The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(56)

I ran across the street and hopped the curb, headed straight for Aiden’s house. I didn’t care if Chloe was in there. I didn’t even care if she was naked. She was leaving. Aiden was mine. He was my Wildcat.

There was the sound of a car door, and I had the feeling that Christian was coming after me. Chances were that Aiden’s front door was locked, so I turned and ran to the side of his house. I got to the lattice and began climbing like mad. My breathing was so heavy, I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk when I saw him. And I knew that I’d be in for something awful when I found them together. But I didn’t care. I needed him. My mother forgave my father, and I could forgive Aiden. He was my only guy.

“Tessa,” Christian whispered up at me as I reached Aiden’s window.

I ignored him and put my hands on the cold glass, sliding open the pane. The lattice wouldn’t support Christian’s weight, so I knew he couldn’t reach me. Trying to steady my breath, I threw my legs inside Aiden’s window, letting the familiar smell of it fall over me. Then I braced myself for what I’d find.

It was Chloe. Alone and lying across his bed. Dressed. She sat up in shock and stared at me.

“What the f**k are you doing here?” she hissed, looking toward the closed door.

I curled my lip. Not only was she in my boyfriend’s room, she was cussing at me. I snapped.

It took me about one and half seconds to reach her before I grabbed her pale-white arm, yanking her off the bed. Her blond hair whipped around, smacking me in the face as I tossed her to the floor. She glared up at me, her yellow sundress pooled around her hips, displaying her white lace panties. I clenched my jaw. She didn’t belong in here. I wouldn’t let her take my boyfriend.

Chloe jumped up and stepped to me, pushing me hard and making me stumble back a few feet. As I recovered, she wound up and slapped me hard across the face. Ouch. It stung. I’d never been slapped before.

“Snake,” I snarled, reaching out to knot her hair in my fist.

“Bitch,” she screamed, and she elbowed me hard on the chin. I reached up to put my hand over my face, feeling the vibration through my jaw. But the minute I raised my arm, she punched me hard in the stomach. Shoot. She was kicking my tail.

“You!” I yelled, working through the pain and getting a fresh grip on her hair. “Are a seriously bad person and I hate you!” I swung her around, but she kicked me in the shin so hard, I let her go and fell back on the bed. She lunged on top of me.

“He’s mine now,” Chloe spat, putting her hands around my neck to choke me. “He knows you’re with Christian.”

“What?” I tried to say, but, well, she was choking me. Her little revelation gave me a temporary adrenaline rush. I rolled over, taking her with me, and we tumbled off the bed and onto the carpeted floor.

I straddled her and tried to pin her arms down. “I am not with Christian,” I said in her face. She sneered.

“That’s not what my brother will tell him.”

My stomach turned, not liking the ominous tone of her voice, but before I could question her further, she punched me in the jaw, knocking me off of her. I was on my back and she got up, looming above me. I scrambled to my feet and put my hands up defensively as she tried to punch me again.

Aiden’s door flew open. “What the hell?” he said, looking around.

Chloe used the temporary distraction. The lunatic reached out to pick up Aiden’s alarm clock, yanked it from the wall, and threw it at my head. It blasted me in the forehead and for a second, I saw stars. Lots of them.

“Are you nuts?” Aiden yelled at her. I opened my eyes to see him take her by the arm and push her toward his door. “I thought you were too drunk to go home, but instead you’re assaulting my girlfriend?”

Girlfriend? I blinked quickly. My head was hurting. “Aiden?” I called.

He turned around and his mouth dropped. “Oh, baby,” he said, letting go of Chloe and moving toward me. “You’re bleeding, Tess.” He put his palm on my face and looked down at me. He brushed my hair away from my head and I felt relief sweep over me; I also felt wetness run down my cheek. But he was looking at me the way he always had. He loved me. He still loved me.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, glancing with concern between my forehead—which was already swelling, from the feel of it—and my eyes. “Why are you here?”

Chloe laughed. Aiden and I both looked at her. Blue light special! I might have a concussion. Chloe swiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, checking to see if it was bleeding. It wasn’t, but I wished it were.

Her voice cut through me. “She’s spying on you, Aiden,” Chloe said. “Your sweet little Tessa doesn’t trust you. Why should she? She obviously can’t be trusted.”

Aiden shook his head and turned back to me, grabbing a T-shirt off his desk to hold it to my head. I was bleeding. That wasn’t good. But Aiden was taking care of me. I smiled, putting my arms around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” I said to him, gazing up into his green eyes. I felt unsteady, out of sorts. “I love you,” I whispered to him. “And I don’t care what you were doing. I just need you, Aiden. I forgive you.” I wasn’t sure if my speech was slurred because Aiden was staring down at me, looking completely confused.

“What I was doing?”