Free Savior (An Impossible Novel) by Julia Sykes Page B

our relationship had changed him.  But you can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change.  And guys like that rarely want to.  He turned that side of himself on me once, and I was done.  It had shattered my heart, but I wasn’t going to stay with a guy who thought hitting me in anger was a forgivable offense.
    “No,” I quickly came to Clayton’s defense.  “He’s not like that.  He’s a really nice guy.”
    “‘ Nice? ’  Say no more.  I totally get it.  He’s great, but he’s a total wet blanket in the sack, right?  That is a predicament.”
    Images of my hot night with Clayton flashed across my mind, and I blushed.  “No,” I said firmly.  “That is most definitely not the problem.”
    Penny looked at me quizzically.  “So let me get this straight,” she said, holding up three fingers.  “He’s not geriatric.”  She ticked down one finger.  “He’s nice.”  A second finger went down.  “And the sex was amazing.”  Now she was just holding up her fist, and she looked as though she was considering using it to knock some sense into me.  “What’s the problem?”
    I really wanted to explain about the fucked up situation we were in with Greg in order to defend myself, but I wasn’t allowed to do that.  And if I was really honest with myself, Greg wasn’t the problem here.  Hadn’t I been holding Clayton at a distance ever since I had first met him?
    “Me,” I admitted quietly.  “I guess I’m the problem.”
    Penny’s expression softened and she lowered her fist to rest her hand on mine reassuringly.  “You’re not a problem,” she said gently.  “But if some issue is holding you back, maybe you should talk to him about it.”
    I bit my lip, uncertain.  “I’m not really good at talking about my issues.”
    “Really?   I hadn’t noticed,” she said drily.
    I had always figured Penny thought of me as her carefree, hard-partying friend.  But apparently she knew me better than I realized.  The thought made me uncomfortable.  I didn’t want her to stop hanging out with me if I became too much drama for her to handle.  Because my life was loaded with more drama than an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey .
    Keen as ever, Penny seemed to recognize my discomfiture and gave me an out.  She picked up her martini glass and clinked it against mine.  “Bottoms up.  Last one to finish buys the next two rounds.”
    The little cheat already had her glass to her lips before I could even get my hand around mine.  But as experienced a drinker as Penny was, she was no match for me.  I hated to rush through a ten-dollar cocktail, but I didn’t like losing.  And my wallet definitely couldn’t afford to take another hit.  My cosmo was gone in a matter of seconds.
    “Off to the bar with you then,” I decreed as I slammed down my empty glass.  Penny’s was still half-full.
    “Damn.  How do you do that?”
    “I just open my throat.”  I winked at her.
    “You hear that, bro?  She just opens her throat and takes it down.”
    “I’ll bet she does.”
    I looked over to see two college-aged boys standing at the bar near our table.  One of them was grabbing his crotch obscenely while the other high-fived him.
    Penny’s gorgeous features twisted into something terrifying and livid.  The boys froze, and one even took a step back in the wake of her ball-shriveling glare.
    “You think you can do better?”  I asked them coolly as I slipped off my chair.
    “What are you doing?”  Penny hissed at me.
    “I’ve got this,” I assured her.  The corners of my lips turned up in my most devious smirk as I sauntered over to them.  Their mouths were hanging open slightly, and the one guy didn’t seem to realize that he still had his hand on his dick. 
    If I was a lioness, then I was going to rip these boys apart with my claws.  And I was going to get a few free drinks in the process.
    I didn’t stop walking until I had entered their personal