Craving The Player (Amateurs In Love Book 1)(59)
“Whatever.”
Our shoulders knock together when we’re brushed off to the side by a couple of dominant looking women shoving their way through the growing crowd around us. Panic slices up my spine as we become surrounded with large, sweaty bodies. But I refuse to let fear rule me tonight. So with a shake of my head that I hope is enough to clear out my worries, I turn my attention to the view in front of us and steady myself.
Oh, shit fucker. I definitely wasn’t prepared for this.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sierra
The crowd is terrifying. Countless gruff, loud voices scratch at my eardrums as we slowly venture further into the warm bodies, Sophie’s hand still clasped in mine.
The cement floor looks cold, but the air is hot and sickly humid. I feel too exposed in my current clothes. My skin crawls as several pairs of greedy, dull eyes drag their way up my body when we begin pushing our way deeper into the mob.
We follow Clay as best we can, but it’s hard to keep him in focus while being shoved around. At this point, the only thing keeping me from turning around and running away is that Braden wouldn’t have been okay with me being somewhere that I could get hurt. Or I hope not, at least. He has faith in me, and I hold onto that like a lifeline.
Sophie gives my hand a hard squeeze and I quickly realize that we’ve lost Clay in the mess of people around us. Tugging my lip between my teeth, I attempt to stand on my toes and search the gym. But in an entire building full of mostly tall, brown-haired men, searching for Clay is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
“Just keep going straight!” Sophie shouts, capturing my attention again. Her eyes are wide as they move over the people pressed up against us with seemingly no sense of personal space. With a huff I stick out my elbow and push, leading us even further into the crowd. I duck my head down and yank Sophie’s hand, forcing her small body to follow me. But when a long, buff arm pushes out in front of me, nearly hitting my cheek, I freeze. The arm presses against my collarbone, forcing me to stay still.
My heartbeat picks up, and nerves start to twist my stomach into a boulder sized knot. I follow the length of the arm until my scared gaze lands on a strong jawline. The thick scar trailing the length of the bone only fills me with even more unwanted fear.
“Are you lost?” the stranger asks, his voice so hoarse that it causes a shiver to run up my spine.
“No,” I respond quickly, filled with a newfound desire to leave. The stranger’s dark eyes light up with humour as I lie to him.
“You sure?” He looks past me to ask the question to Sophie this time. Her grip on my hand tightens.
“We’re fine. Thanks,” I shoot back, my tone more assertive than I intended. Go me.
He cocks his brow, serving me with a look that makes me feel like gum beneath his shoe. “Let me take you—”
“Fuck off, Tavares. They said they’re fine,” a different intense, aggressive voice says, this time flowing from the mouth of a stern-faced, tatted-up man.
The arm drops from in front of me as the asshole takes a step back, jaw clenching fiercely. Clearly, he doesn’t like to be told no. Fancy that.
“Always walking around like you own the place, Tyler,” he spits.
The two brawny men stand firm and broad in front of each other, but I don’t miss the way our tattooed saviour shifts himself in front of me. “Always walking around harassing women, Tavares,” Tyler replies, not taking his narrowed gaze off of the asshole. Thankfully, Tavares doesn’t seem to want to make a scene and spins on his heel with a mumbled curse before walking off.
“Where the fuck is Clayton?” Tyler moves to face Sophie and me, growling a curse under his breath while running a large hand through his head of short black hair.
I shrug both shoulders. Tyler’s towering height, slim waist and wide back instantly remind me of Braden, and I nearly smack myself upside the head when I remember where I’ve heard his name before.
“You’re Braden’s brother, right?” I ask him and the knots in my stomach begin to unravel. Tyler dips his chin and sends me a megawatt grin, looking as if the past few minutes have already been forgotten. He’s happy to be introduced as Braden’s brother. I think I like him already.
“You’re Sierra and Sophie, right? I know that my brother may be a fucking idiot most of the time, but he wouldn’t be stupid enough not to have somebody here with you. So tell me where Clayton is and I’ll knock him around a bit for the lot of us.”
“That’s us. And I wouldn’t fight you on that one. We’re lucky that we ran into you. It’s insane here. Is it always so crowded?”
He tilts his head side to side in an “eh” gesture. “Mostly just when Braden fights. The guy’s got quite the fan club.”
For some reason, I don’t expect to hear jealousy in Tyler’s tone, and am relieved when the only thing I pick up on is pride. Knowing that Braden is surrounded by people who care for him so deeply spears me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.
“As great as it is to meet you, Tyler, I would really love to get out of this crowd,” Sophie cuts in, a note of frustration in her voice. I’m reminded of where we are and wince, taking a step closer to Sophie and clutching her elbow.
“Follow me,” Tyler says with a firm dip of his chin, and I watch in awe as the crowd parts for him, leaving more than enough room for us to catch our breath. Any other time, I would hate the eyes that watch Sophie and me as we follow closely behind Tyler, but I easily brush them on, too focused on not getting lost again.