Page 80 of Filthy Beautiful
“Nothing.”
“How do you know?”
She said nothing.
“Whatexactlywas in that glass?” I pressed.
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know. Then why the fuck were you gonna drink it?”
“Maybe I wasn’t going to!”
Right.
“If you don’t know how to keep yourself safe from slimebags like that, you’ve got no business being in there.” Jesus, didn’t I already lay this all out for her? “For all you know, I just saved your life.” I turned and started walking again, pulling out my phone.
“More like ruined my night!” she shouted after me. “Again!”
I stopped and turned back. I walked back over to her. “Better to ruin your night,” I growled, “than stand by while you get ass-raped by some fucking creep.”
Her jaw dropped again. Then she sputtered through a whole fucking array of non-words as she struggled for some kind of comeback to that. Clearly, she’d been drinking before she hit the bar, because her eyes looked glassy and her tongue wasn’t so sharp tonight.
Finally, she spat out, “He’s a friend of Summer’s!”But her chin was quivering.
“Then Summer should get some better friends, because that dude is a fucking pedophile or something.”
Aaand she burst into tears.
Great.Fucking smooth.
Way to get into an argument with a drunk eighteen-year-old about ass rape.
“I don’t need saving, Xander.” She sniffled. “You don’t need to keep saving me.”
“No? Should I just leave that to Cary? You think he’s gonna come and drag you out of here?”
She shook her head at me. “You’re such an asshole.”
“I know it. At least I’m not pretending not to know what the fuck I am.” I looked her over in her low-cut top. “Do you even have the first clue? Are you seriously that fucking clueless?”
“Just… take me home, okay?”
Yeah, I’d broken her down.
Wasn’t all that proud of it, but fuck, the girl drove me up the wall. Couldn’t just leave the club with me without causing a major fucking scene and getting us in another dumbass argument.
I started walking again, texting Jordan as I went, letting her know I was leaving. Then I texted Lucas to tell him to make sure Jordan got home okay.
Courteney followed in silence. In a truly fucking rare feat, she went stone cold silent on me. Not one more word out of her mouth, as we walked to my car… as I drove her home.
When I’d parked in Cary’s driveway, she got out and ran for the front door. I followed her, waiting while she fumbled with her keys and the alarm panel. And I wondered how much she’d had to drink before I cut her off. And how she was planning to get home after the club, if I hadn’t intervened.
And it pissed me off even more.
I followed her upstairs, where she slammed her bedroom door in my face, or tried to. I stopped it with my foot.
She whirled around and fucking growled at me.
