Free Hard Fought (A Stepbrother Warriors Novel) by Celia Loren Page A

crossed
calmly in my lap. After a moment, the driver's side door opens and Carter gets
behind the wheel.
    "There are Afghani generals that are easier to protect
than you," he growls. I hand him the car keys.
     

 
    Chapter Fifteen
     
    I smile as we step out of the car and Carter begrudgingly
hands the keys to the valet. There's a line wrapped all the way around the side
of the building, but I walk straight up to the bouncer as Carter hurries after
me.
    "Alexa Stratton...and bodyguard," I tell him.
    "That is some dress, Ms. Stratton," he replies
with a smile. "I'd let you in even if you weren't on the list. You let me
know if you need anything at all."
    I feel rather than see Carter glare at him as he opens the
etched metal door for us. My heartbeat rises with the rhythm of the music and I
feel perfectly in my element as I walk through the throngs of people. Any
insecurity and anxiety I've been feeling melts away, driven by the music's
heavy bass.
    My head turns at a woman's high-pitched shriek, and I feel
Carter tense next to me. "LEX! Oh my god oh my god!" I laugh as I
spot Nikki standing on a couch in the VIP area and frantically waving at me.
The VIP hostess raises the red velvet rope as I walk over to meet her. "I
can't believe you're really here!" she cries, jumping onto the floor and
wrapping me in a hug.
    "You look exactly the same, but with bangs!" I
laugh, running my hand over her long, golden blonde hair.
    "To old friends!" she says, grabbing a shot from a
tray as a cocktail waitress drops them at the table.
    "Old friends!" I echo her, automatically reaching
out and downing a shot with her. The vodka burns as it runs down my throat and
I gladly accept a gulp from Nikki's Cosmo to wash it down.
    "Thought you weren't drinking," Carter murmurs in
my ear. I feel my hackles rise, even though I know he's right.
    "And who's this ?" Nikki purrs, laying her
hand on Carter's shoulder.
    "Future step-brother and current pain in the ass,"
I explain.
    "You want a drink?" Nikki offers.
    "No thanks," he replies.
    "I'll take one!"
    "Alexa..." Carter protests, but whatever he wants
me to do, I only want to do the opposite.
    Nikki steps between us and links her arms with ours, guiding
us to the couches. A few people from my old gang are here, along with a bunch
of new faces that I don't recognize. After the pleasantries, I turn back to
Nikki.
    "Where's the husband?"
    "Oh, he's so old, he goes to bed at like eleven every
night," she says, rolling her eyes. "But he doesn't care if I go out
after that, so whatever!" she adds brightly and hands me a cranberry vodka
that she just made from the bottles on the table. "What about you? Any men
in your life?"
    "No, definitely not!" I reply. "Definitely,
definitely not."
    "Got it!" Nikki says with a laugh. "You have
to come shopping with me tomorrow."
    "I don't know if I can..."
    "Please! I have nothing to wear!"
    "You have more clothes than anyone I know! And this is
from the Gucci fall collection if I'm not mistaken," I say, fingering the
hem of her beaded silk mini-dress.
    "Yeah, and now everyone's seen me in it! So, shopping tomorrow?"
    "It's just, I'm trying to save up some money," I
explain.
    Nikki laughs so suddenly that she spits Cosmo across the
table. "For god's sake, why? You're, like, one of the richest people I
know, and I know actual royalty!"
    "No, my father is rich, I'm not! And I don't
want him to bankroll everything. I'll just wind up having to ask him for
permission for every little thing. I need to save money if I want to go back to
school on my own terms."
    "Go back to school? You don't need to do that! You want
me to introduce you to one of Jonathan's friends?"
    "No, no, forget it," I sigh, downing the rest of
my drink. "I get too stressed out thinking about it all," I say as I
pour myself another. My calm has been broken, and one more drink will settle me
down again. "You know this DJ?" I ask her, nodding to the guy on the
raised platform.
    Nikki always has her finger on