Page 9 of Crushed By Love

“And that bothers you?” I scoff.

“Unfortunately.”

I can feel my cheeks burning but I won’t let him see the insecurities he’s just surfaced. It’s not like I’m walking around topless, they’re just poking through the fabric a little bit, but I feel stupid for thinking I could pull a look like this off. It takes confidence, something I wish I had in spades like so many other girls do. But you know what? Screw him and his misogyny. “Everyone has nipples, this outfit choice doesn’t mean I’m a slut, and as far as I can tell, I look no different than most of the women in line to go in there.”

“But you aren’t like most of the women here.”

I scoff. “What is that supposed to mean? Is that some kind of compliment or an insult?”

“It means you’re barely eighteen,” he hisses. “You’re practically a fucking child.”

“Why do you care about my age so much?” It’s like there’s something more going on he’s not willing to admit. “Because newsflash, in case you can’t tell, I’m not a child.”

“And yet you’ve still got three more years before you can step foot in that club.”

My face prickles and shame washes over me. I usually pride myself on being street savvy but sometimes I can be a gullible idiot. Right now is one of those times. “Bree told me this club has eighteen and older nights on Thursdays.”

I don’t mean to bring Bree into this but her name slips off my tongue anyway. But why should I protect her? She obviously lied to me on purpose, wanting to embarrass me. I think she even filmed the whole thing, considering I saw her phone held up while she laughed.

“Bree?” His mouth thins into a line. “Cooper’s Bree?”

“No, the French Brie. Yes, Cooper’s Bree.”

His eyebrow twitches but he doesn’t laugh.

“Never mind.” I look away. My eyes are burning and the last person I want to see me cry is Ethan. God, how could I have been so stupid? I want to wring Bree’s neck for lying to me, but I know I won’t. She’s one of Cooper’s girls and therefore untouchable. Besides, I’m not a fighter. I’m a loner. There’s a big difference.

“What did she say?” Ethan demands.

I almost blurt it out but hold back. This isn’t a good idea. The last thing I need is to have drama with Bree. I already have enough of it with the twins. The last week of laying low has given me a sense of confidence, one that I desperately needed. Probably a false sense, but still, I don’t want it to all come crumbling down because of a bitchy girl who doesn’t even know me.

“What did she say?” he repeats forcefully, then he takes my face between his fingers and forces me to look at him. In the dark, I can barely make out his features except for two navy pools peering into me, seeing far more of me than I’m ready for.

“She said the locals and service people come here for eighteen and older nights,” my voice is shaky, “and I thought maybe I could meet some people to hang out with.”

I feel like a loser with capital L, which means Bree won. Great.

“There’s nobody for you in there. That place is the most expensive nightclub in town.”

My mouth pops open with a little “oh” and I want nothing more than to crawl into a hole.

“There’s nobody around here for you to hang out with anyway. You’re too young.”

“Am I supposed to believe nobody on this island is my age?” I roll my eyes.

“Believe what you want. I don’t care.”

“Really? Seems like you care a little too much.”

He doesn’t drop his hands like I expected. “Look, there’s a divide on this island between the vacationers and the locals and the staff, and somewhere in the middle is you. You’re not old enough to go to the bars, you work alone, as far as I can tell you don’t have a phone, and you definitely don’t have a car. Do you need me to go on?”

“I have a phone.” Just a very crappy flip phone currently in my back pocket, but still, it’s not nothing.

“You know what I mean. You don’t have a smartphone. Do you even have social media?”

I do but it’s not like I can keep up with it. I don’t have internet access unless I trek it to a library and I haven’t found the time yet. “Are you trying to be cruel?” I spit out. “Because Bree’s already got that covered.”

His eyes harden. They’re no longer deep pools of blue; they’re hard frozen ice. Impenetrable. I swallow hard, wetting my lips. My entire body was cold two seconds ago, but now it’s burning hot. I can feel the warmth coming from him, adding to my heat. His cologne smells like rich-boy heaven and he’s standing too close. He still hasn’t let go of my face.

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