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“Fine. I’ll go to his place tomorrow and talk to him.”
Bash raises an eyebrow. “What time?”
Damn him. He’s probably going to show up just to make sure I do it. These men. They’re so overbearing.
“Around ten.”
He stares at me for a few seconds, probably trying to figure out if I’m telling the truth. It would be stupid of me to lie. Bash knows where I live now. I have no doubt that if I don’t show up, both men will be on my doorstep at ten-o-five to give me the scolding of a lifetime.
Bash gets out of the car. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he comes around to my side. When he opens my door, he doesn’t hesitate before reaching in to unbuckle me. The warmth of his body and the comforting scent of his cologne wash over me. He saved me tonight, and if he hadn’t been at that restaurant, I could be dead right now.
Emotion swirls inside me and fresh tears fill my eyes. I throw my arms around him. He pulls me out of the car, holding me tightly. I wrap my legs around his waist and cling to him like a baby koala.
“Hey. You’re okay, baby. I got you.”
“Thank you so much, Bash,” I mumble into his neck.
He might be overbearing and bossy, but right now I’m so damn grateful for those things. He grabs my purse and closes the passenger door before he makes his way up to the front porch. The entire time, he keeps me in his arms, carrying me like he would a small child.
As soon as he steps up to the door, it swings open, and Paisley rushes out.
“Chloe! What the hell? Who is this asshole? Who the hell are you?” Her tone goes from worried to demanding in an instant.
Bash doesn’t tense or try to put me down. Instead, he pushes past her and walks into our house like he owns the place.
“This is Bash,” I explain in a wobbly voice. “He’s my brother’s friend.”
I lift my head and look back at Paisley who follows us through the house. As soon as she sees my face, her expression turns horrified.
“What the fuck happened?” she shouts. “Why have you been crying? Did this guy make you cry? Did you make her cry, asshole?”
“Where’s your room, baby?” Bash asks, ignoring Paisley completely.
“Upstairs.”
He heads toward the stairs, and Paisley continues to trail us, asking a million questions.
“Why did he bring you home? Why have you been crying? What happened with Bradley? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
“Which room?” he asks.
“The second one.”
When he gets to the second door, he throws it open and walks in. Then, slowly and gently, he lowers me to the bed before he turns to Paisley.
“That bastard drugged her wine. I happened to be there and witnessed it. She didn’t drink any of it, but she’s shaken up, so I’m going to get her ready for bed and stay here until she’s feeling safe and calm again. Can you go get her a glass of water, please?”
I roll my lips in, trying to keep from laughing, as Paisley processes everything he said. Part of me expects her to push past him so she can get answers from me directly, but his firm tone and the way he keeps clenching his jaw must convey that’s not a good idea because she lets out a sigh.
“Right. Sure. I’ll be right back,” she murmurs as she backs out of the room.
When he turns around to face me, I expect him to be annoyed or angry, but he’s smiling.
“I like her. She’s protective of you. Fierce,” he says thoughtfully.
I smile and nod. “Yes. She is.”
Then a zing of something that feels like jealousy runs through me. He likes her. Does he like her in a sexual way? I shake my head and push the thought away. It doesn’t matter if he does. He’s nothing to me.
