Page 38 of Broken Romeo
I didn’t bother correcting her that I wasn’t drunk. As I reached for a California roll, she smacked the back of my hand. Hard. Harder than I considered playful.
I imagined that rough hand gripping my hair, pulling it. Clawing down my back. Squeezing my ass as I pushed inside her.
“That’s unsanitary,” she snapped and handed me the tongs that were beside the platter.
The redhead looked back and forth between us a few times before saying, “Kate, you didn’t tell me you knew the Jaguar’s star quarterback.”
My smile spread and I offered the redhead my hand. “Holden Dorsey. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Jill. Kate’s roommate.”
“Jill,” I repeated, filing the name away for later.
Kate rolled her eyes. “Don’t you mean Jillian since you apparently call everyone by their full names?”
Jill gave Kate a strange look as she shook my hand. “Uh, except my name’s not Jillian. It’s just Jill.”
This night just got a whole lot more interesting. “Nice to meet you, Katherine’s roommate, Just Jill.”
Duncan shuffled a few steps away from Kate. Bro-Code and all that.
“Since your shifts are over, why don’t you both stay for the party?” he asked.
Jill smiled and looked expectantly at Kate.
I lifted my eyebrows, challenging her. “They probably need to be home to the dorms before curfew.”
Scowling, Kate crossed her arms, clamping her latex-gloved hands around her biceps. “The curfew’s only for our guests. Not for us.”
“Great!” Duncan exclaimed. “Then you can both stay.”
Jill smiles and brushes her hands against her pants saying, “I actually can’t. I have to bring all the supplies back to the office tonight. But Kate can. She’s technically off the clock now.”
Jill’s smile stayed firmly in place while Kate pursed her lips, glaring at her friend.
After a few seconds of silent communication, Kate huffed a sigh, then turned to Duncan, taking a step closer to him.
My heart slammed into my ribcage as she placed her palm on his chest, and I resisted the primal urge to tear her hand from his body.
“Only if you’ll save me a dance,” she said to Duncan, her voice low and sultry.
The change was so sudden. In the blink of an eye, she turned from girl next door to sex kitten. Holy shit.
Even Duncan seemed momentarily mesmerized. Completely forgetting the Bro-Code, he nodded, murmuring, “Uh, y-yeah. Hell, yeah I will.”
Then, he met my gaze and backed away, excusing himself from the girls.
Jill brushed her fingers along Kate’s forearm where some red welts were starting to form. “Kate, did you touch your skin?”
With a glance at her arm, Kate groaned and yanked the latex gloves from her hand, tossing them into the garbage. “Dammit.”
Jill was already rummaging around in her purse until she yanked a bottle free, the sound of pills bouncing around the plastic like a maraca. She placed a single, small pill in Kate’s palm. “Here, take this. I’ve got to run. Sandy is waiting for me in the van for the last delivery. But that should help the rash.”
Jill pulled Kate into a hug and whispered something in her ear, but the only response she got was an eye roll.
“Have fun! Text me if you need a ride home!” Jill called over her shoulder, before disappearing into the crowd.
Once Jill was gone, Kate’s entire persona changed. She shifted her weight, uneasy on her feet.