by Tijan
Page 43
He grinned when he realized what I was doing. "Yeah, I keep moving my shirt too, but it always goes back. I'm sure people have already seen it. "
"I hope not. " What if David had seen it?
"Who cares if they do?" He studied me as he said that.
"What? I'm supposed to say something or…what?" Was he testing me?
He cracked a grin and squeezed my knee. "I'm messing with you, but I don't care if they see it or not. "
I'm not sure how to react so I grew quiet and sat back. After a few minutes, I knew he'd fallen back asleep, but it was a relief. His presence affected me so much. I had a hard time making clear decisions, especially when it came to him or us. After an hour and after I had sold three doilies, I nudged his foot. His eyes opened and he was awake, just like that. There was no sudden movement, no snort. Sometimes he reminded me of a machine.
"I'm going to wander around. "
He groaned. "Please stay. You make this somewhat bearable. "
I grinned at him. "Could you be more dramatic?"
"Yes. "
Something bolted inside of me when I saw he spoke the truth. He was unreadable again and my finger itched to reach out and touch his lips. Those delicious and earth-shattering lips that could do wonders on me… I shook my head to clear the lustful thoughts.
His eyes had darkened as he watched me. "You want to go to my car? I have a lunch break coming up. "
"Your car? Now that's romantic. "
"It's the best I can do. I don't know this place and I'm pretty sure every hidden nook and cranny is being used. "
I arched an eyebrow, but I saw the teasing light in his eyes. Oh how those eyes could unravel my wardrobe in a heartbeat. "I'm going to get some more coffee. "
"Get me some?"
I nodded and moved past him. He leaned forward and his hand grazed the back of my thighs as I went.
A jolt of lust coursed through me, but I readied against it. It was a feeling that I was starting to grow accustomed to, but as I pushed into the bathroom, I wasn't ready for the sight I saw in the mirror. The girl who looked back had sex-crazed written all over her. Her lips curved up in a seductive tease with a blush to her cheeks. And the lust in her eyes had darkened them so they wore an unrecognizable gleam. My skin glowed and I touched it in wonder.
Who was this stranger?
The door shoved open behind me and I turned away, but I was too late.
Cassandra laughed abruptly as she stood beside me and washed her hands. She eyed me in the mirror. "Who've you been banging, Strattan? You look good. "
I flushed under her gaze and watched with helpless horror as my skin seemed to glow even more. "Maybe I should be asking you that. How are things with Adam?"
She snorted and reached for a paper towel. "I think you'd know more about that than me. He told me you two made up yesterday. "
I looked down at my hands. Had we? Maybe…
She continued as she patted her hair, "I'm not stupid. I know he wants you, he's always wanted you, but you don't want him. " She snorted again. "And he doesn't have a chance against the Kades. I'm just waiting until he realizes that and gives up. "
I looked back up. She was so cold.
She shrugged and smiled brightly. "What do I care? It's not like I really need a serious boyfriend now anyway. " She laughed to herself. "And I heard Logan's back on the market. He was at Fischer's again with some other chick. "
Every cell in my body had snapped to attention when she came in. I spoke through stiff lips now. "Maybe Adam will want Tanya back?"
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and her laugh seemed genuine. "Yeah, right. Adam didn't even like her that much. No way he'll take her back after Logan had her twice over him. Hell, he did it to rub it in Adam's face that he could get any girl he wanted. " She eyed me up and down in the mirror. "You haven't been with Logan, have you? That'd be…surprising…"
My eyes grew wide at her suggestion and my chest was suddenly so heavy. There was no way she could guess the truth; she was so close to it… My heart started to pound in my ears again.
"Have you?" She blinked at me. She seemed more earnest now.
"No. " The disgust was evident in my voice as I spat out that word.
She relaxed and laughed again. "Oh, for a minute I thought…Nah. You don't have the stones to do that. I mean, your dad would freak for one. "
My heart continued to pound.
Then she finished with a taunt, "And you'd never live down your new rap as a whore. Everyone would call you a whore. " She smirked to herself in the mirror and finished patting her hair. "On second thought, get to it. Maybe Adam will finally let you go. I could use the break. "
As she swooshed from the bathroom, I was barely aware of her departure. I kept hearing her words. 'Everyone would call you a whore. '
I gulped and looked down. My hands had started to tremble again. My knees quaked against each other and I clung to the sink to steady myself.
'Everyone would call you a whore. '
What was I doing?
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
When I left the bathroom and headed for the coffee cart, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Was I worried about everyone finding out about Mason and me—yes. Was it enough to paralyze me with fear—no. With that decision made, I was more annoyed than normal when I snapped my order to the girl behind the coffee counter.
"Whoa, what's wrong?"
I stopped in my tracks at the sight of Adam. And then I tried to force myself to relax. "Hey, how are you?"
"You okay?" His eyebrows were arched high with his own cup of coffee in hand.
I rolled my shoulders back. "Yeah, I'm fine or I will be. "
"Huh?"
"Nothing, just an annoying run-in with Cassandra in the bathroom. "
"Ah. " He nodded his head. "Gotcha. She does that to me too. "
"I think she's decided to try her luck with Logan again. "
"Yeah, she told me the same thing. " Something sad flashed in his eyes. "It won't work, will it?"
I shook my head. "Nope and if it does, I'll tie him down and do a drug test on him. "
He grinned. "Yeah, you seem pretty tight with both of them. "
"I guess…" I eyed him warily. We were treading into forbidden land, could he handle that reality? He couldn't before.
He spread his hand wide. "Hey, I'm okay with this. Really. I've given up on that, but I won't for your friendship. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep your friendship. "
An arm was thrown around my shoulders and Logan's body fell hard against my side. He smirked. "Really?"
Adam drew to his fullest height and the gentleness in his eyes vanished. A hard look entered instead when he clipped out, "Really. "
Logan's body shook in silent laughter. "You just want to keep her friendship, huh?"
"You got a problem with that?"
"Yeah, I do. She's going to be my sister, man. You think I want a parasite hanging around her because that's what you are. You're one of those guys who sit back and wait for the guy to screw up. When she's hurting or lonely, you guys swoop in. Hell, I should tip my hat to you guys. I couldn't do it. I couldn't wait around and watch the woman I wanted be with another guy, waiting until there's a break with them, until she's vulnerable. " He mocked him. "Yeah, it must take a special kind of guy to do that. "
Adam's eyes had narrowed to a dangerous level. His hand was clenched into a fist, but he kept it down and pressed against his side.
Logan continued, "Or maybe that's what makes creepers. I've got a different viewpoint on stalkers now…"
Adam's lip curled up as he tried to mask a sneer. "You're calling me the creeper? What are you doing?" His eyes pointedly slid to me and it took Logan a second before he launched himself forward. His arm was thrown back, his fist ready, and look of hatred came to his eyes.
Adam's eyes went wide as he saw it in slow motion, but
before Logan's fist connected, Mason tucked an arm around his chest and threw him backwards.
He cursed as he tried to twist away from his hold. "Let me at him, Mase. Come on. "
Shaken, Adam puffed out his chest and smoothed his hands down the front of his pants. "Hey, man. If it weren't true…"
Mason glanced over his shoulder. The look of warning made Adam shut his lips. "Shut up or we'll do round two, somewhere private. "
Logan threw over his brother's shoulders, "Where there won't be teachers or some girl to save you. "
Mason glanced at me and I narrowed my eyes. There was a searching look in him. I lifted my chin. What was he looking for? Then I tried to search inside of him. What was he thinking?
He blinked and the look was gone. The normal unreadable wall was back in place. He threw Logan in front of him and neither seemed to care about the crowd that had formed or who Logan ran into.
Adam seemed frozen in place.
Cassandra's voice came from behind me. I gritted my teeth as I heard her coo, "Logan, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
Logan barked out an ugly-sounding laugh and shoved her to the side. "Back off. You've got no chance. "
I tried to suppress a smile at that, but couldn't so I looked down.
"Oh shut up," she cried out in anger. "You do not laugh at me, whore. "
My head came up and my eyes widened. Her fury was directed at me. She approached with two steps and a hand in the air. "You dare to laugh at me? Do you know who I am? Or what I could do to you? I would demolish you, slut. I would run your name through the mud so much you'd beg me to let you out of your misery. You'd be—"
Something snapped inside of me and I marched up to her. I knew my eyes were dead when they met hers and she shrunk away, a little bit. "You think you scare me? Nothing scares me. Nothing, Sullivan. "
"Whatever…" she tried to laugh it off and turn away.
My hand clasped onto her arm and I whirled her back around. I was in her face and all the hatred I had boiled to the top. "You want all the dirt on me. Here you go. I hope you take notes. My mom's a cheater. She left my dad for another guy and took me with. I was living with two guys who hated me because of that. Then I found out my boyfriend was screwing my best friend and my other best friend knew about it, for two years. Next bombshell—my dad's not my dad. Think it could get worse? It did. I had no one. No friends, no nothing. The guy who raised me all my life couldn't talk to me because of stupid legalities. Now my real dad's in town, my mom's hit me a couple times, and I'm screwing my future stepbrother. You think I'm scared of you?" A hollow laugh broke out of me. "I can handle anything you've got up your sleeve. "
There was silence around me and then she belted out a hysterical laugh. "I knew you were sleeping with Logan. Of all—"
I slapped her.
Then I stood there and waited for her reaction. She gasped and reeled back with a hand pressed to her cheek. Her eyes bulged out and she was seething. "You just—"
My face was calm, devoid of emotion. I didn't feel a thing. "I did. What are you going to do about it?"
She watched me, torn for some reason.
My eyebrow lifted. "Are you going to hit back or are you going to tattle on me?"
The tension was thick in the air. I felt it swirl around inside of me and knew she could see the storm inside of me. I wanted her to hit me. I wanted to hit her again…I wanted a reason to unleash my hell on someone…
Her shoulders slumped forward and she looked down as she stepped back.
I clipped out, "Are you backing away from me?"
She looked up. I caught the scared look in them. Then she turned and was swallowed up in the crowd.