    “No,
you don’t get to look at her, think about her, fuck, I don’t even know if I
want you talking to her.”
    Gabriel
made this low voice in his throat, only loud enough for Dakota to hear. “You
have one big set of nuts to be talking to me like that.”
    Dakota
clenched his hands at his sides, breathed out through his anger, and shook his
head. “I will talk to you any way I fucking want to, especially when it
concerns the woman that is mine, and that I love.” Dakota saw the way Gabriel
clenched his jaw, but after a few seconds he relaxed, his hostility fading, and
Dakota knew that the other man was starting to see reason. But Dakota was still
pissed, still jealous over the fact that Gabriel had been out with Tawny and
had kissed her, and the fact he had challenged him right now.
    Gabriel
glanced at Tawny again, ground his teeth and looked back at Dakota. “You love
her?”
    Dakota
nodded hard once, but didn’t look away from him. A moment of silence stretched
between them, and then Gabriel took a step back, nodded toward Link and Marcus,
and said, “I’ll be in the SUV. Marcus, get the pizzas okay?” Gabriel still
stared at Dakota as he spoke. He looked at Tawny again. “I’ll see you around.”
    He
nodded at her, but the way he had said that last part wasn’t a threat or
challenge to Dakota. It was a man backing up, being polite before leaving, and
giving in. He turned and left the pizza joint. Dakota had sensed the defeat and
Gabriel stepping back from all of this. He was not going to start shit with the
other member, and it was clear that Gabriel felt the same way. But even though
all of that was in Dakota’s favor, and he wouldn’t
have to throw any punches at another member, that didn’t make his anger or
irritation over all of this any less.
    He
glanced behind him, saw that fucking douchebag that kept looking at Tawny grin
his way, and turned to walk toward him. He had a lot of rage and adrenaline
moving through his body, and because he hadn’t gotten into it with Gabriel, he
was going to go ballistic on this little prick. The guy stood when Dakota took
another step, and then his buddies stood as well. That was all right. Dakota
could take them all. He was so pissed that his rage would be dispersed evenly
until they all lay on the ground at his feet, bloody and broken. Was