Abbi Glines - Misbehaving

My blood pounded in my head, and I knew I was heaving, as my breathing was difficult. “Where is she?” I asked Rock.

“She’s in Mobile at Delilah’s,” Krit answered instead. “Rock don’t know shit. I’m the one who goes there and pays for all the damn lap dances so she doesn’t have to give them to those horny-ass men.”

The image of Jess’s body being on display to a bunch of men was all it took. I turned and took off running.

JESS

Krit hadn’t been back since I had yelled at him outside. I needed to call him and apologize. He hadn’t deserved that. And without him here deflecting all the lap dances, I was having to stomach my way through them more and more often.

It was almost my time for the stage. This was the easiest time of night. The lights blinded me, so I couldn’t see the men watching. I was all alone up there and dancing for fun. I adjusted the top of the red velvet. My nipple was almost showing, it was cut so low. I would be taking it off soon anyway, but Dee liked us covered when we walked out onstage.

“You’re up,” the stage manager called, and I checked my lipstick to make sure it was on correctly before heading up the stairs and to the curtains. The first night I had done this I had been so sick I was afraid I would throw up onstage. But then I’d walked out there and realized I couldn’t see them.

The beat started, and I knew it was my cue. I pulled back the curtain and lifted my leg before slowly setting it outside, then let the rest fall back until I was standing there in my costume and stilettos. I heard the usual catcalls and cheers, but I tuned them out. The cool metal of the pole touched my hand as I started my routine and focused on the music.

A loud shout startled me, and then some other noise. I stopped dancing and squinted into the dark room. I could see a man moving through the crowd to the stage, but it was so dark all I could tell was that he shoving people out of his way. I glanced around, looking for one of the bouncers before he made it to the stage. I had heard horror stories about men climbing onto the stage to get to a dancer. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get back up here again after that kind of experience.

I backed up, ready to run offstage, when the stage lights hit the man’s face.

Jason.

That wasn’t right. Why was Jason here? I watched as he jumped up onto the stage and stalked toward me with a determined look on his face.

He wrapped a coat around me.

“Off the stage, Jess. If you don’t want me to take on every damn man in this club, you’ll get off this stage for me.” His voice was urgent. T.J., one of the club’s bouncers, jumped up onstage and started toward Jason. I had to act fast. I pushed him behind me and shook my head at T.J.

“No. He’s with me. It’s okay. I’ll deal with it,” I told him, pushing Jason back as I walked backward.

“Garrison wants him out of here,” T.J. informed me. I was sure Garrison did, but that wasn’t happening. At least, not the way they thought it was.

“If Garrison wants me here, then he’ll let me handle this,” I replied.

T.J. flicked his gaze back over my shoulder toward Jason, then back at me. “I’ll tell him. Hurry,” he said.

I nodded and turned to Jason and pushed him backstage with me.

When we were out of view, I stared up at him, trying not to think about how clean he smelled. How unlike me. I started to back away, realizing he was touching me. I was dirty. He didn’t need to touch me. His hands tightened on my arms. “You’re getting your clothes and we’re leaving.”

I didn’t know why he was here or how he knew where to find me, but I couldn’t leave. I would lose my job. I wanted to leave with him. I wanted to look at him and hear him talk. But I couldn’t. “I can’t. They’ll fire me.”

“Good, because you’re done here,” he said, grabbing my hand. “Where is your dressing room?”

“I need this job. You don’t understand. This isn’t something I’m doing because I want to.”

“You think I don’t know that?” he interrupted me. “The only reason you’re stripping in front of those men is because you’re desperate. I’ve talked to Krit and Rock. I know everything that you should have told me.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you lied to me. You . . .” He stopped and closed his eyes, then muttered a curse. “I’m gonna beat the shit outta Jax when I see him. He knew.”

Jax? What the hell did Jax have to do with this?

“This isn’t your problem. It’s mine. I had a way to fix it, and I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle me stripping, so I did what I had to,” I explained.

“Because you were protecting me,” he said, staring at me like I had done something noble instead of something degrading.

“If you weren’t such a crowd-pleaser, I’d fire you,” Dee said from behind me. “We finally get rid of the tattooed guy, and now this? Really? Can’t you tell your boyfriends to stay the hell away when you’re working?”

I started to explain, but Jason took me and pulled me behind him as if he was protecting me from Dee. “You won’t have to deal with it anymore, because she won’t be coming back,” he said.

Dee cocked an eyebrow and a hip, then looked over his shoulder at me. “Is that so?”

I opened my mouth to say no.

“Yes, it is. Jess is done here,” Jason said.

I had to do something. “No, Jason, stop,” I said, struggling to get around him. “You can’t come in here and do this. I have bills to pay, and this pays them. You can’t just—”

“Do you love me, Jess?” he asked, interrupting me.

Why was he asking me this? He knew I loved him. I’d told him that already.

“Do you love me?” he repeated as I stared at him.

“You know I do,” I finally replied.

“Say it,” he said.

I didn’t have time for this. I had said it once and he hadn’t said it back. I wasn’t saying it again. I had a job to save. “I don’t see what that—”

“Say it, Jess,” he pleaded, pulling me close to him. His voice had dropped to that sexy deep sound that always made me melt.

“I love you,” I said, unable to tell him no.

“I love you more. And I won’t let one more man see what belongs to me again. I will take care of it. Everything. Your mother will have the absolute best medical care available. I won’t argue with you about it. That’s how it’s going to be. I’m taking care of you because you’re the reason I wake up in the morning, and when you took that reason away from me I was miserable. Fucking miserable. I never want to feel like that again.”

“You love me?” I repeated, still stuck on that part of everything he’d just said.

A grin tugged at his lips. “More than life,” he said.

“Really?” I asked, needing to hear it again.

“Oh, for chrissake, he said it already. He loves you. Get your clothes and get going. I couldn’t figure out why you didn’t have a prince charming running after you to save the day.” Dee’s voice reminded me that we weren’t alone. I turned to look at her, and she nodded toward the back door. “Go on. You never belonged here to begin with,” she said, and turned to walk away.

“Let’s go,” Jason said in my ear.

“You can’t just pay for my mother’s medical bills. It isn’t right,” I argued. “You don’t even have the money. Your mother does, and she hates me. She tried to pay me to break up with you.”

“She what?” he asked.

Crap. I hadn’t meant to say that. “She, uh . . . The day after you left me last time. She came by my house and offered me money to break up with you and disappear. I didn’t take it and I told her no. Then I found out about Momma that night, so she got her wish anyway.”