Page 137 of Endgame

“Stay out of this,” he warned her, never taking his hands off me. I was thankful for that. I didn’t know how I would have taken the rejection.

“Since when are you going around fighting Molly Peterson’s battles?” Britt countered, green eyes locked on the boy standing behind me.

Rourke stiffened. “Since I apparently need to,” he shot back, unsmiling.

“Andher?” Britt sneered, looking down her nose at me like I was the most disgusting thing she had ever laid eyes on. “Defending her in public again, Rourke?” She laughed cruelly, but there wasn’t a hint of humor in her voice. “Keep it up and people are going to talk.”

Rourke shrugged and pulled me closer. “People can say what they want,” he replied coldly. “I take care of what’s mine and I make no apologies for it.”

Those words seemed to floor Britt.

And me.

Yep.

Definitely me.

I take care of what’s mine…

“Yours,” Britt hissed, glowering at the both of us. “And she’s your what, Rourke? Your fuck buddy? You stepsister? Your revenge? Your rebound –”

“My girlfriend,” Rourke interrupted without a hint of hesitation in his voice.

My mouth, along with several other people’s, fell open. My beef with the girls forgotten, I spun around to face Rourke.

“She’s my girlfriend,” he repeated in a loud, clear voice, dropping a hand to rest on my hip before pulling me into his side.

I went willingly, too stunned to do anything else.

Had I just imagined this whole thing?

Or did Rourke really just declare me as his girlfriend to the whole room?

“What do you mean she’s your girlfriend?” I heard hisex-girlfrienddemand from behind me. Hell, Britt could have been having a full-blown meltdown right now, but I couldn’t take my eyes offRourke.

What the hell was he doing?

Was he using me to make her jealous?

No.

He wouldn’t do that to me… would he?

“Screw you, Rourke Owens!” I heard Britt scream before the clanking sound of high heels retreating filled my ears.

Rourke glanced down at me then and smirked, revealing those deep dimples. I almost melted in a puddle at his feet. “What the hell wasthat?”

He raised a brow. “What was what?”

“You told her I’m your girlfriend,” I half whispered, half hissed, my face burning with a mixture of embarrassment and lust.

“And?” He was staring down at me with those freaking baby blues and that mouth…god, just thinking of what he did to me with that mouth caused a pang of desire to erupt inside of my body.

“And?” I shook my head and exhaled a shaky breath. Did he not hear me? “Rourke, you made it very clear that this…” I gestured between us with my index finger “Was very much afriendshipthing.”

Rourke was completely serious for the longest moment before his face broke out in a huge megawatt smile. “About that,” he chuckled, pulling me in closer. “I meant to tell you; right around the time you were promoting me to best friend status, I was giving you a promotion of your own.”

“What are you talking ab–?”

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