Page 10 of Scarred Hearts

I kept my focus ahead as Giovanna led the three of us out of the dimly lit club and into the cool night air, the sounds of laughter and music fading behind us. I took the lead as we made our way down the bustling street to my car.

Giovanna stumbled on a raised curb. Lunging forward, I grabbed her waist with one hand and her elbow with the other, steadying her. Though I wasn’t mean, I definitely didn’t want to deal with the wrath of anyone else if she busted out her perfectly straight white smile on the sidewalk.

When we finally reached my black Audi RS e-tron GT, I remote started it and unlocked it. Victoria called out, “Shotgun!” and hurried to the front passenger seat, opening the door before I could even offer it to Giovanna. Feeling a twinge of guilt, I opened the back driver’s side door for her and helped her topple inside.

“Precious cargo area,” Giovanna snickered with an eye roll as she got herself situated.

“Buckle yourself,” I instructed in a firm tone, but was amused at her sarcasm.

“Where’s the BMW?” she asked, still slurring her words.

“Home,” I replied through clenched teeth. “And you better not fucking puke in my car. I’ve only had it for three days.”

Laying her head back, she closed her eyes and lazily saluted me. Exhaling a deep breath, I shut the door, opened mine, and got in. Victoria was visibly agitated, glaring straight ahead as I drove through downtown toward her apartment.

Glancing back at Giovanna in my rearview mirror, I saw that she still had her eyes closed. A small part of me wanted to ask her so many questions, but I quickly reminded myself that questioning her would be crossing the line of the civil relationship I insisted that I wanted.

“Wait a minute,” Victoria’s annoyed voice broke into my thoughts. “Why are you taking me home first? Aren’t we going to drop off the drunk chick and then go back to my place for a while?”

My eyes darted to her, then back at the road before I spoke. “Taking her home first would be backtracking, and I never planned to hang out at your place tonight.”

She turned to face me, her hand sliding under my elbow that was resting on the center console. “My three roommates are gone tonight,” she whispered seductively, “and I just thought you wanted to maybe see what happens with us.”

I withdrew my arm, gripping the steering wheel, so she couldn’t get any closer. “I’m not ready for that.”

“It’s been a long time now, hasn’t it?” she scoffed.

Thankfully, I pulled up in front of her apartment building before I could verbally put her in her place. I just wanted her out of my presence as soon as possible. Normally, I would’ve walked her upstairs like a gentleman, but tonight I couldn’t shake off her comment. My mind was preoccupied, and I wasn’t leaving Giovanna in the back seat unattended while she was drunk.

Victoria rolled her eyes, pushing the door open and stepping out. She leaned back in with a mischievous smile, blowing me a kiss. “I’ll wait until you’re ready, and I had a great time tonight.” Before I could reply, she shut the door with a soft click and paraded toward the building entrance, making sure to sway her ass as much as she could muster on the way.

Feeling a rush of frustration, I lowered my head. Eyes closed, I mumbled, “What the fuck is everyone’s problem?”

“She seems... nice.” A quiet laugh came from the back seat, causing me to tense up even more.

“Not my type,” I spat back.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her head was tilted back, her eyes were still closed, but she was smirking. I rolled my tongue over my bottom lip and forced myself to look away, staring back out the window to make sure Victoria got into the building safely. The moment the door closed, I wasted no time speeding away, swerving through the next few traffic lights and turns.

“Which building are you in?” I glimpsed back.

Her eyes popped open, and she craned her neck to peer out the front window. “Just drop me off on the side at the entrance.”

“I’m not letting your drunk ass navigate your way to your apartment,” I grumbled as a group of cars zoomed by, one of them honking.

Amusement danced in her eyes. “You don’t even care about me enough to worry about my safety,” she teased. “And I know this city like the back of my hand.”

Don’t even care about her? Fuck her! I thought, though I was unsure why that upset me. I could’ve let her walk miles home. Get kidnapped by God knows who since I was sure her father still had spies lurking. I know my family did. Maybe she could’ve taken an Uber driven by a stranger who wouldn’t wait to make sure she made it to the door… like a gentleman.

And yet, here I was, being the fucking hero for the night. All because I respected the relationship with the people I do care about because I knew they adored her. I was doing it for them. Only them.

Ignoring her, I pointed to the parking garage across the street. “You have access to that?”

“Yeah, I bought five spots,” she replied nonchalantly, digging through her purse and handing me a card.

I quickly scanned it, and the gate lifted to allow us entry. “Five?” I repeated it incredulously as we drove in, glancing back at her.

She huffed and sent me a playful glare. “What? I like having enough parking spaces for the guys who come to gangbang me.”

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