Adam
Skyler has been outside with Bear for almost half an hour now, and that means I’m finding it harder and harder to ignore Clay’s douchebag ways. Pair that with the fact that I’m two shots past drunk and you could say I’m not exactly in the best state of mind right now.
Clay spots me watching him and Cassie dancing and he whispers something in her ear, making her giggle and me growl before excusing himself.
Moments later, he slides up next to me at the bar, but I don’t even turn to acknowledge him.
Even without looking directly at him, I can see his douchey Ken doll smirk.
“Having fun, Brooks?”
“Yep.” I let the end of the word pop as I take a large drink from my glass. “You?”
“Oh yeah. But I guess you already know that since you’ve been watching me all night, huh?”
I shake my head, finally turning to face him. The cocky grin plastered on his face makes me snarl my next sentence. “I don’t fucking like you being around Cassie.”
“Oh, I’m sorry – did I ask for your permission?”
“She’s a good girl, Clay. I’m serious. Don’t fuck her around.”
“Didn’t plan on it,” he says, sipping from the shot glass the bartender just slid him. He props his elbows up on the bar and scans the room until he finds Cassie. “Now fuck her up and down every inch of my room tonight? Definitely.”
“Goddamnit, Clay!” I growl, slamming my glass down hard on the bar. He just cackles and I grit my teeth before storming across the room. Cassie’s eyes widen as I approach her but I don’t say a word, I just hook her by the inside of her elbow and drag her out to the hallway near the bathrooms.
“What the hell, Adam?”
“You can’t leave with Clay tonight.”
Her mouth pops open. “Oh my God, are you serious right now?” Her green eyes take on a more hazel look under the low light of the hotel and she crosses her arms, popping one hip to the side. It’s the sassiest I’ve ever seen her.
“Yes, I’m dead serious. He just wants to get in your pants, Cassie.”
“Well, I guess it’s lucky for him that I’m not wearing any pants tonight, huh?” She rolls her eyes and tries to stride past me but I pull her back.
“Damnit, this isn’t a game!”
“And you’re not my boyfriend!”
I blanch. “That’s not what this is about.”
“Oh?” she asks, stepping closer. “It’s not?”
Swallowing, I search her eyes for the hundreds of questions that lay hidden behind that one she posed. The air between us feels thicker, charged with an energy I can’t quite determine. “I’m just looking out for you. Can’t you just trust me when I say he’s bad news?”
“He’s been nothing but nice to me,” she murmurs softly, still not stepping out of my space. Reaching out, I let my hands just barely rest on her arms.
“He knows what he’s doing, Cassie. He’s good at it.”
Her brows pull together, and for a moment I think she might listen to me, but then she shakes her head and pulls back just as Clay emerges from the ballroom. “I can handle myself, Adam.”
“Everything okay?” Clay asks, faking a concern I know he doesn’t have.
“Yeah. You ready to get out of here?” Cassie asks.
“Absolutely.” Clay tosses his jacket over his shoulder and throws his other arm around hers.
Cassie glances at me once more before turning toward the door, and then it’s Clay who looks at me.
With a smirk, he winks, pulls Cassie closer, whispers in her ear and bites her earlobe.
She leans into him, giggling, and I curse, punching the padded wall outside the main room just as he tosses back his head with a laugh and walks her through the large glass doors.
I’m still frustrated when I snap for the bartender’s attention back at the bar. Skyler reappears, looking just as gorgeous as ever, and wraps her arms around my neck. Desperate, I pull her in for a long, hard kiss, tangling my hands in her hair as she moans against my mouth.
Cassie is my friend and I do care about her, but I can’t make her decisions for her.
I can’t make her mistakes for her either.
I may have lost my cool, but there’s nothing I can do to take any of it back now.
Instead, I’m just going to focus on the beautiful girl wrapped around me and the sounds she’ll be making in my bed later tonight.
Cassie McBee is on her own.