Page 10 of Savage Lover

I know girls love to gossip about the guys they fuck, and I know she just said that to be flirty, but I’m irritated all the same. It pisses me off when people talk about me. Even if it’s supposed to be a compliment.

Red hears the snarl in my voice. She falters, smile fading.

“Well, you used to date Sienna . . .”

“I didn’t date her,” I growl. “I let her suck my cock in the sauna once.”

“Yeah,” Red giggles. “That’s the night she told me about. She said you—”

“Why didn’t you text me when you got here?” a male voice interrupts.

A big, burly guy in a Bears t-shirt slings his arm around Red’s shoulder. He’s got one of those faces where everything is almost in the right place, but there’s just something off about it. A square jaw, but a long face. Straight nose, but eyes too deep-set on either side of it. This guy I do remember, because he’s a complete twat. His name is Johnny Verger.

He’s got two of his buddies with him, a couple other washed-up meatheads that probably played football with our boy Johnny once upon a time.

They’ve all been drinking while waiting on Red. I can smell the beer leeching out of their pores. Johnny most of all—he’s bleary-eyed and belligerent.

“I was just walking in,” Red says nervously.

“With Nero Gallo?” Johnny sneers.

“Maybe you should put her on a leash,” I say. “Then you can make sure she doesn’t talk to anybody else.”

“Why don’t you fuck off?” Johnny snarls at me. “She’s not interested.”

“I doubt you know what an interested girl looks like,” I reply.

Red glances over at me from under Johnny’s arms, her lashes giving that flirtatious little swoop again.

“See?” I say quietly “It’s that look. Like they want you to grab them and bend them over the nearest table.”

Johnny lets go of Red, glowering down at her. Red’s cheeks are burning as bright as her hair.

“What the fuck, Carly?” he demands.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” she says. But her eyes are flitting back to me, betraying every dirty little thought in her head.

Johnny shoves Red. She stumbles backward on her high-heeled boots, landing on her ass on the lawn.

“Hey!” she shrieks, tears springing into her eyes.

Nobody helps her up. Johnny and his buddies have their attention entirely fixed on me. I ignore her too, ‘cause I’m no white knight. She’s the one dating this asshole. She can deal with his temper tantrums on her own.

Apparently, Johnny is set on making their little spat into my problem.

“Keep your filthy fuckin’ hands off what’s mine,” he snarls.

“I didn’t touch her,” I say. “But if I wanted to, I sure as fuck wouldn’t ask your permission first.”

“Oh yeah, tough guy?”

Johnny is crowding into my space, trying to force me to back up. I’m staying still, watching him, just waiting for him to throw the first punch. He’s so big and so drunk that I’ll see it coming a mile away.

“Johnny . . .” one of his buddies says warningly.

“Yeah, I know who his dad is,” Johnny snarls. “I know his brothers, too. I’m not scared of a bunch of greasy gangsters. It’s not 1920 anymore.”

“Is it 1980?” I ask him. “ ‘Cause you look like that douche from Cobra Kai.”

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