The closer we got to the ground floor, the stiffer Amanda stood. She fidgeted with her clothes and her eyes darted back and forth between kids, her sister, and me. I found it strange. She seemed nervous to see her husband.

  As soon as he walked out of the locker room, I realized why.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Carrington Olivia Butler

  Brian Burkett exploded from the locker room as if he’d scored the game-winning grand slam home run. He seemed oblivious to the eight-run loss. He rushed up to Amanda, grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her hard on the lips.

  Amanda’s face stained red as she kissed him back while trying to push him off her. He bent down and hugged his boys one at a time, but he only patted Allyson on the head. He kissed Erin on the neck in a gesture I thought it seemed a bit intimate for a sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

  The look Amanda shot them made me think she thought the same thing.

  When Brian finished administering attention on everyone else, he turned toward Josh and me. I didn’t think he noticed Josh, but he made a beeline for me. Josh wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back in a possessive gesture, but it didn’t help. Brian did not care that I was with Josh. He reached for my hand before I offered it. I felt like a rope in a weird tug-of-war between Josh and Brian.

  “Joshie, who do we have here?” He spoke to Josh, but stared at me.

  “Brian, this is my girlfriend, Carrington.”

  He leaned over and took my hand, laced his fingers with mine, and brought them up to his lips—that he licked before kissing my hand—all while holding my gaze. It was subtle, and a chill shot through me. Josh dropped his hand from my waist. I guess it wasn’t that subtle.

  “Seriously, what is a beautiful woman like you doing with my scruffy brother-in-law?” My creep radar flashed red.

  “Brian,” Amanda said.

  “Oh, I’m teasing the kid.” Brian patted Josh on the head. The same gesture he used for his daughter. “Good to see you, Josh. You look rested.”

  “Great game,” Josh said. He attempted to sound condescending, but it came out sounding bitter, and Brian ignored him anyway.

  “Carrington, where are you from?”

  He waited for my answer, staring me deep in the eyes. I turned to Josh for help, but he and the rest of his family seemed occupied with something else, ignoring the obvious inappropriate behavior of Mr. Burkett.

  “I’m from Dallas, Texas.”

  “I love Texas girls,” he laughed.

  Amanda walked over and pressed herself against Brian. “Baby, we have reservations. You ready?”

  He kissed my hand again, and his eyes lingered on mine before letting go. He headed to the parking lot, snatching Erin’s keys from her hand while slapping her on the ass.

  We followed.

  “He seems a little over the top,” I said to Josh as we climbed in his car.

  “He’s always like that. Ignore him.”

  “Kind of hard to ignore him. He demands attention.”

  “Yeah, some girls get off on that,” Josh said. My face grew warm, and my brain hurt as I tried to figure out how Josh allowed this man to hit on me while he stood there doing nothing.

  “I don’t get off on that. It’s obnoxious.”

  He threw me a look like he didn’t believe me.

  At dinner, I ended up sitting between Brian and Josh. The seafood place stuffed bodies into every available space, and I found myself closer to Brian than I wanted.

  Amanda took this opportunity to huddle up with Josh. Her expression remained stern and focused while he bit his lip and shook his head a lot. I tried to listen, but my focus split between eavesdropping on Josh’s conversation and fending off Brian’s attention.

  The more I tried to ignore him, the harder he worked to get my attention.

  “Tell me, Carrington. Does Josh have any idea how to treat a woman like you?”

  “Josh does fine.”

  “You should be treated more than fine.”

  I banged my knee against Josh to get his attention, but he ignored me.

  I waited for Josh to intervene as his brother-in-law practically groped me under the table. With Amanda actively ignoring us, I was on my own.

  “As fine as you treat your wife,” I whispered in his ear.

  “No.” He leaned back and flashed a wink at his wife while squeezing my thigh under the table. “I’d treat you better than my wife. Josh has no idea.”

  “No idea about what?”

  “How fucking hot you are, my ebony princess,” he growled near my ear, and if I wasn’t so disgusted, I would have laughed in his face.

  His hand traveled further up my thigh. I grabbed it, pushed it away, and shifted toward Josh.

  “Josh?” I yelled to get his attention.

  “What?”

  Brian turned away from us.

  “If you don’t say something to your brother-in-law, I’m going to.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’s like that with everyone.”

  I grabbed Josh’s arm, digging my nails in as I spoke. “You’re really going to just sit there while your brother-in-law gropes me under the table? Maybe you get off on that?”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Carr. He’s messing with you. We’ll head out in a few.”

  In most situations, Josh craved control.

  Yet, when he wasn’t in control, he reacted the exact opposite.

  He had a habit of sitting back and observing uncomfortable situations as they unfolded in front of him, like tonight and on our first date at the frat party. Did he get some sort of sadistic pleasure out of it? I wished he would do something. When it was obvious he wasn’t, I pushed my chair back and headed to the bathroom.

  “Carrington,” Josh yelled after me, but I continued.

  I found the bathroom and sat in the last stall with my head in my hands.

  How pathetic am I?. I’m the one hiding out in the bathroom?

  I cleared my head and shook it off, but when I came out, Amanda stood at the sink reapplying her makeup. The heat in my cheeks returned.

  “Hey, Carrington. You okay?” The plastic smile on her face made my skin crawl.

  “I’m fine.” I washed my hands and studied her in the mirror.

  “Don’t worry about Brian. He’s just a big flirt,” she said.

  The whole family was in denial.

  “Can you tell Josh to meet me at the bar?”

  “You know, since our mother died two years ago, Josh has had a hard time. But I can tell he likes you. He seems happy.”

  “Your mother died two years ago?”

  “Yes, didn’t Josh tell you?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Well, he hasn’t wanted to be around the family much. I think it’s harder for him. They were close.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why don’t you come back to the table,” she suggested as she took my hand. “I’ll make sure Brian backs off.”

  She didn’t give me a chance to respond as she pulled me out of the bathroom.

  We headed back to the table, and before I sat down, Amanda whispered something into her husband’s ear. He got up and joined the people at the next table, who seemed excited about the opportunity to kiss his ass.

  I shook my head and turned to Josh. He avoided my gaze.

  The entire Griffin family dynamic seemed so off, but I bet his mother’s death played a role in creating that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Carrington Olivia Butler

  Whatever Amanda had whispered to Brian worked. He never returned. Soon, Josh and I excused ourselves and left, but my relief was short-lived and was soon replaced with anger and pity for Josh.

  We walked out to Josh’s car in silence. He didn’t take my hand. He didn’t open the car door. It took him much longer than necessary to make his way around to his side of the car.

  He was stalling, but I needed answers. His dead mother, his conversation with his sister at dinner, and his handsie brother-in-law topped my list.

  I waited to see if he would say something first, but we rode a good way down the highway in silence.

  “So, tonight was interesting.” I said in an attempt to break the ice.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Your sister Erin seems really nice.”

  “She is.”

  “And Amanda is interesting.”

  “That’s one way to put it.” He stared straight ahead. I placed my hand on his, and he took it.

  Warmth spread from my fingers throughout my body and I settled in the seat, staring out into darkness. I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed mine back.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”

  He dropped my hand and placed his on his lap.

  “What about my mother?”

  “Amanda told me she passed away recently. I’m sorry. Were you two close?”

  Silence.

  “Amanda said you had a hard time when she passed away.”

  “Why did you talk to her about my mother?”

  “She brought it up. She said she was happy you were doing well and kind of thanked me.”

  A headlight coming from the other direction illuminated his face, and I caught his expression. I gasped as he pulled off at an exit and accelerated down the road. He turned off onto another street.

  “Josh,” I yelled and braced myself in time before he slammed on the brakes. He shut off the ignition and started in on me.

  “Why would you do that?”

  The darkness sent a chill through my body, and I felt heat coming from Josh’s side of the car. “If you want to pry into my business, you ask me. You don’t corner my family and question them.”

  My head snapped around, ready to defend myself, but my voice softened when I saw his face.

  “I didn’t. Amanda—”

  “I don’t believe you. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you.”

  “I’m sorry, Josh, but I—”

  “God, you’re like all the rest of them. You get all hyped over the money and my baseball star brother-in-law.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You loved it. Having Brian’s hands all over you.” His fist started pounding the center console, and he had trouble catching his breath.

  “You are ridiculous,” I found my voice.

  “Am I? Don’t think you’re special because he paid attention to you. You’re not. He does that to every hot girl. You’re no one special.”

  “Josh?”

  I gripped my leg and tried to stay calm although my heart was breaking hearing his words. I’d done nothing to encourage Brian’s advances.

  Josh continued his rant. He stopped speaking to me, but he spouted words for his own benefit.

  “I don’t fucking believe this. God, I shouldn’t have brought you.”

  I grew tired of his self-piteous, poor little rich boy rant quick.

  I opened the car door and stepped out. He reached out to grab me, but I pulled away and slammed the door behind me. Although muffled, I heard his solo rant continue inside of the car.

  My eyes adjusted to the darkness, but the chill in the air ran through me.

  This is not a good idea.

  And when Josh started the car and peeled away from the side of the road, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere, it confirmed it. This was a stupid idea.

  I stood there in the dark on the side of the road, rubbing my hands up and down my arms as I hugged myself. I watched his taillights disappear in the distance and thought to myself that any second he would come back for me. No way would he leave me stranded on a deserted road in the middle of Florida.

  I started walking. I remembered a gas station a couple of miles back, but we were no longer on the main road. We had exited and turned down a side street before Josh stopped. At twelve am, the placed was probably closed.

  I walked in the direction Josh drove. The deserted road spread out in front of me. There were no street lamps, and I could only see a few feet in front of my face. I hadn’t seen a car pass since we pulled over.

  I bit my lip and rubbed my arms to ward off the cold.Tears formed in my eyes, and I tried to hold them back. If they started, they would be impossible to stop, and nothing seemed more pathetic than a girl stranded on a deserted road, crying her eyes out.

  I held out for one more minute and then the floodgates opened. I sounded like a wounded cow dying on the side of the road. My sobs shook me to my core. I walked a little faster, trying to control myself.

  Up ahead, I saw a bend in the road, and I prayed I would find something or someone willing to help. I started jogging to get to it quicker, but I slowed my pace when I turned the corner, and Josh’s silhouette came into view illuminated by the taillights on the back of his car. He squatted with his back to the bumper. I continued my slow pace, and I hated myself for being not only relieved, but also happy to see him.

  ***

  Joshua Elijah Griffin, IV

  I turned the light on in the car and stepped out. I wanted to go back and get her. The magnitude of what I had done weighed on me, and I needed to let her make the decision on how this would go. I hoped she would get back in the car and accept my apology. Hell, I hoped she would give me a chance to apologize and not walk right past me.

  I squatted near the ground. I wanted to crawl into a ball and move time back by sure will. I half hoped a car would come by, pick her up, and run me over, but I was too much of a chicken shit to throw myself in front of it.

  I watched her walk toward me. Her face hid in the shadows, but she slowed down and hugged herself. She sighed when she saw me.

  She continued, slow and steady. She walked right up to me. I stood up and leaned on the back of my car. I crossed my arms over my chest. Her face became visible as a car from the other direction illuminated her tear-stained face.

  My heart dropped, and I held my breath. She was devastated, and I’d done that to her. Her wet face scrunched in a painful flex, and her lips quivered. She turned away, and I started to reach out for her. As my right hand grazed her left arm, her right hand connected with the side of my face.

  Whack!

  The force radiated through my whole body, followed by a stinging pain. A scream rang out, but not from me. The sound emitted from a deep dark place I didn’t want to visit. The pain emitted from her in waves and each one tore into my heart. The pain from her slap seemed insignificant compared to the pain in her eyes as she desperately tried to understand why I would treat her this way.

  I reached out and grabbed her, wrapped my arms around her waist. She resisted, pushing and punching my arms and shoulders. I wanted her to fight me—to hit me and scream and show me what I did to her.

  After a while, she collapsed in my arms, exhausted from fighting, but her sobs continued for several more minutes. My neck and chest dampened from her tears, and her whole body convulsed when she released an uncontrollable series of coughs. It shook us both, but I held on tight.

  The vibration of our bodies glued together made me hard, and I found it difficult to concentrate. I tried to push those thoughts out of my head. I wanted her to understand. It tore me up to know I caused her even an ounce of pain.

  I held her tight with one arm and stroked her back with the other. With each stroke, her body softened. As her last bit of energy drained, I turned us around with her back up against my car. I placed my hands on her hips; she whimpered as I lifted her up and sat her on the trunk.

  Her damp hair stuck to her face, and I pushed it away. I wiped her eyes and lifted her chin.

  “How could you leave me like that?” she asked. The desperation in her voice fucked with my mind. I hated myself.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered as my lips swept across her cheek. She tensed. I expressed my gratitude by kissing her other cheek. She whimpered, and my heart cracked.

  I kissed her forehead, dropped my hands to her waist, and her head fell forward without my support.

  “Why?” she asked. Her voice sounded defeated but defiant. She wanted an answer. She deserved an answer.

  “Since I met you, I’ve had the time of my life.” I kissed her jawline as I placed my hands on her thighs. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.” As my lips moved to her ear, she leaned into me. I pushed her legs apart. I wanted to hold her, get closer to her. She relaxed more with every kiss. “I want to be with you so bad.” When I reached her earlobe, I bit it, and she moaned. “But eventually you’re going to leave me.”

  Carrington’s head snapped back. She grabbed the side of my face and stared into my eyes. I tried to avoid her gaze, but she wouldn’t loosen her grip. I waited for her to yell. Instead, she placed her lips on mine, and I tensed. I watched her face as she kissed me, biting my bottom lip and sucking on it.

  Her hands moved over my shoulders and her arms wrapped around my neck. At the same time, she wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me close. I became painfully aware of my hard-on pressing into her and wanted to pull back, but she wouldn’t let go.

  I stopped fighting it.

  I pressed into her further, and she moaned and pushed back. My hands found their way under her shirt, and I unhooked her bra in the back and moved to massage her tits. They fit in my hands so nice, and she groaned as my palms pressed against her nipples.

  She kissed me deeper, sucking on my tongue as it entered her mouth. I squeezed her nipple between my fingers as my other hand moved between her legs.

  I touched her, and she sat up straight. I blinked, not sure what happened. I stopped, but my hand remained between her thighs. I pinched the fabric on her panties, and I thought she would protest or worse, push me away, but then she leaned back against the car and something in her eyes gave me permission to continue.

  The heat radiated off her skin and clung to my body. The more I touched and teased, the more her breathing sped up to meet my movements.

  I pushed her skirt up and watched my hand working her. I removed all barriers between her bare flesh and myself. When my fingers made contact, she moaned and bit her lip. She rocked back and forth, and her eyes fluttered as her body shook and vibrated.