I knew exactly why—Melanie—but I couldn’t tell him that.

“You realize you’re being a bitch, right? You can’t not-know that.”

I knew I was being impossible, and it killed me that I couldn’t stop. My shiny red self-destruction button was switched on, and I wanted to hit the bastard again and again with my fist, until there was nothing left of our friendship, so I could go back to being alone and invisible and safe in my bubble of nothingness.

His phone danced in his hand. He killed the call before I could see the name on the screen.

Melanie asking for a second round? Did you tell her you’re a one-night kind of guy?

“What is this really about, Texas?” He raked his eyes over my face.

Cruz Finlay, the play’s director, looked up from beside the stage and waved the script in our direction. “Excuse me, do you mind? You’re distracting my actors.”

“Your actors are distractin’ us,” I muttered under my breath. West snorted next to me.

“Grace. West!” Tess gestured at us again. “What’s happening? Are y’all here for me?”

Tess was great, but she had the tendency to think the world revolved around her. Guess it grated on my nerves so much because I used to be exactly like her.

My stomach twisted into knots. If I chose to get flustered every time West received female attention, I’d go through a mental breakdown three times a day.

West stood up, jerking my arm, forcing me to my feet.

“Here for Texas. Now that I got her, I’ll get outta your hair.”

He saluted a shocked Tess and dragged me out the doors like a caveman. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I refrained from smacking his hand away. Once we were out of the auditorium, he pinned me against the wall, boxing me with his arms on each side of my body. His phone beeped again. He ignored it, angling his face down so his lips were dangerously close to mine.

The earthy, male scent of him seeped into my system. My heart beat so wildly I almost threw up.

“Let’s try this again. Why are you mad at me, Texas? Don’t give me the Reign excuse. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“People are goin’ to talk, now that you came to the auditorium and called me Texas in front of everyone. Hope you’re happy.”

He shrugged, unfazed. “The amount of fucks I give equals the amount of shit I give. Which is zero, in case you’re wondering. Don’t change the subject.”

“You don’t care if people think you are hookin’ up below your league?” I taunted.

“I don’t care if people think I’m hooking up with livestock. And you’re not below my league. Now, I’m going to ask you this a third and last time—why are you mad? Answer carefully. There won’t be a fourth chance. I’ll flip you upside down and shake the answer out of you.”

“You wouldn’t.” I scoffed.

His eyebrows shot up, a mischievous sneer curling over his lips.

Crap, he totally would. I deflated. “I’m not mad at you. I just want you to stop actin’ like I’m a charity case. I’ve been doin’ fine on my own, and I don’t want the attention you bring to me.”

He scanned me, looking for cracks in my façade.

Finally, he relented, pushing back from the wall. I felt the loss of him everywhere.

“If I stop bringing attention to your ass, are you going to go back to being relatively sane?”

“I am sane.”

“Debatable.”

“Tell me one thing that’s insane about me.”

“You wear hoodies when it’s a hundred and twelve degrees out, you’re nurturing an unhealthy obsession with the nineties, you think you’re unattractive, you br—”

“Okay. Fine, I get it. I said one.”

He tucked a candy stick between his straight teeth, smiling like the Devil.

“I’m a competitive bastard. Once I start, it’s hard to stop. Truce?” He offered me his pinky.

All I could think about was him kissing Melanie roughly as he’d unbuttoned her jeans, my nickname falling from his lips. My own lips stung, but I curled my pinky in his, almost laughing at how large his finger was against mine. It was the second time we’d done that. I liked that we had a thing.

“Ready to bail?” He nudged me.

“Bail where?”

“Austin. I just got a text from Karlie that the truck broke down and we don’t have a shift. My schedule’s wide open.”

I frowned and checked my phone. Sure enough, I had the same text. Still, spending time with West outside work? That would be a big fat no with never-and-ever on top.

“No can do. I have rehearsals back-to-back.”

“I don’t know how to break it to you, but nothing is going to salvage this play. It’s the worst thing to happen to Texas since the Jonas Brothers.” West made an adorable face, a cross between genuinely sorry and sarcastic.

“Don’t you dare hate on the Jonas Brothers. They’re a national treasure.” I wagged my finger at him, a giggle bubbling from my throat.

“That’s a plot twist.” He snatched my finger, tugging me toward him. “I pegged you for a My Bloody Valentine type of girl.”

“I do know bands that were formed after the nineties,” I protested.

“Prove it. But before that, let’s hit the road.”

With everything going on, it would be nice to unwind and take the day off. Besides, I’d already decided I wasn’t going to fall in love with West St. Claire, and I’d been massively successful in not remotely liking guys before him.

What was the harm in one short trip to the city?

“You’re twistin’ my arm here.” I sighed.

“I’ve been known for helping women discover their flexibility.”

I scrunched my nose and shoved him away, savoring the hardness of his chest against my palm.

“Gross. I’ll bring my backpack.”

“Nuh-uh. I don’t trust you to come back, and Cruz Finlay is one distraction away from a stroke. I’ll fetch it.”

He marched into the auditorium, returning with my backpack. He hoisted it over his shoulder as he flipped his keyring around his finger. I bounced on the balls of my feet, catching his long stride.

“Skipping. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you are the h-word.” He grinned.