“Why?”
“You’re clever, or so I’ve heard,” she taunted. “But considering the blank look that takes over your expression, and probably your gray matter, with the slanks you hook up with, it seems highly doubtful.”
Goddammit. I wanted to shake her. “Ray,” I barked.
“Ugh!” She expelled an exasperated breath, disturbing the overlong, purple-streaked bangs falling into her face. “Go away, Griffin.”
I grabbed her wrist. She cut me an aggravated glare. She might be tall, but I was taller and used my six-feet-two height to loom over her with every intention to intimidate.
She bowed back, the counter behind her stopping her from completely tipping over. Pity, maybe a fall would knock some sense into her rock-hard skull. I rested my palms on the counter, caging her. “Talk, Bug.”
“That aggressive caveman threat won’t work on me. I’m not one of your floozies. And don’t call me that!” She slapped her hands on my chest and shoved. It did little to move me. But a sharp buzz streaked through me like lightning, sending my mind off-focus. And then I realized why. She’d never touched me before. In all the time I’d known her. Then, stunning the hell out of me, she leaned in close as if coming in for a kiss, but her lips missed mine by a mile and went to my ear. The stab of loss startled me.
“If you must know the reason for my plans,” she whispered, her breath warming my skin, “it’s so I can get laid. I wanted an escort, no awkward morning-after convo and disappointed faces because the other won’t call. But War didn’t agree. So, he’s setting me up with a hockey player. Heard they’re the best in the sack. You know what’s even better? I don’t have to see them afterward.” She pulled back and grinned, catching her tongue piercing against her teeth.
It took a moment for what she’d said to sink into my sluggish brain, pulling my mind away from the fantasy of her tormenting tongue doing wicked things tomybody—
The air suddenly rushed out of my lungs. I stood there speechless, stunned by the craziness of what I’d just heard.“What?”
“You heard me.”
“When?”
“Really?” She arched her feminine brow. “I don’t ask you when you’re getting laid. I gotta go, I’m delaying War andmydate.” Smirking, she ducked under my arm and disappeared down the corridor. I stood there, clenching the counter like a frozen idiot.
No fucking way. We always kept an eye out for her. She was my best friend’s girl’s sister, and I wasn’t letting her get herself into trouble. I knew what assholes men could be. Hell, I probably led the pack and deserved the names she tagged me with, but this shit wasn’t happening. She’d thank me when she got that damn hard skull of hers on straight again.
Before I could go after her, the brunette who’d dropped her napkin on my lap, one I’d tossed away, swooped in with a sultry smile. “You changed your mind, yes?”
“I’m busy.” I sidestepped her, my attention fixed on the dim hallway and the staff entrance through which the pain in my temporal lobe had disappeared.
“Asshole,” the woman bit out. “He’ll never get a piece of Eva now.” She stomped off.
Did she just refer to herself in the third person?I shook my head. In the past, she would have been perfect for a meaningless fuck. Now, she didn’t even ping my interest. In the last year, nothing had.
As I glanced back to where Ray had disappeared, my gaze stalled on Cliff, my grandfather’s caregiver, seated at the counter. He nodded and resumed nursing his soda. The guy didn’t drink, but he appeared to like hanging at the bar on his nights off.
Ray strolled out from the back. She’d changed into a sleek, dark blue dress that hugged every inch of her sexy body and glided right past me as if I were part of the furniture.
“Hey, Griffin.” Two former university buds cornered me, yakking about some surfing event, which, right then, I didn’t give a damn about. “It’s being held in Main Break—Australia. You gonna do it?”
“I don’t know. Gotta go.” My attention zipped back to the entrance, except Ray had vanished. Dammit. I took off after her, but people kept getting in my way. A guy bumped into me and shoved me back, hiking my already buzzing temper.
Growling, I pivoted and was about to take off when I realized who it was. The drunken asshole who’d felt up Ray earlier. Anger surged. My fist flew into his face before my brain connected with my thoughts, sending him crashing into his pals. “You ever touch Ray like that again, I’ll break both your fucking hands.”
Fingers clenching, blood pounding in my ears, I stormed outside—wishing I could tackle my other problems as easily. In the brisk night air, I halted on the crowded curb, inhaling harsh breaths of exhaust fumes. Chatter crowded my ears as I scanned the sidewalk. No sign of her. Goddamn these Logan sisters. They sure knew how to garrote a guy by the balls.
I should just go home. But spying War leaning against his new Ducati, I jogged over. “Where is she?”
His expression hardened. “Leave her alone, Jack. Yeah, she told me you interrogated her. She’ll be fine with Cal.”
“Calum Moore? That fucking manwhore?”
“What are we? Saints?” War snorted. “At least he’ll give her what she wants. I’m waiting for her call when they’re done.”
For some reason, his words landed as if someone had sucker-punched me in the gut. They were doingittonight—now? I yanked War off his bike by his shirt collar, despite him being taller and bigger. “Tell me where she is, or I swear you and I will make tomorrow’s news.”
War eyed me like I was some sad loser and shook his head, his mouth turned down in pity. “You’re in way over your head, man. Let it go. Keep her at a distance like you usually do. It’s best for everyone, especiallyyou,” he said, as if I’d asked for his goddamn advice. And what the hell was he talking about? This was about saving Ray from her own foolishness. Not me.
