Page 29 of Obnoxious Bad Boy

My blood reaches the boiling point, and I let go of the redheaded girl’s legs, forcing her to stand on her own two feet.

She moans, displeased with being dropped. “Hey, it was a joke!”

I spin my head to glare at her, but when her eyes widen at the sight of my scowl, I have just enough self-control to apologize before peeling her hand off me as I dash toward the swinging door that leads into the utility room and from there—into the dark backyard.

“Aaron?”

“Oh, hey…” He turns to look at me, flushed and hazy-eyed. It would have been cute if it didn’t mean he’s now easy pickings for my cousin.

“We’re doing some business here. Do you mind?” Henry groans and keeps his arm on Aaron’s shoulders. It makes me want to rip it off, because I know exactly what line of work Henry’s in.

“You are not doing business here. You weren’t invited,” I say, struggling to keep my voice even as I hear the door behind me open. Both girls are now watching. Just fucking perfect. I fucking wish Yasmin would have locked everyone’s phone in a box for the duration of the party.

The moment Henry spots the phone pointed at him, he goes into one of his rants. “Oooh! So now you don’t even remember about your cousin? I let you stay on my sofa when you had nothing!”

Aaron’s like a deer in the headlights as he tries to pull out of Henry’s grip. “Um, I don’t think I—”

Henry tugs him back. “You stay fucking put! We’re not done!”

My whole body stiffens when I see Henry’s dirty fingers squeeze Aaron’s flesh, and I charge at him, grabbing the damp front of his T-shirt. It’s very clear to me that my fuck-up of a cousin is here to pickpocket people and, in the best case scenario, get money out of them by selling drugs cut with god-knows-what. He is not using Aaron’s agreeable nature against him on my watch!

I jerk my head back before jabbing it forward. Our faces collide, but while the impact on the forehead makes me dizzy, Henry staggers back with blood dripping out of his nose. “Fuck!”

“Leave,” I growl, rubbing my aching forehead while the girls behind me scream. I hear more voices and try to compose myself, because at the back of my mind I always think about the way a situation might make me look if it’s presented out of context.

All of that goes right out of the window when Henry pulls out a knife.

This deadbeat motherfucker…

“No! Oh my God!” Aaron yelps and his instinct should be to run, but he grabs Henry’s arm instead.

I know what will happen before it does, but as I charge at my cousin, it’s too late. In an attempt to push Aaron away, he swings his arm and slashes through Aaron’s sweater.

I’m no longer thinking straight. The walls of the hallway close in on us as I grab his wrist, but instead of just going for the blade, I use my body weight to pull him away from Aaron, turn around so his head hits the wall, and then twist his hand.

Bone pops out of place, and the bastard roars as I throw him to the floor. He’s holding his sprained wrist to his chest as blood spreads over his face, but it’s not even pathetic anymore. This bastard I call cousin will never target the people I care about again!

Someone must have called for help in the chaos of it all, because a few of my friends pour into the tight corridor to help with the fucker who is still spouting shit at me.

Sage pulls Henry up, no doubt to kick him out, but given this moment of respite, my attention is instantly back to Aaron.

He stares at me, then down at his chest , where his sweater is slashed and blood seeps out, so stark on the background of pale skin. I want to say something, but when his eyes roll back, I dash to him because he’s fainting.

He’s sliding down the wall, but I still catch him before he folds on himself completely. As soon as he’s down, I pull up his clothes, breathless with fear that instead of taking him upstairs, I might need to pack him in the car and make a mad dash to the hospital. But the wound is shallow, and only the first layer of skin has been broken. No need for stitches.

I exhale, lowering my head.

He’s just this fucking fragile. Makes me wanna both laugh in relief and kiss his lips, but I can’t do any of that here. I lift his limp body and turn to Sage who is getting help with a furious Henry.

“He’s okay, but needs air. I’m taking him upstairs. Tell Yasmin,” I say, already carrying Aaron away from this growing crowd of onlookers.

The redheaded girl is still recording everything, like a fucking paparazzo, and her friend has tears in her eyes as they watch me leave, no longer interested in climbing me like a tree. Of course not. I’ve just broken someone’s body, and it doesn’t matter that it was to protect a person who couldn’t keep themself safe. A part of me wants to make some sort of statement to finish her damn video on a high note, but all I can think of is Aaron, who remains slumped against my chest as I rush past the other guests and then upstairs, knowing I’ll only have a moment’s peace once I reach the room Yasmin graciously offered to me for the night.

Aaron’s heavier than he looks, and by the time I reach the right door, his weight is straining my arms, but I lean him against the wall for long enough to unlock the door and enter the small bedroom, which doesn’t offer much walking space around the massive bed with black sheets.

At least there’s an ensuite for water and privacy.

I put him on the bed, and thank fuck, he seems to be already coming to. He mumbles something as his eyelids flutter, and I have to stop his hand from patting at his chest. We want to get that disinfected first.