“Hey,” she said coolly, giving Mya the once over before raising a brow at me. “Cousin.”
“Vaughn, it’s good to see you,” I said, letting her slide her slender arms around my shoulder in an awkward hug.
“We brought supplies, they’re in the car,” Riley said. “Where are the guys? Thought the three of you could come give me a hand and let the girls all catch up.”
Vaughn glanced at me again, before she settled her focus back on Mya. I moved closer to my girl, wrapping my arm tighter around her waist, not liking the way my cousin was looking at her.
“Actually,” I said, feeling all kinds of protective. “Why don’t you two get the supplies and I’ll send the guys down in a second?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Riley gave me an easy smile, but I saw the tightness around his eyes. “Come on, sister of mine.” He marched out of the penthouse, Vaughn following behind.
“So they’re your cousins,” Mya said, her eyes still trained on the door. “I can see the family resemblance between you and Riley, and Vaughn seems… nice.”
I bristled at the tightness in her voice. “Don’t worry about Vaughn.”
“Oh, I’m not worried,” Mya stood a little straighter, shooting me a bemused look. “She isn’t the first white girl who’s looked at me like I’m dirt on her shoe, and she won’t be the last.” She shucked out of my hold and took off deeper into the suite.
Cussing under my breath, I ran a hand down my face. This trip was supposed to be a chance to enjoy ourselves, to be a normal couple away from people’s judgment.
But it was already turning into a fucking disaster.
“You good?” Cam asked me as we leaned against the balcony, watching the girls dance on the floor below. The club Riley and Vaughn had brought us to was crammed, bodies packed in like sardines. But upstairs in the VIP section it was more laid back, which was why we were up here while the girls were down there.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Mya seems to be enjoying herself.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s like when it’s just us, or we’re with you guys, things are great.”
“But?”
“But not everyone’s happy about us. You know what Rixon is like, what the kids at school are like. Hell, even some of the guys on the team give me shit about liking Mya.”
“They don’t mean anything by it.”
“Don’t they? You think I don’t see how people look at us?”
“They’re just curious, man. It’s nothing personal.”
“It feels fucking personal.” I scrubbed my jaw, glancing back at the girls. “You saw how surprised Riley and Vaughn were, and they live here.”
Wasn’t New York like the city of diversity or something?
“Did they say something to you?”
“Riley? Nah, he was just surprised. I know he doesn’t give a rat’s ass who I’m with. But Vaughn made it obvious she didn’t approve.” My jaw clenched. Vaughn had since apologized for her initial reaction to Mya, but the damage was already done, and the two of them had steered clear of one another during the pre-club drinks back at the penthouse.
“I just thought we could come here and leave all the bullshit back in Rixon. But it’s never going away is it? There will always be people who look at us together and disapprove.”
“Fuck them all. They don’t matter,” Cam said. “People will always cast judgment. But you’re better than that. Rise above it and just do you.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I see the way you look at Mya, you’re in deep with her.”
“Gone,” I said quietly. “I’m totally gone for her.”
It was fucking terrifying how strongly I felt about her. How desperately I wanted to make this thing between us work.
Despite all the obstacles stacked against us.
“Then that’s all that matters. The rest is all white noise.”
But it wasn’t. It was incessant chatter, a constant hum in the background that, no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t ignore.
“She told Hailee and Flick she’s applied to Cleveland,” Cam went on. “You know, it’s only a couple hours from Pittsburgh.”
“I know.” I curved my hands around the railing.
“So, how do you feel about that?”
“Relieved.” So fucking relieved. “But my old man isn’t going to be impressed.”
“What’s it got to do with your dad?”
“I...” The words were right there. Tell him. Just rip off the Band-Aid and tell him.
Before I could get them out, Cam’s expression darkened. His eyes narrowed past me. “Fuck,” he hissed.
“What is—” I turned just in time to see some douche put his hands on Mya.
I took off, shouldering past a few people, ignoring Cam’s yells as I hurried down the stairs and onto the dance floor. I’d lost Mya and the girls in the crowd, but I could just make out the tall fucker who had put his hands on my girl.
Anger swam in my veins as I pushed and jostled bodies out of the way, bursting through the crowd. “Touch my girl again and you’ll...” The words dried on my tongue as I took in the scene before me. Mya was all up in the guy’s face as he clutched his junk, eyes watering, face contorted in agony.
“You fucking bitch,” he seethed.
I wedged myself between them, murder in my expression. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“You’d better put a leash on your bitch or—”
Before I knew what was happening, Mya shot around me and drove her fist straight toward the guy’s face.
“Whoa there, Rocky.” Jase appeared out of nowhere and caught her around the waist hauling her backward before she could do any real damage.
“You’d better keep an eye on that one,” the guy mumbled, already backing up. “A girl like that will get you into all kinds of trouble.”
“Get the fuck out of here.” Jase clapped me on the back, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. I’m glad someone found the situation funny, because I sure as shit didn’t. But I breathed easier when I found Mya safely tucked between Flick and Hailee who, I noticed, each had a hand wrapped around her arm.
With the help of his friends, the guy limped away, taking his wounded pride with him.
“You okay?” Jase asked Mya and the girls as I stood there, trying to rein in the anger still vibrating through me. I wanted to go after the guy, I wanted to—
“He touched my ass.” Mya was in front of me now, her hand touching my arm. She gave me a weak smile. “I might have overreacted a little. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a scene.”
Shit. She thought I was embarrassed?
Closing the distance between us, I hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her against my chest. “Never apologize for defending yourself.”
“He was hardly attacking me, Asher,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“No, but he put his hands on you without your permission. If you hadn’t have kneed him in the balls, I would have.” I would have done a whole lot worse than that.