Page 73 of Play Maker

With a slight twist, I noticed Adam cross his arms, his eyes locked on us. No drink in sight. Shad must have noticed too.

He pulled me closer so he could lean forward and speak into my ear. “Does he make you hold a football when he fucks you?”

I tried to move away, but Shad’s grip held me in place. Unless I planned to start a wrestling match on the dance floor, I was stuck until the song ended. My silent response apparently wasn’t enough for him because he spun us closer to the edge of the crowd away from Adam and came in for another round.

“What are you going to do now that his little cheerleader girlfriend is back in town? Are you the sloppy seconds or is she?”

I looked for Adam through the breaks between the dancing couples, but I couldn’t spot him. He was tall and broad, but most of the people there were bigger than me. They formed a human wall trapping me in my own personal hell. Panic fluttered in my chest.

“Youdorealize we’re going to be siblings in a few weeks, right?” I shot back.

His leer didn’t abate as he scoffed. “This isn’t the first time Dad’s produced a ring to get some pussy. This time, I get to enjoy the perks too.”

“You are beyond disgusting, and I hope you get a venereal disease.” I shoved him away, trying to stay out of reach as I scooted around him.

I didn’t like Rob, but I hadn’t doubted the engagement until this moment. If he was playing games with my mom, I would use every weapon at Eva’s disposal to ruin him. I made it four angry steps before I was hauled around by a hand on my elbow.

Shad’s expression had lost some of the jovial sheen, replaced by cruelty hidden beneath a thin veneer of civility. “You’re a stuck-up bitch, and one day, I’ll give you what you deserve.”

Screw the image, Mom would have to understand. I stomped on his foot with my stiletto and shoved him backwards when he released me. The last vestiges of Shad’s mask dropped as he caught his balance. An ugly sneer crossed his face, and his eyes locked on me.

I was fully prepared to knee him in the testicles if he touched me again, but he only made it a single step before Adam appeared between us. He turned his back on Shad to gently lift my arm and stroke his thumb across the angry red mark just above my elbow.

A little jolt of pain made me hiss. Shad must have grabbed me harder than I thought. Adam met my eyes, his own full of fury and fire. I shook my head.

Shad wasn’t worth the trouble of making a scene. The dancers around us murmured and craned their necks to see what the commotion was, but I’d stopped caring about embarrassing anyone.

“I’m fine, Adam.”

His jaw ticked. “This from him?”

“Yes.” I didn’t say anything else, but I didn’t need to. Murder entered Adam’s eyes.

“She’s lying—” Shad made the mistake of taking a step forward, and in one motion, Adam turned and laid him out with a right cross.

Shad hit the ground holding his nose, and I had the disturbing realization that violence, at least against Shad, turned me on.

Adam shook out his hand with a grimace and wrapped his other arm around my waist. “You don’t fucking touch a woman without her permission—and you sure as hell don’t touch this one.”

Goosebumps rose on my exposed skin, and I had the sudden urge to find a dark spot where I could get my boyfriend alone. He brushed a kiss across my temple, and my insides melted…for all of three seconds.

“Security, get the police,” Shad called from where he was sprawled on the floor.

I stepped forward as far as Adam’s arm would allow, pissed beyond measure. “Good. Then I can explain to them how I got this bruise, and how Adam prevented you from dragging me off against my will.”

My version wasn’t exactly the truth, but close enough.

Rob stepped between us, glaring first at his son, then at me and Adam. “There’s no need for police involvement. I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding. Right,Angela?”

He put a special emphasis on the name I despised, and I felt my temper snap. “No, it wasn’t a misunderstanding. Your son has been sexually harassing me for months, and tonight, he refused to listen when I told him no.”

Rob’s lips pressed together, and he gave a quick glance at the people still surrounding us watching the show. “Let’s all calm down and enjoy the rest of the party. We can discuss this at home.”

I snorted as Adam hauled me back against him with a distinctive growl. “I’m not going home with you, and especially not him,” I jerked my chin at Shad, who’d regained his feet. “Never again.”

“Your mother is going to be sad to hear that,” Rob replied firmly.

Mom appeared on my other side. “Oh no, she won’t. I’m perfectly happy with Blue’s decision to create healthy boundaries and push back against gaslighting.”

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