I cross my arms and glare at him. He stares right back and my eyes are drawn to the pulse in his neck which is beating fast. I take a moment to study him.
How can he look that concerned about me, when he was standing between another woman’s legs just a couple of hours ago?
My heart hardens. We owe each other nothing, I barely know this man.
“Charley?” he takes a step closer, his eyes softening. “Tell me what happened? Why did you leave?”
He doesn’t get to make me feel bad about this. I’m also not going to make myself look foolish by saying what I saw.
“She saw you at the bar with the woman in the red leather pants.”
We both turn to see Lily in the doorway to her apartment. She has a robe on this time over her tiny pajama shorts, and the fluffy white socks on her feet.
“The what?” Nashville looks at her, then back at me.
I refuse to make eye contact with him, or Lily. How could she do this to me? I’ve never been more embarrassed.
“The Disciples bar, earlier. We came for a drink and saw you all over some other woman.”
“Lily,” I hold up a hand to her. “Don’t try to help.”
“He should know.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Nashville says, then stares at her until she gets the picture and goes back inside. He heaves out a long breath then looks at me. “Get your things.”
“Excuse me.”
“We’re going to talk about this but not in the hallway of some random apartment building. It’s late, we’re both tired but we can figure this out.”
“I’m not going back with you. I’m moving into my own place. Soon.”
“Nice try,” he smirks. “Come on, get your things.”
“You might get other people to do what you want but I’m not one of them.”
“I was talking to Raven, the owner of the bar, sister of my Vice President,” He moves right up to me, and I take a step back. “He will cut off my balls if I even dared try to touch his sister. We’ve been friends for years and I value my balls, so I won’t ever go there. Now get your things, stop talking about finding somewhere else to go and just come back to the house.”
“No thank you. I’m sorting out my own place.”
“Charley,” he backs me into the wall and moves his mouth close to my ear. “I’m not leaving here without you.”
“You’ll be hanging out in the hallway all night because I’m not-”
He moves so fast I barely have time to react, leaning forward, pushing his shoulder into my stomach and lifting me right off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing at all.
“Callum!” I shriek. “Put me down.”
“You’re going to wake the neighbors,” he turns and walks back toward the door where Lily is wide-eyed.
“Good, maybe they’ll call the police,” I snap back, arching my back so I can straighten up but he clamps a hand on my ass and turns so I have to lean back down and grab onto his cut.
“I’m not going to drop you,” he reassures. “But we are going to talk about this. At my house.”
“Nashville,” Lily says, sounding unsure but also amused.
If I could see her, I’d give her a stern look too. Is she really going to stand there and watch him kidnap me?
“I’ll be by to get her stuff tomorrow,” he tells her, gripping the back of my thighs to stop me wriggling out of his grasp.
