scrubbed at his face. “I didn’t fuck Jay. She made me bring her back here to clean something off her dress. Then she fucking wet my shirt, so I had to change.”
“I can guarantee you, that’s not what every other person in that room thinks.”
“And I don’t give a shit what anyone in that room thinks.” He sat at the edge of the bed and leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees.
Sighing, I leaned back against the door. “Why did you say I shouldn’t be here?”
He looked up at me below a heavy brow. “These kids are rich assholes, Fable. I should know, a lot of them are my friends.”
“And I’m not worthy of being in their presence?”
He laughed, and I took a moment to enjoy the sound, even if it was completely void of amusement. “Do you know what they would do to you if they found out who you were, and where you were from?”
This time, it was my turn to chuckle. “Do you know how long I’ve had to deal with people’s abuse and criticism? It’s not new to me to have people call me names and treat me like the shit on the bottom of their shoe. I gave up giving a damn about that a long time ago.”
Shaking his head, he looked back at the floor. “Not these kids. They’re ruthless, calculated. People who aren’t like them get broken down and dragged through the dirt.”
I got it now. It wasn’t that Heath didn’t think I wasn’t rich enough, or pretty enough. He was trying to protect me–again.
“Let me tell you something…” I started, waiting for his eyes to look up at me before I continued, “…I was out on the street for just forty-eight hours before I was approached by some gangsta looking to add to his list of whores to pimp out on the corner. It was another twenty-four when I was pulled into a side alley where they beat me up and stole everything that I’d managed to escape my home with. Later that week a rich guy wearing a suit tried—”
“Enough,” he snapped, his hands clenched as he pushed off the bed and stood to his full height.
“Your friends out there may be vile with their words, but I’ve already lived through the fucking sticks and stones. So you really think that they are going to be the ones to hurt me?” I snorted humorlessly. “I couldn’t care less.”
We stared at each other across the room, until Heath finally broke the tension with a smirk that pulled at the corner of his fucking gorgeous mouth. “You’re different.”
“That a compliment or an insult?”
He laughed softly, shaking his head as he stepped forward and grasped my hand. He pulled me away from the door as he reached for the handle. “Come on. I’ll get Bray to fix you another drink.”
Chapter Nine
Braydon wasn’t shy about throwing his money around, not literally, but as I watched him create a target on the once flawless white wall of the apartment using only condiments, I knew he had no qualms about who he was and just how high his family was on the totem pole of life.
I sat perched on the marble top bench, Heath leaning next to me with his arm brushing against my leg. Neither of us had acknowledged how he’d almost mauled me in the bedroom, but I could swear my lips still felt deliciously raw.
We both laughed as his brother went about announcing the game they were about to play. He was overly excited and completely invested, claiming that in a few short years it would be a new Olympic sport.
“Each person gets three water balloons filled with a liquid.” He held a small balloon in his hand, I knew it wasn’t water inside, though, it was dark and thick. “One point for the outer circle, two for the middle and three if you hit the bullseye.”
“What do we win?” someone yelled from in the crowd.
“Girl wins she gets me, guy wins you get to pick one of the girls.” A loud cheer went up in the room. The same group of girls who’d surrounded the one who’d come out of the room with Heath—Jay I think he’d called her—all squealed and
“I can guarantee you, that’s not what every other person in that room thinks.”
“And I don’t give a shit what anyone in that room thinks.” He sat at the edge of the bed and leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees.
Sighing, I leaned back against the door. “Why did you say I shouldn’t be here?”
He looked up at me below a heavy brow. “These kids are rich assholes, Fable. I should know, a lot of them are my friends.”
“And I’m not worthy of being in their presence?”
He laughed, and I took a moment to enjoy the sound, even if it was completely void of amusement. “Do you know what they would do to you if they found out who you were, and where you were from?”
This time, it was my turn to chuckle. “Do you know how long I’ve had to deal with people’s abuse and criticism? It’s not new to me to have people call me names and treat me like the shit on the bottom of their shoe. I gave up giving a damn about that a long time ago.”
Shaking his head, he looked back at the floor. “Not these kids. They’re ruthless, calculated. People who aren’t like them get broken down and dragged through the dirt.”
I got it now. It wasn’t that Heath didn’t think I wasn’t rich enough, or pretty enough. He was trying to protect me–again.
“Let me tell you something…” I started, waiting for his eyes to look up at me before I continued, “…I was out on the street for just forty-eight hours before I was approached by some gangsta looking to add to his list of whores to pimp out on the corner. It was another twenty-four when I was pulled into a side alley where they beat me up and stole everything that I’d managed to escape my home with. Later that week a rich guy wearing a suit tried—”
“Enough,” he snapped, his hands clenched as he pushed off the bed and stood to his full height.
“Your friends out there may be vile with their words, but I’ve already lived through the fucking sticks and stones. So you really think that they are going to be the ones to hurt me?” I snorted humorlessly. “I couldn’t care less.”
We stared at each other across the room, until Heath finally broke the tension with a smirk that pulled at the corner of his fucking gorgeous mouth. “You’re different.”
“That a compliment or an insult?”
He laughed softly, shaking his head as he stepped forward and grasped my hand. He pulled me away from the door as he reached for the handle. “Come on. I’ll get Bray to fix you another drink.”
Chapter Nine
Braydon wasn’t shy about throwing his money around, not literally, but as I watched him create a target on the once flawless white wall of the apartment using only condiments, I knew he had no qualms about who he was and just how high his family was on the totem pole of life.
I sat perched on the marble top bench, Heath leaning next to me with his arm brushing against my leg. Neither of us had acknowledged how he’d almost mauled me in the bedroom, but I could swear my lips still felt deliciously raw.
We both laughed as his brother went about announcing the game they were about to play. He was overly excited and completely invested, claiming that in a few short years it would be a new Olympic sport.
“Each person gets three water balloons filled with a liquid.” He held a small balloon in his hand, I knew it wasn’t water inside, though, it was dark and thick. “One point for the outer circle, two for the middle and three if you hit the bullseye.”
“What do we win?” someone yelled from in the crowd.
“Girl wins she gets me, guy wins you get to pick one of the girls.” A loud cheer went up in the room. The same group of girls who’d surrounded the one who’d come out of the room with Heath—Jay I think he’d called her—all squealed and
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