“She doesn’t want to wear it because it was the only one that wasn’t destroyed,” Reaper explained when Ginny couldn’t.
Kimmy’s paused as she moved a small fan closer to Ginny’s face. “I should have thought of that myself,” Kimmy’s berated herself. “I can return that one.”
Ginny shook her head. “I was planning to pay for the dress and the clothes that were destroyed.”
“I’m a terrible person.” Latching her makeup carrier closed, Kimmy started to leave.
Ginny caught her by the arm. “Don’t say that. I should have told you. I just assumed you knew I would pay for them. This my fault. Don’t blame yourself when it was because of me the clothes were destroyed in the first place.”
“You can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions.” Kimmy flushed when she looked toward Reaper. “I should have known why you didn’t want to wear the dress. I would be freaking out if it had happened to me.” Her lips twisted wryly in self-disgust. “I was more worried about my pocketbook than understanding how scary this must be for you. You are always there for me, and when you needed me, I tried to pull your hair out. Your boyfriend was right to call me out.”
Hearing himself being referred to as Ginny’s boyfriend had a jarring effect on him, particularly because of Ginny’s reaction. A thirteen-year-old girl would be more blasé than she, as a wide range of emotions filled her face. The shy, innocent glance she gave him was mixed with a flood of embarrassment that colored her cheeks.
The only thing that kept his ass in the room and not heading back to Treepoint was Viper.
Leaving would put Viper on the frontline just when Ginny’s stalker was escalating. The killing of the bird escalated his threats, making him more likely to strike out at the person keeping him from getting Ginny. And right now, it was him. If he left, Viper would be the one taking his place.
Reaper couldn’t give a rat’s ass if her stalker tried to take him out. What had panicked him enough to hitchhike his way back to Treepoint was Ginny. The longer he was around her, the more he feared what she was telling him was true.
“I’m really not tenderheaded. My sister used to rip my hair out by the roots when we were—” A strange look crossed Ginny’s face as she removed her hand from Kimmy’s arm to turn the small fan off. “—when we were little. Gavin was just being protective of me, weren’t you?”
“Sure.”
Kimmy didn’t believe the bullshit, and Reaper refused to give her a pass from the way she treated Ginny. He might have no problem being a jerk to her, but he wouldn’t hurt a hair on her head, and no one else was going to, either, while he was there.
Sliding her makeup case out of the way, Kimmy went to the rack to unzip the garment bag Ginny brought. Diffidently aware that he was watching, Kimmy carefully removed the dress.
Taking the dress from Kimmy, Ginny gave him a sweet smile that always turned his mind and balls to steel. “Gavin, do you mind waiting outside for a few minutes? I need to get changed.”
The tiny space was claustrophobic with all three of them standing. It wouldn’t give her enough space to get undressed without touching him.
Reaper barely avoided the door hitting him on the ass he left so fast. Sin and Kaden stopped talking at his sudden appearance in the corridor.
“They kick you out?” Sin asked. “You can wait in my room if you want?”
“They won’t be long.” Rejecting the offer, Reaper stayed by Ginny’s door, refusing to be drawn into the efforts by any of the band members to be buddy-buddy. He didn’t want to be friends with them, had no desire to find out what they were into, and for fucking sure didn’t trust any of them any farther than he could throw them.
Sin shrugged off the rebuff. “You can see Ginny’s door from there. Just trying to make it easier on you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Reaper turned his head to Kaden. “How’s Mason doing?”
“Furious at himself that he let someone get the better of him.”
“Lessons like that are hard to learn.” He should know.
“Alec told me you came down hard on him.”
Reaper shrugged. “I warned him to have his men working in pairs. Shade and Rider cautioned him that Ginny’s stalker wasn’t an amateur. He was overconfident, and it nearly cost Mason his life.”
“That’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?” Sin’s laid-back behavior flipped on a dime, dissatisfied at having someone he just met criticize a man who he’d worked with for years.
“Look at your boss; he isn’t disagreeing with me, is he?”
Sin turned to Kaden, and his eyes grew dark when Kaden remained silent. “I have shit to do.” Taking the few steps needed to reach his dressing room, Sin left him and Kaden staring stonily at each other.