Jaded (7 page)

He’d been creative.

“Remember my garage?” he teased. His thoughts must’ve paralleled mine.

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68

“I remember the feel of the couch in your garage,” I replied, dryly. I actually remembered the echo of my orgasm around the building.

Denton chuckled and moved into the kitchen.

“So what brings you to my doorstep at 10:32 at night?” I asked.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I want anything to eat or drink?” He frowned. “I think that’s what you offered my sister.”

“Is that why you’re here? Are you here because of Mena?”

The flirtatious glint was wiped clean when he replied, coolly, “Look. I don’t want my sister hanging around you.”

My eyebrows arched at that one.

“How come?” I asked, curious.

“No offense,” he said quickly and I shrugged. He added, “I just—you’re not the type of girl I want around Mena right now. She’s,” he frowned. “She’s vulnerable right now.”

“Because of your mother’s divorce?”

“Mena told you about that.” A scowl flashed over his face before it was replaced with concern. “Yeah, but it’s more than that. She’s going through some stuff and she’s not adjusting well to being back home with our dad. I’m staying at the house for awhile to help her out, but…I can’t stay forever.”

Actors, especially movie actors, traveled a lot.

“Can you just…can you say something to her?”

“Like what?” I laughed. “Should I have a pre-break-up talk with her before we’re friends? How do you even talk about that stuff? Does she know how you feel?”

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“She does. I’ve told her my concerns.”

“What are your concerns?” I’d heard most of them anyway.

“Just that…,” he frowned and halted as he considered me. My face was void of defensiveness. I really was just curious. “I told her that you’re just more experienced in the guy department than she is. She talks big. I know she does, but she’s only dated one guy.”

“Are you sure it’s just one guy that you know?” I teased.

“No,” he answered, seriously. “It’s just one guy. She dated him for a year and they never had sex.”

“How do you know that?” And I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation.

“I just do,” Denton shrugged. “She’s not ready for the world that you live in, Sheldon.”

“And how do you know what world I live in?”

He gave me a knowing look and replied, ruefully, “I learned some tricks from you that time. You didn’t learn anything from me and I’m a guy who’s a famous actor. That says something.”

“Maybe she could learn to toughen up,” I challenged, but my heart really wasn’t in it.

Denton stiffened before he replied, coolly, “Look, I’m just going to be honest with you. Our family has its problems, but we’ve got two parents in each home. Mena might have some serious anger problems against her biological dad, but…she’s got her parents. And you…” Don’t.

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I felt my heart slam back into this conversation. I slid off a stool and asked, coolly, “What exactly are you saying, Denton?”

“I really didn’t come over here to piss you off or hurt your feelings.”

“But you are, so say what you came to say,” I bristled.

Denton sighed and studied me a moment. I felt like everyone did that when they were carefully picking their words. People did it a lot around me.

He broke, “I don’t want my sister to become a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s pissed off at how fake her parents are.”

I felt a punch to my gut, but replied smoothly, “You’re in luck. You don’t have a movie star neighbor. You just have a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s bored and he’s pretty good in the sack.”

He grinned tightly and shook his head. Denton raked a hand through his hair and considered me again.

The silence was thick, but he broke it when he murmured, “I’m out of line. I know that. I know I had no right to say what I did and if a guy ever said that to my sister, I’d beat him down.”

“Was that an apology?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. No. Kinda.” He shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. “I cannot believe how I’m just stumbling over my words. I’m an actor and I never stumble over my words.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve gotten most of my jobs.”

I

didn’t

care.

He caught my look and stopped, “But then again, you probably don’t care.”

I tilted my chin up.

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“Okay. Look…I just don’t want Mena to become as tough as you.”

That was different. I sighed and stepped back. “For what it’s worth,” I murmured,

“I think that’s why your sister wants me as a friend. I’d give her some protection at school.”

That caught his interest.

“She’s your sister,” I added. “That’s going to get out and she’s going to be eaten alive by some of those girls in there.” Mena might’ve thought otherwise, but she was wrong. In fact, she was delusional.

“I never thought of it that way,” he admitted and skimmed his eyes over my figure again. “You’re hot when you’re pissed off.”

I grinned silkily and shot back, “I’m not that girl who screws her movie star neighbor because she’s pissed at how fake her parents are anymore.”

Denton barked out a laugh and glanced away.

“Wow,” he whistled. “That was good.”

Just then the door shoved open and slammed again.

“Sheldon,” Bryce called out before he turned the corner. “We gotta go.

Corrigan’s in jail…” His voice trailed off when he saw I wasn’t alone.

Denton sent me a frown as he glanced between the two of us.

This was ironic.

I said weakly, “I’m not in jail. It’s my friend who…”

“Would be Mena’s friend too,” Denton finished. He walked past Bryce and threw over his shoulder, “Just talk to her and let her down gently, please?”

When the door shut again, Bryce asked, “What was that about?”

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“Big brother thinks I’m not a good example for his precious little sister,” I muttered.

“You haven’t even met her yet.”

Never mind. I asked abruptly, “What’s Corrigan in jail for?”

Bryce hesitated, but said, “Fleeing the scene of an accident.”

“What accident?”

“Corrigan smashed up Yerling’s car. When he tried to leave, the police flashed their lights and he took off.” Bryce chuckled. “He led a high-speed chase. He’s so proud of himself for that one.”

I sighed, but darted to my room and quickly changed. Again.

I threw a bulky sweatshirt on and replaced my pajama pants with a pair of baggy jeans. “I’m ready,” I said as I moved back downstairs.

Bryce nodded and held the door open when we moved to his car.

I caught a glimpse of his knuckles as my motion-detector flared on. They were bloody and bruised.

“Whose blood?” I asked, but I already knew.

Bryce shot me a look, but didn’t answer.

“Is that what you guys did? You beat up Yerling and Corrigan beat up his car?

For what? For good measure?”

He shrugged and started the car.

I shook my head, “Is this just because of me? I just had one older brother come over to my house and tell me that he doesn’t want his little sister to grow up and have a life like mine.”

Tijan

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73

“What?” Bryce shot me an incredulous look as he pulled into traffic.

“Nothing. How much money do we need?”

“A thousand cash, just to be safe.” Bail varied on the crime.

“Stop at the ATM at Garrity’s. You can wash your hand off in the bathroom.”

When he pulled into the gas station, he murmured before either of us got outside,

“Look. This wasn’t just about you. A lot of the guys were behind this. Yerling’s been off lately and he’s made some of the guys nervous. And the girls.”

“I was the last straw?”

“Something like that.”

“What if he presses charges?”

Bryce shrugged, “He won’t. He knows better.”

“Or what? He’ll get beat up by everyone else?”

“Something like that.”

“I’m starting to hate that phrase,” I muttered as I threw open the door and moved to the ATM machine.

When I got the cash, I bought a soda and an energy drink. In the car, I handed the energy drink to Bryce and drank my soda.

“Thanks,” he murmured as he opened it and put it in the cup holder.

A moment later, we pulled into the jail and approached the front desk.

“Can I help you?” A deputy glanced up and raked his eyes over each of us. His eyes lingered on Bryce’s bruised knuckles.

“Yeah. I’m here to post bail for a friend of mine,” I spoke up.

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When he asked, I gave Corrigan’s name and a moment later we were given some

paperwork to fill out. It seemed to take forever, but in truth it was probably fifteen minutes before we saw Corrigan smirk cockily when he was hustled from the back holding area. They took off his handcuffs just before he was allowed his personal items and moved through the gate.

“Hey,” Corrigan greeted us both with a hug.

Bryce thumped him on his back while I punched him in the stomach.

“Ow,” Corrigan grunted, feigning pain, but he grinned a second later and wrapped me in another big hug.

We trailed back out to the car in silence and I took the backseat.

Once we were inside, he asked Bryce, “So did you…?”

Bryce flexed his knuckles in response and let out a hiss in pain.

“Man,” Corrigan whistled. “You did him good.”

I rolled my eyes in the back, but remained quiet.

Corrigan twisted in his seat and asked, excitement in his eyes, “Wanna hear about the chase?”

I groaned, but a chuckle slipped out.

“They could’ve shot you, Corrigan,” I pointed out.

“Nah, man,” he laughed. “When they cornered me, I got out all slow with my

hands in the air. It was awesome, but they
were
rough when they cuffed me.”

Bryce asked, “They pull their guns?”

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“Yeah. A few. They put ‘em away quick though when they realized I was just a kid. I bonded with my arresting officers. I was cracking jokes on the way to the station.

And I told them all about Chad, what he did.”

“What?” Bryce asked sharply. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“They said they’d keep their eyes out for him.”

“Man,” Bryce groaned. “If they go over there, they’re going to want him to press charges against me.”

“What? Nah.” Corrigan shook his head, but a cautious look flashed across. He laughed again and exclaimed, “No way. Yerling won’t say a thing. He knows what’ll happen if he does.”

“What is this? Like Fight Club?” I mumbled.

“Yes,” Corrigan answered while Bryce replied, “No.”

They glanced at each other and shared a meaningful look.

Corrigan corrected himself, “I mean, it’s not anything like Fight Club.”

“Right,” I scoffed in disbelief.

“The first rule: no one can talk about it. The second rule is: no one can talk about it. And the third rule is: if they do, they’re out. Did I get it right?”

“It’s not like that.” Bryce met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Yerling’s pulled some other stunts lately. He just needed to be put back in his place. That’s all.”

“Let’s grab some food. I’m starving.” Corrigan pointed at the closest fast food and we trudged inside.

One of the girls whispered to her friend behind the counter and soon two

additional employees were at the counter.

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I groaned when Corrigan literally licked it up.

I sat at a nearby booth and waited as the two morons got their food. Bryce

grabbed a soda for me, but neither moved for a moment when their food had been placed on their tray.

I marched up and grabbed the tray. As I moved past, I bumped shoulders with

both of them on purpose.

“Hey,” Corrigan protested when he spilled his drink.

“Oops,”

I

deadpanned.

Bryce came to sit beside me on my side of the booth. Corrigan sat, inhaled his food, and grabbed the rest of his burger. He stood at the counter while he finished it and his drink.

Bryce relaxed against the booth and slid an arm on the back. He purposely

stretched and slid his leg beside mine.

“Stop,”

I

murmured.

Bryce chuckled and leaned closer to me. He whispered in my ear, “It’ll be fine.”

I shrugged him off.

Bryce frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’re usually up for this

stuff.”

I was, but I acted like a ‘girl.’ That pissed me off more.

“Nothing,”

I

mumbled.

“What? Is it Yerling?”

Nothing.

“Is it what Steele said to you?”

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Nothing.

“Oh.” He got it. “It’s the counselor thing.”

I tensed beside him.

He leaned closer and pressed a kiss underneath my ear.

I relaxed slightly and closed my eyes when his hand slid onto my leg. He

massaged just inside my thigh before he continued his exploration around my neck. I hung my head down, helpless and turned so he could capture my lips with his. I felt his fingers dip inside my pants and murmured, huskily, “If you wanted to take my mind off that, it’s working.”

Bryce chuckled and his breath teased my skin.

“Let’s go. Now,” I breathed.

Bryce shot up and called out, “Corrigan, we’re leaving.”

Corrigan finished talking with one of the girls and jogged over to us with a suggestive smirk on his face.

“You two go on. I’m going to grab a ride home with this girl.”

Bryce and I looked over and saw that she was giggling with another friend. They both blushed when they realized they were the center of our attention.

In the car, Bryce kept a hand on my leg. It stayed in place.

When we pulled into my driveway, I hit the garage opener on my keychain and