April sighed. “I wish I’d had the guts to tell you sooner…but I should warn you now that she has a thing for you and it’s a bit obsessive.” Adam colored but didn’t look the least bit surprised. Then April licked her lips and squared her shoulders. “When she started plotting to try to get Mia out of the picture, I finally figured she’d lost it. She was trying to pressure me and others to do her dirty work for her.”

Adam and I both straightened and looked at her, alarmed. Hell no. I was about to speak, but Adam cut me off. “She was planning to do something to Mia?”

April looked down into her coffee, coloring. “At the party, Cari wanted me to tear Mia’s dress and pull it down, saying she would expose me if I didn’t. When I refused, she grabbed my swimsuit and did it to me instead.”

I exchanged a look with Adam. Wow…that was some crazy shit. I knew the girl had been a bit touched when I’d caught her threatening April, and now I regretted not letting her go on the spot. But I’d been more concerned about covering my own ass so that none of this came out…

I watched April while she looked at Adam with no small amount of fear. Adam’s jaw tightened. “Well, thanks for letting me know. I’ll handle this, and you don’t need to worry about her anymore.”

Her shoulders rounded with relief. I knew it had taken a lot to tell him all of that. But I was glad that she didn’t need to be reminded to speak up for herself.

She blinked and looked out the window, her chin held high. “I have to be honest. I’m not brave enough to walk back into Draco after what happened on Saturday. But I’m grateful for what you did on my behalf—dismissing the people who posted the pictures and all of that.”

I frowned, disappointed, but could I blame her? I cleared my throat to get her attention. “I’m going to butt in here and say that I think you do have the guts to go back in there. I know you do.”

She shook her head. “That’s easy for you to say. They don’t all know it’s you in the video.”

I nodded. “You’re right. That’s why I’m going to tell them.”

She straightened, eyes locking on mine again. “Jordan—”

I held my hand up. “We can talk about it later. I’m not going to force you to go back there if you don’t want to, but…I sure could use your moral support when I go back.”

Adam glanced between the two of us and pushed his coffee mug aside. “I’m going to get going. I at least need to show my face over there before I go home and crash.”

I walked Adam out, and before he left, put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

He shook his head. “It’s what friends do.” And he was gone.

When I went back inside, April hugged me around the waist, holding me close for a long time, her head pressed to my shoulder. I ran my hand down her silky hair. “We’ll figure it—”

“I’ll do it. I’ll go with you. I was almost done with my project, anyway.”

I kissed the top of her head, something like pride glowing in my chest. “You’re sure?”

She tilted her head to look up at me. “Yes. Now kiss me before I change my mind.”

I did just that. Long, slow and deep, our lips and arms locked. I was reminded of that morning sex I’d been deprived of… But there was still some ground we needed to cover.

“You know…when I’m really going to need you is when I talk to your dad.”

Her mouth twisted at the thought. “I might throw you under the bus on that one.”

I laughed. “As long as he isn’t a firearms enthusiast or trained assassin. He’s not, right?”

She laughed. “My dad won’t even kill house spiders. I think you’re good. He might get my grandma to level a curse upon your head, though.”

“I might be tempting fate by saying this, but I’m curse-proof. Those young ladies of my previous acquaintance who may have, at one time or another, cursed me that certain vital organs would shrivel up and fall off, would attest to it.”

Her eyes widened. “It had better not shrivel up and fall off, or I’d have to dump you. The only reason I plan on keeping you around is for the hot sex.”

“And the scruff. Don’t forget the scruff.”

She broke into a smile. “For sure.”

And with that, I kissed her, taking her up on her royal decree to kiss her whenever and wherever I wanted. She was tingling with scruff burns for days.

Chapter 30