“I know. Don’t worry about me. I got this under control this time.”
He smirks.
“Look, Nash, I don’t want to fight. What happened after the auction the other day…”
“We’re just looking out for you. You know how we get with outsiders. It’s been the four of us for so long. We have to protect our own.”
“Yeah, I get that, but this is different. Briana isn’t some puck bunny.”
“You love her,” he says under his breath.
I stare at him for a long, hard second and then take a sip from my beer.
An awkward beat passes between us before he says, “Kelly Hart just showed up. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Nah, I’m good. You can have her if you want.”
A wicked smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. “You sure? She was asking for you.”
“Nah, she’s yours.” I push myself up from the sill and roll my shoulders. “I think I’m gonna go check on Briana.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You think that’s a good idea after the way she acted in the locker room?”
“She doesn’t have anyone to take care of her,” I spit back, somewhat defensive.
Nash nods. “Okay, well if you change your mind…”
“I won’t. Briana needs me.”
Whether she will admit it or not she does. She needs someone to take care of her. Knowing her, she doesn’t even have enough money to buy Tylenol. Which reminds me, I better stop by whatever store is open this late at night on my way over to her place.
“I thought you were done with her years ago.”
I consider his words for a second. “No, I was never really done with her.”
As far as I’m concerned, we have unfinished business. We ended things on a horrible note. Neither of us had our chance to get what we wanted to say off our chests. I was drunk and stupid. She was drunk and overly emotional and jealous of another woman I had zero interest in. But that didn’t matter to Briana. Her anger and insecurities took control, making her believe I was some lying, cheating asshole when that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
By the time we reach the living room, the party is raging. Classic rock music cranks through the speakers suspended from the ceiling. The bass in the corners of the room vibrates beneath my feet, sending a tremor up my legs. As the son of a tech billionaire, Jamie loves technology. So, of course, this house is packed with gadgets and other cool shit most of us don’t know how to use.
Dozens of half-naked girls, dressed in low-cut tops and short skirts and dresses, dance in the living room. A few girls attempt to grind on my leg as I push through the crowd. But I’m on a mission to get to Briana. I’m so damn worried about her my chest hurts. When I dropped her off earlier tonight, I wanted to run after her. I thought of forcing her to come to stay with me. Except aggressive, bossy tactics like those would never work on Briana. So, I’m just going to check on her and bring her a few things she might need and see how she reacts.
“I’ll be back later,” I yell to Nash over the loud music. “Don’t wait up.”
He winks at me, and then I slip through the crowd, pushing my way out the front door. I type a quick text message, and then a few minutes later, Ramon pulls up at the curb. Before he can get out of the car to open the door for me, I slide into the backseat.
“Good evening, Mr. Rivers. Where would you like to go?”
“Jefferson Hall, the senior dorms on Broad Street.”
“Yes, sir,” he says, which still makes me uncomfortable.
No matter how many times I’ve asked Ramon to call me Julian, he still listens to my father’s orders. He works for daddy dearest, not me. Ramon was once my father’s driver, but after I got accepted into Strickland University, he had insisted Ramon follow me here. I know the real reason I have a personal driver. My dad wants to keep tabs on me. I chose Strick U to get away from him, only to have him threaten to take away my tuition money if Ramon didn’t come with me. So, I had no choice but to agree.
“Wait,” I say to him. “Before we go to Jefferson Hall, can you see if there’s a pharmacy or someplace that sells medicine and snacks open this late?”
“I believe there’s a pharmacy down the street that’s open twenty-four hours,” he says.
“Okay, let’s stop there first. I have to get a few things.”