Page 8 of Guardian Daddy's Girl
“I’m not cutting you out,” I chuckle.
But I have been blowing her off a lot lately.
“It sure sounds like you are when you’re going out to have fun on your own,” Lucy grumbles.
She isn’t really upset, at least I don’t think so. But I haven’t been the best of friends lately, and that says a lot when we’ve been thick as thieves since we met in our first year of college.
“Who says I’m going alone?” I wink to let her know that this isn’t a casual shopping trip. That I’ve got a little secret?—
Well,littleisn’t the right word under any circumstance when it comes tohim.
“Ooooh,” Lucy drags the word out, as a smile grows wider by the second. “Why didn’t you say that, silly? Here I thought you were kicking me to the curb for someone cuter.”
“No one could ever be as cute you as, Honey-Bee.” I hook my arm around her elbow and start walking again.
She slams me with questions about my mysterious man while we walk.Who is he? What does he do? Where did you meet?Never easing off the gas to give me a chance to answer. I’m not surprised by her reaction. She’s spent a long time trying to find me a date, but I’ve always rejected her offers.
Because in the back of my mind, I always knew it was Rex. Even before our magical night together, where we came so close to toppling over the edge, no one would ever compare.
In some way, I guess I’m saving myself for him. I want Rex to be my first, and hopefully my last.
But only time will tell on that last part.
“I’ll tell you all about him after today, alright?” I say as we reach the parking lot. It’s a long stretch of open concrete, with cars lined up for what feels like miles.
Lucy was lucky today, having found a parking spot right in front of the main entrance. Works great for me, because just outside the gate, I can see Rex’s black American muscle car parked on the sidewalk.
“Fine. But you better not spare any details,” she flashes a naughty smile. “And I meanany.”
“What if I don’t want you to get jealous?” I tease.
But before Lucy has a chance to respond, a whistle from our left steals our attention.
“Where are you two beautiful ladies rushing off to in such a hurry?” Damien Murray, a kid from my psyche class, shouts from his car. Him and three of his buddies are standing around it, leering at us like we’re livestock at auction.
God, this guy gives me the creeps. From his greasy hair, to his sinister grin, everything about him is sleazy.
“Far away from you,” Lucy says. Her response makes me giggle, but I keep walking because I don’t want to deal with this lot today.
“Give us a little shake before you go, Babe. Make that ass jiggle,” Damien shouts from behind and his friends start snickering.
The comment sends a chill down my spine. It isn’t even that bad, but coming from his mouth, it sickens me to the stomach. Probably because of the horror stories that have circulated around campus. Twisted tales of his affinity for dropping something in a girl’s drink at a party, or the way he expectsfavorsafter a date.
I walk Lucy to her car and make sure she’s driving before I leave. A protective instinct when those creeps are afoot, but I don’tmind facing them alone. After all, my monster is only a few steps away.
But they don’t make any more calls or moves while I head to Rex’s car, and they’re damn smart to keep their mouths shut.
By the time I reach Rex’s car, Damien’s nothing more than a distant echo in the back of my mind. He’s the last person I want to think about, when the big, beastly Rex is standing next to the passenger seat holding the door wide open for me. He greets me with a hug, and holds on a little longer than a casual hello calls for, and we get on the road.
The mall isn’t far from my college and we’re there in a flash. Rex groans as soon as his car comes to a stop in the parking lot. He looks at the giant building ahead of us with utter dismay.
I giggle at how intense he looks over something as small as going to the shops.
“Why do you look so glum?” I ask, resting my hand on his knee.
Though it’s a simple gesture, my hand distracts him. His gaze turns down to my hand, and he swallows hard before answering.
“Don’t like these places,” he says, flat and to the point. “Too many people.”
