Page 73 of The Red Zone
My eyes had been anchoredon Mae since the moment I stepped foot into the party, but even more so now after seeing Bobby talking to her. I didn’t know the guy personally, but from what little I’d heard of him, none of it had been positive.
I made it halfway into the living room, scanning the crowd with each step before I found Mae dancing with some of her friends with a red solo cup in hand, nearly spilling it every time she rocked her hips side to side to the beat.
Her eyes caught mine from across the room for a brief second as she backed her ass up against her friend to grind on her. Mae maintained eye contact with me, letting out a loud laugh at something her friend whispered in her ear. What was that girl’s name, again? Claudia? Carissa? Didn’t know, didn’t care.
Mae had me right where she wanted me, and we both knew it.
“Hey,” Abel came up next to me. “Have you seen Fortune anywhere? He said he’d be here, but I haven’t seen him all night.”
“Not tonight, man. Sorry.”
According to Mae’s announcement earlier in the night Lea was missing from the party… now Fortune… that couldn’t be a coincidence, right?
Abel mumbled something about him and Scar taking off, but to call him if we needed anything.
We.
Mae and I.
He talked as if we were already a couple and it made me feel like I was on top of the world. Speaking of which, I flickered my gaze back to where Mae had been dancing with—Candace? Cynthia?—whatever her name was, but the two of them were gone.
A slight panic ignited in my chest as I surveyed the crowd. Moving deeper into the room, I was stopped right in my tracks at the sound of that wicked laugh that I knew well. Which only begged the question—who the hell was she talking to and why did she sound pissed off?
Perking up my ears, I heard Bobby’s voice coming from the corner behind me. “Why don’t you want to hang out with me?”
“Why do I get the sense that you feel entitled to an answer?” I made out Mae’s voice over the sound of the music blaring through the speakers. Turning around solidified my prior suspicions were correct.
There she was, being cornered by Bobby, while he gripped tightly at her waist. Mae ducked away from him, but he reached for her again.
He was… touching her. Again.
I tried to simmer the rage that was brewing beneath my skin, but with every second that I watched the two of them interact my jaw clenched harder and my nostrils flared.
“Because I am.”
Something between a scoff and a laugh broke free from Mae’s lips. Anger continued to unfurl in my stomach at the sight of another man’s hands on her body. This Bobby dude had nofuckingidea what kind of beast he’d just unleashed.
Unfortunately for him, I had a whole team of football players here to back me up at a moment's notice if needed. However, I had this innate feeling that I’d be able to handle this guy on my ownjust fine.
My pulse raced as I stalked up to the two of them, nudging my shoulder between their bodies, but the fucker decided to keep his hand planted on her hip anyway.
“Dude, she said no.” I made no attempt to restrain the anger dripping in my tone.
“What are you… her boyfriend or something?”
“N—"
I cut Mae off. “Something like that.” She looked at me with a puzzled expression, but quickly stifled it and turned to him nodding in agreement. “Now get your hands off of her before I break yours.”
He had five seconds to take his hand off her hip before any pretenses of composure I had were stripped away completely. I invaded his personal space, moving forward until we were chest to fucking chest.
Five... Four… Three…
Leveling his gaze with mine, he inched forward with squared shoulders.
“I suggest you back the fuck up.”
“Or what?”
