Page 202 of The Sidekick

Really. She has permission to do whatever she wants to Max.

“And Trevor is back there too.”

Hmm. I’m not so pleased by that news. Without a buffer, he could be doing whatever he wants to Tera. Yeah, the letters have given me a heads-up that he’s going to do right by her. I still want to keep an eye on him, though. She also doesn’t have permission to play with Trevor yet.

My eyes flick to the closed door farther away from me. The music is too loud for me to hear anything going on.

“I’m so sorry,” she rubs her hand across my bicep, underneath the loose sleeve of my shirt.

“Right.” She’s a pretty good actress, but I’m not buying this. I want her hand off of me.

“I don’t think you should go back there,” she continues with her sympathetic pout. “I’m just trying to help you out.”

I think my complete lack of reaction is starting to make her uncomfortable. If anything is going on back there, which I doubt, I need to have a conversation with all three of them.

“I want to confirm it,” I tell her flatly.

“Don’t do that,” she wraps her arms around me in a hug I didn’t ask for. “You don’t need to see.”

I’m glaring down at the top of her head when the side door opens, and Tera appears. We’re in plain view of her. Because, of course, we are.

Her feet freeze as her eyes go wide.

This looks bad. I know it. We haven’t known each other long enough to have a foundation for this. I have a woman hanging all over me right in front of her. It doesn’t matter that I’m not reciprocating. Any of my sisters would turn and walk away, napalming this bridge before it could become sturdy. I would applaud them for it the whole way.

My angel doesn’t do that.

She walks up behind the woman and clears her throat delicately.

“Sal? It isn’t your break.” The sweet words have the bite of a shark at the end, which surprises me.

The woman turns with a sharp gasp that sounds overly dramatic. Once her back is to me, she presses her body into mine. I grimace in disgust, trying to back away.

“In case you missed it? Asher doesn’t want you touching him,” she says next. Then, her brows lower ominously, surprising me even further. “You might want to go outside and help Emily. I think she’s still knocked out.”

“What are you talking about?” Sal asks with a weak laugh. “Stop trying to distract your way out of this.”

My angel lets out a tired sigh and crosses her arms with an eye roll. “Get on with it.”

Why is her cheek red?

I push the woman out of my way and stalk closer to take a look.

“Did someone hit you, angel?” My tone lowers dangerously as I see red. Who the fuck put their hands on her?

“Yeah,” she winces, her nose scrunching in a way that I shouldn’t find adorable, but I do. “She got knocked out for it.”

I blink in surprise, my building anger halting in its tracks. Did she knock someone out? I can’t picture it.

“Can we just go into the office? I think I’m full up on drama tonight,” she pouts.

“Of course,” I say automatically, following her in a daze. What the fuck just happened?

“You’re ok with her fucking other guys behind your back?” Sal calls behind us. She’s loud enough to be heard clearly over the music.

Tera lets out a frustrated huff, her hands slapping her thighs.

I slide my arm around her waist, drawing her close. She leans her head against my chest, her shoulders relaxing at my touch. The tension of the day wipes out of me with her simple acceptance of the gesture. I kiss the top of her head, already wanting to go home and have my own time with her.

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