My pulse pounds in my head, and I try to swallow past the lump in my throat. I was scared on that lake when the ice broke around me, but this is a different level of fear. There’s no one around to help me now. What will he do if I keep refusing? How bad are things going to get?
“Don’t make me wait,” Arnie growls. He grabs the front of my shirt and jerks it, ripping it at the collar.
“Stop it!” I lift my hands and shove him away, but it’s like trying to push a cement wall. He’s so much bigger than me.
“What? You think you’re too good for it now?” He grabs at the ripped piece of my shirt, but I push his hands away. “You think you can just stop doing it after you’ve given people a taste of you? Get your fucking clothes off.”
I grit my teeth and tug my shirt off over my head.
“Like you do it onstage,” Arnie snaps.
“Fuck you.”
His eyes narrow, and he reaches for me again, but he stops when the door opens.
Dalton pauses in the doorway, his gaze shifting from me to Arnie and back again.
“What the hell are you doing?” His voice is dangerously low, and his anger fills the air around him.
“I-I’m sorry. He said—”
“I told him no,” Arnie interrupts me, lifting his hands. “We—”
He doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because Dalton lunges at him. Arnie stumbles back and slams into the nightstand, rattling the lamp.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Dalton pulls his arm back and slams his fist into Arnie’s face so hard that Arnie’s head snaps to the side.
“Dalton, stop it.” I try to grab his arm, but Dalton doesn’t let me get close enough. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”
This is so much worse than it was at the club. Dalton was angry then, but it’s nothing compared to the rage on his face now.
“He’s not some toy for you to play with. He’s a fucking person,” Dalton snaps, punching Arnie in the stomach so hard that he doubles over. “He’s with me. I’m the only one that gets to touch him.”
Arnie straightens up and tries to push Dalton back, but he doesn’t budge. “I’m sorry, all right? I couldn’t help it.”
Dalton’s whole body seems to grow bigger at Arnie’s words, and now I do grab his arm, trying to get his attention.
“Dalton, stop it. He’s your friend.”
Dalton’s arm is tense under my hand. He shakes his head and shoves Arnie away. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”
“Dalton—”
“You’re done,” Dalton interrupts him. “I will take everything from you. I’ll destroy you for hurting him. Now get the hell out!”
Arnie stumbles toward the door, where Grady and Levi have gathered. My face burns, and I look away from them. How much did they hear?
Without a word, Grady reaches and pulls the door closed as soon as Arnie is out of the room.
“I’m sorry.” The words come out of me small and pathetic.
“What are you sorry for?” He’s still so angry that his voice is mostly a growl, but when he meets my gaze, his face softens.
“I’m sorry you saw that. That it happened.” I turn away from him and grab a clean shirt from my duffel bag. “I didn’t expect you to believe me. He’s your friend.”
“He’s nothing to me.” Dalton comes up behind me, puts his hands on my shoulders. “Let me see where he hurt you.”
I don’t want to obey him, but he’s been so nice to me. He believed me when he didn’t have to. I turn back to him so he can get a proper look at the bruise I’m sure is forming on my cheek. My side throbs where Arnie hit me too, but I pull my shirt on before he can see that.
