“You two better not throw up in my car,” Dark Angel grumbles. He slams the door shut. He opens the driver’s side, but as he’s attempting to get in, I hear a voice.
“Rip?” It’s Lexi.
Chapter 11
Rip
I ignore her. Questioning or approaching me in public is not what this is about. She knows better. We’ve run into each other, but we’ve never spoken. That’s the most important rule, and it should be followed at all times.
She’s standing behind me, and she’s much too close.
“Rip?” She’s more demanding this time. “Why aretheyin your car? What’s going on?” She dares to raise her voice at me.
Eden tilts her head toward me. She’s drunk, but not so drunk that she won’t remember this. Now I’m kicking myself for not letting them have more drinks.
“Hi, Lexi!” one of the drunk ones in the back says after she rolls down her window. “You want a ride?” She tries to open the door, but the safety locks are on.
I get in the front seat and close the door. Lexi stands outside and glares at me through the window, but I ignore her and drive away. I don’t bother looking back.
“How do you know Lexi?” Eden asks.
I give her the side eye, but I don’t answer. Lexi just fucking made things much more complicated than they need to be.
“Oh.” She nods, and I think understanding dawns. “That’s disgusting.”
“Look,” I hear one of them say in the back. Seconds later, she laughs uncontrollably.
“Get that phone out of my face. I don’t give a shit about your stupid cat videos, Selene,” the mayor’s daughter says.
“But it’s so cute.”
Eden doesn’t speak anymore, and the two in the back bicker while I make the short drive back to town. About fifteen minutes later, I notice that Eden has fallen asleep. Not only that, but she snores loudly.
By the time I pull onto her street, they have all fallen asleep, and I’m tasked with leaving them in the car while I go up to Eden’s apartment. I open the door, which she left unlocked. After checking to make sure everything is fine, I return to my car. I pick her up first and carry her inside. There’s a small bedroom in the tiny apartment, and I put her down. She doesn’t stir, so I take off her shoes and cover her with a blanket.
I get the other two one at a time, but I drop them on the couch. There are no blankets there, so I leave. They can find their own fucking blanket when they wake up.
I’m lost in my thoughts on the drive home, and I almost don’t notice the small, black car in my driveway parked in front of my gate. You can’t get in unless the gate is open, and only I can open it.
“Fuck,” I whisper. I hit the fob, and my gates swing wide. I drive past Lexi’s car, and she follows me. I’m out of my car before she can get out of hers. She comes out and walks slowly to me.
I hold my hand up, but she doesn’t stop walking.
“Stop,” I yell, and her steps falter. “Get back in your car and go.”
She doesn’t come any closer.
“Why did you carry Eden and put her in your car?” She doesn’t ask about the other two, so I wonder if I was that obvious tonight. Dax figured it out right away, but he knows me better than anyone.
“Don’t question me,” I growl. “You know the rules. You don’t talk to me in public, and no one is to know about us. You broke the rules, so we’re done.”
Even in the darkness, I can see her lose her color. Her mouth flies open, and she takes a step back. We’ve had this arrangement for almost nine months. She allowed me to scratch an itch, and she was taken care of financially, but that’s come to an end now.
“All because of Eden?” Lexi surprises me by laughing after asking that question. “That little goody two-shoes with the sheriff daddy? That’s the girl you—”
“You need to leave now,” I order. “And don’t come back.”
“But what about my apartment?” she asks. “I moved into a bigger one.”
