I lowered my voice. "I can be a lot of things. And trust me, you don't want to find out."
She jerked back. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you've got one minute. Go with him. Or walk."
"Oh, fine," she muttered, clutching the blanket tighter. "But I'm keeping the blanket."
I glanced down at the thing. "Like I'd want it back."
Finally, complaining all the way, Brittney stalked barefoot out the front door, and finally allowed the driver to guide her into the waiting SUV. A moment later, they were gone.
I turned to Chloe. Finally, we were alone.
Or not – because damn it, Bishop called out from somewhere upstairs. "Well, that went good."
I looked up. Sure enough, there he was, lounging against the bannister in sweatpants and no shirt. His look said it all.I told you so.
Yeah, whatever. I turned back to Chloe.
She was glaring up at Bishop. "Eavesdropping again?" she said.
"No," he said. "Trying to sleep. For all the good it did."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm soooo sorry if we ruined your beauty sleep."
I hollered up to him. "This is a private conversation."
"Private, your ass," Bishop said. "Bet half the neighborhood heard."
Like I cared. The only neighbor I cared about was the girl standing next to me. "Oh, fuck off," I told him, and then, remembering Chloe, I gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry."
She said nothing and looked toward the front door. It was shut. I wanted it to stay shut. I wanted Chloe to stay here with me, not just tonight, but forever.
Looking at her now, my heart ached. She looked small and tired, and I knew the reasons why. She'd had a shitty night, mostly thanks to me. Somehow, I'd make it up to her. I'd make everything up to her. I just needed the chance.
Bishop's voice cut into my thoughts. "Told you that was a bad idea. But women, what do you expect?"
What the hell? Was hetryingto be a dick about it?
Chloe made a sound of annoyance. "That's it. I'm outta here."
"Hey," Bishop said, "don't leave on my account. I'm heading back to bed."
I turned to glare at him. "Yeah, you do that." Struggling to keep my cool, I reached up to rub the back of my neck. Everything felt too tight. A lot was riding on the next few minutes, and so far, it wasn't going great.
Next to me, Chloe hollered up to Bishop. "I hope you sleep like crap!"
Any other time, I would've laughed. But I couldn’t. Because I was losing her. Or maybe I already had. Sure enough, she turned toward the door.
Something like panic seized my heart. "Chloe." I reached out for her. "Don't leave."
She ignored me and flung the door wide open.
"You're not walking," I said.
She turned to glare at me. "We already had this discussion."
Okay, so maybe I couldn’t keep her here. But Icouldmake sure she got home safely. "At least let me drive you."
