Page 78 of Live for Me

“Is that something we can just do now anytime we’re alone?” I asked when he stopped kissing my mouth, only to kiss my forehead.

Something about the way he chuckled did questionable things inside my body. “We don’t even have to be alone as far as I’m concerned, angel. Come on. Brace yourself,” he warned while I followed him down the hallway. “Indy has questions.”

“What’d you tell him?” I whispered as we got closer to the kitchen.

“Haven’t told him anything. That’s why he has questions.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket from a text message while I followed Utah into the kitchen. Indy was already sitting at the island on his computer, but I ignored him for a second because of my phone. The message was from a number that wasn’t saved. I nearly threw up all over again when I remembered putting my number into that bar guy’s phone. I opened the message in the purest disgust with myself, already thinking of the ways that I could go about removing him from the connected world of the Internet.

Unknown

Text me when you’re away from the psychopath, Memphis. I just want to know that you’re okay. He’s obviously got some problems.

I stared at it for a second before I noticed that there were earlier messages.

Ones that came from me, but thatIhad not sent.

A picture.

I was suffocating right here in the open air.

“How was the big night?” Indy asked.

“What the fuck is this, Utah?” I asked.

He was already at the door, standing there with it open, like he was waiting on me. He laughed when he noticed my phone in my hand.

“You want to have this conversation right now?” he asked while nodding toward Indy. That smug smile stayed on his face the entire time.

“Pleasewantto have this conversation right now,” Indy begged as he smiled at me. I looked back at Utah, and he nodded toward the door.

“Let’s go,” Utah said.

“Go where?”

“Let’s go have a chat, apparently.”

I glared at him while I stomped through the door, but I was wholly unprepared for him to be right behind me when I whirled back around, thinking I was going to rip him a new one for being a phone creep. I managed to lose every ounce of my nerve with him standing only inches away from me while he smirked.

“I believe you wanted to yell at me for something,” he encouraged.

“I spend all day every day making sure no one can access any of our phones. All of the electronics around this entire house, for that matter. The last person I should have to worry about snooping through my phone is you, Utah.”

He started to walk toward me until I was backing away from him. He didn’t stop until the back of me was against his truck another time, and he put his hand on the side of my face.

“I’m sorry I used your phone to tell your other suitors to fuck off. I’ll be sure to use my own next time.”

“I don’t have other?—”

His hand moved from the side of my face to cover my mouth to interrupt me.

“But if you ever have me take you out for another night where the end game is making me jealous, when I have to watch you dance with some other guy, when you hand your number out to another man, I won’t play so nice. With either of you. Are we clear, sugar? I would never hurt you for real. Not without you asking me to do it But if I ever have to watch another man touch you like that again, you might as well be signing the contract on his life.”

I couldn’t speak, even after his hand slid off my mouth to allow it. He stood there and stared right through me, waiting for me to respond in some way. I couldn’t manage anything more than nodding my head.

“Good. Get in the truck.”

Then he opened the door for me like a perfect gentleman. Not at all like a crazy person who’d just threatened me and any other male who might ever find me attractive enough to approach me. I managed to look at him again once he was in the truck beside me.

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