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  "Are you telling me this because you're hoping you have a chance with me?"

  His eyes widened a bit, but he recovered. "Why? Would you be interested?"

  I leaned closer and whispered, "I get approached by a lot of guys. I don't know why you think that you'd have a chance. And you got the wrong guy. It was Corrigan that slept with her." The grin was wiped clean when I leaned back. "Now move before I move you."

  I heard a slight hush fall over the diner. Everyone had been watching. Chad knew it. I knew it. I hadn't cared, but now Chad was all the more humiliated because of it. We were at a stand-off. What would Chad do to protect the little dignity he had as a piece of scum?

  We stared each other down.

  "What?" I crossed my arms again. Still, Chad didn't move. He just stayed there, angry and fighting for control.

  I noticed that Chet stood up, along with a bunch of other guys in the room.

  Chet was good friends with Bryce and Corrigan, but he was also on the football team with Chad. In fact, a lot of the guys that stood up were football players. I wasn't sure if it mattered because the male dominance placed Bryce and Corrigan at the top, but Chad was below him.

  This might've been a showdown to change the social status and Chad might've chosen me to be that symbol.

  "You don't want to do this."

  In the back we could hear a moan. Corrigan chuckled and hushed her.

  "Do what?" Chad lifted an eyebrow.

  Okay. Play the innocent idiot. "What I think you're doing."

  Chet stepped closer. "Leave her alone, Yerling."

  “From what? I'm not doing anything. I'm just standing here."

  Chet came to stand behind me. He grabbed my elbow and moved in front. Then he turned to face the other football player. Both were tall and large, but there was an underlying warning with Chet’s tone. "Step back, Yerling."

  "What? You're going to escort her out? All safe-like and be her knight in shining armor?"

  Two more guys moved around behind Chad, Tatum and Holster. They were both football players, but they were loyal to Chet first. A part of me was relieved, but that pissed me off. I shouldn't need to be relieved at the sight of these guys, not here, not in my territory.

  “Come on, he’s not going anywhere.” I felt Chet’s hand on my elbow and he led me out the door. "You okay?"

  "Yeah," I bit out. No, I wasn’t. I was pissed. I shouldn’t have been scared by that dick. "What the hell was that?"

  Chet glanced at me. An apology flashed over his face as he sighed. "Chad's been a loose cannon lately."

  "He hit on me and I turned him down."

  "You humiliated him."

  "No." I had, but he'd chosen the when and where. That wasn't on me.

  "Great, well…I don't think it matters. He's had his eye on you since eighth grade. Be careful, okay? Tell Bryce about this."

  I nodded and climbed into my car. Instead of going to the pool hall with Corrigan, I turned around the back door of the kitchen and got out to put the beer inside. Then I headed home, alone, where I was for another hour before I heard my doorbell ring again. I knew Bryce would probably stop over, but I had locked the doors anyway.

  When I got there, it was Corrigan instead.

  "Hey."

  He brushed past me. "Why didn't you say anything?"

  Great. I bit my lip as I studied the outrage on him. He wasn’t going to let this go so that meant I’d have to explain…what, exactly? I moved past him and headed back downstairs to the media room.

  "I was just around the corner. I would've helped, Sheldon."

  It wasn't the point. I waved him off. I didn’t need help. No, I had. I shouldn’t have needed help. "Chet was there. It was fine."

  "Are you stupid?"

  I bristled and sent a warning glint his way.

  He caught it and lowered his voice. "Seriously, Sheldon. That was scary, even for me. Chet said it took him, Tatum, and Holster to stand up before Chad finally backed down. This is huge.”

  I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head. "Shut up."

  "I cannot—" Corrigan stopped when the front door slammed shut.

  We glanced at each other before he took off running upstairs.

  I stayed put and waited, tense, for what seemed like forever. I even shut off the television and listened, but I didn't hear a thing. I should've gone upstairs. I should've contained the situation, but I knew it'd come down to an argument between Bryce and myself or Bryce and Chad Yerling.

  I chose to be selfish.

  I went to the pool table. I was good on a normal basis, but I sucked that night. And then I heard the door slam again. Cursing, I dropped the pool stick and dashed upstairs.

  A note was left on the kitchen counter.

  Went out. Be back later.

  B & C

  Chapter 5

  I skipped supper, shot another hour at the pool table, and even watched a movie. My mind was reeling, but I couldn't bring myself to call Bryce or Corrigan to find out what was going on. It pissed me off because I wasn't relaxed, laughing, or being satisfied. I was anxious, pissy, and tense. All three emotions that I hated.

  When the doorbell rang at 10:32 that night, I shot off the couch and raced upstairs.

  Instead of seeing Corrigan or Bryce, I opened the door in surprise to find Denton Steele. He grinned at me and skimmed his eyes up and down my body. I had changed to a skimpy tank-top with no bra and pajama bottoms that rested low on my hips. Coral toenails peeked from underneath. I brushed my hair behind my ears. The slight movement teased my shoulders and I felt goose bumps break out over my arms.

  "Steele," I greeted, confused. "What are you doing here?"

  "You look good, Sheldon." He nodded. "I like your hair like that, when you let it loose."

  I touched my hair. It wasn't anything special, but it was straight. The guys seemed to like how dark it was.

  "Can I come in?"

  "No." But I held the door open and waited as he passed by.

  He glanced around the place and whistled, "It looks just like I remembered." He flashed a grin that girls nationwide swooned over. With his brown locks styled to frame his face and those hazel eyes, I remembered why I'd made a play for him before and grinned at the memory of my orgasm. He'd been creative.

  "Remember my garage?" he teased.

  "I remember the feel of the couch in your garage," I replied. I actually remembered the echo of my orgasm around the building.

  Denton chuckled and moved into the kitchen.

  "So what brings you to my doorstep at this late?"

  "Aren't you going to ask if I want anything to eat or drink?" He frowned. "I think that's what you offered my sister."

  "You’re here because of your sister?"

  The flirtatious glint was gone now. Instead, he gave me a chilled look. "Look. I don't want my sister hanging around you."

  My eyebrows arched at that one.

  "How come?"

  "No offense, but you're not the type of girl I want around Mena right now. She's," he frowned. "She's vulnerable right now."

  "Because of your mother's divorce?"

  "Mena told you about that." A scowl flashed over his face before it was replaced with concern. "Yeah, but it's more than that. She's going through some stuff and she's not adjusting well to being back home with our dad. I'm staying at the house for awhile to help her out, but I can't stay forever."

  “Does she know how you feel?"

  "She does. I've told her my concerns."

  "And what are those?” Though I was sure that I’d heard them before, other times, other people, other situations.

  He halted as he considered me. My face was void of defensiveness. I really was curious. "I told her that you're more experienced in the guy department than she is. She talks big. I know she does, but she's only dated one guy."

  "Or was it one guy that I know about?"

  "No," he answered. "It was just one guy. She dated him for a year and they never had sex." />
  "How do you know that?"

  "I just do." Denton shrugged. "She's not ready for the world that you live in, Sheldon."

  "What world is that?"

  He gave me a knowing look. "I learned tricks from you that time. You didn't learn anything from me and I'm the famous actor. That says something."

  "Maybe she could learn to toughen up," I challenged, but my heart really wasn't in it.

  Denton stiffened. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. Our family has its problems, but we've got two parents in each home. Mena has serious anger problems against her biological dad, but she's got her parents. And you…" Don't.

  Oh, whoa. That was a slam. "What exactly are you saying, Denton?"

  "I really didn't come over here to piss you off or hurt your feelings."

  "But you are, so say what you came to say."

  Denton sighed and studied me a moment. I felt like everyone did that when they picked their words with caution. People did it a lot around me.

  He broke, "I don't want my sister to become a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she's pissed off at her parents."

  I felt a punch to my gut. "You're in luck. You don't have a movie star neighbor. You just have a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she's bored and he's pretty good in the sack."

  He grinned tightly and shook his head, then raked a hand through his hair as he considered me again.

  The silence was thick, but he broke it when he murmured, "I'm out of line. I know that. I know I had no right to say what I did and if a guy ever said that to my sister, I'd beat him down."

  "Was that an apology?" Was he kidding?

  "Yes. No. Kinda." He shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. "I cannot believe how I'm stumbling over my words. I'm an actor and I never stumble over my words. It's one of the reasons I’m so good."

  I didn't care.

  He caught my look. "But then again, you probably don't care."

  I tilted my chin up.

  "Okay. Look—I don't want Mena to become as tough as you."

  That was different. I sighed and stepped back. "For what it's worth," I murmured, "I think that's why your sister wants me as a friend. I'd give her protection at school."

  That caught his interest.

  "She's your sister," I added. "That's going to get out and she's going to be eaten alive by some of those girls in there." Mena might've thought otherwise, but she was wrong. In fact, she was delusional.

  "I never thought of it that way." He skimmed his eyes over my figure again. "You're hot when you're pissed off."

  I lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not that girl who screws her movie star neighbor because she's pissed at her parents anymore."

  Denton barked out a laugh. "Wow," he whistled. "That was good."

  Just then the door shoved open and slammed again.

  "Sheldon," Bryce called out before he turned the corner. "We gotta go. Corrigan's in jail…" His voice trailed off when he saw I wasn't alone.

  Denton sent me a frown as he glanced between the two of us.

  This was ironic.

  I said weakly, "I'm not in jail. It's my friend who…"

  "Would be Mena's friend too," Denton finished. He walked past Bryce and threw over his shoulder, "Just talk to her and let her down gently, please?"

  When the door shut again, Bryce asked, "What was that about?"

  "Big brother thinks I'm not a good example for his precious little sister," I muttered.

  "You haven't even met her yet."

  Never mind. "What's Corrigan in jail for?"

  Bryce hesitated, but said, "Fleeing the scene of an accident."

  "What accident?"

  "Corrigan smashed up Yerling's car. When he tried to leave, the police flashed their lights and he took off." Bryce chuckled. "He led a high-speed chase. He's so proud of himself for that one."

  I sighed, but darted to my room and changed. Again.

  I threw a bulky sweatshirt on and replaced my pajama pants with a pair of baggy jeans. "I'm ready," I said as I moved back downstairs.

  Bryce nodded and held the door open when we moved to his car.

  I caught a glimpse of his knuckles as my motion-detector flared on. They were bloody and bruised.

  "Whose blood?" I asked, but I already knew. "Is that what you guys did? You beat up Yerling and Corrigan beat up his car? For what? For good measure?"

  He shrugged and started the car.

  I shook my head. "Is this just because of me? I just had one older brother come to my house and tell me that he doesn't want his little sister to grow up and have a life like mine."

  "What?" Bryce shot me an incredulous look as he pulled into traffic.

  "Nothing. How much money do we need?"

  "A thousand cash, just to be safe." Bail varied on the crime.

  "Stop at the ATM at Garrity's. You can wash your hands off in the bathroom."

  When he pulled into the gas station, he murmured before either of us got outside, "Look. This wasn't just about you. A lot of the guys were behind this. Yerling's been off lately and he's made some of the guys nervous. And the girls."

  "I was the last straw?"

  "Something like that."

  "What if he presses charges?"

  Bryce shrugged, "He won't. He knows better."

  "Or what? He'll get beat up by everyone else?"

  "Something like that."

  "I'm starting to hate that phrase," I muttered as I threw open the door and moved to the ATM machine.

  When I got the cash, I bought a soda and an energy drink. In the car, I handed the energy drink to Bryce and drank my soda.

  "Thanks," he murmured as he opened it and put it in the cup holder.

  A moment later, we pulled into the jail and approached the front desk.

  "Can I help you?" A deputy glanced up and raked his eyes over each of us. His eyes lingered on Bryce's bruised knuckles.

  "Yeah. I'm here to post bail for a friend of mine," I spoke up.

  When he asked, I gave Corrigan's name and a moment later we were given some paperwork to fill out. It seemed to take forever, but in truth it was probably fifteen minutes before we saw Corrigan