“Too late.” The easy smile on Park’s face annoys me so damn bad I want to slap it off him. “I told her last night.”
Exhaling loudly, I rest my elbow on the table and run my hand through my hair. “What the hell, Park? I don’t want to talk to her about any of this.”
“Fine, you won’t talk to her about it. Whatever.” Park digs into the second half of his sandwich.
“You know what you’re doing is messed up, right?” I’m thinking he doesn’t.
Park shrugs, then takes a sip from his beer. “Fucked up things happen every single day, Rhett. You think the world is normal? You’re wrong. It’s not. We’re all out there fucking around, doing forbidden things, excited that we might get caught. Even more excited when we don’t. The thrill of doing something you’re not supposed to is intoxicating stuff, brother.”
His words stick with me after I leave the café and head to my two o’clock class. I hate to admit he’s right, but…he is. It’s exciting to be with someone you shouldn’t be.
Like Jensen.
I think of our earlier fight, and how stupid it was. Though I guess she did have the right to be angry with me. She thought I was trying to tear her down, when really I was hoping she would say, “You’re right! Let me go find another job ASAP.”
That didn’t happen. Her confession that she actually likes her job surprised me. When I first saw her there, before she noticed me, she looked weary. Almost…
Sad.
I hate that she shows her tits to everyone who walks into that place, but do I also like it because I can claim those tits as mine? What kind of asshole does that make me?
The worst kind?
I’m sitting on the hood of my car wearing my thickest jacket and a beanie, my ass staying warm thanks to my car’s engine. It’s past two in the morning and I’m exhausted. I took a nap after our game—which we won, but it doesn’t count yet so who cares—and now I’m here, in the parking lot of City Lights on an early Friday morning.
Waiting for Jensen.
I thought about texting her, but she probably would’ve ignored me, and I didn’t want that. Apologizing to her in person for our earlier argument is the right thing to do.
So here I sit, waiting for her to walk out the back doors of the club so I can talk to her.
And finally those doors do swing open, and she and Savannah exit, their heels clicking loudly in the otherwise quiet night. I can hear the low murmur of their conversation as they draw closer, though I can’t make out any particular words.
Is she talking about me? Did she complain to Savannah about our argument from this morning? Or does she keep that kind of thing to herself? She did call me her dirtiest little secret, but Savannah knows what’s up. She’s been drawn into the middle of our drama more than I’d like.
“What are you doing here?”
Jensen’s voice rings out and I glance up to find her standing two cars away from me, clad in a pair of black leggings that she pulled on under her skirt, and she’s wearing a thick, dark gray sweater. Her hair is swept up into a ponytail, the ends curled, and her eyes are lined with the heavy black eyeliner she wore the last time I saw her here.
Every time I see her, I swear she gets more beautiful. With all the makeup or without, Jensen is the most gorgeous woman ever.
“I wanted to talk to you, if you’ll let me.” I rest my arms on my bent knees, linking my hands together.
“You want to talk now? Here in the parking lot?” She sends Savannah a look, one I can’t decipher.
“You can come back to my place, and then I can drive you home,” I suggest. My heart is thumping wildly and I’m nervous. This girl sets me on edge. I never know what she’s feeling or thinking. We’ve grown closer, but she’s still a mystery.
One I’m dying to figure out.
Jensen studies me for a moment, her gaze closed. “You want to take me home after we talk?”
“Or you can stay the night with me,” I offer. “Whatever you want, Jens. No pressure.” I hold my hands up like the police have me at gunpoint.
“You know I’m mad at you,” she murmurs as she starts walking toward me. Savannah lingers behind, but she’s still
listening. I really didn’t want an audience for this, but looks like I don’t have a choice.
I slide off the hood of my car so I’m standing directly in front of Jensen. “I’m sorry for what I said this morning. I was out of line.”