Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge)

by Shaw, Robin

  Beth had curled her hair so it framed her face. She wore red lip gloss, with no makeup on. The contrast in her styled hair and attire with her practically naked face was killing me. Her blue eyes met mine. Her cheeks tinged a rosy red and she turned away.

  “She wouldn’t happen to be Bethany, would she?” Joel asked.

  Schooling my expression, I faced them again. “Yeah.”

  Joel shook his head. “You’re foul.”

  I acted like I didn’t know what he meant and finished off my lime club soda.

  “I am gonna say hi,” the girl who sat to the right of him said.

  “Don’t take too long, Maude,” Rylan said, and the girl who had sat on the other side next to him accompanied Maude.

  Bri laid her hand on my shoulder. “Refill?”

  “Please,” I replied, and Bri took their glasses as well.

  Joel wiggled his finger at the other two girls across the table and they obediently came over. It was like any guy who looked like he had some cash on him and was decently dressed could summon them. It was hard to know if they even liked Rylan and Joel at all.

  “Let daddy feed you, ” Joel said as the girl with multi-colored hair moved from the chair to sit on his lap.

  ***

  Bethany

  Two girls came toward Cassidy and I after we ordered our drinks. Maude, a curvy girl, with shiny, pin-straight dark brown hair and hazel contacts that didn’t look as good as Chase’s hazel eyes introduced herself, while her friend, with fine mahogany hair, was quiet. They returned to the big table where Chase was with two other guys and their girlfriends. Or at least, that was what I thought until I watched the girls switch places with Maude and the other girl. Now Maude and her friend were really close to the fair-skinned guy with wavy auburn hair. The other guy with dark hair looked perfectly content as he feasted on his meal.

  Cassidy was talking to the mixologist when I felt like someone was staring at the back of my head. And I spun my head, connecting my gaze with Chase, in all of his handsome clothed glory. I felt myself blushing when Chase stared at me unapologetically. The light glinted off of his golden face and hands. He had shaved his chiseled face, so it looked smooth to the touch. When we had talked in the kitchen earlier, I had noticed his facial hair already growing in. His short, thick brown hair was gelled. I couldn’t help but notice the contours of his muscular arms bulging through the sleeves of his shirt.

  “Don’t mind Amberlynn,” Cassidy said.

  “What’s her deal? I said hello to her and I got nothing.”

  Cassidy compressed her lips as she reached for her drink. “She tends to ignore people who she doesn’t know. Don’t take it personally.”

  I let out a sigh. “I won’t.”

  Cassidy appeared to be somewhat levelheaded, and humble, despite all of drinks that had been offered to her by the single men at the bar. She hadn’t accepted the drinks or the notes, claiming that if Uncle Anton found out he’d ban the men from setting foot at the Paloma.

  “By the way, you can have almost anything you want from here since you’re related to us, but they don’t serve alcohol to minors. That’s why people who are underage go to La Floridita.”

  I only felt comfortable drinking alcohol with Mariska and Jake. And I would have had a wine cooler or some beer. According to Jake, I was a “certified lightweight,” so I kept my alcohol consumption to a minimum. “Thanks. I like my morir soñado plenty.” Cassidy wrinkled her face and I laughed. “It’s just milk, orange juice, and ice. Some people put milk and orange juice in their cereal,” I pointed out.

  With her face screwed up in disgust, Cassidy tilted her head to the mixologist, who was short and thin with hair that was a paler blond than Cassidy’s. “Nico, I need another rum and Coke.”

  ***

  After some intense games of limbo, I was more than glad to watch everyone else drink, dance, do body shots, and play other games. I made a wise choice by not eating anything at the bar and only having two morir soñados. I liked how Austin had made them. I tasted the little bit of caramel he put in it. He probably thought I wouldn’t have noticed, but after I observed Mrs. Muldoon make it for her us numerous times as kids, I’d caught on to her little secret. Too much caramel and it’d taste yucky sweet.

  There weren’t more than thirty people in Pierce’s penthouse. Some alcohol was flowing around, but not as much as I had anticipated. As I scanned the room, I had to bite my lips to prevent myself from giggling at Cassidy’s flailing arms as she danced with one guy really close to her from behind and the other guy, who was canting his hips in front of her like someone was pushing a stick behind his knees. She’d changed from the black top, jeans, and heels she’d worn into a light-colored maxi dress with higher heels. He stopped talking to Chase and the guys I’d seen at the bar two hours ago. He stalked over to the two guys and pulled them away from Cassidy by the collar of their polo shirts. I was sure that the see-through dress she wore bothered Pierce more. The guy who liked rubbing himself from behind Cassidy sneered at Pierce, but they weren’t very resistant.

  When Pierce headed my way, he had a huge smile on his face. He sat down beside me and let out a breath. “A brother’s job is never done.”

  “It’s a lifetime gig,” I agreed, and he looped his arm around me. I pointed a finger at his chest. “If you mess up my hair, I’ll tickle you in front of everyone,” I warned. “I remember how you sound, and I bet it hasn’t changed after all of these years.”

  “Man, you’re really flexible,” I heard someone say from the other side of me. “I never get the stick to reach my stomach without falling.”

  “It takes a lot of practice,” I responded. “I just had better luck this time around. I am Bethany.” I offered him my hand. He gave me a long handshake and grinned. He had cute freckles on his face and his copper hair was the kind women and men tried to achieve via their beauticians.

  “I am Joel, Pierce’s friend.”

  Pierce beckoned Chase and the guy standing beside him with the dark hair. He left the girls where they were. I noticed that Chase hadn’t really talked to the girls, but they had peered at him occasionally. How could they not?

  Chase looked directly at me when he and his friend stood in front of the big couch.

  “Is your back feeling all right?” Chase asked me in a controlled tone, but I saw the unabashed lust in his eyes. I thanked God when I didn’t feel my body overcome with excitement like it had hours ago.

  “Just a little out of whack.”

  “I’ll get you some painkillers,” Joel said as he got up and tapped Chase on his broad shoulders.

  “So, Beth, this is Rylan,” Pierce said. “He and Joel have been my friends since we were nine years old.”

  “Having a good time?” Rylan asked.

  “I am. You’re a tough competitor. Joel thinks I am flexible, but you’ve got me beat!” I told him. For a guy with such an athletic and similar muscular build to Chase, I wouldn’t have pegged him to be almost as pliable as me.

  Joel came up behind me with a bottle of cool water and a packet of painkillers. I smiled brightly at him and he resumed his seat beside me.

  “Good lookin’ out,” Pierce said, and he easily pulled himself up from the incredibly comfortable couch. He was in between Chase and Rylan. Pierce said something to Chase that I couldn’t hear. Walking away, they momentarily stood in the middle of the penthouse. They both looked like freaking giants compared to most of us here. Then Chase followed Pierce towards the front of the penthouse and I couldn’t see them anymore without drawing attention to myself.

  “You should take them if you’re feeling that bad,” Rylan said, frowning. I felt fingers in my hair and I canted my head at Joel. With a wry grin, he brought his hand back to the side. I wasn’t put off by his move.

  Joel motioned his hands to Maude and Amberlynn and two other girls they’d been with all night, but Rylan appeared to be indifferent to them now. I downed the pills with some water and Cassidy was in fro
nt of me. I had to credit her; even with her dampened hair and face, she looked great. Tonight she didn’t remind me of the prissy little girl who wouldn’t dig her feet and hands in the soil of my backyard or run around because she had said she’d sweat. Cassidy hauled me to my feet. My bottle of water thudded on the floor. I didn’t have a chance to pick it up as her grip on my arms tightened.

  She swirled me around numerous times, which was not in sync with the beat of the music at all, but I went along with it.

  The song was ending and Cassidy said, “He’s a sucker. He wasn’t going to ask you to dance.”

  Taking a step away from her, I managed to knot my hair into a tight bun at the crown of my head. “Who?”

  “Rylan.”

  I laughed. “My back was hurting. He just wanted to make sure I was okay. I don’t think he wanted to dance with me.”

  “His loss then.”

  I slowly swayed to the slower-paced song. “No, it’s not. He’s got more than enough company if he wants to dance.” It was sweet that Cassidy was defensive of me, but I liked the idea of having another platonic guy friend. On the other hand, Joel struck me as the kind of guy that would be happy being near any female.

  Two guys came by and asked us to dance as the music changed to one of my favorite songs, Sugarland’s “Already Gone.” And then Cindy flashed through my mind. I didn’t want to be here anymore.

  ***

  Chase

  I took the remote by the table and dialed the knob and the light came on. This suite was the perfect setup for a couple on their honeymoon or after having a date. Red and white rose petals trailed down the center of the bed, and were lined up on the floor. My favorite brand of scotch and two glasses were on the table, which would’ve been more than enough for me to stay in the room months ago. A plate filled with various types of breads and a bowl of green and purple grapes. It was the kind of room I’d arrange myself for someone special. I represented a dude to her who was semi-popular on campus and could tell the other guys that she was a fun time. I’d thought that I could end my bout of celibacy tonight to get my mind off Beth. I hadn’t gotten in the way of Beth having her fun tonight, even though I despised the company she kept. This meaningless situation was what I needed to understand that fucking Darcy wasn’t what was best for me.

  “What’s wrong, Chase? You don’t like?” Darcy queried in a falsely sweet voice. “I can change into something else.”

  Seeing her twirl around in a red and black corset and thong did nothing for me. “You look fine, like you always do. It’s nothing personal.”

  “Ain’t nothing more personal than rejection and betrayal, Chase.”

  “Take it that way, then.”

  Darcy look dumbfounded. Perhaps letting her give me a hand job in August hadn’t been the smartest move. She had been nice to me, had traveled to all of our away games, and was the most vocal unofficial cheerleader. “Is the girl foolish enough to string you along that Pierce had to arrange this for you?”

  “Nope, it’s not like that.”

  She surveyed me coolly.

  Without looking back at her, I left the hotel room. Pierce had meant well when he took me away from Beth and the others in order to give me a surprise. I hadn’t known that getting laid had been his intention. I’d thought Pierce and I were gonna have some shots of scotch by ourselves, like we’d had in another room when he had thrown a party during the fall. We’d bonded then and I’d realized that he was a friend, for real. Not just one of my many acquaintances at UM.

  Pierce, Rylan, and Joel thought that I was too picky and had gone long without a girl. Today made it five months since I hadn’t had sex. When I’d woken up this morning, I’d marked it off on my calendar. Rylan and Joel wouldn’t believe it if I told them how good it made me feel. For some reason, I thought Pierce would understand. Since I was twelve, I hadn’t gone a week with being in a nameless, faceless, and detached female. I was more than due for a change. And I was in testy waters, because Beth was an obstacle to every bit of restraint I’d thought I’d harnessed in these past five months.

  It took forever for someone to open the door when I’d knocked on Pierce’s penthouse door.

  “Hey!” Gavin, Bri’s older brother, and a friend of Pierce, Rylan, and Joel said.

  We bumped fists and the music had gotten much louder. I walked around the oval-shaped curve of the apartment. The couch that Beth had been sitting on twenty minutes ago was filled with other people. This was just the scene I wasn’t down for. When I moved to the side, I bumped into three people. Going around them, I had to shout, “Excuse me” to get through. I checked the bathroom and surprisingly, no one was in there. I marched up beside Gavin, who was one of the only people who didn’t look plastered or smell like alcohol.

  “Who you looking for?” Gavin asked, grimacing. He liked a good party as much as the rest of us, but he never got out of hand.

  “Beth, Pierce’s cousin.”

  “The girl with the bangin’ body and sweet face?” he said with a smirk. I couldn’t rag on him for having good taste, but I didn’t want any dude looking at Beth like they were itching to have her, either.

  I scanned the entire room. “She was here with Cassidy.”

  “Really?” he furrowed his brow. “Cassidy left with some dude. Last person I saw Beth with was Rylan. Don’t you have her number?”

  I shook my head at my stupidity. Pierce had given me all of the information I needed today except for her number. It was a basic piece of information that I should’ve asked him for, but I was too annoyed about having to pick her up and delaying my swim on my day off. Pierce was with Mona right now. If I couldn’t find Beth, he wasn’t gonna stay with Mona tonight. Nancy had told me earlier to give Beth my number and her number. I was so engrossed in our conversation that it’d slipped my mind.

  Gavin handed me his phone. It was already ringing. I was just about to call Rylan myself.

  “What’s up, Chase?”

  “You with Beth right now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you taking her home?”

  “We’re ten minutes away from the Pruitts’.”

  “Drive safely, Rylan. And thanks.”

  I ended the call and handed Gavin’s phone back to him. “Did something happen that I don’t know about?” I saw the protective side that made guys stay away from his sister Bri come out. He wouldn’t tolerate any guy treating a girl badly without avenging it any way he knew how, short of violence, and I knew that about him from day one.

  “I am about to find out. Was Rylan with Beth most of the time tonight from what you saw?”

  He squared his shoulders. “Rylan danced for half a song with Maude and some other girl before he was with Bethany.”

  I nodded. “Thanks for the assist.”

  “Anytime.”

  Chapter 5

  Bethany

  I thought that I heard someone knocking on my door last night. When I had finally put on my nightgown, no one had been there. I must have been disoriented from not getting a good night’s sleep for the past few days.

  I jolted at the soft knock and movement of the doorknob. I couldn’t have been going crazy this time. When I opened the door, Chase was standing in front of me in a white t-shirt, pressed black pants, and shoes. It didn’t occur to me that we should talk on more neutral ground. I already trusted him and I couldn’t explain why and it scared me a little. Anticipation coiled low in my belly.

  Chase’s hands landed on my shoulders. The force of his touch made my back lean onto the door, shutting it closed. A faint line marred his brows as he studied me. Greeting him with an open smile, his features smoothed out.

  “I knocked on your door last night.”

  At the party, Cassidy had asked me if I’d be all right if Rylan drove me here. Since I hadn’t wanted to ruin her night, I had told her that it was cool.

  “By the time I got up, I didn’t see anyone.”

  Sighing deeply, I watched as his beauti
ful hazel eyes swept over my collarbone and drifted down towards my breasts and back to my face hungrily. I never wanted that look to go away.

  “I knocked for twenty minutes. I didn’t know if you’d fallen asleep or if you were ignoring me.

  Shaking my head “no,” I moved away from the door and sank down on the end of my bed. He joined me. His arm touched mine, the scent of soap and a light aftershave washed over me.

  “Did anything happen last night?”

  I frowned at his question. “Not at all.”

  He blew out a sigh of relief. “Take out your cell phone and put in your password.” His tone was gentle and commanding at the same time.

  I retrieved my phone from the side pocket of my nightgown and handed it to him after I unlocked it.

  Smiling, I watched as he entered his number into my phone. I heard chirruping and realized that he called himself from my phone.

  “Nice ringtone.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re gonna have a better ringtone than that.” He chuckled and stood up. “We need to be able to get ahold of each other. I forgot to exchange numbers with you yesterday. I put in Pierce’s and Nancy’s numbers too.”

  I tilted my head in agreement. Being alone with Chase in my guestroom was like sampling a treat instead of consuming it in one bite. He stroked his knuckles along my jaw and his voice softened. “I gotta go to work. I’ll see you later, though, okay?”

  I shivered and he dropped his hand from my face. Chase had the firmest ass I’d ever seen. And that was the only positive about his departure. Was any part of him not firm?

  ***

  Later in the day, I unpacked all of my clothes and put them in the closet and drawers. I decided to go for a walk to familiarize myself with the area. It was the kind of beach town I could see myself living in when I graduated and had a job. As I walked, I saw some small stores I recognized from the drive with Chase yesterday. Some guys I remembered from the party said hello to me. Among them was a guy named Gavin.