by Cala Riley
We go up to the bar and I order us a couple of sodas before finding a place against the railing surrounding the dance floor.
“Oh, my goodness. Look at how they move. It’s so cool looking,” Tinsley gushes.
I see Virgil talking on the other side of the dance floor. Finley’s going to hate me, but Tinsley is going to love it.
“Just wait. You haven’t seen the best yet. I’ll be right back.”
I walk over to the man, standing to the side as to not interrupt their conversation.
“Well, don’t be shy, son. Come on over here.” He gestures.
I walk closer and hold out my hand. “Hello, sir. My name’s Xavier. I have a favor I would like to ask of you.”
He gives my hand a firm shake. “Virgil. What is it you need?”
“You see that pretty girl over there?” I point toward Tinsley.
He looks over with a smile. “The pretty young brunette over yonder?”
“That would be the one. It’s her very first time in Texas and I was wondering if you would dance with her. She would love it.”
He pats me on my shoulder. “It would be my pleasure to give your young lady a stroll on the dance floor. You’re a good man. Not many men are willing to let their ladies dance with another fella.”
I laugh. “Oh, she’s not my lady. She’s a friend visiting from out of state.”
He chuckles. “Are you trying to put yourself out of the game before it starts?”
“Nah, her game’s not the one I want to be playing,” I say, thinking about Cassi.
He gives me a wink. “Noted. Well, how about I go show your lady friend how us men in Texas do things. Maybe make her want to move here.”
I laugh. “Thank you.”
We walk over to Tinsley together, her eyes questioning as we approach.
“Tinsley, this is Virgil,” I say, stepping up to her side.
“Well, hello there, little lady. I was wondering if you might fancy a stroll on the floor with me?”
I smirk at her when she looks up at me, not sure what he just said, knowing he’s putting it on extra thick just for her.
“He wants to dance with you. Go.” I push her off her stool.
“I don’t know how to dance to this.” Her eyes now wide with fear.
“Don’t you fret. By the time we’re done, you’ll be the envy of everyone in here. All the guys will want to dance with you while the girls will wish they looked as good as you out on that floor.”
Virgil’s a smooth talker, that’s for sure.
She gives me one last look before sliding her hand into his and letting him lead her to the edge of the dance floor. They talk a little as they wait for the next song to come on. Once it does, he pulls her out, placing her left hand on his shoulder, while taking the other in his hand.
Then they are moving.
My mind goes back to seeing him dance with Cassi. She made it look effortless. She looked gorgeous under the dim lights as he twirled her around the floor. Like she was born for this.
The dance with Tinsley is similar, but not as complicated. He keeps the steps simple, moving her easily across the floor. Before I forget, I pull out my phone, recording them.
Once they are done, she gives Virgil a hug before coming back to me.
“Oh. My. God. That was so much fun! I want to do that all the time.” She takes a long swig of her soda.
“I’m sure if you ask, he’ll keep dancing with you. He’s kind of known for dancing with the ladies.”
She chuckles. “Oh, I plan on it.”
“You should send this to Fin.” I motion toward the video now playing on my phone.
She laughs. “He will love that. Send it to me.”
“Have you talked to him?” I ask casually.
She sighs. “He won’t tell me what he had to take care of, but he assures me he’s safe and that he wanted me away from it all. I knew when he stopped working for Rocky that he would owe him a favor.”
“It must have been a big one for him to send you out here. He hates me.”
She swats my arm. “He doesn’t hate you. Finley trusts you. He knew I would be safe here with you and you wouldn’t let anyone mess with me.”
“Well shit, now that you say that, you better delete that video or else he will never let you visit me again.” I try to grab her phone, but she pulls away.
“No way! I’m sending it. You already sealed your fate, buddy.”
“Damn, X, you’ve been holding out. Who is this dime piece?” I shake my head as I turn to greet Jack.
“Hands off, Jack. This is my best friend, Tinsley, who is off-limits.”
He places his hand over his chest. “I’m wounded. Why would you put someone as pretty as her off-limits?”
I push his shoulder. “It’s not me putting her off-limits. She has a psychotic boyfriend who wouldn’t think twice about burying your ass, and then I would likely get a shitty ass roommate. I’m simultaneously saving your life while keeping mine pleasant.”
“Hey,” Tinsley protests. “I can handle myself.” She reaches out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He looks at her hand with wide eyes like he’s afraid, but then he smiles, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? I’m not eighty.” She rolls her eyes.
“That’s what we call all the pretty ladies down here. Speaking of pretty ladies, X, did you know your girlfriend is on the other end of the bar in a sexy little get-up getting all the guys riled up?”
My heart races. “Cassi’s here?”
“Funny, I thought she wasn’t your girlfriend?” Tinsley quips.
“It’s complicated,” I mumble.
“Well, complicated or not, let’s go say hi.” She gets off her stool, but I wave her off remembering the look on Cassi’s face earlier.
“Let me talk to her first. I’ll be right back. Jack, will you keep Tins company?” I give him the look that says this is serious.
“Of course. Go get your girl.”
I walk toward the end of the bar, spotting her instantly.
Fuck, does she take my breath away. She’s a walking wet dream. In a black, lace dress that barely covers her ass, her legs look sexy as fuck. She has her hair curled, falling across her back, ending just above the hem of her dress. Her tan legs peek at me between the material of her dress and her high, cowgirl boots. She looks like she just stepped out of a country music video.
The group she’s with burst out with laughter, shaking me from the trance she pulled me under.
Walking up to her, I let my hand fall to the small of her back as I whisper in her ear, “Fuck, you look sexy as hell right now. I could just eat you up.”
She stiffens. “Xavier, what are you doing here?”
Her voice is emotionless, which tells me that look I saw earlier was something.
“Tinsley invited you to come with us. You said you were busy.” I can feel myself getting defensive.
Why is she acting like this?
“I guess I just assumed this wasn’t her scene.” She gestures to the table that has gotten eerily quiet.
“Can we go somewhere to talk?” I change tactics.
“Nope, I’m busy. Run back off to your little girlfriend,” she dismisses me, turning back to her friends.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her my girlfriend is sitting in front of me, but before I can say a word, one of the guys from the table stands up, offering his hand to her.
“I would love to dance, Ian,” she answers his unasked question, getting up from her stool.
Seeing her hand in his snaps something inside of me. Before I know what I’m doing, I pull her from his grip, placing my body in front of hers.
“Get your hand off my girl,” I grit out.
“Sounds like she doesn’t want to be your girl anymore. Take the hint, buddy.” He tries to step around me, but I sidestep to block him.
Cassi pushes me back. “Get away from me, asshole.”
“No,” I say over my shoulder. “You’re not going with him.”
“Oh, and who is going to stop me?”
“Me. Your boyfriend. Now we need to talk.” I turn, facing her, but her face is pure fury.
“I’m not going anywhere with you and you’re not my boyfriend. You made that abundantly clear earlier with your size two model.”
Fuck, she’s feisty when mad, but I’m not deterred.
“That’s not what that was. We need to talk.”
The man, Ian, reaches around me, gripping Cassi’s arm, pulling her around me.
I don’t hesitate. I let the red take over, throwing my fist until it connects with his face.
Within seconds, he goes to swing back, hitting my cheek. I don’t hesitate, surging forward until I see Cassie step between us. I stop immediately, but he doesn’t. He continues forward, swinging as he comes.
I see the second he realizes that Cassi is screaming in front of him, but he can’t stop his momentum.
I can, though. I pull her into me, turning, feeling his fist connect with the side of my head. My ear rings as I keep her in my arms, shielding her with my body.
Then a bouncer is beside me, pulling me away. She walks behind us screaming as I’m pulled from the bar.
Outside, they separate us, telling us both to chill out while they figure out what happened.
Tinsley and Jack come rushing out, adding to the tension.
“What happened, Xavier?” Tinsley cries, her eyes wide as she takes in my appearance.
“This fucktard thought he could put his hands on my girl.” I nod to Ian, who has his own group of friends surrounding him.
“I’m not your girl,” Cassi grumbles from beside me.
I don’t miss the fact that her friends are with Ian, but she’s beside me, running her hand along the side of my face and under my eyes.
I wince slightly at the pressure she applies.
“It will bruise, but I think you’ll be okay.” She goes to move away.
I grab her hand and press a kiss to it. “Don’t go.”
Her eyes waiver for a moment, then she nods, pulling her hand out of my grip.
We all stand quietly until the cops pull up.
I hand my wallet, phone, and keys to Cassi. I tell her the PIN to unlock my phone and my pin to pull money from the ATM.
“If you have any trouble, call my dad and tell him what happened. He won’t be happy, but he will get you whatever you need to get me out.”
Cassi looks up at me with an odd look before handing my stuff back. My heart drops, ready to repeat the information to Tinsley, but Cassi meets the cop as he heads our way.
“Hey, Earl,” she says.
“Cassandra. I didn’t expect you to be involved with this. What’s going on?” The officer glances over at me as I stand and move toward her.
“A misunderstanding. They are both cooled down now. We’re going home anyway. There won’t be any more problems.”
He gives her a disapproving look. “Was the disagreement over you?”
She frowns. “Why does that matter?”
“Well, young lady, dressed like you are, I’m not surprised that two fellas are in a fight over you. What are you wearing? Your father won’t be happy when he finds out.”
I wrap my arm around Cassi, pulling her into my side. “Are you saying that there’s something wrong with the way she’s dressed, sir?”
He meets my eyes with a glare. “She shouldn’t be parading herself around in such little clothing. She’s just asking for trouble.”
I go to speak again, but Cassi beats me to it. “Earl, are you saying that because of the way I’m dressed that something bad might happen to me? That’s a very closed-minded way of thinking, isn’t it? Inferring that if something were to happen, it would be my fault? I’m sure my daddy would have a few words to say about that.”
“Well, that’s not what I said now. Don’t you go putting words in my mouth.” He rubs the back of his neck that is noticeably redder. “Look, I need to talk to the boy over there, but if his story matches up, you’ll be free to go.”
We go back to Tinsley and Jack, waiting twenty minutes before they let us go with a stern warning that if they get another call, we will both be escorted out with cuffs.
No worries there because we are leaving.
“Come on, Cass. I’ll take you to your dorm.” I grab her hand, but she pulls out.
“This does not mean we are okay. I can get my own ride home.”
I growl.
Tinsley steps in. “Jack’s going to give me a ride back to my hotel. I’ll text you when I’m safe in my room. Cassandra, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other better next time we meet.”
Tinsley doesn’t wait for an answer, squeezing my arm before she leaves with Jack.
“You’re going to let him take her home? I thought you would want to do that.”
“She’s not my concern, Cass. You are. Please get in the damn car so I can take you home.”
She huffs, but gives in. Once she’s inside, I rub the side of my face that is throbbing before I get in beside her.
I drive toward her dorm, the silence in the car stifling.
“You really gave me your phone code and pin to your card? Why?” She finally breaks the silence.
“I trust you,” is all I reply.
“Why did you do that? I never took you for a bar fight kind of guy.”
“I’m not, but I won’t let another man touch what’s mine.”
“I’m not yours, Avi. We had some fun, but you were always reluctant to put a label on it. What’s changed now?”
The tightness in my chest lessens with her use of her nickname for me.
“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “But I know that I’m not letting you go.”
She doesn’t respond, and I don’t say anything else either.
I’ve never done anything that might land me in jail, but tonight I did. Seeing that man with his hands on her took all sense from my head. All I could think of was getting her in my arms and out of his.
Jealousy.
I was jealous.
This recent development has changed my perspective of everything that has come before.
I’ve had girlfriends before. I’m not a saint either. I’ve had sex, but never once did I feel the way I felt tonight.
If they left me, oh well. The one that cheated? Fuck her. She wasn’t worth it.
Hell, Tinsley’s the only one who ever came close to making me feel this way, but it never was jealousy. I felt like I needed to protect her. My pride was wounded when she chose Finley, but I easily accepted him when I saw how happy he made her. Well, that and when I realized he got his head out of his ass and would appreciate her the way she deserved.
Not with Cassie. I don’t think I could let her go, even if she was happier without me. I don’t think I could stand seeing her happy with another man.
We pull up to her dorm and I park, still lost in my thoughts.
“What are you doing?” she asks, shaking me from it.
“Walking you to the door. Making sure you’re safe,” I say before getting out and walking around to open her door.
Once she’s out, I stay by her side, walking her to the door. Instead of the front door, which is where I was leading her, she grabs my arm leading me around back. Once at the back door, she stops and looks at me.
“I’m not sure how I feel right now. I need time to process, but I want you to come up to my room so I can look at your eye. Then you leave. Agreed?”
I smile at her concern. “I’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yeah, but I am anyway. For my peace of mind, come up.”
It’s more of a demand than a question.
She’s quiet as she leads me up the back stairs. She pokes her head into the hallway both ways before she waves me forward.
Once in her room, she closes the door, gesturing for me to sit o
n one of the beds.
“Sit down. I’m going to get some ice. Be right back,” Cassi says as she exits the room.
I haven’t been inside her dorm before. One side is messy. Clothes balled up on the floor at the end with an unmade bed and an old drink and candy on the end table. The other side, the side she gestured me to, is immaculate. Bed made, not a stitch of clothes anywhere and nothing, but a photo of Cassie and another man on her dresser. There’s another photo of her and the man, along with two older people hanging on the wall.
Her family.
You can see the resemblance between her and Ryan. She looks like a younger version of her mother.
Cassi comes back with ice in a paper cup, setting it on the nightstand. Then she moves to her closet, pulling out a washcloth.
Wrapping a couple of pieces in the washcloth, she moves closer to me. I spread my legs so she can move even closer as she looks at my face.
“It’s going to bruise pretty bad, but the ice should take some of the swelling down.” She carefully presses the washcloth to my face.
“Thanks,” I mumble, not really caring about the ice, but not willing to give up her being here with me.
“I can’t believe you punched that guy,” she mutters.
“I would do so much more than just punch a guy for you, Cass.”
Her eyes meet mine and I see them soften a little.
“Well, how about we not worry about that? I don’t need you going to jail for me. Besides, I agreed to dance with him.”
I bring my hands up to her hips and pull her into me, resting my head on her stomach. She squeaks, but doesn’t stop me, even though it prevents her from icing my face.
“I know, but I couldn’t…” I trail off.
She lets out a heavy sigh, burying her free hand in my hair. “I got it. You know I felt the same way seeing you with Tinsley today.”
“I never want you to feel that way. She’s just a friend.”
“How am I supposed to feel when I see you light up seeing her and then finding out her possessive as fuck boyfriend didn’t come with her? It’s suspicious.”
I pull back, looking up into her eyes. “He got into some shit back home and sent her here to keep her safe while he deals with it. Trust me, he’s not happy about it. But he wanted her safe. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out I let Jack take her back to the hotel and I didn’t do it myself. I don’t give a fuck though. Jack’s a good guy, and she’s safe. I needed to be with you. He would’ve done the same had the roles been reversed.”
