"I mean, I can understand why he would call me a whore, but Remy? That girl has never fucked a stranger in her life. She's practically only ever fucked boyfriends. How does liking sex make someone a whore in his eyes?"
At the admission that he’s used that word as a derogatory term describingHailey, I really am jumping out of my seat and rushing around to stand in front of her. I grip the counter on either side of her legs with white knuckles, searching for the last shred of patience inside of me.
"He called you a whore?" I manage to grit out. "When?"
She blushes and looks down at the can beside her where she's fiddling with the beer top. "All the time," she mumbles. "It was practically a theme in our relationship."
I stare at her, trying—and failing—to process that statement. My brain fumbles through what I know about Hailey and her sexual history in order to try and understand what on earth Steve could be talking about. All I manage to get out is a weak, "Why?"
She looks up at me with a hesitant gaze. I can tell she's drunk because her eyes are slightly bloodshot—on top of the fact that she would never normally have a conversation with anyone that is this aggressive or blunt—so I wonder what her alcohol-muddled brain is stumbling over right now.
"You can't judge me," she starts defensively. "It was a long time ago, and I was drunk. I wouldn't normally tell you this since you and I have hardly had the kind of relationship where we talk about sex, but I'm drunk and pissed off. And you asked."
Speechless and confused, I just nod.
She sighs in defeat. "I had a threesome with Tommy and one of his friends in high school."
For a moment, all I can do is blink at her.
Fuck, that’s hot.
But then I think about it in the context of this conversation, and my brow furrows in confusion. "Okay… So?"
She purses her lips and narrows her eyes at my response, like I’m just not getting it. "So? Jax, I had a threesome with two guys. That's pretty slutty."
The frown on my face deepens as I think about how this could be used to insult her. "Did you do it so you could brag about doing it?" She shakes her head in confusion. "Did you cheat on anyone?" Another shake, this time angrier.
"Of course not! I had just started dating Tommy and realized I liked sex, and then one night his friend came over and we started drinking and… it just kind of happened. It wasn’t even anything crazy, we were too young to do any more than fumble around."
I exhale a heavy sigh. "Did you regret it? Or did you enjoy it?"
Her eyes widen, and I can practically see the memory wheels turning in her brain. "I… I liked it," she answers quietly. "I doubt I would ever do it again, but… it was fun."
I sigh again as I step closer to Hailey and cup her face in my hands. She's still looking at me with a face of such pure innocence that it damn near shreds my heartstrings. My thumbs start to caress her cheeks as I stare into her big blue eyes.
"Hailes," I whisper quietly. "You are so far from a whore that it's laughable. I want to kill Steve just for putting the idea in your head. And to know that he's been treating you like one for so long… well, let’s just say I'm trying really fucking hard to convince myself that I shouldn't leave you here and go hunt him down so I can rip his tongue out for ever talking to you like that."
A tipsy giggle escapes her lips. I smile, my heart jumping a little bit at the sound.
"I don't ever want you to think of yourself like that again, do you hear me? If I find out there is a single self-deprecating thought running around in that pretty little head, I'm going to start switching out your sugar and salt just like youlovedto do when you were a little troublemaker. We’ll see how your customers like your food after that."
Another giggle. But she nods, and I drop my hands with a sigh. I don't realize they've landed on her waist until she takes a shaky breath, and her ribs expand under my big hands. I'm only now realizing how close we are.
She stares into my eyes, her lips parting as our gazes lock. My breath hitches, but I don't dare to look away. I have no idea what's going through her head right now, so all I can do is sit in this moment with her, heavy with alcohol and a tangle of emotions.
The moment breaks when she throws her arms around me. She burrows her face into my neck, and I barely hear her mumble, "Thanks, Jax."
My heart and lungs somehow start to function again. Tentatively, I reach up to wrap my arms around Hailey, marveling at the curves of her body that the skin-hugging dress allows me a moment to appreciate. The coconut scent of her hair invades my senses, and I automatically take a deep breath to try to envelop her in as many ways as I can.
Her arms tighten around my neck, and I suddenly become very aware of the fact that my best friend's drunk, post-breakup little sister is currently wrapped around me. I drop my hands to her hips and step away with an awkward cough.
"Do you… do you want to watch a movie or something? Or if you want to go to bed, you can take my room. I'll sleep on the couch. I should’ve offered you a change of clothes, too, you’re probably freezing in that."
She shakes her head and jumps off the counter. I'm yet again reminded how tiny she is when I realize the top of her head barely reaches my shoulder now that we're on even ground. She chugs the rest of the beer and then walks over to the recycling bin to toss the empty can.
"Let's just watch Seinfeld, or something," she says as she plops onto the couch. She pulls her floor-length dress up to her thighs so she can rearrange herself to sit cross-legged. “And I don’t want to get changed yet. I bought this dress for tonight, so I’m going to get my money’s worth. Even if we’re just sitting on the couch and laughing about Jerry’s atrocious acting like we used to when we were younger.”
The edge of my mouth quirks in amusement at her TV show choice. Everyone in our friend group always forgets that Hailey's only twenty-one—between her general life wisdom and her mature habits, half the time she acts even older than we do. She was the youngest out of all of us when she got her first job, she always made sure her homework was done, and she’s been eating balanced meals since she first started cooking at thirteen. Even with the one “young person” hobby she has—going to raves—she still never did drugs or participated in anything remotely rebellious.