Page 6 of Dirty Mind
I pulled up in front of a non-descript brick bungalow and ran up to the door. I could have just texted to tell her I was there, but I wanted to meet her friend. She hadn’t lived in Nashville long, but Charli was an outgoing girl, so I wasn’t surprised she’d met people.
I rang the doorbell and some dude with long dark hair, a scruffy beard, and ripped jeans answered.
“Hey.” I was expecting a girl. Who the hell was this guy…herfriend?No logical reason that thought should piss me off, but it did. “I’m, uh, here to pick up Charli. She around?”
“Hi, Dade.” Charli reached around the guy at the door and waved, her hand curling around his bicep. “This is Max. Max, Dade.”
I offered my hand when it was obvious he wasn’t going to. “Nice to meet you.” I was lying through my teeth and we both knew it.
“You too.”
I hadn’t expected a pissing contest, but this guy seemed down for that. Which meant he and Charli were more than friends, or he wanted them to be. WTF? She’d had sex with me last night and she was, what, sleeping with someone else? I had no reason to assume I was the only guy she’d been intimate with lately, but damn it, I wanted to be.
She kissed Max on the cheek and offered him a dimpled smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Poor bastard looked like he’d been gut-punched. No question, he wanted her. Bad.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing her hand. “Why don’t you come back here when you finish up with him?” He smiled. “We can pick up where we left off.”
She nodded. “Maybe, if I’m not too tired.”
I suddenly had the irrational urge to wear her out. Just like I had last night.
We walked to my truck and I cast a quick glance up and down the street before I opened the passenger door and watched her get in. Damn. I couldn’t tear my eyes off that sweet little ass. Remembering how it felt to—
She patted my face, looking smug. “Whatever you’re thinking. Stop. I just came out to talk.”
“Why?” I clenched my teeth, jerking my head back towards the house. “He your boyfriend?”
Challenge sparkled in her eyes when she crossed her arms and asked, “Would I have slept with you if I had a boyfriend?”
“You’d had a few drinks. So had I. I don’t even remember askin’ if you had a boyfriend.” I leaned in closer. “Not that it would’ve mattered much.” I curled my hand around her headrest.
“If he was my boyfriend, don’t you think I would’ve brought him to the wedding?”
I had no right to ask, but that didn’t stop me. “So, who the hell is he?”
“What’s it to you?”
I should have known she’d challenge me. I put my foot on the running board, leaning in close, “Look, I know I called last night a mistake and you’ve already written me off, but I do care about you. I don’t wanna see you get hurt.”
“I’m not gonna get hurt.” She grinned. “And I’m not your problem, Dade. I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.”
It had been years since someonedismissedme the way she did. It’s not that she was being rude. In fact, she was killing me with kindness. Smiling the whole time she basically told me to stay the hell out of her life.
I bit back a retort as I nodded and closed the door.Stay in your lane.That’s what I kept telling myself as I closed her door.Don’t try to insinuate yourself into her life or her business.But something about this girl made me want to… protect her. And I hadn’t felt that way about anyone in a long time.
“Where are we going?” she asked, as I drove away from the curb.
“My place.”
She shot a hesitant look my way before she asked, “Uh, you sure that’s a good idea?”
“We need privacy and I have a gatehouse with twenty-four security. No one’s getting in unless I let them in.”
She shrugged. “If you say so.” She pulled an egg-shaped lip balm out of her oversized purse and reapplied before rubbing her lips together and dropping it back in her bag. “I guess that little kiss led to a lot of drama we don’t need, huh?”
“Little kiss?” I smirked. “That’s what you call it?”
