Free One Last Chance by Shelby Gates Page A

was lifted off Dylan. Dylan stayed on his back, out of it. Griffin was breathing hard, his chest heaving, but his arms were pinned back and he couldn’t get to Dylan.
    He took a look around and realized he was now the center of attention in the dining room, all eyes focused on the commotion. Several of the ship’s staff members helped Dylan off the floor, propping him against the wall so he didn’t fall again. Emily made a face at him, unsympathetic to his bloody mouth. He slurred something unintelligible and the staff helped walk him out of the dining room.
    The arms on Griffin relaxed and his breathing started to return to normal.
    “Are you alright, sir?” another staff member asked him, standing next to him.
    “I’m fine. I’m sorry for the…disturbance.”
    “It’s alright, sir,” the staffer said. “I was near the door. I saw that he swung first, when you weren’t looking. And he also reeked of alcohol.” The staffer paused. “But your mouth, sir.”
    Griffin put a hand to his mouth, then pulled it away. His fingers came back crimson. “I’m okay.”
    “No, you’re not,” Claire said, standing next to her chair.
    His jaw throbbed and the blood continued sliding down his throat. But this wasn’t the night he had planned and he wasn’t going to let a moron like Dylan Mercado ruin it.
    “I’d be happy to escort you to the ship’s doctor,” the staffer said.
    “No, really. I’m fine.”
    Claire sighed, exasperated. She stepped around the staffer and linked her arm with Griffin’s.
    “Thank you,” she said to the staffer. “I’ll take him.”  She glanced at Griffin. “He’s going and we know the way.”

SEVENTEEN
     
     
    Griffin slouched on the examining table, rubbing his jaw. “I’m fine.”
    Claire nodded. “I know. That’s what the doctor just said.”
    “I mean, we don’t need to spend time here,” he said. “I’m a little banged up, not ready for the coffin.”
    “Well, that’s not dramatic in any way.”
    He frowned and the throbbing in his jaw grew. It did hurt, but other than a couple of cuts in his mouth and a very slight loose tooth, he was fine. He just felt stupid for getting into a fight at dinner. He shouldn’t have let Dylan bait him into the confrontation, but hearing him talk about Claire the way he had was more than he could take. He was more furious that the evening had been screwed up, though.
    “Can we go?” Griffin asked.
    “He said he was bringing pain meds,” Claire said.
    “I could just use yours.”
    “Maybe yours are stronger.”
    “Ha.”
    She smiled at him and he felt another disappointed pang. He’d wanted to give her the night he’d taken away from her a decade ago. Instead, he’d given her a low-rent boxing match and more time in the doctor’s office.
    “Dylan did not look…good,” she said. “When they got him up.”
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should’ve held my temper. It was stupid.”
    “He sucker punched you,” she said. “Big time. I think he was stunned you didn’t go down, considering he had a clean shot and it didn’t work. He might’ve peed his pants a little when you didn’t fall.”
    Griffin gave her a tired smile. “I doubt that. But I’m sorry I ruined the night. I didn’t want to do that.”
    “You didn’t ruin anything. Dylan ruined it.”
    “I guess. But we should be having dinner by the window rather than waiting on Percocet.”
    “Well, we can still have dinner,” she said.
    “Yeah?”
    “I’ve taken care of it.”
    “You what?”
    She raised an eyebrow at him. “You think you’re the only one who can arrange surprises on this ship?”
    He chuckled. “No.”
    “Dinner has been arranged,” she said, smiling. “You’ll see.”
    The doctor returned and handed him the small jar of pills. He gave Griffin some cursory instructions about taking the medication and rinsing his mouth to keep the cuts clean and sent them on their way.
    “Car accident,” Claire said, as they walked