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“I hope you’re only drinking water because you’re pacing yourself for a long night,” a gruff voice said next to me.
I turned. Jeff Powell stood next to me, looking like a blast from the past. I recognized him only because I’d seen him a handful of times when I’d been over at Lily’s and he’d come to speak to Evan. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was to Evan–a friend, an associate, a partner–but I didn’t like the guy. He wasn’t much older than Evan, but his hair was completely gray, so he looked like he had at least ten years on Evan. He wore jeans with a collared shirt tucked into it, making him look like someone’s dad on teen patrol rather than someone who was here to party.
Still, I’d heard the guy had a track record, so he had to have something going for him.
“I’m drinking water because I’m thirsty,” I said.
Jeff looked me up and down, and I felt his stare like a physical touch. I shivered. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, like he was trying to figure out what was beneath my clothes.
“Well, if you’re not that drunk, you’ll remember it all afterward.”
He grinned at me. Was that his attempt to pick me up?
I turned toward the crowd, but Jeff slid his hand down my arm, holding onto my wrist. I didn’t want him touching me.
“Let me go,” I said.
“Come on, honey,” he said. “I can show you a much better time than this.”
He looked at me with hungry eyes. There was no way I was going to sleep with this guy. Sure, I’d slept with Evan, and Jeff was the same age, but there was something about Evan that was attractive as an older man, and something about Jeff that was creepy.
“No, thank you,” I said.
“Jeff, let her go,” someone said behind me, and we both spun around to see Evan. Relief flooded through me. His face was serious.
“Don’t cockblock me, man,” Jeff said, but he let go of my wrist, and I folded my arms over my chest.
“You’re not going to take this one home,” Evan said in a voice that told me he wasn’t messing around. Jeff must have heard it, too, because he pulled a face.
“Since when are you such a fucking grandpa?” he asked.
“You know Scarlett Forbes,” Evan said.
Jeff blinked. “Who, now?
“Scarlett,” Evan said, nodding toward me. “You’ve met her.”
Jeff shook his head. “I’m sure I would have remembered.” He looked at me with eyes that were full of something I didn’t like again.
“Maybe you don’t remember because you haven’t slept with her. Those are the only faces that stay in your drunken memory. So, take a good look now and walk away, because that’s not going to change.”
Jeff frowned. “You’re a real dick, Evan,” he said, but he turned around and walked away. I blinked at Evan. He was being protective. It was sweet, but confusing.
“Thanks for that,” I said.
Evan shook his head. “No, don’t thank me. I apologize that my friend was so rude to you.”
“Men will be men,” I said.
Evan shrugged. “I thought you were with Lily?” he asked.
I nodded. “I am.” I spotted her pushing her way through the crowd toward us. “In fact, here she comes now.”
“Dad?” Lily asked when she reached us. “What are you doing here?”
Evan shrugged. I noticed how he changed around Lily, becoming more of a father figure than the handsome guy that had saved me from a jerk a moment ago.
“Same thing you’re doing here, I imagine, sweetheart.”
Lily pulled a face. “Well, that’s just weird. I’m not going to party with my dad. Come on, Scar. Let’s go.”
I shook my head. “We don’t have to leave. This place is big enough for us to do our own thing, right? Besides, there’s nothing wrong with chatting.”
Lily grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side enough so that the music blocked what we were saying from Evan.
“You can’t ditch me for him, Scar. It’s my dad. At a night club. And you want to, what? Talk about the job thing again?”
I shrugged. I had nothing to fall back on but the story Evan had told her last night.
“No,” Lily said, determined. “We’re not staying here.”
I wanted to point out that she couldn’t tell me what to do, but not without making it look suspicious. And she was right. Under any other circumstance, I would have agreed with my friend instead of hanging out with her dad. The fact that I had fucked him was beside the point.
“Okay, I won’t talk to him anymore. Let’s just stay.”
Lily shook her head. “I want to get out of here, Scar,” she said. “When will we ever be old enough to party with my dad?”
