Nerdy (Unexpected Lovers, #2) - J.B. Heller Page 0,35

“Thanks,” I mutter and head straight for the main exit.

A large hand wraps around my upper arm as I push through the doors into the cool of the night. I swivel and glare at the person who has the gall to put their hands on me, frowning when I look up at Spencer.

“Hey, pretty lady. Where you off to in such a rush?” he drawls.

I arch a brow as I dip my chin to where he’s still holding me.

He drops his hand immediately. “Sorry,” he says, cringing, no doubt from the scowl on my face.

“I needed some air,” I say, turning away from him and continuing to march away from the restaurant.

His footsteps crunch on the gravel as he follows me into the dark night. “It’s cold as balls out here,” he mutters.

Huh, I didn’t even feel it until he mentioned it. The cool air nips at my bare arms, and I shiver but press on.

“Jesus, woman, you could at least let me go back and get my jacket,” he says, keeping pace with me.

“I didn’t ask you to come with me,” I grumble, glaring at him again.

He shrugs. “I know, but I had a mission this weekend, and I failed already. First day on the job, and I fucked it up.”

I pause, turning to face him. His hands are buried deep in the pockets of his dress pants, and he looks almost bashful. “A mission?” I inquire.

“I was supposed to keep the she-devil away from you and Bash. Woman’s got it in her head that he’s going to go crawling back to her, and she can be mean as a snake when she wants to be. I swear, I took my eyes off her for two minutes to hang a leak, and when I came back, everything had gone to shit,” he says.

I arch a brow. “You don’t say,” I mutter, turning on my heel to continue on my way.

“Let me at least come with you,” Spencer calls.

Peering over my shoulder, I shrug at him. “Fiiine.” Spence offers me his arm, and I take it. “Think you could give me a ride back into the city in the morning?” I ask. I’m tired of wanting a man I can’t have, and the last thing I want is another run-in with Jayla.

“Have you seen Em?” I ask my sister after I’ve thoroughly searched the crowd but keep coming up empty.

The look in Storm’s eyes is not reassuring. “What happened, Bash?”

“Nothing. She went to the bathroom, like, twenty minutes ago, and now I can’t find her,” I say, not wanting to bring up Jayla acting like a conniving bitch.

“Yeah, I spoke to her in the ladies’; she sounded upset, but she clearly didn’t want to talk to me about it. Does this have anything to do with Jayla? I saw her approach you two earlier. It didn’t look like a pleasant conversation,” she says, her gaze assessing me.

I swallow and run a hand through my hair. “It might. I don’t know. Em kinda shut down on me after that.”

The look in my twin’s eyes is reminiscent of her namesake. Anger and concern swirl in her amber orbs, and I wrap my arms around her, hugging her close. “Don’t worry about it. I got this. You just enjoy your night. Everyone’s here for you, Stormy,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Jake steps up beside us, worry written all over his face. “What’s going on? I just saw Spence chasing Emory out the door.”

Fuck.

I hand my sister off to him and run my hand through my hair again. “Shit, fuck,” I mumble. “I’ll sort it. You two don’t need to worry about it, okay? Go mingle with your guests.”

“Bash,” Jake says, stopping my retreat. His arm is secured protectively around Storm’s shoulders, and I’m so fucking grateful she has him. “We can tell her to leave, you know,” he says.

My brows furrow. “What? Why? She hasn’t done anything wrong. I’m sorry we’re causing drama and this is supposed to be abo—”

“Not Emory,” Storm says. “Jayla. She’s obviously the source of this. She’s supposed to be my friend, but she’s creating problems when she’s supposed to be here to support me. If this is how she’s going to behave, I’d rather she wasn’t here.”

I swallow hard. I never wanted to put my sister in this position, and now I’m screwing with what is meant to be the best weekend of her life. “I...” I lick my lips. “This weekend