Page 22 of Mayhem

“Are you feeling drunk?” Now I’m worried I just took advantage of her.

She laughs, and it sounds like a song. “Not really. But that kiss sure is making me question things.”

I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, inhaling her perfume, making a mental note to memorize this moment. This feeling. Everything about it.

“Don’t question anything about this,” I murmur into her hair. “I’m not. For once.”

She tilts her head up to me. “For once?”

A wry smile escapes. “I usually question everything and everyone. There are usually ulterior motives for people wanting to be in my orbit. With you, I’m not doing that. I’m not questioning it.”

“Well, don’t I feel special?” She laughs, and I know she’s trying to lighten the mood. I did get pretty serious, pretty quickly. Maybe I should go easy.

“You are.” I just can’t shut up, can I? For fuck’s sake. “Sorry, the moonlight’s getting to me.”

She gives me a small squeeze. “No, please. Go on. This is giving me life.”

“Nah, it’s going to start going to your head.”

We start walking again, still holding on to each other as we laugh and tease each other. But as we turn into the parking lot of the studio I freeze in my tracks. Someone is leaning on my car, waiting for me. My blood runs cold.

Gina. My ex.

Fuck.

“What is it…?” Tess’s question trails off as she sees what’s made me stop so suddenly. “Oh.”

I don’t like the tone in her voice, as if she expected something like this to happen. And I really don’t like that I’ve somehow managed to meet that expectation.

“It’s my ex,” I explain, though if she’s done any research on me, like she says she has, she already knows this. And she’ll know that it was a volatile relationship at the best of times.

She starts to pull out from under my arm, “I know. I should go…”

“No. Don’t,” I plead, pulling her back to my side, and whispering into her ear. “Please.”

Her body stiffens, but then relaxes against me. She doesn’t say anything, but nods, keeping her eyes trained on my ex warily.

We approach Gina, who has her arms crossed over her chest, and a glare that could kill if I let it.

“We need to talk, Brad,” she says, flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder as she gives Tess a rude once over.

“Actually, we don’t,” I say, pulling Tess tighter against me, trying to be reassuring. This is not what I wanted to deal with on our first date. Or ever. “We had our final ‘talk’ months ago. I’m pretty sure nothing was left out.”

“But I’ve changed. I swear,” she says, demeanor shifting swiftly. Too quickly. She pushes off the car, and I can see in the overhead light from the nearby door that her eyes are glassy.

Shit. She’s on something.

Tess must notice me go rigid as Gina approaches because her arm around me tightens.

“Who’s this? My replacement?” Gina shoots another glare at Tess as she steps closer.

I instinctively move to place myself between them. Gina is a hot head to begin with, and if she’s high, who the fuck knows what she’s capable of.

“You need to leave,” I say, wanting to get this confrontation over with as soon as possible. She’s already ruined the best date I’ve ever had. “We have nothing left to say to each other.”

“I’m pregnant.”

My stomach drops. If it’s true, I know it’s not mine. We haven’t been together in at least six months. And if she’s really strung out while she’s pregnant…Jesus Christ.

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