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Lacey practically squealed. “And… was it good? I feel like he’d know what he was doing in that department.”
I grinned. “He does.”
She hugged me. “Okay, get on stage and when you’re done, come to the kitchen.”
I squeezed her tight.
Once she left, I took a deep breath, let it out, and walked towards the stage. I already had the playlist running through my head. Most of the songs I’d chosen were about love and how it could overcome anything.
I hoped Jareth got my message loud and clear.
CHAPTER 28
Jareth
Niki slammed down a glass of whiskey on the bar in front of me. I had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t the top shelf brand I’d asked for. I took a sip and forced myself not to wince. It was like drinking turpentine.
She grinned, an evil, I’m going to fuck with you look. I liked her even more.
“Hazel’s like family.”
I took another sip to prove I wasn’t bothered by her choice. “I know.”
“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you myself.”
“I know.”
She growled. “Aren’t you going to say anything else?”
“I don’t see the point.”
“Do you even care about her, or is she just a conquest to you?” Niki leaned in, fists clenched.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mike watching us, stepping closer, ready to jump in if needed. I hadn’t missed the look on his face when we arrived, and he had put two and two together.
“On the contrary, I care about Hazel very much. It is the only reason I’m allowing you to talk to me this way and get away with it.”
“You’re a fucking asshole.”
“I’ve been called worse,” I admitted with a shrug. “I’m not a nice man. I get what I want and do what I need to do to achieve the desired result.”
Niki’s face reddened and she slapped a hand down on the bar. Her flinty gaze cut right through me, proving she had perfected the ‘I want to kill you’ glare.
“Hazel, though, is not someone I can manipulate. She is everything I am not.” I decided to lay my cards out on the table. “I’ll only say this once. I recognize I am not worthy of her affection or even her love, but I’d rather destroy myself than hurt her. For some crazy reason, she sees things in me that I don’t believe exist and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that every day she knows how special she is.”
She blinked, not prepared for my complete honesty. The suspicious twist of her mouth told me she questioned my words. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Hazel considers you family. She values you and your opinion. For her sake, and happiness, I want to keep the peace. To do that, you need to know I’m not trying to screw her over or toy with her affections.”
She pointed at me. “I still don’t trust you.”
“You shouldn’t. She needs someone in her corner watching out for her to keep her safe, even if it’s from me.”
Niki rested her forearms on the bar. “Okay.”
I leaned in, keeping our eyes connected and I threw back the rest of that god-awful drink. My throat wanted to seize. Once that feeling passed, I finished what I had to say. “For Hazel’s sake, I want us to develop a truce. I care about her and don’t want anything coming between us.”
Niki’s eyes narrowed. “Noted.”
