My mind was reeling, but I couldn’t bring myself to call Bryce or Corrigan to find out what was going on.

It pissed me off because I wasn’t relaxed, laughing, or being satisfied.

I was anxious, pissy, and tense. All three emotions that I hated.

When the doorbell rang at 10:32 that night, I shot off the couch and raced upstairs.

Instead of seeing Corrigan or Bryce, I opened the door in surprise to find Denton Steele. He grinned at me and skimmed his eyes up and down my body. I had changed to a skimpy tank-top with no bra and pajama bottoms that rested low on my hips. Coral toenails peeked from underneath. I brushed my hair behind my ears. The slight movement teased my shoulders and I felt goose bumps break out over my arms.

“Steele,” I greeted, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“You look good, Sheldon.” He nodded. “I like your hair like that, when you let it loose.”

I touched my hair. It wasn’t anything special, but it was straight, shiny, and the guys seemed to like how dark it was.

Denton added, “Can I come in?”

“No.” But I held the door open and waited as he passed by.

He glanced around the place and whistled, “It looks just like I remembered.” He flashed a grin that girls nationwide swooned over. With his brown locks that were styled to frame his face and those hazel eyes, I remembered why I’d made a play for him before and grinned at the memory of my orgasm.

He’d been creative.

“Remember my garage?” he teased. His thoughts must’ve paralleled mine.

“I remember the feel of the couch in your garage,” I replied, dryly. I actually remembered the echo of my orgasm around the building.

Denton chuckled and moved into the kitchen.

“So what brings you to my doorstep at 10:32 at night?” I asked.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I want anything to eat or drink?” He frowned. “I think that’s what you offered my sister.”

“Is that why you’re here? Are you here because of Mena?”

The flirtatious glint was wiped clean when he replied, coolly, “Look. I don’t want my sister hanging around you.”

My eyebrows arched at that one.

“How come?” I asked, curious.

“No offense,” he said quickly and I shrugged. He added, “I just—you’re not the type of girl I want around Mena right now. She’s,” he frowned. “She’s vulnerable right now.”

“Because of your mother’s divorce?”

“Mena told you about that.” A scowl flashed over his face before it was replaced with concern. “Yeah, but it’s more than that. She’s going through some stuff and she’s not adjusting well to being back home with our dad. I’m staying at the house for awhile to help her out, but…I can’t stay forever.”

Actors, especially movie actors, traveled a lot.

“Can you just…can you say something to her?”

“Like what?” I laughed. “Should I have a pre-break-up talk with her before we’re friends? How do you even talk about that stuff? Does she know how you feel?”

“She does. I’ve told her my concerns.”

“What are your concerns?” I’d heard most of them anyway.

“Just that…,” he frowned and halted as he considered me. My face was void of defensiveness. I really was just curious. “I told her that you’re just more experienced in the guy department than she is. She talks big. I know she does, but she’s only dated one guy.”

“Are you sure it’s just one guy that you know?” I teased.

“No,” he answered, seriously. “It’s just one guy. She dated him for a year and they never had sex.”

“How do you know that?” And I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation.

“I just do,” Denton shrugged. “She’s not ready for the world that you live in, Sheldon.”

“And how do you know what world I live in?”

He gave me a knowing look and replied, ruefully, “I learned some tricks from you that time. You didn’t learn anything from me and I’m a guy who’s a famous actor. That says something.”

“Maybe she could learn to toughen up,” I challenged, but my heart really wasn’t in it.

Denton stiffened before he replied, coolly, “Look, I’m just going to be honest with you. Our family has its problems, but we’ve got two parents in each home. Mena might have some serious anger problems against her biological dad, but…she’s got her parents. And you…” Don’t.

I felt my heart slam back into this conversation. I slid off a stool and asked, coolly, “What exactly are you saying, Denton?”

“I really didn’t come over here to piss you off or hurt your feelings.”

“But you are, so say what you came to say,” I bristled.

Denton sighed and studied me a moment. I felt like everyone did that when they were carefully picking their words. People did it a lot around me.

He broke, “I don’t want my sister to become a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s pissed off at how fake her parents are.”

I felt a punch to my gut, but replied smoothly, “You’re in luck. You don’t have a movie star neighbor. You just have a girl that screws her movie star neighbor because she’s bored and he’s pretty good in the sack.”

He grinned tightly and shook his head. Denton raked a hand through his hair and considered me again.

The silence was thick, but he broke it when he murmured, “I’m out of line. I know that. I know I had no right to say what I did and if a guy ever said that to my sister, I’d beat him down.”

“Was that an apology?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. No. Kinda.” He shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. “I cannot believe how I’m just stumbling over my words. I’m an actor and I never stumble over my words.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve gotten most of my jobs.”

I didn’t care.

He caught my look and stopped, “But then again, you probably don’t care.”

I tilted my chin up.

“Okay. Look…I just don’t want Mena to become as tough as you.”

That was different. I sighed and stepped back. “For what it’s worth,” I murmured, “I think that’s why your sister wants me as a friend. I’d give her some protection at school.”