Free Slut by Sara Wylde Page A

sharing his woman with me, for letting us figure things out. For being the man she needs. And I’m going to hope like hell I can be their friend and I’m not going to regret anything that happened because I’m sure she’s right where she’s supposed to be.”
    His words twisted my heart up like a rag and squeezed out all my feelings like dirty dishwater. “I guess I don’t have to stab your face after all.”
    “I’ll let her stab my face if she wants to. I know I earned it. I know I was a bastard, asshole… whatever name you want to call me. I’ll still be that when it’s all said and done, but if Claire would just be my friend again, I could be right with it all.”
    “Did you grow a conscience or something?” I realized how shitty that sounded. “I mean—”
    “No, it’s okay. Something that Karlie told me last night really resonated with me.”
    “Karlie’s a great sage?”
    “In her own way.” Kieran smiled, flashing white, perfect teeth. “For as naïve as she is, she’s got some knowledge.”
    “I bet she does now.”
    He didn’t rise to the bait. “I like her as a person.”
    “Did you give Fain his dance?”
    “The big guy with the tattoo you were talking about? Yeah, he got his dance and then some.”
    “Oh really?”
    “You should call your boy-o. Ryan’s his name, innit?”
    My eyes goggled. “I’m surprised he hasn’t called me.”
    “Maybe his mouth is still full.”
    If this kept up, my eyes were going to pop right out of my head and roll away. “At least last night worked out for someone.”
    “It worked out for Karlie, too. I can promise you that.”
    “Good. You know how you said you like her? Me too.”
    “Does she remind you of yourself or something?” He laughed and held up his hands. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. There’s just an innocence about her that you seem to want to protect even though you bought her a… what was it Rosa called me, manwhore?”
    “If a professional pops her cherry, it was guaranteed to be good. No awkward, sticky fumblings in the backseat of a Prius. And she’s not going to expect you to call her back.”
    “Actually, she hired me for another job. I have to pick her up after I leave here.”
    “Dare I ask what kind of job?”
    “Sex. What else?”
    “Who knew?” I grinned, strangely proud of her.
    “Yeah.” He nodded. “Who knew?”
    There was something sad about the way he said it, but before I had a chance to poke it with a stick, he stood.
    “Since Claire isn’t here, I’m going to go. You might want to put a trash can or something by the bed for Rosa. And never give her whiskey again.”
    “Lesson learned.”
    “Tell Claire I was here for her?”
    I nodded and closed the door behind him, surprised that I didn’t think about taking him back to my room. I wouldn’t have, of course. That would’ve really hurt Claire. It was different with Rosa and Gavin. Rosa had practically demanded I do it.
    But the part that stuck in my brain, that burned there was that I didn’t feel like I had to offer it because he was nice to me. I didn’t feel like I needed his approval or his validation.
    I kind of liked it.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    I didn’t see Claire for the whole week. I imagined she was spending all of her time with Brant.
    If I had a guy like that, I probably would too. Theirs was the stuffs that real life fairy tales were made out of. It almost hurt to watch.
    Not because I didn’t want all good things for my friend. Of course I did. I wanted Claire to be happy, to be joyously and stupidly happy. She deserved it. But it was a double-edged sword because I wanted my own Brant. Someone who loved me so wholly, that maybe I could love myself too.
    I was pretty sure that wasn’t how it worked. I’d have to love me first and with all the stuff in my head, in my life, that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t really believe that kind of love was for me.
    It was easier when I didn’t believe it was real. I’d seen it,