But I couldn’t tell her that now. Not in front of him.
The asshole stepped in front of me and shoved me in the chest with both hands. I stumbled back a step. “Touch her again and you’ll regret it,” he said, tone heated, voice a low growl.
His words caused me to pause, but not for the reason he expected. If this was the guy who’d attacked Hailey, why was he being overly protective of her? Was it because he felt guilty for what he had done or because he’d had nothing to do with that?
I didn’t have time to contemplate it further. A man in a suit that screamed cop in a place like this approached Hailey. “Miss Wilkins, we received a report that the man who’s been allegedly harassing you is here.”
Hailey nodded, but before she could say anything, the asshole poked me in the chest. “Yes, this is him.”
The cop looked at Hailey for confirmation.
“That’s not him. He’s my friend.” She purposely avoided my name and pointed to the asshole. “That’s the guy.”
A deep frown formed on the asshole’s forehead. “What the fuck are you talking about? I haven’t been harassing you.”
Detective Mathews stepped closer to the man. “How about we continue this conversation at the station?”
The frown remained. “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Then you won’t mind answering a few questions at the station.”
The asshole glanced back and forth between the detective and Hailey. “What’s going on?”
“At the station.” It was no longer a suggestion.
“Fine,” the asshole bit out.
Chapter 14
Hailey
Detective Mathews escorted the man out, and my heart rate slowly returned to normal. It had been going crazy ever since Nolan kissed me, but when I saw the man attack him, my heart came close to scrambling out of my chest.
Nolan turned back to me, frowning. “I don’t think he’s the attacker.”
“Of course he is.” Kayla’s expression equaled Nolan’s in the frown department.
“Why don’t you think he did it?” I asked, curious why he would believe that. Deep down I suspected he was right.
“Did you see how he reacted when he thought I was using you?” Nolan said. “He acted like I would have if our places were reversed.”
“But you’re my friend. He’s a stranger. And you’ve always been a tad overly protective.” A side effect, no doubt, of having a father like his. Nolan had been the same way with his sister.
“But why would the guy attack you and then try to protect you from douchebags like Tyler?” Brandon slapped Nolan on the back, partly in jest.
They both had a point. Unless there was more to the story than we realized.
But for now I didn’t want to think about it. “Can we go?” I just wanted to go to bed and forget about tonight, especially the part where the creepy guy had pointed out the truth. What had happened between me and Nolan on the dance floor hadn’t been because Nolan felt the same way about me as I felt about him. He’d been protecting me. That was what Nolan did best.
I hugged Kayla goodbye. Before I could pull away, she whispered in my ear, “Be careful. Okay?” I had no idea if she was referring to what had happened between me and Nolan or was just telling me to be careful in general.
“It was nothing,” I said, going with the first option. “It was just an act for the loser’s benefit.”
“Just make sure you guys are both on the same page, Hailey. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
My eyebrows jumped up my forehead. “I thought you wanted this. Weren’t you the one who invited him to crash at my place while he’s here?”
“That doesn’t mean I want you to risk your heart again. You guys were best friends, and I know you still missed him.”
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t get hurt this time. I’m not the girl I used to be.”
A sad smile wavered on her face. “I know. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
I didn’t have a chance to ask her what she meant, as Nolan was waiting to leave. I followed him and Brandon to Brandon’s truck.
We didn’t say much on the drive back home, all three of us lost in thought, but you couldn’t miss the tension between me and Nolan. It was that thick. I didn’t know, though, if the strain was because of what had happened between us on the dance floor or because of what happened afterward. The entire evening was a kaleidoscope of confusion in my head.
Brandon dropped us off at the main entrance to my building. We thanked him and climbed down from the truck. The tension between us increased tenfold, but it suddenly felt different compared to how it’d been in the vehicle.
Kayla’s words repeated in my head: Just make sure you guys are both on the same page, Hailey. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.