He stepped forward so he was close to me but not touching. His feet were splayed, his posture tense. He looked like a man who was standing his ground for battle.

“Ronnie Cockran is a piece of shit. And a moron,” Rowan seethed. “And I would usually describe him as a harmless piece of shit. Except when you get in his face and show him what a moron he really is.” When his eyes slid down my body then back up, I was surprised my clothes didn’t catch fire. And not in that sultry way he’d stared at me this morning. No, in a way that was full of fury. “Especially when you’re five foot nothing, and you’re a fuckin’ woman.”

Though I was shaken, I was nowhere near shaken enough to let him get away with that.

“What the heck does me being a woman have to do with anything?” I demanded, hands on my hips.

His fury did not dissipate, but his brow twitched, with either more amusement or anger, I couldn’t tell. And I didn’t really care at that point.

“Not sayin’ that because I think women are somehow less than men.” His words were clipped. “In fact, I am of the firm opinion that women are better than men in every way, and that had I not stepped in, you could’ve taken him.” He folded his arms so we were both in battle stances. “Which is why he’s even more dangerous. He was standin’ there, trying to act like a man by threatening a woman. His woman.” His eyes were stormy. “Then he threatened my fuckin’ woman. And he’s been layin’ hands on an innocent girl. So now he has to die.”

My eyes bugged out.

When anyone else in my life made death threats, I didn’t take them seriously. Fiona threatened the lives of people daily, as did Tina. For various reasons. From ordering some overly complicated coffee or looking at her wife too long—Tina—or for walking around with their phone on speaker—Fiona. Not once had I been seriously concerned about them following through on such threats. Because though both women could be scary and dangerous in equal parts, I didn’t think either of them were capable of murder. Although Tina was pretty possessive over her wife, so I couldn’t completely rule her out.

But that was her wife. They’d been married for years, loved each other fiercely. Committing murder in her defense or to avenge her would’ve made sense.

Rowan and I weren’t married. We were loosely dating—if that’s what you could call it. And that technically wasn’t even true because we hadn’t even had our first date yet. We’d only just consummated this thing between us this morning, if you counted kissing as consummation.

Sure, I might’ve had an infatuation with him that could’ve maybe been described as love. But of course, I was insane.

Rowan was, aside from this current moment, an exceptionally sane man. Therefore, there was absolutely no way he could be in love with me.