Page 30 of Dirty Ex-Mas
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”
He doesn’t let go. Instead, he wraps both arms around me from behind. Pinning me against his body. His long, hard body that I enjoy being up against. I sink into him slightly.
“What are you doing here, Quinn? And with a gun?” He squeezes my midriff tightly, taking my breath away.
“None of your business.” I try to turn in his arms to get myself free, but he’s holding me too tight. At first this squeezing was cute, but I now realize he means business.
“Stop moving, Quinn.”
“No!” I wriggle more, then stomp on his foot with my heel.
“Fuck!”
I feel a little bad for hurting him. But Daria said that I was not to tell anyone I spoke to my true reason for being here under any circumstances. And that it was imperative I make my storyline convincing. Regardless, he didn’t let me go.
“Look,” Reed says. “I won’t ask again. This is your last chance. What are you doing here with a gun?”
“None. Of. Your. Business.”
“The hell it’s not my business. You had a gun pointed at my best friend. At his fucking engagement party. Are you crazy?” He grabs me by the upper arm and throws me toward the bed. I land in an ungraceful heap, my dress bouncing up around my thighs.
His gaze heats as it lowers to my bared legs—the top of the slit in my dress barely covering my lady bits. Making me want to spread them slightly. Until I remember he just asked if I was crazy.
“No, I’m not crazy. Don’t be a jerk.” I try to sit up, adjusting my dress as I go.
“Can you just sit there, please? For a minute, while I wrap my head around this?”
I nod once so that my actions aren’t a total lie. I mean, I will sit here for a minute, but not too much longer.
“What’s really going on Quinn?” He walks toward me; his voice is low and gravelly. I’m digging this deep, sexy tenor he’s got going on, it makes my lady parts all atwitter—but it doesn’t mean I will answer his questions honestly.
“It upset me.” I try to act nonchalant, casually standing as I answer. I need to get out of here before I do something stupid like tell him the truth.
“What did?” He pushes lightly at my chest and I bounce back onto the bed. Damn high heels make me unsteady on my feet.
“His engagement.”
He laughs. “So, you thought you’d shoot him?”
“Why not?” I raise my chin as I open my eyes to look at him.
“Do you expect me to believe that?” His eyes squint and he cocks his head.
“It’s the truth.”
“Okay, so after months and months of no contact at all, you suddenly decide that you’re upset enough about his engagement to shoot him at his own party?”
“That’s what I said.”
“You guys went on, what? Three dates?”
I shrug. I don’t really want to talk any longer.
“So, not like the relationship of the year or anything. Why not just, I don’t know, slap him in the face? Crank call him in the middle of the night? Post shit about him on social media? Like what normal jilted girls do?” He snaps his fingers to get my attention.
“Sounds like the girls you’ve jilted are boring, Reed.”
He grins sardonically. “I guess so if the alternative is getting shot.”
