“Fuck off.” Grumbling, I walked away and left the two of them pleased as they chuckled at my reaction.
I went and got my teeth cleaned just to get the chance to be near her, only she still shut me out. The plan backfired when Holly walked into the room just before Chloe. The way she flirted openly and went on about us dating. I’d hardly call the short time we shared anything to brag about. We’d shared one kiss, and it was all I needed to know that she and I were completely incompatible. Nothing sexy about a girl practically eating your damn face when she kissed you. It ended before it even began, and I brushed her off the next few times she’d asked to do something. Eventually, she got the hint. Problem was she made it seem like she ditched me to Chloe, and worst part was Chloe wouldn’t even let me explain.
It was almost like the universe was against me when it came to my kitten. I called her mine because there was no way I would stand around and allow someone else to have her.
Busying myself with work, I chose to ignore the assholes as they spent the entire day hassling me, talking about not only Ripp, but another guy that seemed to be interested in Chloe. Every time they brought up Mason, a guy that worked as a pharmacy technician in town, flirting with Chloe, I swore my blood pressure spiked.
“He doesn’t seem to think she’s too young for him, either.” It’s that comment that had me turning on Terrance.
“I never said she was too young. I still have no fucking clue where the whole kid shit came from. I never called her a kid.” Neither of them seemed convinced. Frustration poured through my veins. My mind rolled over that night, the way she flirted with me as she placed her hand against my chest. How she leaned in closer, her entire front forming to my own. She fit perfectly, her head resting on my chest, just over my heart. When she tipped her head back and looked up at me with those soft baby blues of hers, her lips so full and inviting, I could have made a move. I could have taken full advantage of her invitation, but then not only would my mother have laid me out, but I would have been beaten within an inch of my life when all these assholes found out. Not to mention what her father would have done. The man was ready to make Ripp disappear for grabbing her ass; I shivered at the thought of what he may have done if I’d actually taken his drunk daughter up on the invitation for drunken sex that night.
“I think Chloe may remember it differently.” I’d gone through the night over and over in my mind more times than I could count. Each time I came up empty. Rhett waited for me to respond, and I wished I had some way to explain how or why she thought that was how I looked at her.
“I guess that means Chloe and I need to have a talk.”
“Good luck with that.” Rhett chuckled as he hammered in the last nail in the stud I held. “Every time you’re around, that girl runs away like her ass is on fire.”
“About that.” Rhett looked back over his shoulder and waited for me to continue. “I may need you to help a guy out.”
“Hell no.” He turned around, fully looking in my direction, holding a hand out before him. “I help you and I get in trouble with AJ. I love my girl. I also love when she’s happy. Me blindsiding Chloe to help you out will only piss off AJ, which means life at home won’t be so happy anymore.”
“Pussy.” Him and Mike both would lay down over a puddle just so AJ and Maddison could walk over their backs to keep their shoes dry.
“Hell yeah, I am.” He didn’t even attempt to deny it. “AJ can be mean when she wants to be.”
I couldn’t see it. The girl was always so sweet.
“Besides, the word Landon is forbidden around the ladies.”
“What?” What in the hell?
“Not only do you have to convince Chloe you aren’t an ass, you have to convince all the other ladies, too.”
“And you don’t plan on offering me any help, do you?” I already knew the answer to that.
“Nope.” Reaching down, he lifted another board and shrugged. “Why would I want to help you when watching you squirm and grovel will be so much more satisfying?”
“Dick.” I knew the chances of getting Mike to help me out would be less likely than Rhett. Looked like I was on my own.
Chapter Seven
Chloe
I’d spent hours cleaning, scrubbing floors of my tiny apartment, wiping down cabinets that were not even dirty. My drawers had never been so organized. That was something I did when my mind refused to quiet. Sitting still was not an option, because sitting still allowed me to think, and right now I needed to busy my thoughts, distract them from a certain someone who had no right to conquer my mind and ransack my sanity.
All I could see now when I looked at Holly was her and Landon sharing some romantic evening together. The both of them smiling and laughing, which led to deeper moments, and those caused a feeling inside of me I wasn’t familiar with. Jealousy. Murderous visions of me rearranging her pretty face and not feeling a single ounce of pity for doing so. This was not me. I was not this person. I was nice and loyal; I had never wanted to hurt someone more than I wanted to hurt
