Page 77 of Legal

I came around to Perry’s side and tried relaying the message in her ear without speaking too loudly.

“That’s stupid,” she said.

“No, it’s not. It’s my best option. And I don’t see what the problem is. He acted pretty cavemanish when I told him I was walking home.”

“God, Jills. That’s not being a caveman; that’s being considerate and protective. You shouldn’t be walking home alone at this hour, no matter how much you like it. I agree with him.”

“I’m a big girl, Perry.” I hugged her good-bye, then moved on to Stephen.

“You’re leaving now?” he said. “Let me give you a ride home.”

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

“It was one thing walking here before the sun went down, but not now. I’m driving you.”

Seriously? I wanted to scream. This was not working out right. I looked at Perry, but she just shrugged. I bet she was enjoying this.

In between our disagreement, the blonde bombshell server delivered us a fresh pitcher, then said loudly, “Chase!”

All three of us stopped dead and stared at her, shifting to the person who’d joined our little party. My chest went wild for a multitude of reasons.

“Hi, Amanda.”

Stephen burned a hole through me, his expression like crystal. It said, ‘I told you so.’

“What can I get you?” I would have accused her of thrusting out her tits, but she could have been standing on her head, and they would have looked the same.

“Nothing, thanks. I’m taking off right away.”

She frowned. “Okay, let me know if you change your mind.”

After she had sashayed off with an extra twang to her hips, I cleared my throat. The band was on a break, and it was painfully quiet in there. “Um, Chase, you remember Perry and Stephen.” They shook hands, Stephen acting cordial, but the distrust in his eyes was blatant.Time to go. Now.“Okay, well, gotta run. Talk to you later.”

I turned to hightail it out of there when Stephen caught my arm. “You have a good head on your shoulders, Jillian,” he whispered into my ear. “Do not lose it to this guy.”

I nodded, not sure how to respond. He didn’t have to worry about me. I could handle this.

I pulled Chase through the tables and out the door, the air hitting me like a refreshing shower. It was way too hot in there. “How’d you get here so quick?” I asked him. I was counting on more time to weasel my way out of the building.

“I wasn’t too far away. I can’t believe you were going to walk home wearing that. Alone. At night.”

I looked down. What the hell was wrong with my dress? “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing, Chase.” It wasn’t even that short. Nothing even close to what Perry dressed me in for Summerfest.

“It’s hot as fuck, and if I think that, other men do too.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not letting you go down some dark street by yourself, even if you were wearing a parka. And especially not in a dress that shows off your skin. I want to push you against this damn wall right now and make you scream.”

Okay, full body flush. Breathe it away and focus on the issue at hand. The one where I felt like I was being ganged up on—three against one. What was so bad about taking care of myself?

“What’s with the girl?” I said, changing the subject. “Amanda.”

“Just someone I saw a few times.”

“By saw, you mean fucked.”

I tried to read his face, but I couldn’t tell if he was pissed off or amused.

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