“Really, David, I doubt CC could turn the sprinklers on for the club. For one, she’s only visiting here. Do you really think she could even know where the controls to the lawn are?” Oh, look. He’s so cute defending me. It almost makes me feel guilty for trying to drown Cammie. Almost.
“Besides that,” Jason pipes up, “she’s been with me the entire time, and I can assure you that she didn’t have time to do anything other than make me a very happy man by agreeing to dance with me.” Aww, Jason! Covering for me even though he probably suspects that I did, in fact, turn on the sprinklers—which, by the way, unless someone finds the controls, have turned the green grass into grass with mini-rivers running through them. I look up at Jason and smile as he puts his arm around my shoulders in support. It kind of shocks me, but the small growl I hear from Gray shocks me more. I look at him and can clearly see jealousy shooting out of his eyes. Inside, the little girl in me is screaming: yes!
“You’ll have to wait for that dance. I need to go home and change, and since CC is with me, she’s going too,” Gray says, his voice hard.
“She can stay if she wants. I’ll be glad to escort her home. After all, if I had been her date, I wouldn’t have left her all alone in a room full of strangers,” Jason says. Yikes, what have I gotten myself into?
“I want you gone!” Cammie says like the spoiled child she still is.
“I don’t. Really, David, you need to control your daughter. Making these wild accusations against my friend and now demanding she leaves? It’s all very childish and unprofessional,” Jason says, and if I wasn’t afraid Gray would tear his head off his body, I just might kiss him right now.
“Yes, well…” Cammie’s father begins, looking very uncomfortable. Jason might not be on par with Riverton Metals, but his mother and father definitely are, and Jason isn’t exactly a slouch. Gray must get tired of all of this—especially Jason. He comes over and very securely pulls me into him and away from Jason. He locks his arm around me, keeping his hand on my hip. He’s warm and it feels good to be in his arms again, even if he is wet. How does a man get to be so bone-snuggling hot when he’s wet? That should be impossible, but Gray feels like a heater right now—my own private heater. Mine. One that Cammie can’t have. Who knew I could be territorial?
“I’ll be taking CC home, since she’s my date for the evening, but I think she’s at the very least owed an apology.”
Geez! Okay, this might be taking it too far.
“What?” Cammie shrieks again. Seriously, that woman’s voice. I’m surprised the windows didn’t shatter. “I most certainly will not apologize! I don’t know how, but I’m sure she did this!” Time to pack it up and go home. Not because I want to back down, but because I’m standing entirely too close to David Riverton and my knife is nowhere around with which I would geld him.
“I’m sorry you feel this way. I, however, am rather tired. I’ll just be going.”
“Lucas, in light of tonight, I think we should have a meeting about your future with Riverton Metals,” David says, playing his trump card.
Fear hits me and a shiver runs up my spine. I reacted from the gut. I didn’t mean to ruin Gray’s chances of getting the endorsement deal he’s been working for. Shit.
“Mr. Riverton,” I start to say.
“That will be fine, David. We’ll talk tomorrow before I head out of town.”
“You’re going out of town?” I ask at almost the same exact time Cammie does.
“I’m taking CC home to meet my family. We’ll be gone for a couple of weeks,” Gray says and my gasp competes with Cammie’s.
I’m still trying to form words when he escorts me out of the club from hell, leaving a drowned Cammie there with her mouth hanging open, an outraged David Riverton, and a smiling Jason. Gray takes me out to his car and I’m inside and buckled in before I even have time to go over the exchange that just happened.
“I can’t go home with you!” I finally tell him, finding my voice once we’re a couple miles down the road. “I have a job!”
“Jackson can do it while we’re gone. You owe me for the shit you put me through tonight and for probably costing me the Riverton contract,” he grumbles.
“Gray,” I start, already feeling guilty.
“Just save it until we get home. Once we get there, you can explain what you were doing letting another man paw you in front of everyone.”
“What? What are you talking about?”