Dirty. Sexy. Love.[*Complete*]

Chapter Fifteen -- Jez

Jez

The last thing I remembered was going to La Rogue. I didn't remember what I did there. I didn't know how I got from the club to the hospital bed with Asher beside me.

We stared at each other for a little while, then he crushed me to his chest, and I was only slightly pissed off. Asher didn't cause whatever put me in there, I knew that much. But no matter how grateful I was that he'd been there for me, I knew better than to want him to stick around. Still, I allowed myself to appreciate being held for a short time.

It felt right to be in his arms, and with all the holes in my memory from the night before I needed that safety and rightness. Being who I was, I couldn't just let it be. I had to know if he knew anything.

"What happened?" I croaked out, my throat felt scraped raw. I hadn't really noticed it until I opened my mouth.

He drew a slow, shaky breath. "You were at La Rogue."

"I know that much."

"You were at the bar with Benji from LCDI, and he put something in your drink."

"Fuck." I covered my face, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before scooting away from him. A wave of nausea unsettled my stomach, and my lips twisted as my skin grew clammy. "How... How far did he get?" A lot of people would have broken down into tears—not me. I just felt sick. So sick.

Asher swallowed. "I made sure it didn't get far."

"That doesn't answer my question, Asher." My voice cracked, and I sat up straighter trying to gather some semblance of strength. "What did he do." I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreading what Benji might have done.

"He kissed you, maybe groped you a little. I wanted to stop him at the bar but—"

Clenching my jaw, I nodded a little as my eyes stared forward unfocused. "No, you did the right thing." I didn't want to press him further, but I needed to know. "Where did you stop him?"

"In the parking lot, he put you in the car," he was so careful with his speech, his tone low and even, his words seemed carefully curated like he didn't want to upset me. I turned to look at him, our eyes met, and the sadness that lurked in those green hazel depths was nothing short of overwhelming.

I wet my lips. "You beat the shit out of him. Didn't you?"

"Yeah. But I took you here...you passed out in the car." Another shaky breath accompanied by tears glittering in the corners of his eyes.

"Date rape drugs and copious amounts of alcohol tend to do that." I scratched my elbow, trying to brush it all off even though the fear was metallic at the back of my tongue. "Thank you."

He smiled weakly and went to take my hand, I moved it away. He stared at the spot on the blanket where my hand had been, then rubbed his palms together. "You're welcome, I guess."

"I'm incredibly grateful that you did what you did and saved me but..." I sighed. "This doesn't change anything between us."

"Why?"

"I'm not doing this again." I snapped, fighting back the tears. Because its hard to and I don't really want to, but it's stupid for us to be together.

"It's already out that I brought you here, Jez. We can go public."

In my head, I envisioned beating the shit out of him and strangling him with the line from my IV. "No."

"Why?"

I clenched my jaw and let out my inner mean-ness. "Because I don't fucking want you, Asher." It hurt for me to say it, but I'd become the master at burying my emotions, so I didn't show. "Has the thought ever crossed your mind while you were fucking stalking me that I might not want to fucking deal with the rockstar baggage? Oh, and then the fact that you're needy like a sixteen-year-old girl who finally got to date her crush and proceeds to slowly squeeze the life out of them with their incessant need to constantly be together. How many times do I have to say it? I don't want you anymore."