I tried to contain my rage as I made my way through the throngs of curious people. Most of the guys took a step back, taking in my stance and inked arms, noting my bulging biceps as I clenched my fists, trying to decide which of them I might have to lay a beating on tonight.
The inebriated women got a little too close, running a hand down my chest, grabbing my ass. One even reached for my package until I seized her wrist and told her to back off.
I took the stairs two at a time. Thankfully only the door at the end of the hall was closed, so I didn’t have a hard time figuring out where she was. Tapping my knuckles against the wood, I said, “Jaci, it’s me. Open up.”
“Nex?”
“Yeah, let me in, sweetheart.” I could still feel the adrenaline surging through my body as my pulse pounded in my ears. I heard the distinct sound of furniture being dragged across the wood floor before I turned the knob and opened the door.
“Thank God you’re here,” she said, launching herself into my arms. “I didn’t know anyone here. I don’t have any money, just my house key and phone. I didn’t think I’d need my purse or—”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, stroking her hair as I tried to contain my own anxiety. She was okay. She was safe in my arms. That was the only thing that mattered. “I’ve got you. You’re okay now.”
I peeled her arms from around my neck so I could get a better look at her. As soon as I did, the fury came back. Her makeup was streaked from crying, but the thing that really made my blood boil was seeing her torn shirt. It was a white, sheer tank layered over a fitted white tank top, so she was still fully covered, but it was obvious someone had been tearing at her clothes.
“Who the hell did this to you?” I asked, taking the shredded fabric in my hand. When her eyes landed on my chest, I gripped her upper arms. “I asked you a question, Jaci. Did that bastard you told me about on the phone do this?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. I got away from him before—”
“Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand. “You’re going to point him out to me.”
“No!” She grabbed my wrist with her free hand, stopping in her tracks. “Please don’t start anything. I just want to get out of here. Please.”
I understood how she felt, but no way was I going to let someone get away with thinking it was okay to try to take something she wasn’t willing to give. “This won’t take long.” A matter of a few seconds for me to knock him out cold.
She gripped my arm as we made our way down the stairs. I didn’t even have to ask who he was. As soon as we got downstairs, some greaseball zeroed in on her before his eyes met mine and darted away.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” I asked her over my shoulder.
“Yeah, but, Nex, please don’t…”
Her plea was drowned out by the aggression pumping through my veins. It had been a while since I’d been in a fight and years since I’d gone looking for them, but I had to admit knocking this son of a bitch on his ass was gonna feel better than my last high.
“Hey,” I said, loud enough to draw attention from the people crowded around on the patio. When the little weasel saw me coming, he slipped out the patio door, thinking he could get lost in the crowd. No such luck. “I’m talking to you,” I said, grabbing his shoulder when he had nowhere else to run.
“What?” he asked, turning slowly to face me.
I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, his face close to mine as I felt the heat of Jaci’s chest pressed against my back. “You wanna tell me what the hell happened between you and my girlfriend earlier?” I felt Jaci tense as I claimed her as mine, but I intended to make sure that all of these drunk deadbeats got the message loud and clear. They messed with her, they messed with me.
“I, uh…” He glanced at Jaci over my shoulder.
I drew him closer, his face mere inches from mine. “You so much as look at her again, and I’ll knock all your teeth out. We clear?”
“Yeah,” he said, raising his hands. “I hear ya, man. No worries.”
“Oh, you should be worried, you punkass kid.” I’d laid out guys like him all through high school and college. The ones who didn’t know enough to respect that when a woman said no, she meant it. “You think I’m gonna let you off the hook that easy?” I sneered at him. “Not a chance.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes darting to Jaci for a half a second before I growled and tightened my grip, getting a few of his chest hairs caught up in the fabric of his T-shirt. “I didn’t know she was taken. Now I do.”
I noticed no one was willing to step up and defend him or tell me to back off. This crowd was smarter than they looked. “She told you to back off. What part didn’t you understand?”
“I guess I had a few too many,” he muttered. “Won’t happen again.”
“You’re goddamn right it won’t, ’cause they’ll have to peel me off you next time. Apologize to the lady.”
“Sorry,” he muttered, repeating it louder when my grip on him tightened.
“Let’s get out of here now,” Jaci pleaded, tugging on my arm.
I reached behind me, inching her out of the way before I hauled off and connected with a right cross that knocked him on his ass. Mission accomplished. As the small crowd around us gaped at me, I reached for Jaci’s hand. “Now we can go.”
She ran to keep up with my long strides, whispering, “You didn’t have to hit him. He said he was sorry.”
“I know the type, baby. A verbal warning wouldn’t have been enough for a guy like that. He had to feel it to remember it. Maybe next time he won’t be so quick to try to push a girl past her limits.”
“Hey,” she said, tugging on my hand when I tried to reach for the passenger’s door to open it for her. “I didn’t lead him on, you know.”
I touched her cheek. “I know you didn’t.”
“I don’t mean to be so defensive,” she said, sinking against me. “I guess I’m just mad at myself for getting into a mess like this.”
“It happens,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “Wasn’t that long ago I was in college. I remember what these parties are like.”
“I don’t usually drink so much.” She flattened her palms against my chest, fixing her gaze on her ruby red nails. “It was stupid. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I never should have—”
I silenced her with a quick kiss. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up. You didn’t do anything wrong. You trusted your friends to look out for you. You were all supposed to look out for each other. If you want to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at them.” I sure as hell was.
“They had more to drink than I did,” she said, obviously determined to let them off the hook. “They weren’t thinking straight.”
“We can deal with that tomorrow,” I said, opening the door for her. “For now, let’s just get you home.”
She gave me a quick, hard hug before she climbed into the car. Before I could close the door, she grabbed my hand. “Thanks for coming tonight, Nex. I had no one else to call. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t answered.”
I bent down on my haunches so I could look her in the eye. With a brief smile, I seized her chin. “You call, I come. I have a feeling that’s the way it’s gonna be from now on, beautiful.”
Chapter Six
Jaci
I was trying not to let Nex see how scared I was, but as he pulled into my driveway and I saw the house still in darkness, I couldn’t stop trembling.
“Hey,” he said, turning to face me. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“That guy…” I could barely get the words out. “He, uh, went out with my roommate, Casey, a couple of times. He picked her up here, I think. So he knows where I live. What if he…?”
He muttered a curse before he killed the engine and grabbed the keys. “You’re staying at my place tonight. Let’s go in and grab your overnight bag.”
I didn’t want to be an imposition, but I really didn’t want to stay home alone. “But in your text you
said your brother was spending the night at your place.”
“He is, but I’ve got four bedrooms. You can have your own room.”
I was touched by the fact he was asking me to stay with no expectations. Reaching for his hand, I said, “Thank you, Nex. Seriously, I don’t know what I would have done without you tonight.” This just proved to me that no matter how much I wanted to be free and independent, I still needed someone to lean on sometimes.
“Don’t mention it,” he said, smiling. “Now come on. Let’s get your stuff.”
I’d already laid out the clothes I planned to wear for our date, so it just took me a minute to throw it all in a bag, add some yoga pants and a tank to sleep in, shoes, and my toiletries. When I returned, Nex was still in the small foyer, jiggling the front door lock with a scowl on his handsome face.
“You really need to talk to your landlord about fixing this damn thing. Looks like a strong wind could blow it open.”
Last thing I wanted to think about tonight was someone trying to breach our lock. “I should text Jade to let her know I’m spending the night at your place.”
He raised an eyebrow as I pulled my phone out of my purse. “You really think you owe it to her after what she did to you?”
I knew Jade would feel terrible about leaving me behind once she sobered up enough to wonder what had happened to me. I typed a quick text before slipping the phone back in my purse. In Jade’s condition, she probably wouldn’t be able to read it until morning, but at least I’d done my part, keeping her informed so she wouldn’t worry about me.
“They were all hammered,” I explained, feeling the need to defend my roommates. “They didn’t do it on purpose.”
“And that’s supposed to excuse the fact they left you stranded there, drunk and at the mercy of some—”
I pressed my fingertips against his lips, moving close enough to press my body to his. “I wasn’t drunk. I don’t get drunk. I get… tipsy.”
He grasped my wrist, turning it over to kiss my pulse point as his eyes captured mine. “Are you tipsy right now?”
“No.” Seeing Nex knock some guy out on my behalf had sobered me up quickly.
“Then if I kiss you now, you’ll remember it in the morning?”
“Yes.”
He kissed me with his eyes long before his mouth landed on mine, and by the time I finally felt his lips, I was verging on desperate. Curling my arm around his neck, he dragged my body against his as his tongue swept inside my mouth.
His kisses were slow and hypnotic, drugging me with their potency. By the time we finally had to surrender for the sake of air, I was ready to drag him back to my tiny bedroom and let him help me forget this horrible night.
“Let’s go,” he said, reaching for the overnight bag I’d set by the door.
“We don’t have to,” I said, reaching for his shoulder. “We could, uh, stay here awhile if you want.” My meaning was clear, and the way his blue eyes flashed with interest told me he hadn’t missed my intent.
“You don’t know how much I’d love to take you up on that, but not tonight.”
My shoulders sagged with disappointment before I caught myself and straightened. “Okay, sure.” I dug through my purse for the keys I’d tossed in there when we came in. “Let’s—”
“Hey,” he said, dropping the bag as he backed me against the wall. “Don’t ever doubt how much I want you, Jaci. You are just about the sexiest woman I’ve ever met, but you’ve been through hell tonight. What kind of man would I be if I took advantage of you right now?”
I appreciated his consideration, but nothing and no one could distract me from my troubled thoughts the way Nex could. “I hear what you’re saying, and I appreciate it. I do,” I said, pushing against his chest when his lips twitched as though he were having a hard time believing me. “If I had any doubts about the kind of man you are, I don’t after tonight.” He’d really come through for me and defended me in a way no one ever had before.
“Does that mean you didn’t mind me telling that douche I was your boyfriend?”
I’d meant to talk to him about that. It was too soon for labels, especially since we hadn’t even had our first official date. “I assumed that was just to make a point.”
“And if I told you it wasn’t?”
Nex was the last guy I would have imagined wanting an exclusive relationship. “This is probably not the best time to talk about where we go from here.”
“Because you have to go back to Georgia?”
“Yeah.”
Three months was a long time, especially for a guy like Nex to last without sex. I could probably manage to come back to see him once or twice over the summer if he wanted me to, but I couldn’t afford the luxury of regular air travel and the old clunker in my mother’s garage probably wouldn’t take me across the state line, which was why I’d left it at home.
“Let’s see what happens over the next six weeks before we decide what to do about the summer, okay?” he said.
I’d already decided what to do about the summer. I knew I had to go back home, work, and live with my mother so I could save more money for school next year. As far as I was concerned, it was non-negotiable. If Nex was still interested in dating me when I returned, which I seriously doubted, maybe we could pick up where we’d left off.
“We can talk about it tomorrow,” I said, reaching for my bag. I shook my head when he grabbed it from me. “I’m getting pretty tired.”
***
It was dark by the time we reached Nex’s house, but it was pretty obvious from the outline and expansive grounds that it was a large, light-colored bungalow. I knew he was the vice president of operations for his brother’s company, but apparently that job paid a lot better than I could have imagined.
Nex wasn’t just comfortable as I’d assumed. He was rich. And if I had any doubts, the Hummer and Porsche, parked alongside a truck, as we pulled into the second bay of the four-car garage erased them.
He grinned when my jaw dropped. “What can I say? I like my toys.”
“Obviously.” I noticed another sports car parked in the driveway, but it was dark and the car was black, so I couldn’t tell what kind it was. “Is the car in the drive yours too?”
“No, it belongs to Brody.”
“I haven’t met him yet, have I?” His other brothers had been into the bar a few times, but I didn’t think I remembered a Brody among them.
“No, he’s the poker player. He’s not around much.”
“That’s right. I remember you telling me about him.” Releasing my seat belt, I said, “Uh, you’ve told me about him, but have you told him about me?”
“I haven’t had a chance,” he said, pressing the button on the remote clipped to his sun visor to close the garage door. “I was going to tonight, but we kind of got into it about his ex.”
That had me curious. “What about her?” I asked, stepping out of the car before he could open the door for me.
He reached into the backseat for my bag before rounding the front of the car to grab my hand. “He’s still bang—” He laughed when I backhanded him in the stomach. “Sorry, they’re still sleeping together, and I happen to know she’s seeing other guys. I tried to warn him about it. Suggested he man up before someone else moves in on his territory. Let’s just say he wasn’t too happy at the prospect of Riley with some other dude.”
I watched him unlock the door, which led to a spacious laundry room. “So what’s he going to do?” I asked, wondering why I cared so much. Maybe because I knew how much Nex’s brother meant to him. He once told me when one got cut, they all bled. As an only child, I loved that they were so tight and wondered if that meant Nex would someday want a big family of his own. I knew I did when the time came.
“I don’t know yet. I’ll try to talk to him about it some more when he’s had a chance for it to sink in.” He flicked a switch, bathing the back hall in light. I could see beautiful oil landscapes gracing the neutral walls and dark hard
wood floors butting up against the cream travertine tile in the laundry room, but not much else.
“I’ll give you the full tour in the morning,” he promised. “Right now, you’re probably only interested in seeing the bedroom.”
We shared a knowing smile, and I knew I wasn’t the only one thinking about that lingering kiss at my place. “Sure, I’d love to see the bedroom.” I was just teasing him and we both knew it, but his wide grin told me he didn’t mind.
“They’re back here,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Sorry, don’t wanna wake Brody. He’s a light sleeper.”
I nodded, squeezing his hand as he led me to the last open door. He closed the door before turning on the light. It was a spacious, non-descript room, but the luxurious fabric framing the windows and adorning the four-poster bed gave me a hint as to what I could expect in the rest of the house.
“This is nice,” I said quietly.
“Functional, I guess,” he muttered. “I hired a designer when I moved in. I don’t know shit about decorating.”
Maybe not, but I loved the fact he cared enough to want his house to feel like a home.
“There’s a bathroom through here,” he said, setting my bag down beside a triple dresser with attached mirror. “You should find towels and anything else you might need in that closet.” He pointed at a small closet near the bathroom door. “My housekeeper does a pretty good job of keeping everything stocked, but if you need anything, just let me know.” He must have read the surprise on my face because he asked, “What’s wrong? What’re you thinking?”
“This just isn’t what I was expecting.” I was ashamed to admit I’d jumped to conclusions about him. The ink, motorcycle, and gruff exterior led me to believe he’d live in some bachelor pad with soda cans and pizza boxes strewn everywhere. Not a real house. A really nice house, at that.
“You were expecting me to live like a pig, huh?” He chuckled. “My ma would never have stood for that. We always lived in little apartments growing up, doubling up, sometimes three to a room even, but she always took pride in our home and taught us to do the same.”
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