Except now she was intrigued.“What did Rourke do?”
“This party has to happen tonight if you want me and Zairn there.We’re flying across the ocean tomorrow.”
How could she forget?She wasn’t ducking out on her responsibilities but wouldn’t relax and have a good time without knowing what her jerk of a friend had done.
“You have to tell me now.I’ll get ready straight after.How can I call and mock him if I don’t have the insider information?”
Her blonde friend seemed reluctant, apologetic even.“He thinks he’s doing the right thing.It’s a man thing.They always want to fix everything.Have you noticed that?Sometimes we just want to talk, want to vent and they take it as some call to arms.The Zs and Knox are all guilty of it.I’m betting Rourkey-Baby is too.You protected him, so he wants to protect you.”
And that changed the hue of things.“Protect me from what?”
“She threatened Huddle Hope, and he knows how important it is.To you.There’s no way he’d jeopardize something that means so much to you.”
Going closer, this was no longer funny.“She who?”
“Her influence isn’t the same as ours, but maybe there would be enough… overseas and—”
“Diva,” she said, getting there fast.The jerkoff.Her worst fear for him realized, yet anger overcame the insult.“I told him not to see her.”
Roxie just sighed.“He’s doing what he thinks is right.You can’t fault him for that.”
Oh, yes, she could.“I’ll kill him.”
Without another word to Roxie, she swiped her phone from the table she’d been working on and marched into the bedroom to close the door and dial.
“Babycakes, I—”
“Don’t you dare,” she snapped, pacing like the devil was on her heels.“You’re seeing her?”Silence.“Damnit, Rourke.What did I say?”
“You said, ‘it’s exactly what you would’ve done if someone showed up to hurt me.’If someone’s threatening to hurt you, it’s my job to get in front of you.”
Why did he insist on being deliberately infuriating?By far, his worst trait.Despite her pacing, frustration still burned within her.This was stupidity.Sheer, ridiculous stupidity.Far worse than he usually displayed, and that was saying something.
“She’s doing this on purpose.”Her speed picked up.“It’s not about me.It’s about you.Getting you back.Being in your life.Manipulating you.”
“You don’t think I know that?”he hissed.“But I don’t give a shit.If she spreads lies and whispers in enough ears about you, negatively about you, Huddle Hope could suffer.”
“So this is a business decision?”
“I don’t answer to you and don’t need your permission to do anything.You said that too, and you were right.It’s my right to keep my free will.”
“And this is what you choose to do with it?To date your ex-girlfriend?”
“It’s dinner, not a date.”
“Dinner is a date, jackass.Are you going to sleep with her?”More silence.“Shit, Rourke, this is insane, you know that!You’re smarter than this.”
Even the pleading in her voice couldn’t shake him.“I’m smart enough to know that Hope is the real deal.We’ve worked too hard, you’ve worked too hard, to throw it away over one meal.”
“This doesn’t stop at one meal.As soon as she has you, as soon as you agree to one demand, she’ll have a list of two hundred more.This doesn’t stop with one dinner.Or is it the sex you’ve signed up for that’s driving this?You looking to get laid?”
“If I was looking to get laid, I’d get on a plane.”
“Not to here you wouldn’t, because if you do this, there won’t be anymore easy access for you.”
He snickered.“Baby, you can’t—”
“I’m not kidding, Rourke.”Her sincerity cut his obvious tease short.“No.Doing this is a mistake.Seeing her is a mistake.Opening yourself to that hurt again is a mistake.”
