Page 10 of Interception

“Let go of me. You’re an asshole.”

“That may be the case, but I think you like it. I think you hate that you like it. Tell me I’m wrong. Your body told me everything I needed to know, Zoey. I can still taste your arousal.”

“You weren’t exactly having a bad time, big boy.” I find myself smiling at his wry grin, and it bugs me. I don’t like that he sees right through my nonchalant demeanor.

“We’re not talking about me. I’ll freely admit that I thoroughly enjoyed fucking you.” He loosens his grip, his other hand caressing my cheek. “You don’t need me to tell you you’re a great lay.”

I don’t know what comes over me. I launch myself at him, my lips finding his in a passionate kiss. There’s something animalistic in my desire to feel his body against mine. He throws me down on the couch, about to embark on a repeat performance when we hear the roar of an engine pull into the driveway.

I scramble to my feet, suddenly all too aware of my lack of clothing. At least his t-shirt is long enough to cover my ass. Whatever the hell just happened, it’ll have to wait until we deal with Faith’s latest clusterfuck.

Coop and I are standing in the doorway when they appear. I’m surprised that Hunter looks pretty chill until he catches a glimpse of his friend’s steely gaze.

“What the fuck?”

“Where did it break?”

“TMZ. Pictures and about half of the audio recorded on a phone.”

“Fucking hell.” He heads inside, leaving me to grill Faith.

I pull her behind me, heading straight for the guest room, slamming the door shut behind us.

“What were you thinking?” She has the good sense to realize I’m not kidding around. This is serious.

“How bad is it?”

“Bad. Coop says he’s going to get his manager to step in and run interference while Hunter organizes some PR to mitigate it. It’s not going to be a good look for him. It’ll take about three seconds for people to do the math when they see your last name. The minute they connect the dots, they’re all going to think he’s a cradle robber who deflowered his mentor’s daughter. There’s no good way to spin that.” I hate to see the hurt in her eyes, but this is no time for sugarcoating. We need to get ahead of this. She needs to be prepared for the backlash coming her way and will most definitely be heading in Hunter’s direction.

“I should’ve left him alone when he asked me to. I shouldn’t have pushed him to be with me.” There’s nothing I can say as she takes in the sight of me. She can tell exactly what I’ve been doing in her absence. It doesn’t exactly leave me with a leg to stand on. “Seems I’m not the only one who’s been up to no good.”

“Girl, I can categorically attest to the fact that what I was doing was good. Insanely good. Really, unbelievably, toe-curling amazing.” I didn’t want to admit that. I seem to be contracting her verbal diarrhea.

“Okay, I get it. TMI.” She didn’t just say that to me. I grab my phone, pull up TMZ, and hold it up to her face.

“I don’t think you get to say TMI ever again.”

Faith goes deathly silent, reading the article, her eyes going wide as saucers as she takes it all in.

“I need a drink.” That I can help with. I rifle through my bag for some shorts before heading downstairs in search of the hard liquor. Coop and Hunter are deep in conversation as I shuffle past, aware that Hunter is now getting an eyeful. He whispers something to Coop that gets him a glare and a ‘shut the fuck up.’

I grab the vodka off the counter, ready to head back upstairs, but Faith appears in the living room, her phone to her ear. Shit—it’s her dad. The boys go quiet as Faith attempts to diffuse the situation, but her dad is yelling so loud, we can’t help but overhear the entire conversation.

“I have to go. I’ll call you in a few days once this all calms down. Don’t worry about me, I’m okay. Zee is with me.”

He doesn’t relent, calling her disgusting, shaming her for wanting to have a physical relationship, which frankly is none of his goddamn business. I hate seeing Faith so upset, and in the end, I grab the phone. I know her better than anyone, and his tirade is going to crush her.

“Hello, Mr. Fairchild, this is Zoey. I don’t want y’all to say anything else that you might regret, so I’m going to hang up the phone just now and let you and Faith calm down a little. I’ll be right by her side while this plays out in the media. I’m sorry you’re upset, but I need to think about Faith. I don’t intend to be disrespectful, but I’m hanging up now.” I shut off the phone and throw it on the table. I hope Faith isn’t mad at me for doing that, but shit, she’s the nicest person you could ever meet. She doesn’t deserve any of this.

Unfortunately, my best friend has a knack for putting her foot in her mouth. No one could anticipate what happened tonight, but berating her about it will not change anything. It’ll only make her feel worse. She doesn’t say anything but turns to Hunter, looking positively lovestruck as he stares back at her.

Coop breaks the silence. “Zee, I think I love you. That was hot as fuck. Let’s leave these two to digest today’s events. I need you in my bedroom. Now.” A thrill courses through me at the prospect of following him back to bed, but I take Faith’s hand in mine.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight? We can go to the guest room.”

“No, you go get yours, girl.” I can’t help the giggle that escapes me. Is it wrong that I’m so relieved she doesn’t want to bunk with me?

“Love you, friend.” Before I get a chance to hug her, Coop grabs my hand and practically drags me down the hall like a caveman.

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