I shake my head. I loosen my legs and he pulls out of me, putting me on the ground. I rearrange my now soaked panties and run my hands over my clothes to adjust. He grabs my hands and leads me through the door. We stop by the bathroom for me to clean up. When we get back to the group, Abbi comes to me with worry on her face. “What happened to you? You’ve been gone forever.”
Shit, will they figure out what we were doing?
“She had a problem going to the bathroom, but I took care of him. Apparently, Tripp was right; she does need an escort all night.” Declan answers for me. Tripp hears this and punches Declan in the shoulder.
“Told you man. You get in a fight?”
“Nah, security was there before I got my first punch. Motherfucker is lucky.”
Robbie shakes his head and I roll my eyes. I’m not sure, but I think I see Finn smiling. I guess I didn’t pay enough attention all those years I came to the shows with these guys. Maybe they really were protecting me.
The show ends and we go back to the designated room. We meet a few other people from Dad’s company. I see a guy I recognize from one of my classes and walk over to say hello. I think his name is Brent.
“It’s Brent, right? I’m Raven Hayes; I think we have Organizational Development together.”
He grins, “Yeah, its Brent. We do have OD at the same time. I recognized you earlier, but didn’t have a chance to talk to you.”
“Ironic, you and I meeting backstage at a concert when we’ve spent almost a whole semester in the same room.” I laugh. “What’d you think of the show?”
“Awesome. I’m a pretty big fan. The backstage access was a gift from my uncle who works for the security group. Not sure I’ll ever go back to the seats again. You?”
“I know! I love being back here, all the energy and activity makes for a much more enjoyable concert experience. My dad’s in security too so we all got passes tonight.” I swing my arm to indicate our large group. I look back at him and I notice he’s paled and has locked eyes on something. I turn my head to see Declan glowering with his arms crossed. He’s pissed again. I try to diffuse the situation with a small wave, but he doesn’t smile back. Instead, he stalks over to us and possessively puts both hands on my hips.
“Babe, who’s your friend?” He says loud enough for Brent to hear.
“This is Brent. He’s in one of my classes. Brent, this is my boyfriend, Declan Collins.”
Brent’s face falls slightly, but he covers it up and extends his hand towards Declan. “Nice to meet you man.”
Declan shakes his hand silently. I elbow him to be polite, but he doesn’t say another thing.
“Babe, we can probably go soon. I think we’re going to walk around Broadway for a little while.” He takes my hand possessively and pulls me away before I can properly say good-bye, but I manage to get out, “See you next week, Brent.”
He smirks at me. “I look forward to it.”
I stop suddenly because I run right into Declan’s chest. His eyes are darker than usual and I know he’s still upset. “Dec, I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just talking to a class mate. He was nice.”
He lets out a long sigh and seems to calm down. “Sparkle, you have no idea, do you? That guy was eye-fucking you from the moment we walked in. I pegged his stare and tried to send him the message you were taken. Then you pranced over in your barely-there clothing and he thought he hit the mother lode.”
“I think you may be overreacting a little.”
“No, I’m not. When you weren’t looking at his eyes, he was sizing you up. He gazed a little too long on your tits for my liking. So when he saw my stare, he knew he was caught.”
“Jesus, you’re jealous! How do you think I feel when I watch your shows and every girl in the room is trying to find a way to fuck you?” I say a little too loudly because I see people looking at us.
He leans down to my ear so no one can eavesdrop, “I think your being jealous is a turn on. So don’t think you can win this argument. No more hitting it up with pretty boy. He wants in your pants. And if you haven’t caught on yet, your ass is practically on display.” He shifts so he can kiss my ear before he stands up and grabs my hand again. We join the group and head out for a night on Broadway.
Chapter 28
Lucky Man
Robbie and I decided we would have Thanksgiving at my house since my parents would be gone and I’d cook. Robbie wanted to eat later in the day so that some of our friends could join us after spending time with their families.
While I was at the Veteran’s Day Parade, we discussed our plans with my parents. We decided to do a joint Thanksgiving/birthday celebration the week after the actual holiday. My parents felt terrible for missing the weekend, but my dad needs to help his friend with an investigation over the holiday weekend.
Sunday before the ho
liday, all three of the Collins are in the kitchen having a hushed conversation. When I walk in the room, they immediately stop talking.