Page 20 of Neo

My brother taught me my famous choke hold move, so it’s only fitting that I use it on the guy that likes to bring Jake’s name up whenever it suits him. The move is designed to disable my opponent until he taps out in surrender. Of course, that’s in a fair fight. There’s nothing fair about this one.

It takes four VCU Suns to pull me off of Bender and kick him out of the house. Once he’s gone, my breathing calms and the weight of what I’ve just done starts to settle.

Shane is like a hottie whisperer and is always able to make women feel at ease, even in the most stressful situations. He brings Kennedy and Violet back over to where Bass and I are standing, but it’s obvious that Shane’s wrangling is not enough to comfort Violet.

She’s staring at me as if I’m a monster, which may be a fair assessment, not to mention that she’s going to think that I attacked Bender because I was jealous of him and Vikki when it was not that at all. Dude had that ass kicking coming to him for a long time, not to mention that I snapped when I saw him trying to chat up Violet. I don’t even want him looking at Violet, much less speaking to her.

Why? I don’t know.

She’s not mine, and it makes little sense why I’m so completely territorial over a girl I don’t even know yet or, sadly, at this point, will ever get to know. She’s probably terrified of me.

“He was an asshole, man,” Bass says out loud, probably for the benefit of whoever is listening around us. “He deserved that. Been a long time coming.”

Shane checks his phone, then leans in and whispers something in Kennedy’s ear, and her face frowns instantly.

“Violet, something’s come up, and I’m actually going to need to leave,” Kennedy suddenly tells her.

“Are you okay?” Violet’s face etched with concern.

“I just need to book a flight and get home. Do you want to stay here for a while or come back to the apartment with me?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Violet replies, dumping her coke in the trash. “Home with you.”

“But you just got here,” I blurt out carelessly.

“This isn’t exactly my type of party,” Violet responds tersely, clearly referring to the scene I’ve just made tonight.

My eyes lower to the ground. I don’t have an appropriate response to that comment, so I say nothing, and after they leave, I shouldn’t be pissed with Shane, but I am.

“What the fuck did you say to Prez to make them want to leave?” I ask him in my “team captain” voice. The one I use when I’m giving an order or expect an answer.

“It’s family shit,” he says, ignoring the boom in my voice.

“Why can’t you give that girl one night of peace?” I growl, pissed that his obsession with her often has a domino effect on the rest of us…okay, well, maybe just me.

“Since when do you care about what goes on between me and Kennedy?”

“I don’t.” I quickly check myself.

“It’s obvious you’re attracted to the bookworm.”

“She’s cool,” I try saying casually, knowing that my dick is laughing hysterically at my attempt at being cavalier.

Literally laughing.

“You didn’t want us to handle Price until he dared to say two words to her. You like her.”

Sometimes it’s a pain in the ass the way Shane and Bass can read me so easily.

“She’s cool,” I repeat, although I don’t say it as casually as I said it before.

“I’m pretty sure I heard that she has a man back home,” Shane reveals and a pang of disappointment hits my belly. “On top of the fact that she couldn’t give two flying fucks about you.”

My face tightens. “And your point is, Shane?”

“That bothers the hell out of you, doesn’t it?”

“Probably less than it does for you when Kennedy has a dude over on a Friday night.”

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