Boyfriend Material (Hawthorne University, #2)(22)

A shuddery breath comes from me.

I shouldn’t have walked in.

He’s gone and I’m still here—dealing with it.

It’s why I paid off that man for Julia.

It’s why I’m worried about her. Well, not the only reason. I feel as if I might owe her something? Jesus. It’s confusing.

I get up and move toward the stage. Weaving through tables and dodging waitresses, I reach the edge and stop.

“Julia,” I say, loud enough to be heard over the music.

When she focuses on me, a wrinkle appears on her forehead and she loses a step. She moves to the other side of the stage and mouths, Go away.

“I need to talk to you,” I say, following her. Some guy is waving cash at her and she reaches down and swipes it from his hand as the song ends.

Wobbling in her heels, she heads for the back of the stage.

“Wait a minute,” I call, but she’s already gone.

I scan the area and see a door that must lead to the back where the girls change. I stalk over to it, but two beefy men on either side grab me by the arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” one of them says as he eyes me up and down.

I point to the back. “Julia. I just wanted to—”

“Not tonight, Loverboy.” He puts a hand on my chest as he backs me up. He grins behind a bushy brown beard. “If you want a private dance, check in with the bouncer at the bar.”

“I don’t want a private dance.” I shove his hand away.

“Hey, no touching us, asshole.” The other guy grabs me from behind, and I rear back to push him off, but it doesn’t work. They pick me up like I’m a sack of feathers, carry me down the hall, then toss me out the back into an alley. I stumble onto my hands and knees in a puddle.

The door slams shut.

“Fuck!”

As I’m getting to my feet, a girl says, “Are you drunk, Hansen?”

Julia. She must have come out here before me.

She leans against the brick wall, practically swimming in a black raincoat that she hugs around her body. “You didn’t have to get thrown out, you know. I would have talked to you.” A low chuckle comes from her. “Have to admit, I kind of enjoyed that.”

I brush the gravel off my jeans. “Sorry, I don’t know the rules in this place. Apparently, I need a private dance to talk to you.”

Her eyes flash with something—excitement? Not likely. She hates me.

“I guess you got lucky, then. Here I am. Don’t expect a show.”

“I don’t,” I mutter.

“Who crawled up your ass?”

I shrug. “I just got tossed out of a club that I paid twenty bucks to get into. I lasted for one song.”

She watches me fix my man-bun, amusement on her face.

“What?” I grouse. “Am I your entertainment now? You gonna toss me some dollars?”

She waves a five at me. “Dance for me. Show me what you’ve got.”

“No,” I say.

She laughs. “Sorry. I’m just not used to seeing you being towed around like a bag of potatoes.”

I grunt.

She tucks her money away. “The big question is, why are you here?”

Rain pelts my face, and I move to stand under a small overhang with her. I stare at the sparkly eyeshadow on her lids. It’s gold. “I guess . . . I wanted to know you’re okay.”

A vulnerable expression crosses her face before she quickly tucks it away. “I’m okay.”

I put my hands in my jeans and study her features. “How do you know Connor? Will you tell me?”

A sigh comes from her. “Eric . . .”

“I went back to the laundromat after you went home. I paid off your debt. The whole thing.”

Her eyes widen to saucers. Shock colors her voice. “W-What do you mean, you paid off my debt?”

“I paid him. You need help for your addiction, Julia. It ruins people. It ruined my brother.”

Her mouth gapes as she shakes her head in disbelief. “You went back? After I told you how dangerous he is? Are you insane?”

“Apparently.”

“He could have hurt you! I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if . . .” A breathy exhale comes from her. “How much did you give him?”

“Seven thousand.” I don’t admit to paying him the six hundred.

Her jaw drops. “Oh my God. He conned you. I only owed him five. That bastard.”

“I’m not surprised. Don’t even care about it. I just didn’t want him on your ass anymore. You shouldn’t have to go through that every month.”

Her face seems to crumble as she grapples with the idea. “Eric, t-this doesn’t make sense… Why would you…”

Before I can stop, my hands brush her cheek. The touch sizzles and brings back memories of the past. God, how I wanted her.

I pull back. “I gave him extra hoping he’d forget about you. He swore he’d leave you alone.”

“Why would you pay so much?”

I lift my shoulders. “I have the money. You don’t.”

There’s a long silence. Her chest rises rapidly, and she chews her lips so hard I’m afraid they might bleed. “Did it put you in a bind?”