Chapter 16
“We’re inviting some people back to the house for an after party. See you there?” Garrett asked, keys clutched in his hand.
Bradley nodded. Where else would he go? That house was his home for the time being. Even though he wasn’t in the mood to keep partying, he wasn’t about to deny anyone else their fun. Besides, Tiffany was headed home with Garrett, and if she was going to be there, chances were good that Carissa would show up, too. Probably with Danny, but having her around—even with that jackass in tow—was better than not seeing her at all.
Although, Bradley hadn’t seen Danny since he stormed off halfway through the football game. Maybe he wouldn’t be bringing Carissa to the party. He had the sudden urge to find her and invite her. Knowing she was best friends with Garrett and Tiffany, one of them had more than likely already told her.
“You going to ride home with me?” Bradley asked Jeremy.
“Nah, I’m gonna ride with them.” Jeremy hooked his thumb at Garrett and Tiffany. “Gonna stop and buy beer on the way home. Want anything?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll drink whatever you buy.”
“See ya later, man.” Jeremy smacked Bradley’s shoulder, then climbed into the car with Garrett and Tiffany.
Bradley reached into his pocket for his keys, then hesitated. The designated parking area for the bonfire was almost empty of cars. He hadn’t seen Danny’s crappy SUV anywhere. Had he bothered to show up at all? Or had he and Carissa already left?
He took a deep breath, indecision warring inside of him. The logical part of his brain told him not to worry about Carissa and Danny and just go home. But his intuition told him not to leave just yet. Shoving his keys back into his pocket, he turned and headed toward the bonfire.
For the most part, the place was deserted except for a handful of people hanging out, talking and laughing. A couple made out beneath a tree, the sounds of their lips smacking in wet kisses echoing.
Bradley shook his head and continued to walk around, though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. If Carissa was still here, he would’ve found her by now. She must have left with Danny. Giving in to his disappointment, Bradley changed direction to go back to his car.
Muffled sobs caught his attention, and he stopped, straining to hear better. He tilted his head. Sounded like the crying was coming from somewhere to his left. He pivoted and walked slowly in that direction. The crying increased in volume, and he picked up his pace.
He had no idea who was sitting alone in the woods, especially this time of night, but he treaded carefully, not wanting to frighten whoever was out there. Moving closer, he eased a low-hanging tree branch out of his way and stopped.
A woman sat with her back against a tree trunk, hugging her knees to her chest, head down, body shaking with sobs. For a moment, he had no idea what to do or say, but as he took a small step closer, he immediately recognized the clothes—form-fitting jeans, black heeled boots with a gold Gucci buckle, and a purple Theta Omega Pi shirt.
“Carissa?” he asked.
She glanced up, face stained with a mixture of tears and makeup. She wiped at her cheeks and scrambled to her feet. “Sorry. I—I didn’t… I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“Why are you apologizing to me?” he asked, keeping his voice smooth and calm. “And why are you out here alone?”
Her shoulders drooped, and she hung her head. “Danny and I got into another fight. He left me here. Everyone else is already gone, and he broke my phone.”
Instant, fiery-hot rage sparked inside Bradley’s chest. “He left you here?” he said, his words tight and barely controlled.
The last thing he needed to do was blow up at her when she’d done nothing wrong. Every ounce of anger he had was aimed at Danny and no one else. He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.
Carissa nodded. “I was going to just walk back to campus,” she admitted quietly.
“The hell you are,” Bradley said a little harsher than he intended. “C’mon.” He wrapped his arm around her. “I’ll take you home.”
But rather than fall in step with him, she turned her body toward his, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face against his chest. Then, she sobbed.
Without hesitation, he held her and let her cry until she was ready to let him go. He had no idea how long they stood there, but for him, it wasn’t nearly long enough. Not that he wanted her to keep crying, but he did want to keep her in his arms, to show her that he wouldn’t abandon her like Danny had.
He rubbed her back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. In return, she tightened her hold on him. Sporadic droplets of rain fell from the sky and splattered on him. That explained why the bonfire ended so abruptly.
“C’mon, we should go before we get soaked,” he said softly.
Carissa nodded and eased away from him, her actions reluctant. “Okay,” she whispered and once again wiped her cheeks.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, tone full of concern.
She shrugged.
Clearly, she didn’t want to talk about what happened. He’d respect that. They walked in silence to his car, the rain becoming steadier with each step they took. Bradley unlocked his car, opened the passenger door for Carissa, then raced around to get in behind the wheel. He closed his door a split second before the sky opened up and the rain poured down in a deluge.
He started the engine, cranked up the defrost, and turned his wipers on high. But he made no effort to leave. Not yet. Mostly because he wanted to wait out the rain for a few minutes, but also because he wanted to give Carissa a little more time to calm down.
After several long moments of silence, Bradley glanced at her. She had her head against the window, eyes closed. Something inside of him snapped at seeing her so broken and sad. He wanted to strangle Danny for whatever he’d done to make Carissa feel that way.
“Tiffany went home with Garrett and Jeremy. They’re having an after party,” Bradley said and shifted the car into drive. “I have no idea if Danny’s there, but if you want to go…”
“No,” she said, opening her eyes and sitting up straighter.
“Okay.” He understood why she didn’t want to go, but he hated that he’d have to drop her off at her residence hall where she’d be alone again. He carefully drove away from the bonfire clearing and turned onto the main road.
“I don’t want to go home, either,” she said.
His ears rang, and he sliced a look at her. “Where do you want to go, then?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t want to go to a party, but I don’t want to be alone. And I really don’t want to be anywhere Danny will find me.”
Bradley swallowed around the lump in his throat. His mind raced with possibilities of where to take her. They could go get food, hang out until she felt better. But if she didn’t want to go to a party, then she probably didn’t want to go anywhere public, either.
“Want me to take you to your parents?” he asked.
“And listen to my father lecture me about how he was right about Danny? No thanks.” She huffed. “I’m sorry. You can just take me back to campus. I’ll be fine.”
Panic seized him. He didn’t want to just drop her off somewhere. He might not get another opportunity to spend one-on-one time with her. Not that he expected anything to happen between them—he wouldn’t ever take advantage of her like that.
“Thought you didn’t want to be alone,” he said.
“I don’t.” She fidgeted with her hands.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “Do you trust me?”
She turned to stare at him, confusion twisting her expression. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”
“If you want to get away from everything, I know a place we can go.” His heart pounded furiously. “My dad owns a penthouse in Phoenix. We’re only a few hours from there. It’s quiet, and no one will know you’re there.”
“Phoenix? As in, Arizona?” she asked.
“Yes.” He licked his lips, suddenly second guessing his idea. “If you don’t want to, I’ll totally understand. Just thought I’d offer.”
Carissa was silent, and Bradley waited to see what she’d say. He slowed his speed, unsure if he should prepare to make the upcoming turn toward campus or keep going straight for the highway.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s go.”
Did she really just say yes? He couldn’t believe she’d agreed, but he wasn’t one to argue. Speeding up, he drove past the road that would lead to campus and headed for the highway.
He hadn’t been to the Phoenix penthouse in well over a year… not since the night his ex-girlfriend dumped him during what was supposed to be a romantic weekend. The place didn’t exactly hold a lot of warm, fuzzy memories for him, but hopefully, he could change that by bringing Carissa there.
Granted, taking another man’s girlfriend to a penthouse Bradley had only ever used when he wanted time alone with a woman wasn’t his smartest idea. In fact, this was probably the worst idea in the history of bad ideas, but there was no going back now. Plus, he couldn’t stand how upset Carissa was, or how confused and lost she appeared.
She needed a safe place to regroup, and that was the least he could offer her. He’d be whatever she needed right now, including a shoulder to cry on. Biting his tongue about his true feelings toward Danny would be difficult, but for her sake, he’d try. He guessed the last thing she needed or wanted was someone ragging on her boyfriend.
“What were you doing wandering around in the woods?” she asked, yanking him from his thoughts.
“Huh?” He shook his head and tried to catch up with what she’d asked him.
“Back at the bonfire. It was over, and almost everyone was gone. But you were wandering around in the woods. Why?” She curled her legs onto the seat and sat cross-legged.
He winced, unsure if he should tell her the truth. “Honestly?” He glanced at her, brow raised.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve had enough lies to last me a lifetime. You can always tell me the truth, no matter how much you think it might hurt me.”
Adjusting his grip on the steering wheel, he blew out a breath. “I was looking for you.”
Carissa whipped her head around to stare at him with wide eyes. “Me? Why?”
“Because everyone else had left, and I hadn’t seen you since you took off after…” He frowned. “I hadn’t seen Danny’s SUV, either. I was worried.”
“Oh.” She averted her gaze and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “Well, thanks.”
Bradley simply nodded, and they fell silent. The drive to the Phoenix penthouse would take a few hours, so he settled in for the drive. Prior to finding Carissa, he’d been tired, but now he was wide awake, his emotions wound tight. What would happen once they got to the penthouse?
Soft snores came from the passenger seat. Carissa once again had her head resting against the window, and her eyes were closed. Her chest rose and fell with even breaths. He smiled softly at how peaceful she looked in that moment.
But whatever momentary contentment he’d felt quickly vanished when an image of her sitting on the ground sobbing flashed in his mind. He flexed his fingers around the steering wheel and took a calming breath. How dare Danny leave her like that, especially with a broken phone? She’d had no way to call for help. Anything could’ve happened to her.
Carissa groaned and shifted positions, then she reclined the seat as far as it would go, never once opening her eyes. Bradley returned his attention to the road, but within seconds, his gaze drifted back to her.
He may not know her very well, but what he did know of her was incredible. She was beautiful—inside and out—had a killer sense of humor, a snarky streak a mile long. She was very obviously smart, too. And she had money, which meant she probably didn’t care about his. After all he’d been through with his ex-girlfriend, that was a refreshing thought.
Whatever problems she had in her relationship with Danny, Bradley still couldn’t wrap his mind around the way Danny treated her. Constantly yelling and arguing. Calling her names. Accusing her of throwing tantrums. Letting her take off—or leaving her—without a flicker of concern for her safety.
What kind of man did that to the woman he claimed to love? Even when things had been the absolute worst between Bradley and his ex, he never once treated her poorly. Sure, he’d said things in anger that he later regretted, but he never once put her down or turned his back on her.
Carissa deserved to be with a guy who would treat her right, who would dote on her and make her feel special every second of every day for the rest of her life. Danny was not that guy.
But Bradley was.
And he could prove that to her. Doing so meant going against what he believed in, though. He’d told her he wouldn’t steal another man’s girl, but a guy like Danny needed to be taught a lesson. And losing a girl as amazing as Carissa would certainly teach a hard lesson.
Bradley picked up his speed. Regardless of how long they stayed at the penthouse, he was going to take advantage of every moment and prove to Carissa that he was the better man for her.