Chapter 10

Piper

I’d spent nearly ten minutes debating whether I should call Austin to pick me up. I hadn’t mentioned the entire list of people I’d gone through before settling on calling him. By that point, I’d already decided to give Austin a chance to be my friend, but I hadn’t gotten around to telling him. Each time I tried to script the conversation in my mind, it seemed too contrived.

I felt bad about only calling because I needed a favor, but not bad enough that I hadn’t called. Austin was the one trying to prove he wasn’t a dick. He could prove it by driving me home.

My phone buzzed, and I answered Austin’s call.

“Hello,” I said, trying not to sound too tired.

“I’m coming up to the front door,” was all he said. No greeting.

“I could have walked out to the car,” I told him as I made my way from the office, turning off the remaining lights.

“No need to walk out alone. I’m at the door now,” was his reply.

Austin didn’t sound like he was in a very good mood. I wondered if he’d lied about being awake when I’d called. He might be annoyed because he’d been on a date. That last thought made me cringe. I had no right to that reaction. Austin could be the rebound guy for any woman he wanted. It was none of my business. I certainly didn’t want to date him.

When I opened the door, I found Austin standing there in jeans and a gray sweatshirt with the hood up. His scowl stood out in the dim streetlights.

“Sorry about making you come out here at this hour,” I said by way of greeting.

“You should be sorry about not calling me when you realized you had no one to walk you to your car,” he snapped.

His attitude pissed me off. I knew it wasn’t smart to walk out to my car alone, but I was careful. “So, I shouldn’t be wandering around alone because I’m a defenseless woman?”

“You may not like it, Button, but a woman on her own is more likely to be attacked.” Before I could respond, he continued. “With that being said, I don’t wander around alone at night. When I left the diner, I walked to my car with Xander before dropping him at his car. It’s smart to avoid making yourself a target.”

“You’re right.” Being lectured by Austin grated on my nerves, but he wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. Mercy would likely give me the same lecture. At least, one bouncer was supposed to stay until I was ready to leave. Those were the rules for every closing manager.

“I am?” he asked, clearly surprised by my response.

“It shocked me, too,” I said with a laugh. “You can’t always be wrong.”

“I thought you’d argue with me more,” he admitted as we walked toward his car.

“I want to argue with you,” I confessed. “Is it crazy that I know you’re right, but I hate admitting it?”

He opened the car door for me and said, “Definitely crazy.”

“That’s not what you’re supposed to say.” I gave his chest a smack and climbed into the car.

“What am I supposed to say?” he asked.

“You are supposed to assure me that my reaction makes perfect sense,” I explained.

I heard his laughter as he walked around to slide behind the wheel. He looked over at me. “Your reaction makes perfect sense, Button. You’re a brat.”

“Is this how you plan to convince me we should be friends?” I asked, trying to sound annoyed. “You’re going to call me a brat?”

“I didn’t threaten to spank you,” he replied with a grin. “Isn’t that an improvement?”

Why did he need to remind me of that threat? I’d been more turned on than embarrassed that night. My own unwanted reaction had been part of the reason I’d slapped him. I was already angry with him, and having his threat turn me on had made me even angrier. Thankfully, he hadn’t threatened to spank me again. Calling me a brat didn’t turn me on.

“I guess this is an improvement since I’m not tempted to slap you,” I agreed. “Thank you for picking me up.”

“How many people did you consider calling before you got to my name?” he asked.

“A few,” I admitted.

“I’m glad you called,” he told me. “Even if I wasn’t your first choice.”

“Sorry I didn’t call before,” I began. “Not to ask you to pick me up tonight, but about us trying to be friends.”

“I can see how this might be a tough decision for you,” he assured me.

“I was planning to call, but then I had lunch with my mom, and it reminded me of a lot of the bad stuff between us,” I confessed. “After that, I needed more time.”