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I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why?”
“Wait until you meet the bodyguard. His name’s Vaughn and he has two different colored eyes. Plus ...” Her tongue darted across her bottom lip. “He looks like he could fuck and play hard.” She laughed.
I finally focused on the man that was waiting near the car. “Holy shit,” I mumbled as we neared him. “You might be right.” Vaughn was easily over six feet tall, and his broad shoulders filled his black suit jacket to perfection. His slacks hugged his thick thighs, and I wondered what else was thick. Jerking my attention away from him, I sucked in a breath, attempting to calm my rampaging hormones.
Brynn and I kept the conversation light in the car, but I didn’t miss the sidelong glances she gave Vaughn. I’m sure he was used to women drooling over him. Honestly, I didn’t blame them. He and Zayne were straight off the cover of a magazine. I wondered if Brynn had been with any of them before. She looked like she was about to hop the seat and straddle Vaughn at any moment.
After our amazing manicures and pedicures, we stopped at Nordstrom. I tried on what felt like a million pairs of jeans before we narrowed it down to eight. I’d grown accustomed to changing clothes in front of Brynn, but there were times I wondered if she liked the show. While trying on a few nice tops, I finally got up the courage to ask her a question.
“Brynn?” I slipped into the royal blue blouse, then started to button it.
“Yeah, babe?” She grinned at me.
“How much did Holden tell you about his dad and me?”
She shook her head. “He’s such a piece of shit. Him eye fucking you at the dinner table is disgusting. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I pulled my hair out of the back of the top and sighed. “So … Holden didn’t tell you that he tried to rape me yesterday while Holden and Catherine were home?”
Brynn shot out of the chair in the dressing room, her Gucci purse spilling its contents on the floor. She bent over collecting the items, including a purse-sized vibrator. I stifled my giggle. I loved Brynn for being so free and content with her sexuality.
“That fucking piece of shit. I’m going to run over him with my car, back up, then run over that fucker again. Oh my God.” She rose, her cheeks red with anger. “Are you okay? Jesus, I should have been worried about you, but my brain immediately went to killing the bastard.”
Red hot anger pulsated through my veins and my pulse quickened as images of Tim’s attack bombarded my mind. “He made the mistake of trying to rape me standing up. My hands were free, so I grabbed his balls, squeezed, and gave them a twist. Needless to say, he backed off.”
“Oh. My. God. You’re my hero! That’s amazing! You’re such a badass, River. This is why we’re friends. I need you, not the other way around. You inspire me.”
I blushed furiously. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I’ve had practice getting someone off me. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it … didn’t.” I wrapped my arms around my waist as though I could stop the rush of anger and hatred I felt for Dan. At least that motherfucker was dead.
“Hey, Dan’s gone. It’s over. You’re strong and took care of Tim yourself. I also know Holden, and once he found out … wait. You did tell him, right?”
I smiled. “He walked in while Tim was on the floor curled up in a fetal position with his pants and boxers around his ankles.”
Brynn screwed up her face. “Eww. I’m sorry you had to see that. Tim is not a good-looking man.”
I barked out a laugh. “I know, right?” I turned away from her, admiring the blouse. “What do you think?” I needed a break before I asked if she knew any dirt on the Alastairs.
Brynn’s green eyes softened. “You look beautiful,” she whispered. Our gazes connected in the mirror. “I can see why Holden loves you so much.” She reached up and touched my cheek, then her hand fell to her side as though she realized what she was doing. “If you weren’t with him, I’d … I’d want to be with you.” She focused on the floor.
The moment should have felt awkward, but it didn’t. I turned to her, my heart pounding in my chest. “I love him.”
“I know, and I’d never cross a line with you.”
“If I thought you would, we wouldn’t be together in the dressing room right now. I’m taking my clothes off in front of you. Believe me, I trust you, Brynn.”
She turned away.
“You’re my best friend, Brynn. I want to keep it that way. But …”
She glanced at me over her shoulder, and I continued, “If I ever want to experiment with a girl, I’ll ask Holden if he’s okay with that girl being you.”
Her face lit up. “Oh, yummy.” She winked at me, letting me know that the conversation was over.
She’d had a moment, but I was secretly flattered. Brynn was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. I also understood it was just a little crush on the new girl. I had my suspicions about who really owned Brynn’s heart, and it wasn’t me.
“Besides, I thought you were into Jace or Chance. I mean, you all flirt so much, I assumed there might be something to it other than the club.”
Brynn collected the items of clothing from the chair and hung them on the hangers. She’d never done that before. I’d hit a nerve. “They’re so much fun. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
