“I meant, no, I don’t want you to take a cab.” He bent and picked up his gym bag, which was beside the weight bench. “I’ll take you.”
“But I don’t want to mess up your workout. Really, I’ll be fine taking a cab.”
“I don’t like the idea of you in a cab by yourself. It’s not safe.” He put a hand at the small of my back and urged me toward the locker rooms.
“You think nothing is safe when it comes to me,” I complained, stopping outside the women’s locker room. “You have to stop acting like you’re responsible for me. I’m a big girl now, Gray. I can take care of myself just fine.”
He cupped my jaw in one hand. “Little butterfly, I will always feel responsible for you. You’re too precious to me not to.”
“Maybe, but I still think you have serious control issues,” I grumbled.
“Probably,” he agreed with a smirk.
“Fine. Thanks for taking time out of your day to drive me. You can come back after you drop me off though. I’ll get a ride home with one of the others.”
“Nah, I’ll just stay and eat lunch with you,” he said as he went into the men’s locker room.
Kin was not going to be happy with him hanging around, but I wasn’t about to tell him no. Not when I wanted him there with me.
Nearly an hour later, he pulled up in front of the restaurant and let the valet take his car. Everyone else had already arrived, so the hostess took us straight back to our table. Gray wasn’t the only addition to what was supposed to be just a girls’ lunch. Harris Cutter was there with Lucy, and Jace had come as well. Jenna Stevenson had also tagged along with Angie, and it was beside her that I took a seat, with Caleb on my other side.
“You’re late,” Kin chided before giving Gray a reproachful glare. “And you weren’t invited.”
“Pretend I’m not here. You’re good at that.” He waited for the waiter to bring an extra chair, but when he started to place it between Harris and Angie, he took it from the guy and set it between me and Caleb. “What’s up, man?” he greeted Caleb.
Gray and Caleb got along because they had at least one thing in common: weightlifting. Caleb was huge, like World’s Strongest Man huge. It was a running joke among everyone that he bench-pressed small cars for fun, but I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it held a little truth to it. For all of his muscle, however, he seemed like a gentle giant. His twin, who was in every way his exact opposite, had enough of a temper for the two of them.
Angie leaned across Jenna to whisper, “Why did you have to bring the douche noodle?”
“He wouldn’t let me take a cab by myself,” I explained, picking my water glass up.
“Oh yeah, because you’re six and need him to hold your hand to cross the street and all.” Angie rolled her eyes. “Maybe he should adopt you.”
“Leave her alone, Ang,” Jenna admonished. “It’s nice having someone look out for you, and that’s all Gray is doing.”
Yeah, my inner bitch said in that snide voice I hated so damn much. He’s just looking out for his best friend. Because that is all you will ever be to him.
Gray
I set my empty bottle of beer on the bar and picked the fresh one up. Swallowing half of it, I turned to face Sin and Kale, who were beside me. For the first time in weeks, they both had the same night off. We all needed a night out, just drinking and hanging out like old times.
Sin’s gaze was on a group of chicks sitting in a booth across the bar.
Kale’s eyes followed his. “Eight of them, three of us. That should make this a fun night.”
I glanced at the group. With the way they kept looking over at us and giggling, all of them seemed hyper and horny as fuck. There were two brunettes and a redhead, but the rest were blond, all of them dressed for a night of fucking and fun. But I wasn’t interested. The thought of spending the night with one or more of any of them bored me.
All I wanted was to drink a few beers, hang with my friends, and then go home.
To Kassa.
I turned back to the bartender. “I’ll take another,” I told him before finishing off my second beer.
Sin and Kale both let out hard sighs behind me.
“You’re not gonna come have fun with us?” Sin asked, but he already knew the answer.
“Nope,” I answered anyway. “Not in the mood.”