***
“I’ll see you in ten,” I told Dallas as he walked up the staircase with the champagne in his arms. I offered to help him, but he assured me that he wouldn’t break it on the way up to Sage’s apartment.
I walked into my apartment, already taking off my shirt, ready to take a quick shower to get rid of the cigarette smell from the bar, and then also head upstairs. Sage’s party was already in full swing, with loud music playing and people laughing and singing along to the songs.
As I turned the corner to get to my bedroom, my front door opened again, and I swung back around. It wouldn’t be the first time Dallas entered my apartment unannounced, but this time, it was his sister who disrespected any privacy rules.
“Hi,” Gray said sweetly, closing the door behind her. She looked amazing. Her face was kept natural by the minimal makeup she put on, and her long, fiery hair was styled into big curls. The skirt she was wearing showed off her curves, but also her small waist. It reminded me of the outfit she wore on our first date at my place.
I chuckled. “Do the Washingtons not know how to knock or ring a bell?” I was mocking her, and her smile grew.
“No,” she simply said and moved closer. Her eyes fell to my chest, then lowered to my stomach where they stopped. “Why are you half-naked?”
“I need a shower. I smell like an ashtray dumped in a glass of scotch on the rocks.” I reached out to cup the side of her neck, then pulled her closer. I was about to kiss her, but she moved her head back slightly to look up at me.
“Everyone smells like that upstairs.” She shrugged, then her smile turned into a frown. “Please hurry. It’s boring without you.”
Another chuckle escaped me, and this time, she let me kiss her lips gently. Taking her in, I wrapped my arm around her back to keep her tight against my body. Her lips moved softly against mine, and my tongue quickly found a way to hers.
“I missed you,” I whispered into the kiss before breaking it. We were still close, our foreheads touching while we tried to catch our breath. As I opened my eyes, I watched her keep hers closed, and after a pleased smile, she licked her lips. She did that a lot. Whenever I pulled back from a kiss, she stopped for a second to take in what just happened, making sure she remembered that certain feeling forever. On another note, I could tell she had already had one or two drinks by the taste on her tongue.
“I’ll be ready in no time. Wait for me upstairs,” I told her, and she nodded. Her eyes now opened, she slid her hands down my chest, lingering at my stomach. “Are you sure I can’t watch you take a shower?” she asked, and this time I laughed.
“No, I am not. But I don’t want to ruin the party by keeping the birthday girl’s best friend and cousin away from her.” I smirked, then took both her hands off my body and gave her a little pat on her bottom to signal her to move along. “I’ll see you upstairs, beautiful.”
Gray nodded in agreement, and with a small wave and adorable smile, she left my apartment. Had I known she was already here I would’ve hurried a little more when I got here. I intended on texting her after I took the shower, to ask her if she was on her way here, but then, she probably was here earlier than everyone else to help Sage set up the décor for the party.
I picked out a nice outfit and hopped in the shower to get rid of the smell and to quickly get upstairs to see Gray again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jagger
Just as I imagined, after I showered and got dressed to head upstairs, there was décor even in the hallway by Sage’s floor. Two huge balloons in the form of the number 23 were floating right next to the door, and I had to duck to get inside without hitting them with my head.
The music was loud, and there were more guests now than there were at her last party a few weeks ago. I looked around the room to find someone I knew, but the only one I saw was Joey. As Sage’s boyfriend, he probably knew where I could find her to congratulate her on getting a year older.
I moved through the crowd, finally reaching Joey, and putting my hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“Jagger, right? What’s up, man?” he said, and I was taken aback by the many girls he was surrounded by. They looked like they were all over him.
“Do you know where I can find Sage and Gray?” I didn’t feel like talking much with him.
“Why?” A girl with a dress that was a hundred percent too small for her asked in an amused voice. I turned to look at her and lifted an eyebrow. Don’t be a dick, Jag.
“Because it’s Sage’s birthday,” I pointed out.
“Okay. But why are you looking for Gray?” she asked. The way she said Gray’s name made me want to turn around and find them without anyone’s help. She seemed annoyed, and she didn’t even know me.
“She’s my girl.”
“Wow,” was her response, and then her eyes moved from mine down my body, checking out every inch of me. It made me uncomfortable, and her behavior was incredibly annoying.
Ignoring her disgusted facial expression, I looked back at Joey, who was back flirting with another girl. “Never mind,” I breathed and turned to walk back into the crowd and toward the kitchen.
As I reached it, I stopped in front of a large curtain that hung from one side of the arch to the other, hindering people from entering the once open kitchen. There wasn’t much noise coming from it, so I figured it was the one space only Sage was allowed in. Other than that, I really could use some quiet time to prepare myself for the chaos in the living room.
I pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the kitchen. Luckily, both Gray and Sage were standing by the counter, decorating a large cake with melted chocolate and sprinkles.
“Looks good,” I said, and they quickly turned to look at me.
Gray was quick to put down the bowl and walk over to me, her arms immediately wrapping around my neck and her lips pressing against my cheek. “Finally,” she squealed happily, and I made a note in my head to make sure to monitor her drinking.
“Having fun, love?” I asked, and she nodded with no hesitation, and after a quick kiss to my lips, she went back to the cake. “I’m happy you’re finally here with us. I missed you.”
I smiled, eyeing her from behind. She was the sweetest, even when she was drinking. After admiring Gray, I turned to look at her cousin, who had a huge grin on her face.
“I should’ve placed a bet on you two. I knew there was a connection.”
I chuckled, then stepped closer to hug her. “Happy birthday, Sage. Enjoying your party?” I asked and moved back to let her get back to decorating the cake.
“It’s fun, yes. Who would’ve thought that Gray already had four more drinks than I did? Keep an eye on her tonight,” she told me with a wink. I nodded, then leaned against the counter next to Gray.
My eyes wandered from the cake to her face, and her cheeks were already slightly pink from the alcohol. “Feeling okay?” I asked softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at me with a smile, then pointed to the curtain behind me. “We’re hiding in here. Joey brought some of his college friends and Sage wasn’t happy about it. We’re decorating to distract her from him.”
I looked over at Sage, whose expression was now sad, almost angry. “Want me to talk to him?”
“No. I’ll just ignore him and tomorrow he’ll be all over me again once those girls aren’t around anymore.” Sage’s voice was sarcastic, and I knew it bothered her to see her boyfriend out there flirting with other girls.
“It’s your birthday, Sage. You deserve to have fun, not hide in here and let him do what he does best. He’s not caring much about the important thing tonight.”
“He’s right…maybe it’s best if he talks to him. You know those girls will never leave if we tell them to. Let Jagger try,” Gray suggested, looking at her cousin.
Sage sighed, then put her sprinkles down and looked back at me. “Okay, but if those girls don’t leave, I will stay in this kitchen for the rest of the night.”
&nbs
p; I smiled tightly and looked back at Gray. “I’ll be back.”
Kicking someone out of an apartment that wasn’t mine could get tricky. But I wanted Sage to have a great birthday, because everyone deserved to turn twenty-three while having fun, not hiding in the kitchen because her boyfriend was acting like a bachelor.
I stalked over to the group of girls surrounding Joey and tapped his shoulder to get his attention once again. He turned, but before he could say something, the girl from before moved closer to me with a grin.
“Did you miss me?” she tried to sound seductive and sexy, but all I heard was a frog who suddenly learned to speak.
“Fuck, no,” I murmured and looked back at Joey. “Sage is upset. Any chance you can get rid of these girls so she can come out of the kitchen and have a nice birthday party?”
He laughed at my words. “She’s just fine, man. She needs to relax a little. We’re all just having fun.”
“Right, everyone besides her.” I sighed, looking at the girls around us, then back at Joey. “Can you at least come to talk to her for a second?” I asked in a low voice.
“Jesus, okay. Wait up, ladies. I’ll be right back.”
With Joey following me, we headed back to the kitchen. I held the curtain up so he could enter the room, and I stepped in behind him. Sage quickly looked at Joey, and there were high expectations in her eyes.
“Did you get rid of them?” she asked hopefully. Gray watched him closely.
“Why would I? We’re just having fun. Come one, babe…don’t be like that,” Joey said, but those were the wrong words.
Sage stepped forward and pointed to the curtain behind Joey with a knife. I didn’t notice it when I first came in, but the knife had some cake residue on it, probably from her cutting it before. “Then I’ll get rid of you.”
“I’ll take this.” I carefully took the knife out of her hand and put it on the counter to prevent any unwanted accidents. Then, Joey chuckled and shook his head. “The hell are you talking about? Come on, let’s have some fun,” he told her, but Sage wasn’t having it.
“I’m done with you, Joey” was all she said before turning back to the cake. I looked at Gray, who was just as surprised as I was. But she also turned her back to Joey without a word.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I lifted an eyebrow, then nodded to the curtain. “Does she look like she is?” I asked him. “Get out, man.”
With one last shake of his head, he left. Sage let out a relieved sigh, and I looked at her to make sure she was okay.
“Is there something I can get you?” I asked.
“Yes. The bottle of wine in my fridge, please. Thank you for helping, Jagger. I guess it was time to realize that he never treated me right the past few years…and he was terrible in bed,” Sage admitted.
Gray and I looked at each other and laughed. “Fair reason to let someone go,” I said under my breath and took out the bottle of wine Sage wished for. She didn’t seem to be bothered much by the break-up. Good for her.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Gray
“Why did I just watch Joey leave with ten hot college girls?” Dallas asked as he entered the kitchen. He looked confused, and with Sage keeping quiet while eating cake, I was the one enlightening my brother.
“She broke up with him,” I simply said, then looked over at Jagger, who was leaning against the fridge, drinking a beer. God, he looked so handsome. He didn’t seem too bothered by what went on just minutes ago, and he kept calm the whole time.
“Hate to say it…but, finally.” Dallas laughed and pulled Sage into an embrace.
“I thought you two were friends,” Sage mumbled into his chest, and Dallas grimaced.
“He’s annoying as shit. Only spent time with him because of you, Sage. Just because a family member has a boyfriend, doesn’t mean I want to be friends with him.”
“Ouch.” Jagger frowned and put his hand over his chest, acting as if Dallas had just hurt his feelings. Dallas laughed and rolled his eyes.
“You’re different, man. You don’t annoy me, and you work for me. And I’m one hundred percent sure that you’d never be a dick like Joey and flirt with other girls at your girlfriend’s birthday party.”
I looked from Dallas to Jagger, and it might’ve been the alcohol, but something in me doubted what Dallas said. Jagger’s eyes met mine, and a smile appeared on his lips. “She’s the only one, even if she looks like she doesn’t trust me right now.” He chuckled and moved closer to me. He cupped my face with his hands and forced me to look into his eyes.
“I don’t like what alcohol does to you, Gray,” he whispered.
For a moment, I got lost in his eyes, and the words swirling around in my head didn’t form real sentences. “I…”
Jagger raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to say something. There was a glimpse of amusement on his face, and I kept trying to build a grammatically correct sentence.
“Lost your voice there, Rusty?” Dallas’s words sounded muffled, and I heard Sage giggle. They were still in the kitchen with us, but my attention span shrunk with each second, and all I saw was Jagger. My head was spinning, and I wondered if that last glass of vodka mixed with some soda was too much.
“You okay, love?” Jagger sounded concerned, and the crease between his brows deepened.
“Love,” I repeated his last word spoken, and my heart suddenly started pumping faster, making me feel scared and excited at once. What the hell is going on?
“I love you.” And then, everything went black
***
I heard voices from afar, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My head hurt, and I felt cramps in my stomach. Damn alcohol. I shouldn’t have drunk too much without eating enough dinner beforehand. I lifted my hand to cover my forehead, and I felt heat rising to my head. I needed some water, but first, I had to find out where I was.
Last thing I remembered was being at Sage’s party in her kitchen with her and the guys. I hoped the party wasn’t over yet because I normally never missed a birthday. But from the sound of it, there weren’t many guests left.
I finally opened my eyes, looking straight up at the ceiling. It was dark in the room, but I knew I was in Sage’s room, recognizing the five lightbulbs hanging from a wooden log attached to the ceiling.
For a moment, I laid there and tried to regain my strength and will to get off the bed, and luckily, I somehow managed to do just that. Steadying myself on the nightstand, I took a deep breath and walked toward the bedroom door to get to the voices coming from the living room.
After opening it and stepping out into the hall, the talking immediately stopped, and I looked over to the couch, seeing Sage, Jagger, and Dallas all sitting there, with no one else around.
“She’s alive!” Dallas chimed, and I frowned, wondering how long I’d been out.
“What time is it?” I asked, walking toward them slowly. Jagger got up to meet me halfway and put one arm around my back to support me. “It’s almost three in the morning. You missed the whole party,” he told me.
“Oh, God…I’m so sorry, Sage. I should’ve stopped after one drink,” I sighed, looking at my cousin apologetically.
She waved her hand and shrugged. Her legs were pulled up on the couch, with a blanket covering them. “You didn’t miss much. Besides, these two have kept me great company. Your lover is quite good at beer pong.”
I turned to look at Jagger, biting my bottom lip. “Did you have fun?” I asked in a whisper, hoping he wasn’t mad for me passing out.
“Loads,” he confessed, then helped me get to the couch safely. Dallas and Sage scooted over, so we would have enough space to sit as well.
“How are you feeling?” Jagger asked, and his hand came up behind me to grab a fistful of hair, massaging the back of my head.
“Better, I think. And I really didn’t miss anything? Why are you guys still up?” I leaned into Jagger’s hand, silently thanking him for making my head stop throbbin
g.
“Cleaned the apartment and then decided to watch a movie. But I’m tired. I should head back upstairs,” Dallas announced.
I looked at him and nodded, then turned to Sage to apologize once more. “I’ll never drink again, I promise.”
Sage laughed, then shook her head. “It’s all good. I think I should head to bed too. You think you can get her back to your apartment safely?” she asked Jagger, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said, then got up from the couch. “Come on, beautiful. You need a few more hours of sleep.” I hugged Sage before I got up from the couch, then looked at Dallas who took one last sip of his beer. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” the other three said in unison.
As we entered Jagger’s apartment a few minutes later, I turned to him and leaned into his chest to hug him. He chuckled, stroking my back softly with his hands. “You need something to drink. Come on, I’ll make you a tea,” he offered, and I nodded without stepping away from him.
“Thank you,” I murmured into his sweatshirt, and he grabbed my hand to pull me toward the kitchen.
“Always.”
I sat down at the kitchen table, running my hands through my hair and sighing deeply, wondering why he kept up with me when I was trying to get sober. “You don’t remember much before you blacked out, huh?” he said, amused, taking a cup out of the cupboard, and pouring water into the kettle.
“Not really. I remember us standing in the kitchen…and Sage breaking up with Joey,” I recalled, but that was pretty much it.
“So, you don’t remember saying something to me that might’ve sparked too much…joy and excitement for you to handle?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “What do you mean?” I scowled, watching him closely.
Jagger shrugged, amusement still lingering in his eyes. “Maybe you remember the part where I asked you if you were okay…love?” He was teasing now, but nothing came to mind when he repeated those last few words.
The Hastings Series Page 44