“Waiting for someone to step outside and smoke so I could use their lighter.” She started toward me and I realized how drunk she really was. She couldn’t walk a straight line if her life depended on it.
“Well, I happen to have what you’re looking for.” I moved toward her and closed some of the distance between us so she wouldn’t have to. I was afraid she would fall and hurt herself in those heels. “Here, let me.” I flicked my lighter and held the flame out to her. She placed her cigarette between her lips, tucked her hair behind her ears, and dipped her head in an effort to light the thing. After a few attempts, I realized she was too trashed to manage it and took the cigarette from her lips to do it for her.
“Thanks.” She giggled. “I’m so fucking smashed.”
“I can see that.” I grinned. “What’s your name?”
“Nichole.” She took a drag off her cigarette, her eyes on me. “What’s yours?”
“Cameron.” I put my cigarette out and took a sip of my drink. “Are you here with someone?” I only asked because I felt like I should at least help her get back to her friends, not because I was trying to pick her up.
“I wasn’t, but I think I am now.” Her fingers reached across the darkness and trailed along my forearm.
Smiling at her, I shook my head. She was a smooth talker, that much was for sure, but I wasn’t about to go the route she was hoping for. That was the old Cam, not the new one. I’d given up on the drunken, doped up, meaningless fucks a while ago. Actually, one might think I’d given up on fucking all together—considering all I seemed to be using these days was my damn hand.
“You done with that?” I motioned to the cigarette she’d only taken two drags off. It was nothing besides a long stick of ashes teetering between her fingers now.
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Then let’s head back inside. You want some water or something?”
A wicked smile stretched across her face. “Oh, I’ll head back inside with you, but I don’t think I need any—” Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes bulged out of her head before she spewed all over the patio chair to the left of her.
“You all right?” That was fucking gross, but I wasn’t going to be an ass about it.
She crouched down and lost it again, this time all over the concrete in front of her. “I think I’ll take that water now,” she said after heaving a few times more.
My nose scrunched up from the smell and I felt my stomach roll. “All right, let’s head on inside, then.”
Nichole stood. I gripped her waist to support her as best I could without carrying her. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and let out a soft little moan as I steered her back inside.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PAIGE
Craig had promised me a fun night, a night like the one we met at months ago, and he’d delivered. I was having the time of my life. It was too bad my friends all had other plans and weren’t able to make it. Blair needed to see this Craig in order for her to let go of her ill opinion of him.
Craig gripped my hand and twirled me in place like a ballerina. His smile was large and his eyes a little bloodshot. I was sure my expression matched his. Rihanna’s Birthday Cake came on, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Lifting up on my tiptoes, I trailed kisses along his throat. He moaned and pushed his pelvis into me, letting me feel how excited I was making him. Cameron walked through the kitchen with some gorgeous blonde attached to him, and a burning sensation slashed through my stomach. I continued in my little kisses and licks along Craig’s neck—all the while keeping my eyes on Cameron as he propped the blonde against the counter and reached for a clean cup from the stack in front of him. He filled it with tap water and smoothed her hair back from her face when he handed it to her. Craig pulled away from me, making me realize I’d stopped in my efforts to seduce him long enough for him to take notice.
“Why’d you stop?” he asked, pushing my hips away so he could look into my eyes. “You feel okay?”
“I’m fine.” I smiled at him, but knew it wasn’t convincing enough.
Craig turned, looking to see if something behind him had gripped my attention, and spotted Cameron in the kitchen. “What, were you staring at him? Checking him out again, huh?”
“No.” I shook my head and flashed him a more convincing grin. “I was just trying to catch my breath.”
Craig’s jaw tightened. “I thought you said you didn’t have a thing for him.”
“I don’t.” My stomach knotted at his tone and persistence with the issue.
“Then why were you staring at him with that bimbo, because you wish she was you? You want him to bang you like he’s planning on banging her tonight?” he seethed.
His words startled me. People around us were staring now. “What? No! I wasn’t even looking at him, Craig.”
His hands dropped to his sides, and his lip curled as his eyes turned cold. “Right, and now you’re calling me a liar?”
My heartbeat grew sluggish, and my eyes and cheeks hot. “What? No. I’m not calling you a liar. I’m just saying I wasn’t staring at him.”
“So then which is it? I’m not a liar or I am, because I saw what I saw, Paige.”
What the hell was happening? A wave of dizziness swept over me as my heart picked up its pace. The way he was looking at me, with his eyebrows pinched together and a glare of pure hatred reflected my way, made my blood boil nearly as much as it embarrassed me. I was so sick of this bullshit with him. I understood people felt insecure at times—heck, I did, considering my ex had cheated on me numerous times—but that didn’t give a person the right to be an ass all the time.
“You’ve obviously had too much to drink, and I don’t feel like dealing with this right now. I need some air,” I spat. Everyone stared at me as I moved to get around him. I could sense their eyes on me; it made my face feel that much hotter.
Craig’s fingers wrapped around my wrist in a vice grip, and he tugged me backward. “Umm, no. You’re not going anywhere.”
“I said I needed some air.” I attempted to break free from his grasp, but his grip intensified to a too-tight hold. Pain radiated from where he held me. “Craig, let go. You’re hurting me.”
He didn’t let go. In fact, his grip felt as though it tightened, and the intensity of his eyes built at my plea.
“And why would I do that? So you can sneak off with him somewhere? I don’t fucking think so, Paige.”
The crowd around us parted, giving us more room for our drama-filled argument. There was usually one couple that caused a spectacle at a party. Guess this time it was us. Hot tears built in my eyes and I wished I were anywhere besides here.
“Please, stop it,” I begged.
My free hand pulled at his as I tried to loosen his grip. It did no good. It only made him tighten it more. A cry slipped from my lips. My hand felt as though it were being severed from my wrist. A slight smile tugged at the corners of Craig’s lips at the sound. The sight of it hardened my stomach. He was enjoying this.
“Fine,” he gritted out. His grip released, but his penetrating glare remained in place.
I searched his face for any semblance of remorse for what he’d done—how tightly he’d held my wrist—but there was nothing there. His face was expressionless, his eyes vacant. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but this lack of emotion sure as hell wasn’t it.
“There. Leave.” His hands came up in a dramatic motion and I froze, unsure of what had gotten into him and scared to move in case he didn’t actually mean what he said.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Cameron shouted. He shoved Craig from behind, causing him to stumble into me. “What’s the matter with you? Are you that fucking wasted? Jesus!”
Craig righted himself. He adjusted his shirt and narrowed his eyes at Cameron. “This isn’t any of your business. In fact, if you hadn’t been here, this wouldn’t have even happened. I’ve told her”—he pointed to me, but didn’t look my way—“to s
tay the hell away from you, and now I’m going to tell you. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Her.” He shouldered past Cameron and headed down the hallway toward his room.
Tears glistened in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I prayed they wouldn’t fall yet. I needed to get out of here first, away from all the people staring at me.
“You all right?” Cameron lightly touched my back. The amount of concern in his voice mixed with his soft touch was almost enough to toss me over the edge and bust the dam holding my tears at bay.
I nodded, blinked a few times, and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
I was far from fine. I was a nervous wreck. No one had ever done something like that to me. No one. I shifted my eyes from Cameron, not wanting him to see the shocked expression I couldn’t keep off my face. My feet moved as I bolted toward the doors off the dining room, which led to the back porch. I needed air. My lungs were starved for it and my face was too hot.
“Party’s over. Everybody out,” I heard Cameron shout as I stepped through the French doors.
The night air was cool and crisp against my hot skin. All I wanted was to blend in with the darkness surrounding me and be forgotten for the time being—or at least until I could wrap my mind around what had happened.
The door behind me opened and then closed. I knew who it was without turning to see; Cameron had followed me out. My stomach twisted. If Craig came looking for me and found the two of us together, it would only make things worse.
“How’s your wrist?”
I shrugged and blinked back the tears that desperately wanted free. “It’s fine.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed him reach into his front pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes. I tucked my hair behind my ears and crossed my arms over my chest, careful not to put too much pressure on the wrist Craig had strangled.
“What was that all about?” Cameron asked after he lit his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke.
“It was nothing, really. He thought I’d done something I didn’t and sort of lost it.” My voice cracked, and the tears I’d fought to hold back slipped free. Leaning forward so my hair moved loose from behind my ears, I shielded my tear-stained face from his view. “We’ve both had a lot to drink tonight.”
“Don’t. Don’t make an excuse for him. He was being a dick. Whether he’d had a few drinks or nothing at all, it doesn’t matter. He still should never have put his hands on you.”
I sniffled and forced my tears away. “I’m not making excuses for him,” I insisted, but even I knew that was a lie.
Cameron let out a long sigh. “Look, this really isn’t my place to say, but I’m going to say it anyway—you deserve better.”
His words rolled over me and forced my tears free again. Was this moment really happening? Was I really standing here with pain radiating from my wrist, listening to someone tell me I deserved better than the guy I was with, because he’d just physically hurt me—that I deserved better than the way I’d been treated tonight? It was like something from TV. I wasn’t that girl; this had all simply been a misunderstanding. Craig was insecure. I knew that now without a doubt, and I also knew alcohol fueled his insecurities. I just needed to be more conscious to this fact in the future. That was all. Craig wasn’t one of those guys. He was charming and sweet. Sure, he could be overprotective and had jealous tendencies, but it was because he cared about me.
“I mean it,” Cameron added when I didn’t respond.
I hugged myself tighter as I glanced at him. “It was just a misunderstanding and he’s drunk. He’s never done anything like that before.”
Cameron’s eyes lowered until they were serious and penetrating. I got the feeling he was about to say that he hated how I was making up excuses for Craig, but thought better of it.
“Whatever, I’m not going to stand here and argue with you about it. I’m just letting you in on what I see from outside the box, for whatever it’s worth.” He took another drag off his cigarette and exhaled. The smoke bellowed around us and then drifted into nothingness. “Do you need a ride to your place, or are you staying here?”
I swallowed hard. “I think I need to find a ride home.”
While this may have been a big misunderstanding, I still thought it would be best if I left. I needed some time to think and regroup—I was a wreck—while Craig needed to sleep it off. Alone.
“Come on. I’ve already got my keys. We can walk around to the front of the house and bypass him.”
“Good, he just needs to sleep it off, I think.” And I’d done it again—made another flipping excuse for Craig.
“Sure,” Cameron grumbled. “Whatever you say.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
CAMERON
Paige and I walked around to the front of the house and toward my car at the end of the driveway. I didn’t want to hide from Craig—hell, I was ready to go back in there and beat the shit out of him—but I got the feeling avoiding him was what she wanted to do at the moment. My anger toward the situation wasn’t just because Paige had been involved in it tonight; it was because of the situation itself. This had always been my reaction to domestic violence.
I’d been known in the past to take baseball bats to guys’ backs for slapping around their woman. Never had I been the type who stood on the sidelines and shouted for the guy to stop without ever removing the douche myself. I’d always jumped right in. No questions asked. Regardless of how the situation began, there was never a reason for a man to beat a woman or physically hurt her in any way. This was how I’d been raised; something my father had made sure to instill in me. Therefore, despite how arrogant or asshole-ish I might seem in my demeanor at times, I’d never lay a fucking finger on a woman in a harmful way. Ever.
“You sure you’re okay?” I asked Paige as we walked down the empty driveway. It was amazing how quickly I could get a party to disperse.
She nodded and continued to look straight ahead. “Yeah.”
“So, where am I taking you?”
“Calmount Apartments,” she answered as I unlocked my car doors.
When we climbed in, I cast a quick glance at her wrist in the dome light, and noticed the redness and slight swelling. Gritting my teeth together, I cut my eyes to the dash. Craig was going to get one hell of a beating when I got back.
When I started my car, Wasteland by 10 Years blasted through the speakers. I didn’t bother to turn it down. Paige didn’t seem to mind and I needed to blare some music right now. If not, I might have her wait in the car while I ran back to the house and did the inevitable.
After we drove a little while, I turned down the stereo and glanced at her. “You going to give me directions or what?” I grinned. She laughed and started naming off turns for me.
It was nearly midnight when we pulled into the parking lot of Calmount Apartments. I left the engine to my car running and turned the music down all the way. Neither one of us moved. We just sat in silence for a while, staring out the windshield.
“Thanks for the ride,” she whispered. “I’ll have Blaire or someone give me a ride back to pick up my car tomorrow. Please don’t tell Craig you gave me a ride home. I’m going to say one of my friends picked me up.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, not liking what she was asking of me, but agreeing to it anyway. “Okay.”
I didn’t care about lying to Craig about things; that didn’t bother me. What bothered me was that it seemed as though she was scared to find out what would happen if he knew I’d been the one who’d brought her home. A thought occurred to me then, one I didn’t like.
“When you said he hadn’t done anything like this before, were you lying?” I stared at her, waiting for an answer. I always knew Craig was wound a little tight, but I also knew he had one mean ass jealous streak. That was part of the reason he hated me so much.
He always seemed to resent the way his father cared so deeply for me and my situation. Two years after my parents’ death, he’d told me I needed to stop playing the pity card, snap out
of my drug-induced haze, and grow the fuck up. Yeah, that didn’t happen.
“Nothing like that, no,” she muttered. Her words didn’t comfort me any. In fact, her tone seemed to have left a lot unsaid. “He’s gotten angry and jealous before, but nothing like that. Like I said, I think he just had too much to drink.”
I thought back to the things he’d said to me, how he mentioned he’d already told her more than once to stay away from me. Shit. And here I’d been instigating things with him the entire night when it came to Paige, because I knew it was getting under his skin. He was right when he’d said I’d been part of the reason this had happened to her tonight. A lump rose in my throat at this realization.
“Well, if it’s worth anything to you, I’m sorry for my part in this whole thing tonight.”
“You didn’t do anything. It was me.” She dropped her eyes to her lap, and reached out to grip the handle of her door.
My jaw tensed. I wanted to tell her not to blame herself for his fucked-up actions, but her cell phone started going off. She flipped it over in her lap and pushed a button to silence it while letting out a sigh. Her muscles had gone rigid and I knew who’d called.
“It was him, wasn’t it?”
She nodded, but did look up from her phone to meet my stare. “Yeah.”
“What are you planning on doing? You gonna avoid him for a while or break up with him?” I didn’t know why I’d asked. Okay, so maybe I did. There was a sick sense of wonder fluttering through my mind. I wanted to know, because I wanted her to myself. It was as simple as that.
Her doe-like eyes shifted to meet with mine, and I noticed the glistening tears waiting to fall within them. “I don’t know yet. Is that stupid of me?”
Telling her a flat-out yes would have been the easy thing to say—the selfish thing—but it wasn’t what she needed to hear. It was what she thought she needed to hear. Her mind was in a crappy place right now and telling her that would only make her doubt the reasons behind it. I’d been through this before with Eva, so I knew exactly what needed to be said, even if I didn’t want the words to spill from my mouth.
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