Theo looked back at me just as my cousin roared my name again and pounded harder on the front door.
“Off, off.” I shoved Theo out of my way and crawled out of the bed. The sensation between my legs told me my periodwashere. Bugger. Hurrying into a robe.
“Uh, Sarah …”
I turned around.
Theo pointed to the bedsheets, and I flushed at the spots of blood. “I’ll get the door,” he said, pushing off the bed to pull on some underwear. “You take care of yourself.”
I flushed even harder. “Ifyouopen the door, Jared will lose his mind.”
Still, Theo gently nudged me toward the bathroom.
“At least put on some trousers! And I need underwear!”
Theo quickly grabbed a pair of knickers out of the drawer and handed them to me before guiding me into the bathroom.
My heart raced as I hurried through cleaning myself and rummaging through my toiletries for tampons.
“Where the hell is Sarah?” I heard Jared bellow. I’d never heard him so angry.
“If you’d just calm down?—”
“Calm down? Calm down? I’m this close to ending you, mate. Where’s my cousin?”
As together as I was going to be in such a short time, I tightened the ties on my robe and burst out of the bathroom, hurrying into the sitting room.
Jared stood facing off with a half-naked Theo. Theo wore a mask of boredom, but I saw tension riding his shoulders. My cousin, while relieved to see me, also looked murderous.
“Jared, what’s going on?” I rushed over, pressing my side to Theo’s.
He stepped away from my touch and I shot him a concerned look.
“What’s going on? What’s going on is that I got a call last night telling me that this prick”—he gestured angrily to Theo—“is here taking advantage of you.”
Indignation and embarrassment flooded me, but Theo asked blandly, “Who called?”
Jared eyed him as if he were a disgusting bug, and my anger built. “Someone with more decency than you. Do you get off on taking advantage of innocent women?”
Theo shrugged like he didn’t care about any of this.
Me? I was pissed. “How dare you?”
Jared stared at me, stunned. “How dare I?”
“Aye, how dare you? I’m not some innocent virgin child, for God’s sake, Jared. I’m definitelynota virgin and definitely wasn’t one before Theo got here.”
My cousin’s eyebrows raised as if this was some big surprise to him.
I scoffed. “I’m older than you, remember.”
“But—”
“No buts. I appreciate the concern and I’m grateful you love me enough to drive down to check on me. But you don’t get to come in here and treat me like a child or treat Theo like crap.”
“He’s a well-known player, Sarah. As a fellow member of his species, trust me, he’s using you!”
“If he is, it’s none of your business.” My pulse raced.
