“Excuse me?” I nearly choke.
“It’s just a joke.” He grins, needling me in the arm. “Relax.”
I swallow, pushing down the annoyance rising in my chest, because something tells me he’snotjoking.
“Listen, if your feet hurt that bad, just take them off or something.”
I glance around us at the sticky, filthy, beer-covered floor and wrinkle my nose. “No way am I taking my shoes off in here.”
“Then just tough it out a bit longer. I’m sure we won’t be too long.”
With a sigh, I check my phone: 12:47 a.m. We’ve been bar hopping for over three hours, and I’m exhausted. All I want to do is head back to my room, change into my pajamas, and curl up in bed.
“Holy shit,” Brady suddenly exclaims, elbowing Mike hard in the ribs. “Check out the blonde by the door.”
I follow his gaze to see a woman in a tight red dress—the kind of dress Ethan would say is desperate for attention—walking through the entrance, her blonde hair cascading down her back in loose waves. She’s objectively gorgeous, and it’s not hard to imagine that she turns heads wherever she goes.
“Solid ten,” Mike slurs, raising his beer in salute. “Absolute smoke show.”
Brady whistles low under his breath. “Fuck me.”
My stomach drops as Ethan’s arm slides from my shoulders. He turns, his eyes following their line of sight before widening appreciatively. He doesn’t just glance—he stares, his gaze lingering on her curves as she walks to the bar.
Something twists painfully in my chest when he lets out a low grunt of appreciation. “Damn,” he mutters, and I feel the last vestiges of my restraint vanish.
“Seriously?” I snap, loud enough that all three of them turn to look at me with matching wide-eyed expressions.
“What?” Ethan frowns.
“I’m standing right here.” My voice shakes slightly with anger. “And you’re openly checking out another woman?”
Mike snickers while Brady averts his gaze like he’s not listening.
“Don’t be a typical woman and get worked up over this,” Ethan says, brushing me off. “It was just one look.”
“One look?” My brows rise. “You checked her out, then muttereddamn,” I say, mocking him. “Your hypocrisy amazes me.”
With a sigh, Ethan pulls me to the side, his voice soft as he says, “Come on, babe. I might’ve looked, but I wouldneverdate a girl like that. The guys saw a girl and asked me to check her out. So, I did. Was I just supposed to ignore them? Pretend like they didn’t say anything?”
I cross my arms over my chest, wondering if he’s right.Am I overreacting?
I’m tired, my feet are killing me, and I’m still upset over the viral video. It would make sense I might be a little overly sensitive.
Sensing my crumbling defenses, he pulls me closer, tipping my chin until our eyes meet. “You’remy type. Only you,” he murmurs, leaning down to brush a soft kiss against my lips.
And though he smells of booze and tastes like beer, I allow the gesture to soothe my frazzled nerves as I grip his arms with my hands and stare up at him. “If I say I believe you, can we just go back to my dorm?” I ask, hoping he caves.
“Come on, Tatum. My friends are here this one and only time for a visit. I can’t just abandon them. Just a little longer, I promise.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I nod. The least I could do is try to have fun with his friends. Even if this isn’t my scene, and I’m not feeling it, I still want to make a good impression.
“Okay, fine,” I say, giving in and forcing a smile. “But justonemore place.”
Chapter 23
BRANDON
Iswirl the last dregs of my beer, watching the amber liquid coat the sides of the glass before settling again. Bradd’s is packed tonight—standing room only with bodies pressed together on the dance floor, and the air thick with perfume, sweat, and cheap liquor.
