The next time I saw him, after leaving multiple messages on his cell phone and at home, he’d acted like he didn’t know me. It took me months to get over him and how he had used me.
The bastard.
I watched him head toward me. I searched over my shoulder to see who stood behind me that rated his unwavering attention. Then I realized he was coming for me. After all this time, I’d come back on his radar.
A few yards from me, Hayden stepped in front of Blane. I’d never even seen Hayden speak to him. But my desire to listen in on their conversation was killed by Hayden’s posturing. He was ready to kick some ass and I didn’t want to get in the way of him accomplishing that with Blane.
Chapter Eleven
Hayden
I was surrounded by willing and aggressive females in skimpy costumes. Exactly what I needed. If I played my cards right, by the end of the night, I wouldn’t be able to remember Tessa’s name.
Except all the other girls paled next to her. I couldn’t stay away from her. I was becoming quite disgusted with myself.
“Thinking about revisiting that?” I asked Blane.
He smirked. “Thought I might.”
“The way I heard it, you dumped her.” I studied his face, looking for any reason to beat his ass.
Blane laughed. “She was a crappy lay.”
I took a deep breath, willing myself not to smash his face. “Girls don’t want a rep for being boring any more than guys do. And given a chance, they’ll try to make the guy happy. Unless they weren’t given the opportunity. I don’t know, Blane. Did she have time? Or did things happen too quickly?”
He snorted. “Trust me, dude. My performance was up to par, as always. But they gotta give you something to work with.”
“And she didn’t?” I raised my brows in mock surprise. “Which is why you want to go there again?”
His grin widened. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Why not Tessa too?”
My hands balled into fists and I tensed — but I restrained myself. “I’ll tell you why not. Because she’s too good for you, jack-ass. And if you come on to her, I’m going to take you around back, crush you and hurl you in the dumpster. Which would be a lot better than how you treated her. Hands off. Got it?”
I didn’t have to look. I could smell Tessa’s perfume. “Goodbye, Blane.” I stretched taller, daring him to stay another second.
He fidgeted a moment, eyes darting between me and Tessa, then he slowly backed away.
Tessa’s slim fingers circled my bicep as she sidled up next to me and my stomach knotted at her touch. “What happened?” she asked. “Was he hitting on your girlfriend or something?”
She obviously had only caught the last line. That was fine. I needed her to think I was indifferent. Because I was. Mostly. A girl like her wouldn’t hold my attention long before she ceased to exist for me. “I told you. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“You did?”
“Maybe not. But I don’t. Did you find the bathroom?”
“Yeah.” She tipped the cup high for the last sip then smiled. “You look nice, by the way.”
“Buzzed already?” I laughed. “You’re a lightweight. No more drinks for you.”
“I’m not drunk. Are you my dad now? That would be such a shame.” Her pink mouth formed a perfect pout.
Yes, it would be a shame. God, I wanted to kiss her. She looked so freakin’ amazing and her smile drove me crazy. But she’d been standoffish the past few days and I had a feeling if she’d been completely sober, she wouldn’t be so flirty. Something felt wrong about taking advantage of her buzz, even though I helped get her there.
I had to get her sober again, even if it took me all night. Because I intended to kiss her before she left and I wanted her fully aware of everything without blaming it on the screwdriver. I’d have to watch over her to make sure none of the guys who were looking to get laid tried to ply her with more booze.
I glanced around to make sure no one was waiting for their chance with Tessa. Spotting Blane across the room, I sent him a warning glare, then returned my gaze to Tessa. “Stay right there. I’ll get you another drink. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Don’t be long.” She licked her lips.
Oh, Christ. I hope she sobered up soon. I wasn’t big on control since I’d never needed to be. I didn’t know how long I could hold back. Sending Blane another scowl, I trekked back to the kitchen. I found a carton of orange juice then grabbed some vodka. I poured the fruity liquid in a cup and opened the vodka. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching then pretended to pour, blocking their view with my body. I got a few drops in there though, so I could truthfully tell her I’d added vodka.
When I found her, Blane had her cornered, his arms imprisoning her against the wall. Fury ravished my senses and I set her drink down. Before I’d taken a moment to consider my next move, I’d already seized the slimy weasel. The wall crunched and crumbled as I shoved Blane against it. The lights in the place were too dim for me to tell how the wall fared. I didn’t care. They could bill me.
“What did I tell you, Blane?” I snarled.
He whimpered, his eyes huge, and I half expected him to pee his pants. “Y-you said stay away or I’d end up in the dumpster.”
“And you didn’t believe me. Do you believe me now?”
“Y-yeah.”
I let him crumple to the floor, clutched Tessa’s hand and practically dragged her through the back door, snagging her drink on the way. It was crowded outside too, but not as badly, and at least I could think better without so much noise. My blood still boiled at Blane’s sleazy maneuver.
“Hey, I was talking to him.” She scrambled to keep up with me.
It hadn’t occurred to me that Tessa might want to continue her chat with Blane. Maybe she still liked him. I stopped at the edge of the yard where we had a view of everyone and the back door to the house. “Oh.”
“He asked me if I wanted to go out tomorrow night. I was going to say yes.” She grinned.
“You’re working tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes. “But he doesn’t know that. He would’ve waited for a call that never came. Like he did to me.”
Girls can be as cruel as guys. But I admired Tessa’s methods and was unable to prevent a slow smile.
She sat on a cement bench and tilted her head up at me. “In my head, I’ve already kissed you a hundred times.”
My eyebrows shot up. I’d given her plain OJ but wondered what else she’d tell me with another real drink. “You’ve been fantasizing about me?”
“Of course not, silly.” She waved a hand as if washing away such foolish thoughts. “They’re your fantasies, not mine. I read minds.”
“Okaaaay, no more drinks for you.” Her weird talk did not turn me off like it normally would have. Instead, I found it charming and only wanted to kiss her more. But I needed to wait until she sobered up. The more time I spent with her alone, the weaker my resolve to resist. I grabbed Tessa’s hand and pulled her up. “C’mon. Let’s find Nadia or Corinne.” Preferably Nadia since she was the toughest of the two. I spotted her at the other end of the yard, talking to Skyler. Skyler? What the hell?
Now Nadia needed rescuing. Or did she?
When we reached Nadia, I released Tessa. “Can you keep an eye on Tessa? She can’t handle her liquor.”
“I’m busy. Why don’t you keep an eye on her?” Nadia gave a sultry smile, looking every inch the devil’s helper.