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“Ugh…why are you here?”
He pulled in a deep breath. “Because I heard you were here, and I take my stalking responsibilities seriously…Please open the door.”
“No, no, leave, please. I’m a fucking mess.”
That made him smile, his sister’s words hanging in his ears. “Perfect, I like messy,” he purposefully cooed. “Now open the door.” His voice was a tad louder, his tone edging on a demand.
“Nooo…”
He heard her deep inhale.
He jiggled the door handle. “Rae-kale, you need to open this…”
“I don’t need to do…”
“Okay…so what’s keepin’ you busy in there, darlin’? You got a special lipstick with you…” He drawled out, his mouth close to the crack of the door as he forcibly rattled the handle.
Whap…She hit the door where his face was… “You…you better stop talking. You talk way too much.”
“Open the door and I’ll shut up, but I’m not going anywhere without you, so I don’t mind just having anopenconversation…”
A thud ricocheted against the lower door where she’d kicked it. “Arrrr…Jake…” she grumbled softly from behind the door, bits of her fire smoldering in her voice, though she definitely sounded weak to him, like whatever she said took effort.
The lock moved, the door opening a few inches. “Jake…stop…”
He slipped his hand through the opening, his elbow edging against the door, opening it enough for him to slip into the bathroom…He heard Levi and another guy in the hallway, whom he guessed was the manager, as he shut the door.
She was in the farthest corner from where he stood, a hand covering her face, fingers webbed, blocking her eyes. He could still see the black mascara trailing down her cheeks and red lipstick smeared on her chin. She was holding something black. He couldn’t make it out. He inspected her, messed hair tangled, with some strands matted to her face from tears to her white sweater with black smudges. Then he noticed that one of her boots was missing a heel.That was what she was holding in her hand.
She shielded her eyes, her outstretched fingers. She didn’t look at him. “Rae-kale,” he said, his voice soft and low.
“Go, just go. I…” He watched the tears slip through her fingers and down her chin.
He took a step toward her, close enough to reach her, but he kept his hands by his side, fighting the urge to go to her. “I’m notleaving without you. So we can just hang in here, or we can sneak out the back.”
“I, I…They filmed me hitting that guy,” she gulped, “so…the newSports Illuminatedmodel…is a fucking lunatic.” She snorted, her fingers opening slightly so she could peer at him, taking comfort seeing his lips cocking up to one side.
“You never know, darlin’—it could lead to a superhero audition. The hottest bikini model in the world beats the hell out of jackass…I’d like to watch that movie, but I think it would be a bigger hit if you were actually in a bikini fighting. Lord, I’d pay big bucks to see that…” He smirked, watching her hand drop away from her face as she bit her lip, clamping down on the smile below the surface. He could hear Levi and Lana talking to the manager outside the door, figuring out how they could exit through the back door.
“Jake,” she whispered, “my heel broke off when I fell, and I can’t just walk out of the bar without everyone…look at me.”
“From what I was told, he pushed you back, and I have a strong urge to find that bastard and damage him,” Jake blurted out, his voice low, not hiding the disdain for those assholes. “Listen, I’m here now, and I won’t let anything…”
“I don’t need you to…” Tears started bubbling in her eyes again as if she had an endless supply.
Another step forward, and he was inches from her. She stiffened her back, nudging into the corner. “Listen, Sweets, maybe you don’t need me. But I need you to let me do this, to let me get you out of here…”
She scoffed, “You suck at psychology stuff. You know that because...that’s a crock ofshite…”
He pressed two fingers against her lips, halting her next words. His breath feathering down the side of her face and neck, he whispered, “Sweetheart, I’ve had a rough week, so no back talk, no swipes at me, just let me be the hero for a few fuckingminutes without pushback from you. Let’s pretend it’s a movie; you’re the fair maiden, and I get to be the knight in shining armor. Just once.”
Rolling her eyes, she managed to push out, “Ugh” even with his fingers firmly against her lips.
Internally, he grinned.Even cornered, this girl comes out swinging. God, he loved that about her. “Can you give me that tonight?” He shifted his face so he was cheek to cheek with her. “I need this right now. I need to know I can do something right. So…” he said into her ear, lifting his fingers from her lips, “is there any way you could shut your mouth long enough for me to get your ass outta here…?”
“Hey…” she uttered.
He craned his head back, taking his coat off. “Well, can you?”
