The Closer You Come (The Original Heartbreakers 1)

Beck cursed, and the woman jerked around. Her identity registered, and Brook Lynn scowled. Though Jessie Kay would probably pretend not to care, she was not going to like this. At all.

Charlene Burns tugged up the straps of her dress and leaped to her feet. Without her as an anchor, West stumbled backward. His hair was mussed, his eyes bloodshot. Dark stubble dusted his jaw. There were smears of lipstick along the column of his throat, and his shirt was unbuttoned to the navel, revealing a set of washboard abs that might have been sculpted from granite. His pants gaped open at the fly, and Brook Lynn immediately averted her gaze.

“Y’all here to chaperone?” Charlene asked with a sneer. “How sweet.”

Beck stomped over to West. “At Tessa’s GED party? Really? At the party you wanted to throw for her, this is how you commemorate her? By picking your next two-month-stand?”

“She’s not my next. Was just fooling around. And you’re one to talk,” West replied. “You sleep with anything that moves.”

Beck was unfazed by the insult. “This isn’t you, man. You need to pull your head out of your ass and think.”

“Just back off.” West shoved Beck.

Beck could have shoved back—or worse—but he merely held up his hands, palms out, a do what you feel you must pose. Still, his eyes were on fire with anger.

Brook Lynn calmly faced Charlene and pointed to the exit. “Go. Now.”

“Hell, no.” Charlene slapped her hands on her hips, though she barely spared Brook Lynn a glance, too enraptured by the guys. “West invited me back to the house, and I accepted. I’d be rude to leave him now.”

Must control myself. Shouldn’t attack.

“You will leave the party,” Brook Lynn said, “and you won’t contact West again. He’s in a bad place, and you’re taking advantage of him.”

“Advantage?” Charlene snorted. “He came on to me. I was talking to your sister and he interrupted, asking if I wanted two orgasms or three. I wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than four, so we decided to get started right away.”

So...he’d come on to her in front of Jessie Kay, who crushed on him despite his abysmal treatment. That must have stung something fierce. Was Jessie Kay spiraling even now?

“Get out,” Brook Lynn insisted, fingers tight on the can of pepper spray. I will not use it. I will not freaking use it. “I mean it.”

Charlene looked over at West and Beck. West barely seemed to register her presence, he was in such a drunken daze.

“Go,” Beck said. “Now.”

“One,” Brook Lynn said. “Two.” She stepped forward.

“Okay, okay.” Charlene stomped from the stall.

“Come on,” Beck said to West. “Let’s get you to the house and sobered up before you cause any more trouble.”

Brook Lynn tried to branch away from them, thinking to find Jessie Kay, but Beck grabbed hold of her wrist, stilling her.

“You’re going with us,” he said.

She shook her head. “I’m going to find my sister and stick by her. I’ll be okay.”

He hesitated to let her go. “I don’t want you maneuvering through the crowd on your own.”

“I don’t care.”

“Fine. West and I will help you find her.”

West jerked from Beck’s hold. “No way. I’m not going near Jessie Kay. Not sure whether I’ll insult her or screw her.”

Screw her?

Beck had to fight him to restrain him, gritting out, “I’ll find her, then. And Jase, for that matter. It’s time. Just do me a solid and stay here with Brook Lynn. Guard her. Don’t let anyone approach her. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Fine,” West grumbled.

“Brook Lynn?” Beck asked, his brow raised.

“I’m good with that plan.”

Beck took off without another word, and West leaned against the wall, only to slump to the ground.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Not even close,” he said. “But I will be. Tomorrow.” His head fell forward, his chin banging into his sternum.

Falling asleep?

Yep. The next thing she heard was a snore.

Brook Lynn paced the small confines of the stall, kicking pieces of straw out of her way, as well as— Gross! A pair of panties. Not wanting anyone else to discover them, she picked them up and, grimacing, flicked them into the trash can.

A pair of brown boots came into view. Expecting to see Beck, she glanced up—and spotted Stan.

Gasping, she scrambled backward. He’d changed the color of his eyes with contacts, and he’d shaved his head. His lips were chapped and pressed into a thin line. He wore a staff uniform, white button-up and black slacks.

“Alone at last,” he said, sparing the unmoving West a glance. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all night. Hell, long before. I heard about the party and decided there was no better time or place. Only fair.”

Only fair? “Dressing as a waiter. Is that how you got in the building?” she demanded, stalling as she scrambled to plan her next move.

“After our little chat at the Inn, I knew Jase would be coming for me, so I moved in here, where you planned to have Tessa’s party. You may have hired guards to keep me out, but I was already inside. Now sit,” he commanded, pointing to a chair that had been pushed against the wall. “We’ll wait for Jase together.”