I stop when my eyes land on our table, the one I left Charlotte at five minutes ago when I went to the bathroom. Two girls now occupy our seats and neither of them is my girl.

I look around the crowded club for Charlotte’s golden-red hair. There, halfway between our table the bar.

I start moving, keeping myself behind her so she doesn’t see me. I love surprising this woman. She gives a mean scowl that makes me want to throw her over my shoulder and take her home.

In fact…

I drag my eyes down her back, enjoying the beautiful curve of her ass in that bodycon dress. Taking her home sounds rather inviting.

I sneak up behind her and reach out my hands. I’m about to grab her waist when I notice her attention is captivated by the phone clutched in her hand.

“Charlotte?” She whirls around and I step back from the force of her glare. “Whoa!”

“Tate?” Her eyes soften, and the scowl slips from her face. “Sorry, I was…” She trails off as she glances at her phone.

I lay a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I can tell you’re upset. Did something happen?” I frown. “Did a guy try to hit on you?”

Charlotte winces. “No. Well…”

My hands ball into fists. “Who? Just point him out.”

Charlotte steps forward and rests a hand on my chest. “Calm down. You can’t beat up my phone.”

A phone?

Charlotte waves her hand. “Jay just texted me and it caught me off guard.”

“Let me see it.”

“No, I don’t think you should.”

“Let me see what the creep’s been saying to you.”

She sighs. “I don’t know what good it’ll do, but fine.”

The screen shows the conversation—if you can call it that. From what I can see, Jay’s texted Charlotte four times in the last two months, and she hasn’t responded once. I scroll to the bottom, frowning as my eyes read over his previous attempts to get her back. I finally get to the one she’s talking about.

Dickhead? Haven’t heard that one since high school.

My hand clenches around Charlotte’s phone as I reread the text. If I ever see Jay again, I’m going to screw his shit up. Charlotte is mine. Get over it.

I hand her phone back. “Do you agree with him?”

“That you’re a dickhead?” she says with a little smile.

I shrug. “And the rest of it.”

“No!” Charlotte scrunches up her nose. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t like the idea of some guy harassing you.”

“I don’t either, but he’s not ‘some guy.’ He’s my ex.”

I frown. “Do you regret breaking up with him?”

“What? First of all, he dumped me the minute he hooked up with some slut in our bed. And secondly, I’m with you!”

I grimace. “I just can’t stand the thought of you with that asshole.”

“I’m not with him, Tate. When have I given you reason to doubt that?” She narrows her eyes. “Where is all this jealously coming from?”

You. Me. Us. I’ve never been with any woman for this long or this seriously.

I run a hand roughly through my hair, staring at the woman in front of me. She means so much to me that it scares me. It scares me that this is more than lust or sex. Was this…love?

I shake my head against the thought threatening to surface. That was dangerous territory.

I pull Charlotte into my arms, kissing her cheek and nuzzling into her soft hair. “I’m sorry,” I murmur. “You mean so much to me, Char. Sometimes I can’t handle it, especially when a dickhead hits on my girl.”

Charlotte leans back. “Your girl?”

“If you’ll have me.”

She smiles. “As in real girlfriend?”

I shrug, trying to mask how worried I am that she’ll turn me down.

“Won’t the world end if the great Tate Gunner commits to one girl?

Shouldn’t have been worried. “Ha, ha—very funny.”

“What about all those ladies out there who haven’t gotten a taste of Little Gunner?” She gasps. “The horror!”

I cock an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting…”

“Tate! You have a dirty mind.”

I stifle a groan. There’s that adorable scowl again, driving me mad. I take her hips and tug her to my chest. “I wouldn’t keep doing that if I were you.”

“What?” Her scowl deepens, sending my pulse soaring.

“That.” I take her hand and drag her through the crowd, heading straight for the door.

“Where are we going?” she shouts over the music.

“Home.”

“Why?”

“To give you what you’re asking for.” I hear her breath catch behind me.

Yup, exactly, sweetheart.

We’ve cleared the dance floor when I spot him. He’s walking in with a few of his buddies, all carbon copies of the hipster-prep locked in my crosshairs.

Charlotte bumps into me as I grind to a stop. “Why are we…” Her voice trails off as she follows my gaze toward the door. She sucks in a breath. “What’s he doing here?”

Her hand tightens in mine, and I glance back. She’s nervous and uncomfortable and…

Afraid.

Screw this.

I let go of her hand and march toward Jay. He doesn’t see me until I’m on him. “Hi, Jay, remember me?”

His eyes go wide as I stop inches from his face. “Uh, yeah. Hey.”

“Good, glad to hear it. Now I can skip to the good part.” I lean in and glare into his eyes. “Stay the hell away from my girl.”

“Your girl? Or just some flavor of the month.”

I jab a finger into his chest, sending him staggering back. “Don’t screw with me, dickhead.”

Fear flits across Jay’s face as he grasps my meaning. His eyes dart around and find Charlotte a few yards behind me.

“Don’t look at her,” I snarl. “She’s not yours anymore, and I think she’s made that clear.”

Jay gathers himself up and steps toward me. “I don’t trust you, man. You’re just some asshole that’s using her.”

I laugh. “And what? Screwing some girl behind her back makes you an upstanding gentleman?”

His eyes narrow. “Like you’ve never slipped up.”

“Never with Charlotte. I would never let a girl like her slip between my fingers.”

I glare at him for a moment, making sure he’s got the picture before turning around.

“We’ll see.”

I stop and face him. “Excuse me?”

Jay smirks back at me. “I don’t think Charlotte will waste her time with a manwhore like you after tonight.”

Was this guy wishing for a death?

“She’s going to work it out eventually.”

“Work what out?” I ask, my voice laced with rage.

“That you’re just some asshole, looking to score before moving on to more…forthcoming pussy.”

My whole body goes still as every muscle tenses.

Yup. This guy was asking to die.

“And when she figures that out, I’ll be waiting.” His smirk deepens. “There’s nothing sweeter than a girl on the rebound.”

Time seems to stop as Jay’s words reach me. I had wanted to teach him a lesson before, but now I just want to pound him to shreds.

I fly toward him, curling my hands into fists and bringing them down on his smug face. He grunts as my fist connects with his nose, and I hear a crunch as fire erupts in my hand.

I yank my hand back with a yell. It’s bloody and raw and hurts like hell. But that’s nothing compared to Jay’s face. I must have broken his nose because blood is streaming out of it, pouring down his lips and dripping off his chin. He shouts with rage and then lunges for me.

I try to sidestep him, but I’m too slow. He bends down and hits me hard in the chest with his shoulder, wrapping his arms around me as he takes me down like a linebacker.

My back slams into the floor, sending a shooting pain through my lower back and spine. Jay’s on top of me, drawing his arm back for a vicious right hook to my skull. I duck just in time, the blow only glancing off my jaw; I shove him off of me and jump to my feet.

By now we have a crowd around us, yelling and egging us on. I vaguely hear someone shouting my name and look around.

It’s Charlotte. Tears stream down her cheeks as she yells for me to stop, pointing at the bouncers that are pushing through the crowd. That’s when I notice the stars lighting up all around me, so beautiful and bright…

Except that they aren’t stars. They’re cameras. Dozens of drunk twenty-somethings have their phones out, snapping pictures and taking videos.

“You!”

I whirl around just as Jay’s fist connects with my gut. I grunt and double over as the wind leaves my lungs. I look up once my eyes refocus and see Jay’s bloody face.

Oh, right. I have a fight to get back to.

I’m swinging for him when a wall inserts itself between us. I wince as my fist slams into the massive chest of the beefy bouncer.

“Both of you, OUT!” the bouncer yells. He grabs me up by my shirt collar and drags me toward the door. I’m dying of embarrassment until I see another bouncer do the same thing to Jay. I meet his eyes for a few seconds and his eyes narrow into slits before he’s dragged around the corner.

Stay the hell away from her.

I glance around for Charlotte and find her running after us. “Wait!” she calls to the hulk carrying me. “Please, slow down!”

The bouncer stops as she places a delicate hand on his forearm, pleading with him to let me go. “Fine,” he grunts, “but ya’ll have to leave.”

I tumble out of his grasp and try to find my balance. I’m disappointed to find I’m unsteady on my feet.

“Tate, hold on—” Charlotte slips her shoulder under my arm and steadies me with her body. Her arms wraps around my waist, and she starts walking us toward the door.

“Charlotte,” I mutter, staring down at her, “did I win?”

Charlotte rolls her eyes. “Only the world’s biggest idiot award.”

I frown and then wince. Maybe that right hook did more than just glance off my chin. “I’m sorry. I know it was stupid.”

“It’s not that.” She smiles. “It was kinda satisfying to see you beat up Jay…”

I stand a little straighter as I limp to the door. Nothing like your woman finding it hot that you beat up her ex to put a spring in your step.

“I’m more worried about the fallout,” she continues, her smile fading.

I shrug. “I’m not. He got what he deserved. Kevin could run a story on what Jay did to you.”

“No!” She scowls at me. “Keep my sorry love life out of this.”

I sigh, a sudden weariness coming over me. I glance up as we turn the corner. Cameras click and people whisper around us as I hobble toward the sidewalk. Only a few more feet of pain between me and freedom. All I want right now is an ice bath for my hand and a stiff drink for…well everything else that hurts.

I lean down and kiss the top of Charlotte’s head. “Don’t worry, Char. This will all blow over in a—”

“Hey Gunner!” a female shouts from the crowd. I tighten my arm around Charlotte and pick up my pace. “Nice show back there!”

I turn my head, looking for the idiot who has the balls to shout at me right now.

“Just ignore them,” Charlotte hisses.

“You’re welcome to give me a private show any time!”

Giggles erupt on my right.

I frown. “Who the hell—”

“Nice to see you in action, if you know what I mean…”

I stop and glare into the crowd, trying to pinpoint the asshole taunting me. Charlotte starts tugging at my arm.

“Oh, and I have to say, it looked really nice. So long and thick…”

Laughter sweeps through the crowd, disorienting me. “What are you—”

“Bring your dick over anytime and we’ll make a sequel!”

The crowd gasps and then hoots with laughter. I glance down at Charlotte, hoping she doesn’t understand what this means.

She does. She looks shocked to the core.

I grab her hand and grimace, realizing too late that it was the same hand I punched Jay with. I drag her the rest of the way to the entrance and burst out onto the sidewalk. I snatch my keys from the valet and turn away from the jeering crowd around us.

Pure adrenaline gets me down the street and to my car. I swing open Charlotte’s door, deposit her inside, and book it around to the driver’s side. I collapse inside in utter exhaustion.

“What the hell?” I yell, slamming my fist on the steering wheel. I grunt, jerking my hand back as pain shoots through my palm. Dammit, Jay…

Charlotte shakes her head hard. “Tate, it sounded like they were accusing you of a—”

“I know,” I say, cutting her off. I don’t want to hear her say it. I pick up my phone and pull up the Access Hollywood homepage. “Oh God…” I mutter, reading the enlarged headline splayed across my screen.

Charlotte frowns. “What?”

I can’t say it. I can’t think. I just hand her the phone.

She takes it, her eyes going wide as they dart across the screen. “Oh my God, Tate.” She looks at me. “Is it true?”

I stare at her, wishing that I could give her a different answer. Wishing that I didn’t recognize the headshot of the smiling blonde in the article.

I nod.

She looks down, trying to hide her disappointment. “Well,” she says after a moment, “we might as well face the music.”

My eyes glance over the headline one more time as she hands me my phone.

EXCLUSIVE: BAD BOY GUNNER CAUGHT WITH HIS PANTS DOWN!

And below is a screenshot of a grainy green photo. You can just make out the two figures on the bed, limbs tangled together as they tear off each other’s clothes.

It’s official. Ladies and gentlemen, I have joined the celebrity sex tape club.