Free The Rebel's Return (Red River) by Victoria James Page A

Sabrina up. This wasn’t his business anymore. She wasn’t his business anymore. But God, he had a physical response every time she was in the room. If he had a heart, he’d also know it wasn’t just physical. He felt everything when he was around her.
    His body stiffened when one of the guys put his arm around Nat. He took a deep breath and tried his hardest to look away. Except then he found Jake and Quinn grinning like morons.
    “Oh man, why don’t you go over there already?” Jake said.
    What Nat did, or whom Nat did, was not his business. He hated how hot she looked. Of course she’d get picked up. Her pale pink sweater clung to really full breasts and showed off her tiny waist. Her dark jeans hugged her curvy form, and the knee-high boots she was wearing were seriously hot. Like her. Seriously hot.
    He ran his hand over his jaw. “I can’t. She’s not my concern.”
    Jake nodded slowly, barely containing his grin. “Oh, so you don’t care they’re going to go home together?”
    He tried to look normal, but the look Quinn and Jake were giving him told him he wasn’t pulling it off. “Natalia lives at home. Mr. Puccini wouldn’t let any guy past the front door unless she was wearing a ring.”
    Quinn sighed. “Oh man, I think I actually feel sorry for you. Natalia doesn’t live at home anymore.”
    He swallowed hard and wished he hadn’t polished off his beer. “Oh. She has her own place?”
    “The Puccinis own the entire bakery building. She had the apartment above renovated about five years ago and moved in. We handled the reno,” Jake explained with obvious glee.
    “Glad business is going so well for you,” Aiden choked.
    Both brothers burst out laughing. He had no idea how at one time he’d actually liked either of them.
    Jake pointed behind him. “Don’t look now, but Natalia’s making her way to the dance floor with that guy.”
    He whipped his head in the direction of the small dance floor and felt blood rush through his head faster than Niagara Falls.
    “You look like you’re either going to crap yourself or you’re going to beat the crap out of that guy.”
    He gripped the sides of the table. “That would be bad, right? Like she’d be pissed at me if I went over there and beat the crap out of him? Would you help me?”
    Jake held up his hands and shook his head. “No, Claire would put me in the doghouse if I got into a barroom brawl, man. You’re on your own. And if you still want to come over for dinner on Sunday, you can’t do that kind of stuff.”
    He leaned back in the booth, trying to do the opposite of what his instincts were telling him. “I can’t sit here and watch.”
    Quinn gave him a you’re-a-pathetic-loser grin. “You’re going to have to.”
    He drummed his fingers against the sticky tabletop, not knowing what to do with his nervous energy. “I can’t. So to clarify your answer to me going over there was?”
    Jake sighed. “No. No. And no.”
    He slowly stood.
    “Ah hell, man. I can’t back you up,” Jake grumbled.
    He didn’t know what was going on with him, all he knew was that the longer he spent in this stupid town, the harder it was getting to ignore his feelings for Natalia. “I’m not going to touch him. I’m going to touch her.”
    “Should we stay?”
    He ignored his friends, making a mental note to never get married. His blood boiled as her laughter floated through the air, and she tilted her head back. The fool she was with pulled her closer, getting a nice, good feel. Holy hell, he was jealous. Jealous to the point of not being able to think clearly. Take a deep breath or something that calm people do.
    So, instead of taking a deep breath, he walked over and stood in between Nat and the loser.
    “Aiden! What do you think you’re doing?” Her dark brows were furrowed together, and she had a hand on one hip, a drink in the other.
    “I’m being a friend, and I’m asking you to dance.” He attempted a silent prayer that she’d