Free Shades of Sydney (Sydney West #1) by Brittney Coon Page B

crazed bitch?”
    “Nothing,” I said sharply. My words were dagger sharp.
    He held up his hands in defeat. I rolled my eyes and went to retire to my room. As I passed by him, he reached out and gingerly touched my arm. It felt like hot bristles were stabbing my heart. Jason was trying to be nice, but I could never trust a man like that. They looked for holes to take advantage of.
    “I heard about what happened to you…”
    I jerked my arm back, saving it from hungry flames. “I don’t need your pity or you lecturing me about how to live my life.”
    “I wasn’t going to…I want to be a friend…”
    “You, a hot guy, wants to be my friend?” I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him. Deep in my gut, I winced about admitting he was attractive, but my angry front covered it up, at least I hoped it did.
    Jason picked up an empty bottle of whiskey I missed and threw it away. When he turned to look at me, he was moving in slow motion again. I shook my head to erase the daze clouding my thoughts. What game was he playing?
    He said, “We can talk or watch a movie, whichever you prefer.”
    “Honestly, I’m about to lose my mind in this house. I’ve been its prisoner forever, it seems.”
    “You wanna go out? We could go to a quiet place to eat. A diner, maybe? As friends, of course.”
    I wrinkled my nose at the idea. “No, I’m not that type of girl. I know now what to watch out for. I’m prepared to get back on the horse and not be some girl worried she’s going to be a victim for the rest of her born days. I’m the kind of girl who kicks ass.”
    The smile on my face felt real. I wanted to go back into the world and face down the dragons who thought they could vanquish me. It was time to show them who had control of the sword.
    The look on Jason’s face suggested he didn’t seem to believe me. He rubbed his jaw and said, “Okay, so you wanna hit a club? That’s fine, but don’t ditch me if you find someone worthy .”
    The insult hit me hard. I scratched my arm, leaving red lines on my skin so I didn’t lash out with sharp words. “ Worthy? You make me sound like an upper class slut.”
    “What I meant was, don’t ditch me for someone like you did at the last party.”
    “In my defense, I didn’t come with you then.”
    He gave me a long, knowing look.
    I gave him a smirk and smacked his upper arm. “Fine, I won’t ditch you, but the same goes for you too.”
    The smile that made my stomach twist in lust was painted on his face again. “It’s a date. Shall we or do you want to change first?”
    I looked down at my pink Eeyore shorts and matching shirt. “Maybe I want to go clubbing in this. Imagine all the envious looks I’d get,” I joked, tugging on the hem of the shirt.
    He laughed. It was warm, like cookies fresh from the oven. “You would be quite the eye catcher, the crème de la crème of the club.”
    “You bet,” I said with a wink. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
    I ran up the stairs and tore my closet apart to find something suitable to wear. My heart settled on a hip hugging leather skirt with a lace top. It showed off my shoulders, but not my chest. There was no time for a movie star makeover, but some eyeliner and red lipstick can go pretty far. I slipped on some five inch heels and threw on a pair of peace sign earrings before going back down.
    Jason’s eyes widened at the sight of me. He tried to cover it up by fake coughing. I grabbed my clutch purse and made my way out the door. “Are we going or what?”
    “Yes,” he said, jogging to catch up. I locked the door and trailed behind him. He stood between our two vehicles. “Wanna take my Jeep?”
    I couldn’t help but look at my Charger and wish to drive it. Something in me felt better when I was in my car. Maybe it was because I had the control. On the other hand, I didn’t want to drive my car while drunk. Let Jason deal with the ticket if we got pulled over.
    “Sure,” I replied.
    Jason took us to a