Page 469 of Hate Mates

He’s wasting his time.

I don’t date the enemy or bed my sister’s exes.

Period.

“I prefer to show not tell,” he purrs, falling for the ruse as expected.

Men are too easily led by their dicks. My ex is a perfect case in point. Not that I care. Adrian was a way to alleviate boredom, nothing else. I should have kicked him to the curb weeks ago. “Well.” I graze my lips against his stubbled cheek as I move toward his ear. He’s sufficiently distracted, so when I raise my leg and knee him in the junk, I catch him off guard. His arms fall away as he bends over and cups his crotch. Tears well in his eyes as he stabs me with a glower. I shove my middle finger up andgrin. “I told you I want nothing to do with you. Maybe now you’ll finally understand.”

Stalking toward the bar, I leave him behind without a backward glance. After ordering a couple of martinis, I scan the dance floor for Cece, groaning when I spot her in a passionate lip-lock with Jesse Reed. That crazy bastard is a friend of Cohen’s, and he gives me the creeps. He’s as suave and handsome as his buddy, but unlike Cohen, he is shady as shit. I don’t want my best friend mixed up with him.

Leaving our drinks in the protective care of the bartender, I wade through the crowd until I reach the smooching couple. Pulling Cece off the older man, I jab my finger in his chest and level him with a sharp look. “Leave my friend alone. She’s not for you.”

“Pretty sure Cecilia can speak for herself.” The jackass arches a brow as his lips pull into a smug smile.

Refusing to get into it with him or give Cece a chance to protest, I drag my friend across the dance floor to retrieve our drinks, and then we snag a booth in the back.

“You’re mad,” she says before taking a healthy mouthful of her vodka cocktail.

“Not mad, worried,” I correct. “I thought we agreed Jesse Reed was bad news.” I’ve tried explaining it to her, but Cece doesn’t come from the kind of world I do, and she isn’t sensing the same danger I am.

“I know, but he’s so hot, and he’s got mad bedroom skills. My hormones go nuts when he’s around. I don’t see the harm in screwing him. It’s not like he’s the serious type.”

“He’s up to his neck in insider trading, money laundering, and gang-type shit, Cece. I know I’m not really in any position to throw shade, but he’s legit dangerous, and I don’t want you mixed up with him.” Cohen appears to be clean. Papa wouldn’thave let Anya date him unless he checked out, but I’m wary because of the company he keeps.

“That’s just speculation.”

“They say the same about my dad.” Though it was risky, I took Cece into my confidence at the end of freshman year. She was questioning certain things, and I couldn’t keep lying to her. I’ve spoken to Papa, and he’s promised protection for her if it’s ever needed. He wasn’t happy I confided in an outsider, but he’s forgiven me.

She bites on the corner of her lip, looking contemplative.

I release a sigh. “I know you like him, and it’s your call, but I’m only looking out for you. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t warn you.”

“I love you.” She flings her arms around me, squeezing me tight. “Let’s not talk about boys the rest of the night. We’re celebrating your freedom, and it’s girls only from now on.”

We knock back our drinks and hit up the dance floor again, flirting with guys but not getting too close. I feel Cohen’s eyes drilling a hole in my back as I dance, but I try my best to ignore him. At least he appears to have gotten the message, and he’s not coming near me.

I’ll consider that a win.

I have no clue what time it is when we stumble out of the club, clutching our bags and giggling like hyenas. I’ve never been this drunk before, and it’s liberating. “Whoa.” I sway on my feet as the world spins. I reach out for the wall to steady myself. Blinking repeatedly, I attempt to clear my blurry vision, but I’m seeing two of Cece. My stomach lurches. “I don’t feel too hot,” I mumble the same time I realize the “wall” I’m feeling upis not a wall.

“You look pretty hot from where I’m standing,” an unfamiliar male says.

Arms wind around me. Unlike when Cohen did it earlier, these arms feel restrictive and threatening. Shit. I probably shouldn’t have dumped a ton of sleeping aid in my bodyguard’s coffee earlier. I open my mouth to tell the guy to fuck off when lips collide with mine. Beer-laden fumes mix with bad breath as the stranger kisses me. His wandering hands are groping me all over, and I push at him, silently berating myself for being so reckless tonight, but he’s strong, shoving me up against a wall and separating my thighs with one of his legs.

Fuck. This could be bad. Panic surges through my veins, and I struggle to clear my head long enough to remember my self-defense classes. Distant screaming surrounds me, but I’m too inebriated to focus on anything except survival. Adopting the strategy I used to get rid of Cohen earlier, I bite down hard on the prick’s lip as alcohol sloshes uncomfortably in my stomach.

The guy pulls back, cursing and snarling. My vision is still blurry, but I swat at him, lifting my leg to knee him in the balls, but he anticipates the move, slapping my leg down and grabbing my chin. His nails dig painfully into my flesh. “You’ll pay for that, bitch.”

“No, you will,” I slur, giggling as terror comingles with hysteria in my veins. Papa will cut his dick off and shove it down his throat for assaulting me.

The fingers digging into my chin are suddenly gone, and a loud commotion surrounds me. Holding myself upright is a struggle. My eyelids are heavy with sleep, and my tummy is protesting all the alcohol I consumed tonight. When I attempt to open my eyes, the world tilts, and I shut them tight while clinging to the actual wall for dear life.

“Babe,” Cece slurs, slinging an arm around my waist. “It’s okay. I got you. That guy is a jerk.”

Grunts and heavy pants reverberate in the chilly January air, and the sound of moving feet tickles my eardrums. I zonein and out, wishing I could snap my fingers and be in my bed. Additional sounds confirm someone is fighting the man, and I hope they beat his ass good.

When there is only blissful silence, my ears silently rejoice. Reopening my eyes, I scan the world through a hazy daze, only half aware of the body slumped on the hard sidewalk.

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