34. HUNTER
34
T he weird feeling in my stomach says this was a bad idea, but I do my best to push it out of the way.
It’s ten p.m. when we walk into the VIP area of Le Chic, the newest club in town. It’s weird how easily doors open now that I’m the newest addition of AFA fighters. Ever since we’ve arrived, Jason and I don’t have to wait in any queue, even though we’re not twenty-one yet, and tonight is no exception.
I wait for Charlotte as she follows us, placing my hand on the small of her back, guiding her up onto the balcony that oversees the entire club. It’s everything you’d imagine when you think about LA and a new club. The furniture is a luxurious black leather, with crystal elements that make it look fancy and expensive. A huge ass chandelier is hanging in the middle of the club, illuminating the floor with a disco light that’s hooked up with a massive ornament.
I look at Charlotte, who has been gawking at everything she sees the entire day, and now is not any different. She’s wearing a little black dress, with some black motorcycle booties that make her the rebel I know she can be. She doesn’t fit in with the rest of the girls in the club, in their designer dresses and high heels, but she looks gorgeous. If anything, it makes me like her even more. Her dark blonde wavy hair falls perfectly over her shoulders, and I softly tug it to get her attention.
“What are you drinking, babe? ”
“Water.”
My eyes widen, shooting her an incredulous look.
“What?”
“You’re at a club in LA, even though you’re too young, and you’re gonna drink water?”
“Since when do you drink?”
I can’t unseen the disapproval in her eyes. “Just a little more since I moved here. No biggie.”
Her candy pink lips purse with a deep frown. “Do you remember what happened the last time you got drunk when I was around?”
How the fuck can I forget? It took me a week to believe she actually forgave me. Though watching her green eyes flare up a bit has me wondering if that’s really the case.
I push a strand of her silky hair behind her ear, bringing my lips close to her neck so I have an excuse to breathe in her sweet scent. “I’m not saying get drunk. I’m saying have a drink. Relax.”
The sigh that follows is deep, and I narrow my eyes at her, wondering what is going on in that pretty little head of hers.
“Maybe later, okay?” she offers, and I shrug my shoulders, then continue ordering her water. It takes a minute for the server to come back with our drinks, and we all stand next to each other, roaming the club from the balcony.
“So, this is what you two have been up to this entire summer?” Charlotte looks up at me with a smile, but there’s disappointment in her eyes.
Fucking hell . I was trying to avoid this look by taking her to a club instead of hanging out with her back at the house. There’s nothing more I want right now than to pull her on my lap, with her settling her head in the crook of my neck, watching some stupid movie. But the thought of having her in my arms only makes me want more, and I know that will confuse everything for her. Hell, it will confuse everything for me. We’re not together. We’re friends. We made that very clear when I left. The more we keep pushing those boundaries, the more our friendship will be destroyed. I just know it. So, I took the safe route and brought her to a party instead. That way, I won’t be tempted to touch her every chance I get.
“Pretty much,” I admit with a shrug as the server hands us our drinks.
The three of us take a seat on the leather couch, with Charlotte sitting in the middle, as Jason and I have both our arms spread out over the back.
“Have you ever been to California, Charlotte?” Jason takes a sip from his drink, offering her a questioning look.
She shakes her head, giving a quick glance my way.
“Do you like it so far?”
“It’s different,” she responds with an unimpressed look.
I cock my head a little, looking at her while my hand softly strokes her hair. she’s floating on a cloud of uncertainty and it’s tugging on my heart more than I want.
“You okay?” I ask.
She brings her attention back to me, sucking in a deep breath, plastering a big smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m great!”
I’m not buying that.
“You sure?” I squint my gaze, placing my hand on the back of her neck, giving it a light squeeze.
“Positive. Now tell me all about your LA life.” Her head moves back and forth between Jason and me with a beaming smile. I shoot her a look, telling her silently I know she’s full of shit, before I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, then nudge my chin at Jason.
“Jay is better at storytelling than I am.”
Jason mimics my stance, rubbing his hands together like he’s been waiting for this moment the entire day, and I roll my eyes with a chuckle as I take another sip of my drink .
An hour later, Jason has listed all the girls he slept with in the past two months while my head gets foggy as fuck and I’m hammered. So maybe one drink became a little more. I figured it would help keep me occupied from getting into Charlotte’s space, but that’s backfiring. The more I drink, the more confident I am around Charlotte, and I can’t help touching her while we are still sitting on the couch, listening to Jason’s excessive stories.
A brush of her hair there.
A touch of her knee here.
A stroke of her arm.
If I can find an opening, I’m taking it, even though the brief touches are becoming scorching, fueling the need to drag her to the bathroom and kiss her until she sees stars.
“Wait, so you didn’t realize they both offered themselves to you? Together?” She blinks at Jason with an amused grin on her face.
“No! I thought I was working both of them, figuring one of them would end up in my bed, eventually. Little did I know my dream would come true.” He brings his hands together in a thankful gesture, looking up at the sky.
“They gave you your first threesome?” She chuckles.
“It was marvelous!” he groans with excitement, dramatically throwing his back against the couch.
She laughs at his theatrics, and I marvel at her smile, soaking it up like it’s the sun on a cold winter day. She grounds me. Panic already surges through me, thinking she’ll leave again in a couple of days, and I rest my palm on her neck, just to remind myself she’s real. She’s here.
Her eyes slowly find mine, piercing and breathtaking. It’s like the air grows thicker as she studies my face, while my thumb brushes up and down her skin. Automatically, my gaze drops to her lips, tempting me to lean in and take them as mine. But a loaded exhale flies over her mouth, curling in a strained smile.
“Well, on that note. I think I need to use the bathroom.” She gets up, breaking our connection and walking toward the stairs. I watch her every move until she’s out of sight, and Jason gives me a rough push, followed by a fist on my leg.
“What the fuck, man?” I growl as an athletically built guy walks up the same stairs, his eyes following Charlotte before turning his head with a wide grin.
“Don’t even think about it, Jensen!” Our third roommate strolls toward us, then reaches out his hand to both of us.
“She yours?”
“She sure ain’t yours,” I counter, taking another sip of my drink. He flops his 6’1” bulky frame on the couch on my left. His dark hair is longer on the front, dancing a little around his forehead before his cheeks curl.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It’s his best friend,” Jason answers for me, and I shoot him a death glare, because that’s not the full explanation I want Jensen to pick up on. Charlotte might not be mine, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let Jensen near her. Or any guy, for that matter.
“Oh, shit.” He tilts his head in disappointment. “That’s your girl? The girl? The one you left at home?”
“That would be her,” Jason mutters under his breath. “She’s not his , though. Something Hunter seems to have forgotten for the last hour.”
“Shame.” Jensen smirks. “She’s fucking hot.”
“Shut the fuck up and stay away from her!” I snap.
“What are you doing?” Jason yelps with wide eyes, throwing his hands up in frustration. The disapproval is dripping from his tongue, and I don’t even bother to seek out his glare. Instead, I close my eyes.
“What are you talking about? ”
“Charlotte!”
“What about her?” I’m not sure why I’m acting all coy, but at this point, it’s all I got.
I twist my head at his annoyed face, narrowing his eyes on me. “She’s your best friend . You’re not together, and she’s leaving in two days. Stop touching the damn girl!”
Rolling my eyes, a guilty feeling trickles down my skin, and I quickly take a sip of my drink to ignore it. “What are you talking about? I’m not doing shit.”
“Oh, no?” He scowls, then flutters his eyes at me, placing his hand on my knee, then strokes the back of my neck in a mocking way and finally slapping me over the head. “This is not what best friends do. You keep touching her like she’s yours. She’s not.”
“Whatever. What do you care, anyway?”
“Because you’re confusing her! In two days, she’s gonna get on that plane and fly back to North Carolina. If you’re going to keep acting like you two are together, you’ll break her heart all over again. She doesn’t deserve that. Stop confusing yourself and stop confusing her ,” he blurts with annoyance, narrows his eyes on me.
I hate how fucking right he is, but the biggest issue is I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t know how to rein in my impulses when it comes to Charlotte, and the longer I hold Jason’s stern expression, the more I realize this was all one big mistake.
I should’ve never let her fly out here, because I knew it was going to be torture for both of us.
“That is …” Jensen chimes in, “unless she is more than your friend.”
With a bucketload of guilt, I flick my gaze to Jason as a knowing look appears on his face, challenging me to tell them otherwise, and I hold his gaze as I swallow hard. Fuck. It hurts, but I’ll give her what she asked for .
“No, she’s my friend. Nothing more. She made that perfectly clear,” I answer resolutely, remembering the day I flew out here.
“It was one night, Hunter. We shouldn’t put it all on the line for one night. It means that we’ll go back to being best friends. It’s the only option.”
“Then fucking treat her like that,” Jason barks, deep blue eyes flashing with a little anger.
I nod in agreement, knowing he’s right, as I grab my glass from the table, pouring the rest of the contents down my throat, then I snap my hand at the security guy with an approved look. She wants it like this, and I’m the bastard who will give her what she wants.
He gives me a nod, before he does the same to the security guy down the stairs and a few girls move up the stairs a few seconds later.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Jensen cheers beside me, and I rest my back into the couch, letting my eyes roam over a brunette who’s fluttering her lashes at me. She looks a few years older than I am, a gold dress hugging her curves. She’s hot. Not Charlotte gorgeous, but hot enough to make a point. And by the relentless thumping of my heart that’s telling me I’m making a mistake, a point definitely needs to be made. For Charlotte. And for me. We’re friends.
“Hunt, are you sure you want to do this?” Jason scolds.
“What? You thought I was bluffing.” I swallow the bile back into my stomach, keeping a straight face. He’s the one who said I should treat her as my friend and nothing more. The only way to get that message across is to do it drastically.
“Your funeral, man.” He rubs a hand over his face, frustration washing his expression, clearly not happy with the decision I made.
I give him a comforting smile as my attention is stolen by the girl taking a seat on my lap. Her face is caked in make-up, probably making her prettier than she really is, and her boobs seem to barely fit in her metallic dress, but my dick doesn’t care when she slowly grinds her ass on my lap following the beat of the music. I quickly glance at Jensen, who’s giving me a thumbs up, then lay my head back and close my eyes, enjoying the friction going on between my pants. My heart is yelling at me to stop, knowing this is not the girl I want on my lap tonight, but my mind wins the battle.
My mind knows the girl I want is no longer an option.
My mind knows the girl I want will be on a plane back to North Carolina by the end of tomorrow.
I can’t put my focus on Charlotte, because life gave us both a different set of cards to play with.
I need to cut Charlotte loose, because she deserves more than what I can offer. Even if it means breaking her heart in the process.