I took another drink and watched him carefully before I answered, “You could say that. Danny and I have some…history together.”
“Oh, nice! Danny’s the shit. My man Nikko is a longtime friend of mine. He’s their manager.”
“Oh yeah?” I pretended to sound ignorant.
He nodded confidently. “I can definitely work something out to get you a backstage pass to the next show, if you’d like?”
I giggled, finding his efforts to impress me entertaining. “Oh, you don’t have to trouble yourself.”
“I like helping out my special friends.”
“You don’t even know my name, and I’m one of your special friends?”
His leg brushed mine, and my muscles tensed. I didn’t like touching strangers, and I was fully aware that wasn’t a good trait to have as a future doctor.
“I’d like you to be.” He flashed a sly grin, and I had the sudden urge to leave. “Whatisyour name?” he asked.
I pondered giving him a fake one. Who else could I be tonight?Monica? Rachel?“Avery,” I said after consideration. I might see him again at the house sometime, and I didn’t want to keep track of an alter ego.
“Well, Avery, there has to be a damn good reason for a beautiful girl like yourself to be sitting here all alone.”
“I like to think I’m an independent woman, capable of entertaining myself.” I crossed one leg over the other, so we were no longer touching but still offered him a smile because, for some reason, I didn’t want to be perceived as rude.
He moved closer—again.
“Ah, well then,” he slurred, “can I watch?”
I frowned. “Watch what?”
“You.” His eyes darkened as his lips curled up suggestively. “Entertain yourself…”
It took my naive brain a second to pick up what he was putting down, but I resisted the urge to shove him in the pool as I shot upright. “Pass.” I grimaced.
I went to walk away, but he grabbed my ankle, knocking me over onto my hands and knees.
“There’s no need to run off. I’m just having some fun.”
I swiveled to face him. “Well, I’m not.”
He patted the concrete beside him while his other hand was still wrapped firmly around me. “Come back. I won’t bite, I promise.”
“Let go, asshole.” I kicked.
Liam’s back suddenly shielded my view of the drunken man. “Take a fucking hint, Wes!” he roared.
In the time it took me to blink, Liam’s quick fist collided with his face, sending him headfirst into the water. Liam crossed his arms and stared down at the guy with a wide smile when he came back up for air.
I didn’t feel like watching a battle of testosterone, so I hurried inside and started to get ready for bed, pretending there wasn’t a raging party going on, on the other side of my door.
The palms of my hands burned from the concrete that had nearly split open my skin, but it wasn’t bad enough to need much more than some soap and water.
I swapped my triangle bikini top with a thin tank top, and I was about to change out of my bottoms when Danny pounded on my door, shouting for me.
He walked in the moment I opened it, searching around my room. “You’ve got one of those sewing things for stitching people up, right?”
“A suture kit?” I frowned, watching him rifle through my makeup bag. What did he think I did to my face every morning?
“Yeah! You have one for school, don’t you?”
