Page 74 of Such A Bad Girl

“I’m fine, I promise,” she said, gingerly running a hand through it as she walked into the living room. “Hey West, hey Kaylee.” She smiled at them. She avoided making eye contact with me. I could hardly blame her. I did the same, knowing if I looked directly at her, I’d crumble and profess everlasting love again right there in front of everyone. That might not be so bad, but I wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

“Hey,” West grunted. I ignored his pointed stare as he looked at her, then back at me. I knew we were busted, and I was devastated. This was not the way I wanted West to find out. I was going to need to do some explaining.

“I brought some new vetted guys for security for you, Everleigh. They’re outside getting the lay of the property.”

“Oh, I re-hired Charlie,” she said.

West shook his head. “Fine, Charlie can answer to my guys, if you insist on having him.”

“You’re impossible,” she joked.

“I’m just doing my job,” he said. He was in a mood today and clearly that was not a laughing mood. He was all business.

“Thank you, West,” she said, giving him a peck on the check. “You’re a good brother.”

He grunted in response. Awkwardness fell over the room like a heavy blanket. I swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say.

“Well?” West demanded, staring straight at me. Blood rushed to my face.

“Well, what?” Did he expect me to just admit in front of everyone that I’d just devoured his sister?

“For fuck’s sake, Theo! Did you get another text or what? I’ve been waiting to hear from you. I texted you an hour ago and you didn’t even reply.”

“Oh!” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t — I didn’t see it. Sorry, man.”

“You didn’t fucking see it? What have you —?” He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head as I hurried away to find my phone.

“Who wants a beer?” Everleigh’s voice rang out from the kitchen. She rummaged in her fridge and pulled out a six pack. I flashed her a grateful smile as I ran down the hallway.

Much to my chagrin, my phone had slid under her bed. Worse, the battery was completely dead. “Fuck,” I muttered, searching around her bedroom for a phone charger. I couldn’t find one anywhere.

I figured I had two options now — I could admit I let my phone die and show West just how much a fuck-up I was, thus obliterating any chance at getting his approval.

Or, I could keep my mouth shut, charge my phone when I was able, and pretend everything was fine.

I opted for keeping my mouth shut.

Walking back into the living room, I held up my phone and quickly shoved it in my pocket before anyone could see it was dead. “All’s good. No word yet.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “We should go to the office. Violet and Kaylee are going to stay here with Everleigh. They’ll be safe with the new security team outside.”

I knew he wasn’t giving me a choice. Not after catching me half-dressed with his disheveled sister. “Sure, dude, of course. I’ll uh, I’ll just go get my shoes.”

“Yeah, you do that,” he said, his voice laced with anger.

Chapter Fifty

EVERLEIGH

“That’s so much better,” Violet said, fingering the short strands of hair dangling around my face. “It frames your face nicely. You can barely tell.”

“Thanks, love,” I said, smiling at her in the mirror. I was grateful she knew what she was doing. I’d dreaded dealing with the mess that I’d been left with, but Violet had turned it into a new cut that was cute and trendy.

She threw her arms around my neck from behind, giving me a warm hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I love you, sweetheart.” She kissed my cheek just as Kaylee walked in.

“Wow, you look amazing,” Kaylee said. “It suits your face perfectly. It’s very flattering, Everleigh.”

“Thank you,” I said. I stood up and we headed out of my room. If I inhaled deeply, I could still smell Theo’s scent in the air. I never wanted it to go away. I couldn’t help but wonder when he’d be back. West had whisked him away before I’d had a chance to protest, or even say a proper goodbye to him. We’d shared so much in such a short time. I felt like everything had changed now.

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