Free Ruffskin by Megan Derr

Ruffskin
    "What did I tell you?" Johnnie snapped, slapping Grim's hands away. "Do not touch me. If you want to touch, you can go back to your stupid ex. I said do not touch me!" Slapping at Grim's hands again, he turned and stalked across the bar to the pool table, leaving Grim to hang up their wet, muddy coats. Angry, he yanked down his cue stick from the rack.
    The balls were already racked, ready, and waiting. The bar, thankfully, was empty.  It had been nothing but rain, rain, and more rain the past few days. Locals were braced for the hurricane season not far off, and to judge by the already foul weather, it was going to be an interesting summer.
    Johnnie struck, sending balls scattering, wishing each and every one of them was the head of the pretty little witch who had all but plastered himself to Grim while they'd been out shopping. And right in front of him! Like Johnnie did not even exist.
    That was easily rectified, to be certain. If the fool was stupid enough to give his name, then he could suffer the consequences of being blacklisted by Desrosiers. See who had the audacity to get overly friendly with what belonged to Johnnie after that.
    A hand touched his back, startling him, and Johnnie jerked away. He was immediately pulled back into Grim's arms. "Leave me—mmf—" He bit down hard on Grim's lip, thoroughly annoyed that Grim was not listening to him, the insufferable ass. "What did I say about not touching me?" he asked icily when Grim finally broke the kiss.
    Grim rolled his eyes. "I have no idea; I've been ignoring everything that comes out of your pretty little mouth since we finally escaped Weston."
    Johnnie made a show of haughty indifference. "Weston, was it?"
    "You know very well what his name was," Grim said, looking amused, which was entirely inappropriate for the situation. "I do not doubt within the hour you'll know everything about him and ensure he is not welcome in half the buildings in the city."
    Sneering, Johnnie said nothing, only turned away and tried to go back to his game. Half, indeed. He was going to be far more thorough than that. Grim pulled him back once again and held him firmly in place by an arm around his waist, while the other captured his wrists, pinning them to his chest.
    "Let me go," Johnnie hissed, twisting his head—and jerking it back around when Grim's proved to be far too close.
    Then that hot toddy voice poured over him and made him shiver despite himself. "As much as I love it when you get all lordly and snotty, Highness, jealousy does not become you."
    Johnnie said nothing, only shivered again when warm lips trailed along the skin of his throat. What was he supposed to say? The stupid witch had been beautiful and skilled and obviously more than willing to renew his old relationship with Grim. A witch like that was probably far less complicated and troublesome than Johnnie, and he and Grim had looked good together.
    He knew Grim would not leave him, but it was hard to convince old fears of that.
    "Honestly, Johnnie, you're getting jealous over nothing."
    "Trifles light as air/Are to the jealous confirmations strong/As proofs of holy writ," Johnnie replied.
    "Shakespeare, is it?" Grim asked, amused. "You are in a snit." Johnnie said nothing, merely jerked his head to the side when Grim tried to kiss his neck. "He cheated on me, you know," Grim said quietly. "He thinks I don't know, but you know how well I can see things that people don't know can be seen."
    Johnnie narrowed his eyes at that and decided blacklisting the bastard was not good enough.
    "Stop plotting all the princely things you can do to him," Grim said with a chuckle, breath hot against Johnnie's skin. "He's well in the past, and I would much rather focus on my beautiful, if hostile, present."
    Relenting a little bit, Johnnie said, "How would you react if you ran across one of my ex's?"
    Grim laughed. "You do not have any ex's. If you had , your father would have taken care of them long before I