Page 20 of Promise Me Never

“She told us.”

“When?”

“The other day when we were mucking stalls. Conversations get deep,” Sam says when I shoot him an annoyed look.

“And look at this photo that Wyatt posted half an hour ago.” Colt tosses me his phone, open to Instagram. The photo is of his arm wrapped tightly around a visibly drunk Eli’s back. His hand looks dangerously close to her breast. But the worst part is how glazed her eyes look. They aren’t the clear gray they usually are; instead, they’re cloudy and unfocused.

Wyatt was in the same graduating class as Colt and Sam, but an absolute dirtbag. He started riding bulls, and his personality got ten times worse. A walking, talking, diseased stain on the face of the planet.

“Let’s go.” I toss the phone back to Colt and grab my keys. I could tell exactly where they were from the trees in the background. It’s a small clearing about half an hour away where a lot of people have parties they don’t want busted.

I ignore their chuckles behind me as I pull a hat on and cross the lawn to my truck. There’s no way I’m letting anyone I know get mixed up with such a shitty person. Let alone sleep with him. It’s because of him, not her. But I know if I clarified that to the idiots riding with me, it’d only make me seem more suspicious.

A drive that would usually take thirty minutes I made in twenty-two. Every single moment felt like an hour. What if we’re too late? The rational side of my brain says so what, she’s not our responsibility. But that side seems to always be the loser when it comes to this girl.

I have to park my truck a half mile down the road because there’s so many people and cars out here. It’s barely in park before the three of us are out and striding up the gravel road. People are stumbling back to cars together, making out, just generally being obnoxious drunks, and I’m pissed that Janey thought this would be a good idea.

We arrive at the edge of the clearing and scan the crowd for either of their faces. A fire rages in the center of the people, some are sitting on overturned milk crates that have been out of here for decades and others are dancing. That’s where I see Eli; her back is to me, but I’d know her body anywhere. Wyatt’s hands are low on her hips as he grinds against her.

A red veil drops over my vision as I cross the distance between us. His eyes clash defiantly with mine as I pull her away. I catch her when she stumbles back against me. He watches as my hand splays possessively over her stomach.

“Can I help you, Stone?” He sneers at me, drunk off cheap beer and a win earlier in the day.

“You can keep your goddamned hands off her.”

“She seems to like ‘em just fine.”

“She’s underage, and you’ve been, what? Giving her beer all night? It’d be a bad look for you out on the circuit.”

“I’m not underage.” She tries to get away from me, but I tighten my grip. “Two seconds to release me, you asshole.”

The heel of her boot slams down on top of my foot, but I don’t let her go.

I can’t.

The thought of her walking away and sleeping with him makes me physically ill. I’m not going to fuck her, but he definitely isn’t either. Her elbow lands a blow to my stomach even as Wyatt mutters something about her not being worth the trouble.

A few people are watching, but they all know me, and most know she’s Paul’s granddaughter. They probably assume I was sent to collect her. Those assumptions work in my favor as everyone goes back to what they were doing, even as she struggles against me.

She spins in my arms, flames dancing in her eyes from the fire at my back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving you from making a huge fucking mistake,” I hiss back at her.

“Maybe I want to make a mistake. Maybe I need a night of being young and careless.”

“Not. With. Him.” I turn and start walking. “Come on.”

“No.” She plants herself where she’s at and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Excuse me?” I say quietly, slowly stalking back toward her.

“No. N. O. It's a full sentence.”

Goddamn, I’ve never wanted to spank a woman more than I do right now.

“If you don’t move your ass, Hart, I’m gonna throw you over my shoulder.”

She rolls her eyes and doesn’t move, opening her mouth to say something sarcastic, I’m sure. But the only thing that comes out of her mouth is a startled gasp when I bend down to follow through on my threat. One way or another she’ll learn that I don’t issue them idly.

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