Page 55 of The Wrong Game

“I know you’ve been hurt.”

Her bottom lip quivered, and I squeezed her hand in mine.

“You hide it from everyone — from strangers, from Belle, fromhim,” I added, nodding to the asshole waiting for her at the table in the corner. “Probably from your family, too. And I don’t know what happened; I don’t know who hurt you.” I swallowed. “But I can see it. I can see you hurting and I promise you, from experience, running from it won’t make it go away.”

Gemma’s eyes flicked back and forth between mine, like she was trying to see me through a fog.

“This isn’t the answer.Heisn’t the answer,” I said, pointing a finger right at the meathead. “If you let anyone take you home tonight, let it be me.”

Gemma rolled her eyes with a scoff.

“Not so I can touch you in any way other than to help you get into bed. Trust me when I say you’ll feel better if you just sleep it off tonight. And if you want to call him again in the morning, when you’resober,” I added. “Then go for it. Hell, I’ll even dial the number for you.”

Gemma tongued her cheek, ripping her hand from under mine and crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re unbelievable,” she said, then she planted her hands right in front of mine, leaning over the bar to meet me in the middle. “I’m fine, thank you, and I don’t need your permission or yourblessingor whatever it is that you think you need to grant me for me to take a guy back to my place. I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’ll do what I want.” She pointed back to Andy. “He’s nice, okay? And he’s not complicated. He’s perfectly fine with what I want, and what Idon’twant — unlike some people.”

“Gemma,” I tried.

“Gemma,” Belle echoed, pulling her best friend’s hand into hers. “Hey, you know I’m all about the one-night stands and I’m queen of no commitments, but I think I agree with Zach here.”

Gemma’s little mouth popped open, like her friend trying to stop her from going home with a drunk neanderthal was the most offensive thing she’d ever seen. Then, she narrowed her eyes.

“You agree with Zach,” she deadpanned. “Of course. Well, you know what? I don’t need permissionfrom either of you.” Gemma pointed her finger at Belle and then waved it over at me. “I’m tired of being told what I want and what I don’t. No one is listening to me.”

“I hear you,” Belle said. “And like Zach said, if you want this in the morning? I’m all about it. But I know what happened earlier,” she said, and I watched Belle curiously then.

What had happened earlier?

“And I know how you get when you feel out of control.”

“I don’t feel out of control,” Gemma argued, shaking her head. “I’mincontrol, which is exactly why I’m leaving. Because Iwantto.”

She ripped her hand from Belle’s, and with that, wavered a bit in her stance.

“And for the record,” she said, eyes pinning me again. “You have noideawhat I’m ‘running from’.” She held up air quotes sarcastically around the last two words. “Or what I’m not. So stop assuming you know what’s best for me.” She swiped her purse from where it’d hung on Belle’s barstool all night. “Stop acting like you know me at all.”

With that, she turned on one heel and stormed across the bar, sliding her hand into Andy’s and tugging him toward the door. Meathead tossed a thumbs up behind him to the tune of a laughing, cheering table of his douchebag friends, and I growled, launching a half-empty glass across the back-end of the bar. It shattered when it hit the dish bin, and Doc threw his hands up.

“Damn it, Zach!” He shook his head, ripping the broom from the back and tossing it to me. “Clean that shit up. And stop acting crazy, she’s just a girl.”

Belle watched me with sad, sympathetic eyes as I caught the broom, fingers wrapping around it so tight my knuckles turned white. I met her gaze, and she looked like she wanted to hug me and like she also wanted to throw a glass, too.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sliding off her stool and dropping cash on the bar. “I’m going to go save her from herself.”

“Let me come.”

Belle shook her head, holding up a hand. “Don’t. Okay? She can push me and get mad at me tonight and she’ll be over it tomorrow. But…”

“Not so much with me, huh?”

Belle’s eyes softened again. “I’m sorry, Zach.”

I didn’t answer, just nodded as she made her way through the crowd to where Gemma had disappeared. It took every ounce of self-control I had left not to go after her, not to barrel through every person there until I was outside connecting my fist toAndy’sface.

But what would be the point?

She made it clear tonight how she feels about me.

And it isn’t the way I thought she did.