Page 19 of Wasted

"I heard she used to be his girlfriend, but then he found out she was a whore." White-hot rage surged through my veins, setting every nerve ending on fire, hearing another man refer to her that way. My vision narrowed to a pinpoint, my fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails biting into my palms, and all rational thoughts evaporated as I lost my shit. "She's hot, though. I wouldn't mind hitting tha…"

I didn't give him a chance to finish that sentence as I fisted his red t-shirt in my hand and shoved him hard into the wall, using my forearm to cut off his air.

"Oh my God," the girl gasped. Her eyes widened with fear but immediately softened when she realized it was me. "Cole…" Her tone shifted to admiration. She was fangirling while I was choking her friend out.

I shot her a withering glare, my lip curling into a snarl. "Shut up," I growled. My gaze shifted back to the man who was gasping for air. "Do. Not. Ever. Talk about her like that again."

He frantically nodded.

"Keep her name out of your mouth." I could say whatever I wanted about her, but no one else was going to say a fucking thing about her, or I'd make sure it was the last thing they ever said with their teeth.

"Cole!" Taylor’s voice cut through my rage. Her hand gripped my shoulder. "Stop it." She tugged at my arm, her voice softening with urgency. "Let him go." Her gaze flicked between the man and me before hardening. "Now!"

I loosened my grip before stepping back. He fell forward, grabbing his knees as he gasped for air. "Apologize." The tone of my voice was lethal. His eyes lifted, meeting mine as he struggled to catch his breath. I didn't care if he couldn't talk or breathe. I surged forward when he didn't say anything.

He thrust out a trembling hand. "Okay."

"Get on your knees," I commanded, jabbing a finger toward the ground.

"What is going on?" Taylor demanded, her gaze darted between us. "Leave him alone, Cole."

I took a menacing step forward, my fists clenched at my sides. "Get on your fucking knees, or I'll put you on them." He sank down, knees hitting the floor with a thud. "Now apologize for what you did and be very specific."

He hung his head. "I'm…"

I shoved my foot into his leg. "Look her in the eyes."

Swallowing hard, he lifted his head and his gaze met hers. "I'm sorry for calling you a whore." Taylor's eyes widened. "I'm sorry for implying that I wanted to have sex with you."

"Get the fuck out of here," I growled. "And if I hear her name or anything about her come out of your mouths again, I'll have more than just your jobs."

The young girl's eyes widened, her bottom lip quivering. "Y-yes, sir."

We stood in tense silence, watching as the pair scurried off like scared rabbits.

Taylor's forehead creased, her voice barely above a whisper. "You did that for me?" She held my gaze, confusion etched across her pretty face. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak."Why?" she breathed as she shook her head. "Why would you defend me when you're the one who told them I was a…" She couldn't bring herself to repeat the word.

I couldn't answer that—not out loud to her anyway. "I shouldn't have said that," I admitted, my voice gruff with reluctance.

The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Are you apologizing?"

My gaze shifted to her pointer finger, still coated with cookie dough like I'd interrupted her mid-swipe. "You still eat that crap when you're upset." I deliberately sidestepped her question.

Her gaze followed mine, widening like she'd completely forgotten it was there. She shrugged and brought her finger to her lips, but I was faster than she was.

I caught her wrist. "Mine," I murmured, my voice low and husky. The moment our eyes locked, an electric current passed between us. Time seemed to slow as I brought her finger to my lips. The sweet scent of sugar filled my nose as I closed my mouth around her finger, slowly sucking the cookie dough off. I watched, transfixed, as her lips parted, a soft gasp catching in her throat. I wrapped my tongue around, making sure to get every bit off before slowly pulling her finger out of my mouth.

Releasing her hand, I ran my tongue across my lips. "Mmmm. Pretty good." I spun around and walked away. I wasn't sure why I did that, any of it, other than my feelings for Taylor were present and raw.

Chapter Eleven

Taylor

If you had told me any time in the last two years that I'd be standing outside Cole's hotel room babysitting him while he screwed two random blondes, I'd have laughed and told you that you were delirious, but here I was, listening to the moans through the thin walls.

My phone vibrated, and I squeezed my eyes closed, saying a silent prayer that it was Wyatt telling me I was off duty for the night, as I pulled it out of my pocket. I groaned. No such luck.

I shifted my weight against the wall. "Hello."

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