Jaded (Jaded #1)(17)

“Because of your mother’s divorce?”

“Mena told you about that.” A scowl flashed over his face before it was replaced with concern. “Yeah, but it’s more than that. She’s going through some stuff and she’s not adjusting well to being back home with our dad. I’m staying at the house for awhile to help her out, but…I can’t stay forever.”

Actors, especially movie actors, traveled a lot.

“Can you just…can you say something to her?”

“Like what?” I laughed. “Should I have a pre-break-up talk with her before we’re friends? How do you even talk about that stuff? Does she know how you feel?”

“She does. I’ve told her my concerns.”

“What are your concerns?” I’d heard most of them anyway.

“Just that…,” he frowned and halted as he considered me. My face was void of defensiveness. I really was just curious. “I told her that you’re just more experienced in the guy department than she is. She talks big. I know she does, but she’s only dated one guy.”

“Are you sure it’s just one guy that you know?” I teased.

“No,” he answered, seriously. “It’s just one guy. She dated him for a year and they never had sex.”

“How do you know that?” And I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation.

“I just do,” Denton shrugged. “She’s not ready for the world that you live in, Sheldon.”

“And how do you know what world I live in?”

He gave me a knowing look and replied, ruefully, “I learned some tricks from you that time. You didn’t learn anything from me and I’m a guy who’s a famous actor. That says something.”

“Maybe she could learn to toughen up,” I challenged, but my heart really wasn’t in it.

Denton stiffened before he replied, coolly, “Look, I’m just going to be honest with you. Our family has its problems, but we’ve got two parents in each home. Mena might have some serious anger problems against her biological dad, but…she’s got her parents. And you…” Don’t.

I felt my heart slam back into this conversation. I slid off a stool and asked, coolly, “What exactly are you saying, Denton?”

“I really didn’t come over here to piss you off or hurt your feelings.”

“But you are, so say what you came to say,” I bristled.

Denton sighed and studied me a moment. I felt like everyone did that when they were carefully picking their words. People did it a lot around me.

He broke, “I don’t want my sister to become a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s pissed off at how fake her parents are.”

I felt a punch to my gut, but replied smoothly, “You’re in luck. You don’t have a movie star neighbor. You just have a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s bored and he’s pretty good in the sack.”

He grinned tightly and shook his head. Denton raked a hand through his hair and considered me again.

The silence was thick, but he broke it when he murmured, “I’m out of line. I know that. I know I had no right to say what I did and if a guy ever said that to my sister, I’d beat him down.”

“Was that an apology?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. No. Kinda.” He shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. “I cannot believe how I’m just stumbling over my words. I’m an actor and I never stumble over my words.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve gotten most of my jobs.”

I didn’t care.

He caught my look and stopped, “But then again, you probably don’t care.”

I tilted my chin up.

“Okay. Look…I just don’t want Mena to become as tough as you.”

That was different. I sighed and stepped back. “For what it’s worth,” I murmured, “I think that’s why your sister wants me as a friend. I’d give her some protection at school.”

That caught his interest.

“She’s your sister,” I added. “That’s going to get out and she’s going to be eaten alive by some of those girls in there.” Mena might’ve thought otherwise, but she was wrong. In fact, she was delusional.

“I never thought of it that way,” he admitted and skimmed his eyes over my figure again. “You’re hot when you’re pissed off.”

I grinned silkily and shot back, “I’m not that girl who screws her movie star neighbor because she’s pissed at how fake her parents are anymore.”

Denton barked out a laugh and glanced away.

“Wow,” he whistled. “That was good.”

Just then the door shoved open and slammed again.

“Sheldon,” Bryce called out before he turned the corner. “We gotta go.

Corrigan’s in jail…” His voice trailed off when he saw I wasn’t alone.

Denton sent me a frown as he glanced between the two of us.

This was ironic.

I said weakly, “I’m not in jail. It’s my friend who…”

“Would be Mena’s friend too,” Denton finished. He walked past Bryce and threw over his shoulder, “Just talk to her and let her down gently, please?”