Page 12 of Anthem of Love and Loathing

“I missed you too,” Golden says, a sour note to it.

“That’s not what I meant. Come here.”

How dare Bronx bring her to our hotel. How dare she come back into our lives after what she did to me. Us. The band. I can’t believe they would be happy to see the bitch who had the whole band on the outs with Carmine. She almost destroyed L.A. Riot.

My vision clouds.

“Come with me,” I order the women. They stop scissoring and disentangle from each other.

I sling an arm around each of them and swagger out into the shared space to find Bronx and Golden crowded around my ex. All three are on the couch, smiling and fucking around like old times until Golden notices me. He nudges Bronx.

Bronx meets my gaze over Kelsey’s head. His eyes hold a warning.

Kelsey glances over her bare shoulder. Why the fuck is she wearing nothing but a bra and panties? Her gaze is hard, but she looks away before I do. Takes in the girls with their hands all over me. Her gaze drops lower. An angry blush stains her cheeks before she turns her back.

I commit to memory every traitorous detail. She’s skinnier, ribs peeking out, cheeks gaunt, and eyes sunken. It appears she hasn’t eaten properly in a long time. She’s carrying exhaustion like a weight.

My feet almost move before I can stop them.

Her hair is longer, wild, and full of tangles. Like it was when we were teens. Back when she was my friend. My muse.

Not breaking my heart. Fucking vandal. How dare she still steal the air from my lungs and leave me unbalanced. Didn’t she steal enough from me before she left?

“Sorry, did we interrupt your party?” I turn to the blonde. “Grab us some waters from the bar.”

“Yes, Riot.” She peels away from me.

The brunette clings to me.

“No, brother,” Bronx says. “We’re waiting for Doc to get back to me.”

I nod. I have no idea why they need Sam. “Need to make sure she doesn’t have any diseases before you stick your cock in her? Smart. You have no idea where the bitch has been.”

Kelsey gasps as she whips around, rapidly blinking those beguiling eyes like she’s been slapped. Good. Fuck her for showing up here and fucking with my best friend. In my hotel suite. She should have stayed gone.

Bronx’s lip curls in disgust. “Careful, Riot.”

“Don’t be a dick, man,” Golden says.

“You always had a thing for Bronx.” Ignoring their warning, I narrow in on her though my words are aimed at him. “No surprises there, right? But man, come on. Really? You can do so much better than my sloppy seconds. At least find someone who’s more than an anorexic has been who’s apparently taken up working the streets.”

Bronx goes rigid.

“Oh yeah. Sonatina is probably the better choice when it comes to your leftovers, huh?” Her gaze flashes with anger as she keeps Bronx beside her. “I hear she’s easier to get inside of anyways.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I snarl. My dick wouldn’t get hard enough to stay inside her. The blonde hands me one of the bottles of water. I cup the back of her head and stick my tongue in her mouth. “Thanks.”

“Liar.” Kelsey tosses an ice pack on the coffee table. “This was a terrible idea. I’m going to leave.”

Good. Get out. You don’t belong here.

“But the party is just getting started.” I push the blonde down on her knees in front of me. Curling my finger around her jaw, I hold her unfocused gaze. “Suck.”

“Tell Doc not to come.” Kelsey softens her voice for Bronx. “Will you please help me up?”

“Only if you go get in my bed,” Bronx, the fucking traitor, tells her while he stares at me like he hates me a little. He’s been giving me these fed up looks more and more lately.

Kelsey’s gaze returns to the scene I’ve set. She watches the blonde bob on my cock, looking like she wants to puke, before turning back to him. “Bronx—”