“They’re going to pack this place over its maximum, aren’t they?”
I looked around. “Unfortunately, I think they are.”
Khlo shoved a drink in my hand. “All right, you two. Cut it out.”
Q stood by Kent. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “The boys are already putting on their work faces.”
Q wrinkled her nose. “What work faces?”
I wrapped my arm around Khlo’s waist. “Just wanting to keep you girls safe. That’s all.”
Kent smiled. “Yep. We’re sworn to protect, no matter what.”
Q batted her eyelashes. “Oh, my hero.”
I looked over at Khlo, expecting the same sort of reaction. But all she did was shrug before taking a sip of her drink.
“What?” she asked.
Kent whistled lowly. “Damn. That burns.”
Khlo furrowed her brow. “Wait, what did I miss?”
I snickered playfully. “So, Kent is the big bad hero, and I’m just some schmuck on your arm?”
She shrugged. “I mean, you’re a very handsome schmuck.”
Q laughed. “Khloe!”
“What?”
Kent threw his head back with laughter as I pulled Khlo in to give her forehead a kiss.
“I’m just messing with you,” I murmured.
“I like messing with you again.”
The words were so soft, I almost didn’t catch them. But my ears didn’t let me down. I gazed down into her stare, drinking in her beauty, yet again committing the moment to memory. Her eyes took my breath away. Her warmth kept me cloaked from the harshness of this world. For all I had lost in my life, I was beginning to gain hope that I hadn’t lost Khloe.
That I hadn’t lost everything that ever meant something to me.
“How are we doing tonight?”
The band struck a chord, and lights flashed amongst the crowd. I heard Q screaming and Kent whistling. Khlo smiled brightly as she turned toward the stage. But for me? I started searching around for Piper.
Shit. No, no, no.
“I said, how are we doing tonight?”
Another loud chord was struck, and the flashing lights started disorienting me.
Fuck. I need Piper. Where’s Piper?
My eyes flickered around toward the exits. As the crowd pushed us inward, forcing us toward the stage, the sounds wrapped around me, blurring the boundary between past and present. Images flashed against the backs of my eyes. Blood. And tears. Men, crying on the side of the road.
“One more time for me. How. Are. We. Doing?”
And when that dumbass struck another loud chord, I reached for my gun.
“With me. Now,” Kent murmured.
Then, I felt myself being pulled away from the girls as Kent dragged me off to the side. Away from the crowd. Away from Khloe.
Chapter 25
Khloe
I leaned back to settle into Jay’s body but stumbled instead. I turned around, trying to figure out where in the world he went. But Jay was nowhere to be found. My eyes scanned the crowd. I searched for Kent to try and figure out where in the world he’d gone. Quinn was jumping up and down to the music, screaming at the top of her lungs and completely oblivious to the fact that the guys weren’t with us.
And when I found them, their body language was all wrong.
Kent had his hands on Jay’s shoulders. Jay was practically bent over at his waist. He kept wiping at his face. His eyes kept darting around. And I knew exactly what was happening. We had to get out of here. This was too much for Jay. Way too much for him to take in.
“Quinn!”
“Woo-hoo!”
I turned around and grabbed her arm.
“Quinn!”
She faced me. “What?”
“We have to leave. Now.”
She furrowed her brow but didn’t question me. All she did was nod her head before her own eyes started darting around. I knew she was looking for the guys. I pulled her out of the crowd and over to the side where Kent already had Jay poised toward the exit.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Quinn asked.
“Just hush and follow me. Come on,” I said.
I prayed she didn’t ask any more questions. I followed Kent on his heels as he led Jay out through a side exit. It dumped us into a side alley, where Jay’s back fell against the brick wall of the club. And as Kent held his shoulders, Jay sank to his knees.
“Move. I’ve got him. Hold on,” I said.
“What’s going on? Is he okay?” Quinn asked.
“Come here. Give them space. It’s okay,” Kent murmured.
“Jay, can you hear me?”
His lower lip quivered. I felt his entire body shaking. His shoulders were collapsed, and his entire body looked as if it were trying to cave in on itself. I slid my hands over his shoulders. Down his back. Along his neck. Massaging his muscles and trying to relieve some of the tension so he could get himself upright. He had to get upright so he could breathe better.
I knew that all too well.
“Come on, handsome. Work with me. Listen to my voice. Lock onto my voice,” I said softly.
Damn it, I wish Piper was here.
I ran my hands down his arms. I squeezed his muscles and slowly pushed him upright. I pinned his shoulders to the brick wall, watching as he struggled to catch his breath. Jay’s eyes filled with tears. It sounded like he was in physical pain. I scooted closer to him. I practically straddled him. And as I continued massaging any muscle my hands fell against, I brushed my nose against his neck.
“Come on. It’s just me,” I whispered.
I nuzzled up and down his neck. I felt how rapid his heart rate had become, fluttering at high speed as if it couldn’t gain control of itself. But slowly, Jay’s heart rate settled back to normal. Slowly, his muscles unclenched. The more I nuzzled him, the more he seemed to root himself back in reality.
“There you are. Hey there. It’s okay. You’re with me. You’re safe. You’re here with me, Kent, and Quinn. It’s just a concert, okay?”
“You guys okay?”
A deep voice pulled me from my soothing state and widened my eyes. I whipped my head over to see Kent stepping in between me and a massive brute of a man approaching us.
“You can’t be back here. Have the four of you checked in yet?” the man asked.
“I’m a police officer over in Canaan. Everything’s all right. Just got a veteran here who got a little overwhelmed in the club.”
“Make him go away,” Jay breathed.
I looked over at the man. “I promise we’ll leave once I can get him up. He just needs some time.”
The man’s eyes searched us before he nodded.
“You guys need me to call anyone?” the man asked.
Holy fuck, go away. “No. Thank you. I appreciate the offer, though.”
“Make him go away,” Jay wheezed.
I went back to rubbing Jay’s chest. I nuzzled his neck, massaged his shoulders, and ran my hands down his back. I had to get him settled. I had to get him to come down off this emotional high he was running on. And as the bouncer’s footsteps finally backtracked, Jay’s hands fell against my hips.
Squeezing as tightly as he could.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out.
“Hush. None of that nonsense right now. Conserve your energy, all right?” I asked.
“I ruined the—”
I shook my head quickly. “You ruined nothing.”
Quinn piped up. “She’s right. You’re good. Everything’s fine, okay?”
I placed my lips against Jay’s ear as I massaged his arms.
“Just focus on my voice. Nothing else. Focus on the sound. The breath falling from my lips. Focus on how good it will feel to get back in your truck and head to my house. Where it’s nice and quiet. The wind whipping through the trees. Me, getting a pot of coffee ready. Sharing some cinnamon rolls from the oven. Would you like that?”
He drew in a sh
uddered breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I would.”
“All right. Then, focus on your breathing. And when you can stand, we can get out of here. Okay?” I asked.
It felt like an eternity before Jay finally grounded himself. But when he did, he wrapped his arms tightly around me. He buried his face into my neck and breathed in deeply, almost as if he were sniffing me. I hugged him tightly. Kent helped the two of us up before Jay disconnected from me. And as his hands cupped my cheeks, I reached for his pocket to dig around for his keys.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
Jay offered a weak smile. “You just wanted to get into my pants, huh?”
I giggled. “Maybe a little bit. Can you really blame me, though?”
His eyes danced around my face. “Not one bit.”
“Here, let me help you to the truck. I’m sure Khloe here won’t have an issue driving back,” Kent said.
“And don’t you even think about fighting. We need to make sure you get somewhere safely,” Quinn said.
We all walked with Jay back to his truck. After Kent helped him into the passenger’s seat, I hugged Quinn tightly.
“I’m so sorry about tonight,” I whispered.
She kissed my cheek. “Shut up. Don’t even apologize. Just call me when you’re home safe. Wherever you two end up at. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. I promise.”
“Good.”
Kent settled his hand on my shoulder. “You take care of him tonight, all right? No caffeine, don’t pump him full of sugar, and get him to take a hot shower before he goes to bed tonight.”
I nodded. “Done, done, and done. I told Quinn I’d call her once we were safe.”
He pulled me in for a hug. “Keep yourself safe, too.”
I hugged him tightly, then waved goodbye to them. Quinn tugged Kent back to the club as I wrapped around and climbed into the driver’s seat of Jay’s truck. He leaned against the window, drawing in deep breaths. And as I struck up his truck, I felt something warm against my knee.
Jay’s hand.
Which made me smile when I gazed down at it.
“I’m going to take you back to your place. I think you’ll be more comfortable there. Okay?” I asked.
But all he did was grunt.
The drive back to his place was fast and quiet. I hit all the green lights at all the best possible times, and it cut our travel time almost in half. By the time we pulled into the driveway, we hadn’t been traveling for more than fifteen minutes or so.
Then, he broke.
“I’m sorry. Holy shit, I’m so sorry, Khlo.”
I parked the truck. “I promise it’s okay. Jay, listen to m—”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I ruined the night. I couldn’t keep it together. I’m so sorry.”
“Jay, look at me.”
“I’m so sorry,” he whimpered.
I unbuckled myself and jumped out of the truck. I rushed over to the front door and fiddled with the keys as I heard him crying in the truck. The sound broke my heart. Tears dripped down my cheeks as my hands shook.
“Come on!” I exclaimed.
Then, I finally slid the house key into the damn lock.
“Piper! Come here, girl! Piper, sweetie!”
A resounding bark wafted down the hallway before she rushed past me. I heard her growling, already sensing Jay’s unhinged state. I wiped away my tears as I ran back to the car, opening Jay’s passenger door. I helped him to the ground, right beside Piper, where he clung to her fur and kept apologizing over and over again.
As if he had done something wrong.
“I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me. Holy fuck, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, you guys. I’m sorry.”
And as I knelt beside him, rubbing his back, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket.
Hey, Quinn. We made it back to his place. Getting him inside now. You two have fun tonight. Tell me all about it tomorrow. Love you.
Now, if I could only get Jay into his house.
Chapter 26
Jasper
The first thing I felt was the existential pain in my head. Like someone had drilled a hole straight through the top. I grimaced as I licked my lips. And the nasty taste in my mouth grated against the chapped skin of my lips. I couldn’t breathe through my nose. It felt almost impossible to open my eyes. I turned my head, wincing as I did so. Because the electric pain shooting down my neck pierced straight to my gut.
Why does it hurt to be awake?
As my eyes slowly fell open, I wished they hadn’t. The morning sun was blinding, making my headache worse. My eyes felt sore. It was hard to keep them open. I hadn’t ever felt like this before. Even after a panic attack, I usually shook it off with a—
Holy shit.
The panic attack.
“Khloe?” I groaned.
“Mhm?”
I was shocked to hear her voice, especially with how bright it was outside.
“You’re here?” I asked.
She laughed softly. “Where the hell else would I be?”
“I don’t know. Work.”
“I mean, I could technically say the same thing about you. But here we are.”
I winced as I moved my head. I lobbed it over toward the direction of her voice and found her sitting in a chair on my side of the bed. She had her leg crossed over her knee, and her tangled hair tossed over one of her shoulders. My button-down shirt fell off her shoulder, and those tight-as-hell jeans made me lick my lips.
“Here, drink this.”
My eyes focused on a bottle coming at me. Something orange. Something bright. And when the word Gatorade came into view, I considered proposing to her then and there.
“Come here, I’ll help you sit up,” she said.
“You don’t have t—”
“You wanna try on your own? Because I don’t think you’re going to get very far with that.”
I paused. “Why do I hurt so badly?”
“Drink, then we talk.”
Her arm slid under my back, and she hoisted me against the headboard. I groaned as my muscles screamed out in pain. She guided the drink to my lips and softly tilted it up, giving me enough time to swallow before tipping it up even further. I let my eyes fall closed. I drank down the glorious liquid as if it were my life’s force. After a few deep gulps, she placed the drink down before dabbing my shirt she was wearing against the dribbles on my chin.
“I called Matt when I first woke up. Told him I needed a sick day. So, you’re kind of stuck with me,” Khloe said.
“I could never be merely stuck with you, Khlo.”
She kissed my cheek. “Let’s get you showered. Then, we should talk about some stuff. Okay?”
I furrowed my brow. “Something tells me you don’t want to talk about the panic attack last night.”
“Shower first. I couldn’t get you into one last night. So, you probably stiffened up a lot while you were asleep.”
“Khlo, is everything—”
She gazed into my eyes. “Hot shower. Now. Come on.”
She helped me out of bed and led me to the bathroom. I took the quickest shower of my entire life. If this talk was about us, then I wanted it to be over quickly. I wanted to get it out of the way and deal with the heartache that ultimately came with all of these kinds of conversations. I mean, on the one hand, I didn’t think Khloe to be the kind of girl to stop seeing someone based on something like this. She was much too good of a person.
On the other hand, though? We hadn’t even talked about what we were doing. So, maybe all of this was too much for her.
Maybe I had come on too strong.
I let the hot water batter against my muscles before I washed my hair. I dried off at lightning speed, and with every movement, I felt the stiffness falling away from my body. Not knowing what she wanted to talk about was killing me. I threw on the first items of clothing my hands pulled out of my drawers before charging down the stairs. She had left my room completely, and I didn’t know where she had
gone.
Until the smell of coffee hit my nostrils.
“Khlo?”
She didn’t answer, so I followed the smell. I didn’t find her in the kitchen, though. I walked into the living room. I made my way into the dining room. I even checked back upstairs.
I found her on the porch with two mugs of coffee sitting on the glass table.
“Have a seat,” she said.
I sat down and braced myself for what was coming. I picked up my coffee and took a long pull of it. I heard Piper bark, and it made me jump, sloshing coffee all over my lap.
“Come here, girl. There you go. Come on, drop it. Drop it. Piper. Drop. Now.”
I snickered as Pipes finally dropped the ball. Then, Khloe reached for it. She cocked her hand back and threw it far, much farther than my eyes could track the ball. Impressive, to say the least. And as Piper scurried away after it, Khloe settled back into her seat.
“I wrote out a list on my phone, so I wouldn’t forget all the things I want to talk about. But first? I want to address your apologizing.”
Her voice pierced the silence between us as she turned to me.
“Jasper, I want you to hear me when I say this. Okay?”
I nodded. “I’m listening.”
“I don’t even know if you remember what happened last night. But when we got back to your place? You unleashed. You kept apologizing. Over and over. For something that isn’t even your fault. You don’t ever have to do that. Don’t do that. You never need to apologize for having a panic attack. Not after what you’ve been through.”
I nodded.
Her warm smile chased away my fears and the dread filling my gut. She set her phone down on the table as Piper barked in the distance, signaling to us that she’d found that damn ball. All of my fears dissipated as she scrolled through her phone. I sipped my coffee, waiting for her to gather her own thoughts.
And as Piper ran across my backyard, Khloe looked up at me, before taking my hand within hers.
“The first thing I want to talk about is how important Piper is to your stability,” she said.
“She’s a pretty big rock in that arena, yeah,” I said.
“I figured that out last night. It should’ve occurred to me to ask you about it. But it also should’ve occurred to you to step up and tell me that you couldn’t go anywhere like that without her.”
Dating My Best Friend: A Second Chance Romance Page 15