Page 11 of Carter

I slapped myself mentally.

Why was I still trying to come up with excuses to justify her acts?

My eyes traveled to the people mingling around us. We hadn’t caught anybody’s attention yet.

Every argument with Savannah always escalated from zero to one thousand in seconds. You could never be too cautious. And prepared. Been there before.

On a hotel rooftop in Miami, we were celebrating Sam Stevens’s new platinum album. Usually, Savannah never tagged along with me to these events—a little mercy—but since she loved the sunshine state, she joined me this time.

At first, I thought leaving LA and traveling together for a weekend would do us good. I believed bringing her into my world, for a change, far from Hollywood’s plastic pretenses, was what we needed.

What a joke. I was better off on my own. Always had been.

I pushed my anger down and relaxed my stance. Tears shone in Savannah’s brown eyes, and she gripped the lapel of my jacket with both hands.

“You have all these lady friends, Carter. I hate that.” Her voice quivered. Vulnerability flashed in her glossy eyes. All an act, I reminded myself, unable to stay insensitive to the way she felt. We eyed each other for a second—or two.

“Sav, it doesn’t have to be this way. I can’t believe you still don’t trust me.”

“What about Dahlia? You two are joined at the hips. Your relationship can’t be platonic.” A growl left her mouth, and she pouted, crossing her arms under her huge tits—which didn’t make an impression on me anymore. I inched closer, not willing to give all my friends an insight into our fight. I inhaled, deciding not to take the Dahlia bait.

“Dahlia is happily married. We’re friends. Always have been. But that ends there. She has Nick. I’m here with you. No one else.” I infused some pep into my words.

Savannah’s shoulders dropped, and she offered me a lopsided smile.

“Fine. But you’re here with me, so stop flirting with every woman in here,” she said, motioning around with her hand.

I nodded. What else could I do? I was having conversations with those women. Not flirting. I emptied all the air lodged in my lungs.

Savannah looped her arms around my neck, and I pulled her closer.

Maybe the two of us could work out after all.

How many times did I try to convince myself? Perhaps this time it would be different.

“You want to leave?” I asked, my lips brushing the corner of hers.

Savannah shook her head, and a spark flashed in her eyes, reminding me of the woman I’d met in New York City.

“I’d like to stay. It’s kind of nice here.”

“Okay, we’ll—”

Riley, my manager, neared us. “Can I steal Carter for a minute?” Savannah leaned back, pouting again, but nodded, her arms folded over her chest.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. I followed Ry into a dim corner. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah. You just looked like someone needing to be rescued. I volunteered to be the man for the job.” He shrugged, and I burst out laughing. “I’m being your friend right now, Carter. Why are you still dealing with Savannah Prince’s shit? The PR thing is over. You should just cut her loose.”

I closed my eyes, trying to put some order into my thoughts. “I moved to LA to be with her. I can’t just walk away. I’m not a quitter. We used to have fun together. What if Savannah is the best I can do?”

Riley clamped my shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous, Carter. Dahlia wasn’t the one. Even I could tell the first time I met you guys. Her heart already belonged to someone else. Get your head out of your ass and face the truth once and for all. You two won’t end up together. If Savannah Prince is who you want, then fight for it. Make this relationship work. But no more bullshit saying you have to endure her tantrums because she’s the best you can do. You’re a good man, Carter. When will you realize that?” I hung my head forward, dropped my shoulders, and blew out a long breath. “You’re the one who decided to give it a try. And you’re the one who decides when you’ve had enough. Think about this. But in the meantime, don’t let her treat— Fucking fuck, what the—?”

Riley’s eyes flared as he stared at something behind me, and all the words died in his mouth.

I spun my head to see what caught his attention, but my own words froze down my throat.

I blinked.