Page 12 of Losing Ansley

"Don't be an asshole." He smirks and shrugs.

"You know that's hard for me." I snort and nod.

"Yes. I do know that." I turn toward my car and begin walking. "I'll see you when you get home if I'm still awake."

"Yeah. Okay." He mutters. I open my car door and glance back at him. He's still standing where I left him, watching me with a scowl. I lift my hand and wave, and he returns it as I climb in the Corvette and drive away.

Did he want me to ask questions? I shrug. He will have to tell me if he wants me to know something. I don't play that game. But then my mind begins to run away with me. What if he did download that app? What if he's going out with someone else tonight? What if he sleeps with her? What if he kisses her?

I groan and turn the radio up, trying to drown out my thoughts. He can do whatever the hell he wants. He's a grown man, and he's not mine. He'll never be mine.

CHAPTER FIVE

LINCOLN

I SITin my home office and try to ignore that Ansley is getting ready to go on a date that isn't with me. I want to march in there and demand she stay home with me. Or better yet, let me take her out. I tried to make her jealous last night, and of course, it didn't work. Shaking my head at myself, I should have known better.

She's getting ready in the guest bedroom down the hall from my room. I tried to offer her the pool house in hopes she'd stay here for as long as she wanted, maybe forever. Still, she said this was a temporary situation, and I hate that as much as I hate her going on this date. She pokes her head in my door.

"I'm headed out. Don't wait up." She winks at me, and I nod, gritting my teeth. When I hear the engine of the Corvette, I walk to the living room and glance out the window, watching as she drives away. I put my hands in my pockets and lean against the wall.

What if this guy is a jerk or a serial killer? Before I can talk myself out of it, I walk to my room and change out of my jeans into slacks and a button-up shirt.

I'll go to the restaurant and sit at the bar to watch and ensure she's safe; if she gets pissed, oh well, everyone has to eat. I grab my wallet and my keys and walk out the door. I climb into my Audi and pull out of the driveway.

She did tell me what restaurant they were going to, but even if she hadn't, I'd look up her location on my phone. I'm bordering on controlling and stalkerish, but I can't seem to help myself when it comes to her.

Ansley and I have shared a special bond since that day at the lake. For years I only looked at her as a sister. I always thought it was cute when she was little, and she'd tell me she'd marry me one day. Then I went away to college, hating it because I knew the hell she had to deal with from her parents. I made her promise to call or text me if she couldn't handle it anymore.

On her sixteenth birthday, I knew her parents wouldn't do anything special for her, so I convinced Dylan to come home and we'd do something special for her. I'm not sure what happened between summer break and her birthday, but she hit a growth spurt, and I wasn't expecting her to look so grown.

I felt like a perv checking out my best friend's sixteen-year-old sister, especially since I was twenty-two. After that, I kept my distance. I stopped calling her, but I always answered the phone when she called.

But eventually, she noticed and stopped calling me too. It killed me. I hated not talking to her regularly, but I knew it was for the best. Then Dylan and I returned to town after graduating to start apartment hunting, and our parent's accident happened.

That night she climbed into my window. It took all my strength not to take her then and there, especially when she teased me about spanking her. After that, we stayed distant until she came to me and told me she had gotten into financial trouble. So, I gave her a job and helped her get back on her feet after her identity was stolen.

Well, as much as she'd let me. She only accepted my help because she refused to tell Dylan and had no idea what she was doing. She needed someone with more life experience than her to walk her through it. Unfortunately, she waited until it was dire, and now she's living paycheck to paycheck.

Or, at least, that's what I thought. Apparently, it was even worse because she was so far behind on her rent that she got evicted.

I tried to convince her to move in with me and continue attending fashion school, but she refused. She never stopped making her clothes, though. I'm sure the majority of the clothes in her closet she made. She's talented and deserves to be doing something she's passionate about. Not stuck in my office doing something she's good at but not passionate about.

When I arrive at the restaurant, I find her Corvette and park next to it. I walk into the restaurant and glance around, looking for her and noticing her red hair immediately. She's facing the bar; she will be pissed when she sees me. I grab a menu from the hostess and head to the bar. I glance up and see Caroline and Liv. Well, this is going to be fun.

They haven't noticed me yet, so I take the corner seat next to the wall and lean against it, perusing the menu and keeping my eyes on Ansley. No one has noticed me yet, but it's just a matter of time.

I order an Old Fashioned from the bartender and continue to glance between the menu, Ansley, Liv, and Caroline. After about five minutes, Liv and Caroline get up from the bar and make their way toward the door.

"I can't believe she told us to leave. That guy seems like a creep." Caroline says. Scowling, I glance back toward Ansley's table. She's moved her chair so it's closer to the guy, and she's touching his forearm. I have to force myself not to make a scene. I order an appetizer and keep my eyes focused on them. Ansley keeps getting closer and closer to the guy, and it's taking all I have not to go over there and drag her outside.

The bartender hands me my second drink, and Ansley stands. I sit up and watch as she walks toward the hall with the bathroom. I motion to the bartender and tell him I'll be right back. I follow her down the hallway, keeping my distance, and watch as she walks into the single bathroom. When she walks into the bathroom, I stop the door from closing and push it open.

She turns, and her eyes widen at the sight of me. I close the door and lock it.

"What the hell, Lincoln?" I stalk toward her, wrap my hand around her throat and lift her chin, pinning her against the wall. She stares up at me.

"I knew you were here." She tells me, and I smirk.

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