Fallen Too Far (Too Far, #1)(16)

When she had finally picked up her towel and headed back to the house, I had stood up from my relaxed position on the sofa facing the wall of windows and went to get ready for tonight. I had wanted to make sure I was down here when she came out of her room for the party.

The party was getting packed, and the music was getting louder. Still no sign of Blaire. I wondered if she was scared to walk out into this. Should I let her stay tucked away in her room safely? Or did I need to go get her?

“I’ll keep my eyes on the pantry door while you go outside and get some blond surfer dude off the damn railing before he falls to his death,” Grant said in my ear, before shoving me toward the balcony.

Damn drunk college kids.

I went outside and found Jace already pulling the guy down off the ledge. “Dude, go drink some coffee,” Jace said with disgust, and slapped him hard on the back.

“You know him?” I asked.

Jace shook his head. “No. Just wasn’t in the mood to watch anyone die tonight,” he replied, before taking a drink of beer.

“Thanks,” I said.

Anya walked up and wrapped her arms around Jace’s waist, smiling at me. Seemed she had moved on. Good for her.

“Anya,” I said, nodding a greeting in her direction.

“Rush,” she replied with a teasing grin.

“And I’m Jace,” he said loudly over the noise. “As much as I love fun and awkwardness, I think we’ll go on out for a little walk on the beach,” he said, before leading Anya toward the stairs that led down to the sand.

I headed back inside and toward the kitchen. I was going to get Blaire out of that damn room. She didn’t need to stay there all night.

“She already came out,” Grant said, walking up beside me. “Woods has her in the foyer.”

“Woods?”

“Yeah, dude. Kerrington. Surely you’ve figured out that by now, he’s spotted her on the course. He plays a shit ton of golf.”

I shoved past the people in front of me and headed for the foyer.

The shy smile on Blaire’s face, looking up at Woods as he led her into the living room, stopped me in my tracks. Someone was talking to me, but I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. The blush on Blaire’s cheeks had my complete attention. Woods’s hand touched her back in a possessive way, which bothered me. How well did she know Woods? Had I missed this completely? Blaire said something to Woods, and he stopped to look down at her. They were discussing something. Then he leaned in close to her, and my annoyance instantly transformed into being pissed off.

Blaire’s eyes shifted and locked with mine. They went wide with surprise, as if she didn’t expect to see me at my own house. Then she moved away from Woods and spoke to him quickly as she put more distance between them. She was saying something to him, but he seemed amused and ready to say whatever he needed to in order to get her to stay.

I knew exactly the kind of guy Woods was, because he was just like me. I wasn’t letting him touch her. He saw her as a conquest, and I would kill him before I let him use her. The idea of Blaire doing anything with Woods made my skin crawl. I started moving. I didn’t stop and think about it, and I didn’t give a shit if my sister saw me.

“There is nothing about you that is unwanted. Even Rush isn’t that damn blind,” Woods was telling her as he moved closer to her. She was trying to get away from him.

“Come here, Blaire,” I said, reaching out to take her arm and pull her against me. Woods needed to understand that she was with me. I was protecting her. He should look elsewhere. “I didn’t expect you to come tonight,” I said in her ear. If I had known she was going to walk out of that room looking like something good enough to eat, I would have guarded the damn door.

“I’m sorry. I thought you said I could come,” she whispered, her face turning bright red. I hadn’t meant to embarrass her. She misunderstood me.

“I hadn’t expected you to show up dressed like that,” I explained, keeping my eyes locked on Woods. I didn’t want to do this in front of her, but if he pushed me, I would. The little red dress clung to Blaire in ways that should be f*cking illegal. Didn’t she have a mirror in that room? Hell, I couldn’t remember.

Blaire suddenly jerked her arm free of me and started moving toward the kitchen.

“What is your f*cking problem, man?” Woods asked, glaring at me and making a move to go after her.

“She’s off-limits,” I warned him, stepping in front of him to block his path. “You need to stay the hell away from her.”

Woods’s angry glare heated as he stared at me. “You deciding to claim her now? Making family work at the club is low, even for you, Rush.”

I took a step toward him. “Stay out of this, and stay away from her. That’s your only warning,” I told him, before walking away to find Blaire.

Grant met me in the hallway. “She’s hurt. Go fix it,” he said, shooting me an annoyed look as he walked past me and back to the party.

Why was she hurt? What had I done other than keep Woods from using her? I ignored two people and shook my head at Nan as she made her way toward me. I wasn’t dealing with her right now.

“Are you going in there?” she hissed angrily at me.

“Go enjoy your very expensive party, little sister.” I opened the pantry door and closed it behind me, locking it. I didn’t want someone following me inside.