“Leave mealone!” she pretty much screamed.
Good thing her brother was in a soundproofed suite.
“Sure thing,” I told her, from the doorway. “You staying in the rest of the night, or do I have to barricade the damn door?”
“I don’t knowwhyyou keep treating me like I’m the fuck-up of the century or something!”
“Is that what you think this is?”
“You think I’m a stupid slut.”
“I do not think that.”
“I know what I am. And I know whatyouare.”
“For fuck’s sake. Go to bed.” I shut the door and got the hell out of there.
I went back out to my car and I fucking drove. Because I just couldn’t be around her. My blood was fucking broiling, and my dick seemed to think this was all a bunch of twisted foreplay for some hot-ass main event—that was never fucking happening.
I couldn’t stand watching her in that bar. And not because she was underage and I was trying to play hero.
Because I couldn’t stomach the thought of her going home with some other guy, even if she wanted to.
I wanted her safe at home. Right where she was.
But it was way too dangerous to stand there at her bedroom door, with her in that low-cut shirt… looking all teary and sorry and…sad.
I’d never been able to handle it when Courteney Clarke was fucking sad.
Chapter Ten
Courteney
Do you even have the first clue?
Are you seriously that fucking clueless?
Jesus, he thought I was so fucking stupid.
Maybe he had a reason.
I lay on my bed with the sheet tangled around my legs. I couldn’t get comfortable. I’d changed into pajama shorts and a tank top for sleep, but I couldn’t sleep. My face was streaked with dried tears, but I was so tired of crying. I’d stopped a while ago and now just lay here, unable to relax or do much of anything but feel numb and regretful.
I was still pretty boozy, too.
I could still hear Xander’s angry, growly voice in my head, and my ears were ringing from the club, “Jackie Chan” throbbing in my skull on endless repeat. That was the song that was playing while people were dancing, the whole club was pumping with sexy Saturday night energy—and Xander was bouncing me out.
You staying in the rest of the night, or do I have to barricade the damn door?
He was still out, of course. At least I was pretty sure he was. Because the rules were totally different for him.
He could be in the middle of some orgy right now, snorting lines off some stripper’s ass, and that would be just fine and dandy, wouldn’t it? Since he was a man and a grownup and all.
As long as I was home in bed by myself.
I finally got up, pulled on a hoodie and started roaming around the house, looking for Freddy. He always gave good cuddles, and I needed some.
I found him out in the front yard, skulking around the bushes on a midnight hunt. Too bad for him, the little bell tinkling on his collar gave him away. He wasn’t much of a predator these days. Cary got tired of him dragging half-eaten birds into the studio through his little swinging cat door off the backyard, and ever since, he’d been belled.
