by Scott, S. L.
25
Joshua
Sometimes drinking your troubles away is the best thing to do. Not the sagest advice for the liver long term, but a bottle of whatever I could get my hands on got me through a few hard times.
So judging Chloe for wanting to do the same isn’t something I can do. “Why won’t you drink with me?” she asks, her swan-like neck on full display as her head tilts back, her body loose from too many cosmopolitans.
This tie of mine that she cared so much about an hour ago is currently twisted around her wrist and wound through her fingers as she holds me close. “One shot, Joshy. For me. It’s my birthday.”
Joshy? How is she this drunk? I grin because she’s also adorable.
She takes a shot from the bar and hands it to me, and then gets the other. “To—”
“To you,” I say, toasting our glasses together. We both down the amber liquid without so much as a care, the cinnamon not my favorite but whiskey is whiskey and goes down smooth. Maybe not as smooth for her, judging by the face she’s making. Then the mystery unriddles. “Did you eat today?”
“No time.” And she wonders why I ask . . .
Returning the glasses to the bar, she twirls, taking hold of her skirt. Revealing her sexy legs is a happy side effect. “I had to look pretty for you.” A pouty bottom lip sticks out. “Do you think I’m pretty?”
“You’re always gorgeous to me, baby.” Kissing that lip, I add, “But you need food.”
“Chloe?” Her name is followed by a squeal of birthday proportions.
Throwing her hands in the air when she spots Ruby rushing through the crowd, Chloe screams in excitement. They embrace each other, spinning around in a circle. I take the opportunity to sneak behind her to tell the bartender, “Make her drinks a little weaker, or we’ll be cleaning her off the floor.”
“Will do,” he replies, catching my drift.
“What are you doing here?” Chloe asks Ruby.
“I wouldn’t miss your big day.” Stepping back to get a good look at her friend, Ruby exclaims, “Holy cow, woman. You’re a queen slaying this birthday. This dress better come back to New Haven with you. I’ll find a party just so I can wear it.” Ruby knocks into me. “Your girl cleans up well.”
Smiling with pride, I know Chloe doesn’t need fancy dresses. I love her no matter what she wears. It’s the girl inside the clothes that won me over. “She does.”
With a side embrace, Ruby and I hug. “Good to see you.”
She grins. “You too, stud.”
I’m happy to stand back and let the friends catch up. Just as I take a drink, my shoulder is bumped. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me. It’s a big party, after all.
But this time, it does.
Pushing past me, Trevor presses his whole hand to Chloe’s bare back as if he has that right. He’s lucky I don’t fucking punch him. Fortunately for him, I don’t have to. She’s quick to duck out from his touch and latch onto me. “I didn’t know you were here.”
The cold greeting is punch enough for me.
The rejection doesn’t sit well, judging by the ire in his eyes. “I came over to wish you a happy birthday,” he says, ignoring me.
“Thanks,” she replies more cordially than I’d be.
“I was in town for Thanksgiving, and my parents are here, so I came along.”
Angling us away from him, I’m digging her not-give-a-shit attitude. “Thank you for coming. Have a good time.”
Determination enters his eyes, and he says, “Some of the gang are out back on the veranda. They’ve been looking for you.”
“I’ve been right here in the same place for the past hour.” Her tone is firm, but I can see the way her shoulders have started to fall. I reach over and wrap my finger around hers.
He continues, “Well, you know how they hate hanging out at these things.” One look at her and anyone who knows her can tell she’s hurt.
I’m about to step in to end this, my heart hurting for her and angry that he’s so blind to how she’s feeling, but she says, “Do you remember my sixteenth birthday, Trevor?”
He at least gives her the courtesy of pretending to attempt to remember. “I don’t.”
“That’s okay. I do. You and ‘the gang’ stopped by.” He actually appears pleased with himself, as if he did her a favor. “I went to tell the caterers we needed more food, and when I returned to the pool house, everyone was gone.”
His smug smirk falls. Good.
He says, “I’m sure we thought—”
“No,” she says, raising her hand. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad for leaving back then, but don’t feel you have to stay tonight. I’m sure you have much better things to do than celebrate my special day.”
I’m probably mistaken, but is that remorse written on his face? “Chloe—”
She smiles. My kindhearted girlfriend gives him what he never did for her—she lets him off easy. “Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoy the party.”
Holding my hand, she pulls me closer, rejoining Ruby at the bar and leaving Trevor standing there like the asshole he is.
Guys like him don’t take rejection lightly. He doesn’t disappoint.
Bumping against me again, he stops, his eyes forward. “You can wear a rented suit, but that won’t change who you are or where you come from, Evans. Everyone knows you don’t belong here.” He turns his scowl on me. “You don’t belong in her world. Get out before you take her down with you, Townie.”
He can’t crack the foundation Chloe and I built. We’re solid. Angling my head to see him over my shoulder, I reply, “I’m sure your advice is given in the best interest of Chloe and not yourself.”
He takes a drink from his glass and then crunches on the ice. “Of course.”
Fucker.
I’m glad when he’s gone. His ego was sucking the oxygen from the air. Dr. Fox taps a glass across the room, grabbing everyone’s attention. The conversations slowly die down, and he asks for Chloe to join him.
Giddy, she jumps excitedly. “I’ll be back,” she says, rushing across the room. She’s absolutely stunning in her happiness, the pink of her cheeks and the gleam in her eyes when she looks into mine.
Ruby comes to stand beside me, and says, “You make her happy, Josh. I always saw who she was, but now the rest of the world gets to see it, too. She’s going to do great things in medicine, but you’ve given her a life outside that.”
I nod, my gaze staying with Chloe. “Thanks, but if I can give her an ounce of how she makes me feel, I’m doing a good job.”
While Chloe blows out the candles on her cake, I’m reminded of how different our worlds really are. My birthday was a cake my mom would bake, and she’d let me frost and sprinkle. They always tasted the best with sprinkles.
That cake in front of her probably cost a thousand dollars and doesn’t have one sprinkle on it.
Screw the cake, Chloe’s father doesn’t waste time presenting her with a diamond bracelet. Dangling a key fob, the light gleams off the Mercedes symbol when he says, “I decided to give you your graduation present early. Happy Birthday, honey.”
I’ve never known her to ask for anything, so I always considered her the last person who needs or wants extravagant gifts. She’s the most content person I know, but maybe that comes with being able to afford anything you want.
“Thank you,” she says, kissing his cheek as applause echoes around us.
I clap slowly, watching her weave her way back to me. Ruby says, “Girl doesn’t need another Mercedes.”
“What does she need?” I voice before I think twice.
She sips her champagne. “His approval.”
Ruby hits the nail on the head, but it wouldn’t be right to confirm it. Rushing to me, Chloe tosses me the fob. “Want to go for a ride?”
I’ve never driven a Mercedes, so the desire to drive a high-end car is tempting. “What about the party?” Her eyes are glassy, making me glad she gave me the key.
“Ju
st a quick ride,” she says, grabbing my hands and pulling me toward the front door. “We’ll be back, Ruby,” she says over my shoulder.
Ruby leans against the bar when I look back. She says, “Have fun. I’m going to see if this cutie is single.”
Chloe’s already dragging me toward the front door. “Come on.”
“I’m right here with you, babe.” Though I’m starting to wonder if this is a bad idea. “How about we go see the car and then go upstairs?”
“What’s up there that we can’t do in the car?” Oh, she’s good. Quicker than most, considering the amount of alcohol in her system. Pushing herself against me, she says, “We can christen the car.” I think she believes she’s whispering, but by the horrified expression of an older lady nearby, she’s not. And it’s fucking delightful.
“We can do that too,” I start, entirely amused by her passion for this excursion. “But maybe we should do it tomorrow when you’ll remember.”
Still trying to detour her, I bring her closer to the bottom of the stairs.
“I’ll remember. I can still feel the stretch of my body from earlier.” She nibbles on my chin, her hands roaming my ass. “You’re so big, Joshua. I feel empty without you.”
Ruby comes behind her. “Okay. Time to move the sex show to another room. You’re scaring the guests.”
I take a more direct approach and take Chloe’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs.”
Her eyes pivot to the stairs before she looks back at the party. “Take me for a ride, Joshua. We’ll be back before anyone notices.” My willpower escapes me, weakness for her overtaking my better sense. She knows her methods are working because she works me even harder. “The sun set, but the moon is still rising. It’s gorgeous from the cliffs. If we hurry, we can catch it before it settles above for the night.”
“Watching the moon rise will make you happy?”
The times she talked about mangata and finding comfort in staring out her window . . . I thought it was normal stuff, chick stuff. I’m starting to realize the moon might have been her friend, the one that kept her loneliness at bay. And that breaks my fucking heart.
Her body’s loose, rebellion glistening in her eyes. “It will make me so happy. Please.”
So I can’t say no. Kissing her hand, I hold it tight in mine as we head for the door. “Let’s go chase the moon.”
“Onward ho we go. Chasing the moon.”
Ruby remains in the doorway after we exit. Cupping her hand to the side of her mouth, she calls, “Be safe.”
Chloe’s hair whips around as she turns back with sass in her step. “Never,” she teases.
Laughter trails from the house. “Have fun, you crazy kids.”
Twirling away from me, Chloe raises her arm into the air, and then she spins back in. “We will.”
A red bow as big as the hood makes finding her present easy among other cars.
Convertible top.
Sleek silver that shines.
Light tan interior.
Leather seats.
Custom chrome wheels.
I run my finger along the door before opening it for her. “Nice car.”
Ripping the bow from the hood, she tosses it onto the lawn. “It’s beautiful, but unnecessary.” She slips inside the car, then runs her hands along the dashboard. “What will I do with it in New York City?”
“Good point.” I get behind the wheel and start the car, the engine purring to life. “Damn, that’s a sexy sound.”
“It is. Let’s enjoy it before I return it tomorrow.”
Stunned, I do a double take. “Why would you return it?”
“This car is his way of suggesting I go to school where he wants me to, which is not Columbia.” Cruising the long driveway toward the gate, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to manipulate her. She’s not the naïve little girl he believes her to be. She sees his flaws and loves him despite them. That’s what he should appreciate.
I don’t understand how forcing his will on her won’t push her away. Fuck, it’s not like I don’t want to keep her to myself, but thoughts of her choosing to be with me over forcing the issue is much more tantalizing.
She adds, “He thinks he can buy me things and change my mind.”
“My mom has always said—don’t trust people who can buy their way out of anything.”
“I adore your mom.”
“She adores you.”
The chill of the early evening has me braking before we leave the property. I reach to raise the roof, but her hand lands on my forearm. “I want it down.”
“It’s cold, Chloe. You’re in next to nothing.”
Resting her head back on the seat, she eyes me never looking happier. “It feels good to feel so much.”
My ego doesn’t like the hit. “I thought I did that for you?”
With her hand still on my arm, she says, “You make me feel everything good. The cold in Newport awakens my veins.”
I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of psychology stuff behind that sentiment, too deep for me to decipher on a moment’s notice, so I start working my way out of my jacket. “Will you wear this?”
She takes it, not arguing. Tucked inside it, she hums, and then whispers, “Chasing the moon.” Contentment.
Sending me in the right direction, she adds, “Follow this road until you see the sign for the cliffs.”
It’s cold, but she slides the slit of her dress apart and pulls her phone from some secret compartment near her stomach. “You’re like a secret agent. What else you got hidden in that dress?”
Sitting back, she says, “You’re welcome to find out.”
“I would, right here on a dirt road if we were in New Haven.” I’m a cad because there’s so much truth in that statement.
She reaches over and runs her hand along the inside of my thigh. “You turn me on.” Maybe I’m not so bad after all.
I stroke the back of her head, preferring to look at her instead of the road. “Remember when we had sex near the lake?”
A smile beams on her face, her eyes filled with light from the moon. An eyebrow cocks. “We can do that again. We should.”
Although she’s curled on her side, bundled up, the wind whipping through her hair makes it a fiery hurricane around her head. Through quick glances, I can’t see much of her face, but I can just make out the pretty smile. Thoughts of kissing her, and more, keep me focused on reaching our destination. “Are you too cold?”
“It’s freezing, but I’ve never felt better,” she says, her words disappearing into the wind. “Why is that?”
“Because you’re living for you now.”
“Experiencing life on my own terms.” Closing her eyes, she inhales the freedom that set that smile in place. Her hand finds mine, and our fingers weave together. She says, “Life is perfect. Promise me life will always be this good, that we’ll always feel this wild in love, Joshua.”
Bringing her hand to my lips, I kiss it, lingering there. “I promise to always love you as much as today and let it grow each day after.”
She smiles so bright the rising moon breaking the top of the tree line can’t compete. Unbuckling her seat belt, she moves closer. “I don’t deserve you.”
“You have that all wrong, baby.” I squeeze her knee gently. “Want to put your seat belt back on?”
“No,” she replies, the devil caught in her eyes. Her hand goes straight for the goods, landing a little too roughly on my dick, so I grab it quick and lift. “Steady there.”
“Sorry,” she says, moving in to take my earlobe between her teeth. “Wouldn’t it be crazy if we had sex while driving?”
“Yeah, it would be,” I remark, her drunken emotions taking her on a roller coaster ride I can’t slow down. “Crazy.”
Her chest heaves against my arm. “Fuck me like you don’t love me, Joshua.”
I pull back, needing to see her eyes because I’ve never heard her talk like that. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Chloe.”
I’m all for fucking, but I can’t fuck her like she doesn’t matter to me. I look in the rearview mirror, wondering if I should turn back. It might be time for her to go to bed. “I need you to believe me when I tell you I love you. I can’t show you what sex without emotion or at the hand of someone who doesn’t care about you would be like. I’m not capable of switching off my feelings to fuck you carelessly.”
She pulls back, not overreacting, but the change is subtle as it washes through her expression, worry vanishing from her features. She smiles, still staring at me as she rests her head on the leather seat. “I believe you.”
My gaze volleys between the road ahead and her beside me. The tips of her fingers run through the hair at the nape of my neck and I lean into her touch, needing it, wanting it more than she realizes in the state she’s in. But I still need her to be safe. “Will you hand me the seat belt, Chloe?”
As calm rolls through her drunken veins and the turmoil dissipates, she finally pulls the seat belt over her shoulder for me to take. “I love you bigger than the sky, Joshua.”
I snap it into place with one hand and steal one last glance her way. “Bigger than the universe.”
In an instant, her smile disappears as her arms fly forward. “Watch out!”
26
Joshua
My head throbs to a familiar chime I can’t place—the sound or the song. My eyes sting as I squeeze my lids closed to make the pain go away. But even that can’t fight the dull ache, so I venture to find the light and track down that fucking sound.
Opening my eyes is a struggle and my right eyelid doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. As life comes into focus, the chime becomes a dinging.
Fear quickens the beat of my heart when I realize I’m in the dark of the car.
Car . . .