by J. Lynn
“I hope he doesn’t take him outside though,” she said softly. “It’s too cold for the little guy.”
Surprised, I opened my eyes and tilted my head to the side. “How do you know that?”
She shrugged as she turned her head toward mine, putting her lips within kissing distance of mine. “Raphael is a Russian tortoise, right?” When I nodded, she bit down on her lower lip and almost groaned. “I was bored one night and looked them up. He has to be kept in a warm environment, right?”
“Right.” For some weird reason, that pleased me to no end to know that she had looked that up. “I won’t let Ollie take him outside.”
Shortcake let out a little sigh. “I need to get to class.”
“Me too.”
“I don’t want to.”
I grinned. “We should skip.”
“You’re a bad influence.”
“I’m the kind of influence you need.” When she laughed at that, I felt lighter somehow. “So you’re really going to go to the Halloween party?”
“Between you and Brittany, I don’t see a way out of it.” She started to pull away, but I tightened my grip. “I told you I was going to go. I will.”
I wasn’t sure I believed her. I had a feeling that come tomorrow night, she would make up some excuse for how she couldn’t make it, so I wasn’t holding my breath. Avery hadn’t gone to a single party since she started college, even though I knew Brittany and Jacob had.
Sighing, I let go and stepped back. My class was over in Byrd. “You sure you don’t want me to give you a ride tomorrow night?”
Ollie’s head whipped around so fast you’d think I said nachos. “It would be a ride you’d never forget, Avery.”
I shot him a dark look. “That’s not what I meant.”
Her cheeks were flushed, either from what Ollie had said or from the cold. “I know. And it’s okay. I don’t need a ride, but I’ll be there.”
I really didn’t believe her.
There were a lot of angels and cats in high heels, so much so that I had a hell of a time not wanting to separate the girls into two groups: the fallen and the catty.
Brittany, Avery’s friend, was in the group of the fallen, her white dress absolutely no protection against the chilly night. She was with Jacob, who looked remarkably like Bruno Mars, but I hadn’t seen Avery.
Figured.
I’d spent a good part of the evening wondering if she’d really show and if she did, what she would wear. Would she be an angel? A cat? Really stupid, considering that I did have better things to dwell on.
Irritated, I roamed from one room to the next. The house was packed, standing room only, and people spilled out onto the front porch and the lawn. If the cops didn’t show up at some point tonight, breaking up the party, I’d be amazed.
There was too much going on inside the house for me. Music thumped loudly, but not quite drowning out the shouts and laughter. Couples were in every corner, some who appeared to have forgotten who their boyfriend/girlfriend was. I used to love this scene, but now, it made my skin itchy.
I’d retreated outside to the garage with Jase, in the midst of a mean game of beer pong.
“You look thrilled to be here,” Jase said, squinting an eye as he held the white ball, lining it up with the plastic cups.
“Not feeling it tonight.”
“Uh-huh.” Jase bounced the ball into a cup in the first row. The guys on the other side of the table groaned. “Is that because I haven’t see Shortcake around?”
Why I had made the mistake of calling her that in front of Jase was beyond me. I didn’t respond as the ball from the other side bounced right off the table.
Jase chuckled. “Amateurs.” He turned to me. “But do you know who I do see? Steph. And she’s been looking for you.”
“So?”
“Just thought I’d share that knowledge with you.” He tossed me the ball. “Let’s kick some ass.”
With nothing else better to do and wanting to get out of my own head, I joined the game. Jase had been right. The group across from us really were amateurs. Fifteen minutes into the game, our opponents were swaying like weeds in the wind.
“This is actually shameful,” I muttered, eyeing one of them, who punched the end of the table to hold himself up, rattling the cups.
Jase grinned evilly. “They should’ve known better than to challenge me.”
I laughed as I folded my arms, running a hand over my bare bicep. Jase bounced another perfect throw and the other side erupted in curses. Straightening, Jase raised his hands out to his sides and then he stopped, eyes widening.
He elbowed me and turned, voice low. “Well, look at who just wandered in here.”
My brows lifted as I followed his gaze, looking past a group dancing. Air punched out of my lungs. I couldn’t believe it. Unfolding my arms, I stared for a second, absolutely shocked.
Avery was here.
Standing next to Brittany and Jacob, she stood out and not because she wasn’t in a costume. Her formfitting black turtleneck revealed a small section of her flat stomach. It was the first time I’d seen her stomach. Crazy.. My mouth dried.
A big, old goofy-ass smile broke out across my face and I set my cup down. I didn’t even say anything to Jase as I crossed the crowded garage. Jacob said something to her that caused her cheeks to flush and, a second later, I had her in my arms.
Lifting her up, I spun around as she clutched my shoulders. “Holy shit, I can’t believe you’re actually here.”
Her warm brown eyes met mine. “I told you I was coming.”
I set her down, but kept her tucked close. God, she looked gorgeous with her coppery hair falling in waves down her shoulders, curling around the swells of her breasts. “When did you get here?”
“I don’t know. Not that long ago.”
“Why didn’t you come say hi?”
“You were busy and I didn’t want to bother you.”
She had been staring at my lips, which was entirely distracting up until those last words left her mouth. I bent my head, my lips brushing her ear as I spoke. I didn’t miss the way she shivered. “You are never a bother to me.”
When I lifted my head, our gazes collided and held. The hue of her eyes deepened, almost blending in with her pupils. There was a connection there between us. No mistaking the electricity shimmering in the tiny space between our lips. And when hers parted, I lowered my head, wholly intent on kissing her.
“Yo, Cam!” Jase yelled, obliterating the moment. “You’re up.”
I smiled tightly. “Don’t go too far.”
“Okay,” she said, her hands slipping away.
Stalking back over to the table, I shot Jase a dirty look. “Perfect timing.”
“What?” He watched me pick up the Ping Pong ball. “Did I interrupt Avery turning you down?”
“Funny.” I bounced the ball, missing my target. Cursing, I picked up the cup. “Fuck you all.”
Jase let out a loud laugh and said something, but my narrowed gaze found Avery. I could barely see her. Her friends flanked either side and a red cup had ended up in her hands. She really wasn’t drinking and, for some reason, I was glad to see that. Their group grew and every so often, she disappeared from view, reappearing a few minutes later. Once this stupid game was over, it was her and me, and no interruptions. And, dammit, tonight she would tell me yes when I asked her out.
“Incoming,” Jase warned.
I didn’t realize what he was talking about at first, but arms went around me from behind. I knew immediately it wasn’t Avery. I couldn’t get that lucky.
“What are you dressed as?” Steph asked.
“Myself,” I told her, turning around. She was dressed as if Little Red Riding Hood had wandered onto a porn set.
She smiled, twirling the edge of one of her pigtails. “That’s not really a costume.”
“We are too awesome to wear costumes,” Jase said, eyeing Steph’s friend.
I gently untangled S
teph’s arms. “You guys look hot.”
“I know.” Steph giggled. “Can we join?” she asked, nodding at the game.
Jase stepped aside, and I knew by the way he was paying attention to Steph’s friend, he wouldn’t be spending the night alone.
My attention immediately sought out Shortcake. I was surprised for a second time that night when I saw what she was doing.
She was dancing.
It shouldn’t be such a big deal, but I had the suspicion that whatever caused her to stop dancing professionally hindered her from doing it at all.
God, she was . . . there were no words.
The song was fast, with a lot of beats, and her hips hit them all. Holding on to Brittany’s hand, the two of them danced together. A smile pulled at my lips as Jacob joined them. Her head was tipped back, arms raised, and she was laughing.
In that moment, I realized I was seeing a very different side of Avery. One I’d never seen before, where she was lively and carefree, and fucking perfect.
“I’m going to marry that girl one day,” I heard myself say.
Jase choked on his beer and bent over, dragging in deep breaths. “Holy shit.”
I grinned.
But it immediately began to fade as some guy came up behind her, slapping his hands on her hips. Avery jumped a good half foot off the floor as she looked over her shoulder.
Tony. That was his name. A freshman who was just initiated into Jase’s frat. He’d been a part of the first group we’d beaten at beer pong—the one who’d almost fallen face-first into the table. I didn’t know him, but I didn’t like him. And I sure as fuck didn’t like what he was doing with his hips.
Avery twisted to the side and Tony was attached to her like a fucking octopus. He was obviously plastered and it was also obvious that Avery didn’t want to dance with him. Every time she pulled away, he tugged her back.
Anger exploded in my gut like buckshot. I started forward, ignoring Jase when he called out to me. I was halfway across the garage when Tony slipped his hand across her stomach.
“Let me go!” she yelled.
The hair on the back of my neck rose at the real fear in her voice. I tripped—fucking tripped—and then I shot forward, plowing through those in the way. I didn’t even see them.
Fury tasted like blood in my mouth as I grabbed ahold of Avery’s arm, pulling her away. Her startled gasp was like thunder in my ears as I shoved Tony back. The fucker stumbled as he backpedaled, hitting the wall.
I was on him in a heartbeat.
Fourteen
I was going to break this motherfucker’s face. It was as simple as that. He was touching her and it was obvious to anyone with a pea-sized brain that she hadn’t wanted to be touched.
Shoving my hand into his chest, I slammed him back into the wall as my other hand curled into a fist. “What the fuck, man? Do you have a fucking hearing problem?”
“I’m sorry.” Tony raised his hands, shaking. “We were just dancing. Didn’t mean any shit by it.”
“Cam,” Avery cried out.
I shoved Tony back as he started to speak again, and Jase was suddenly at my back, grabbing ahold of me. He wrenched me away, and Tony staggered against the wall.
“You need to chill the fuck out,” Jase said.
I tried to duck Jase’s hold. “Let me the fuck go, Jase.”
“Fuck no.” He was in my face, hands on my chest. “You don’t need this, remember? Getting into a fight is the last thing you fucking need right now. So back down.”
My blood boiled with the need to put my fist through the guy’s face, but Jase . . . dammit, Jase was right. I couldn’t get into a fight. My probation would be revoked, and I couldn’t put my family through that, or Avery.
Avery.
I spun around. A crowd had gathered between us and she stood with Brittany, her face pale and eyes glittering with unshed tears. I started toward her, but Jase blocked me.
“You need to calm down before you do anything.”
Ollie appeared at my side, shoving a beer in my hand. “Jase speaks the truth, man. Avery will be fine, but you . . .” Serious for once in his life, he shook his head. “You need to chill out for a little while.”
I let them push me toward the door and when I looked up, I couldn’t find Avery in the crowd. She was gone.
Sitting on the edge of the bed Jase slept in whenever he stayed in this house, I pulled out my phone, sending Avery a quick text. Jase slammed the door, but I ignored it, waiting for a response. I shouldn’t have let them drag me in here. Right now, Ollie was outside the door, playing guard. I should be with Avery, making sure she was okay.
“What the fuck got into you, man?”
I stared up at Jase. “She used to dance.”
His brows shot up. “What the fuck?” he demanded again. “What in the fuck does that have to do with anything?”
Dropping my head into my hands, I shrugged. I had no idea what the hell that had to do with anything, but I had this feeling that dancing for Avery—for her to do that—was a big deal.
Jase cursed as he spun around and then pivoted right back at me. “What is going on with you, Cam? You don’t get pissed off like this. You don’t get bent out of shape over—”
“Don’t you dare say over nothing.” My chin jerked up, eyes narrowing on Jase as fury roared through me like an out of control freight train. I shot to my feet. “He was touching her, Jase. He was grabbing on her and—” I cut myself off before I said the words I didn’t want to, the ones forming on my tongue.
“So?”
“Are you fucking serious?” I shot forward, but Jase didn’t back down. He went toe to toe with me. “So? You okay with a guy—”
“Fuck no, I’m not, but Jesus H. Christ in a manger, Cam, he was some drunk idiot freshman and you and I have seen much worse go down than that.” His eyes flashed an intense silver, a sure sign he was about to lose his shit. Good. So was I. Again. “And before you say you’ve intervened in those situations, too, I know. We both have, but you’ve never tried to take a guy’s head off.”
He had a point. What the fuck ever. “This is different.”
“Because it’s her?”
The way he said “her” made me want to put my fist through the wall. “You better be very careful, bro, when it comes to your next words.”
His pupils flared wide as he held up his hands. “Look, Avery seems like a nice girl. She does, but the last time I checked, you two aren’t seeing each other.”
“So?” I threw the word back at him.
Jase looked like he now wanted to put his fist through me. “She’s turned you down how many times? And you’re acting like a pissed-off, possessive boyfriend, and the last thing you need is to get into a fight. Or need I remind you that if you do, you break your probation and you will in up in prison? Not jail, but—”
“You don’t need to remind me.” I turned, shoving my hands through my hair. “You don’t understand.”
He didn’t immediately respond. “You’re right. I don’t understand how this girl is leading you around by your dick. Have you ever considered that’s she playing you, for some fucked-up reason?”
I whirled on him, hands clenching into fists. If he hadn’t been my closest friend, the one to pull my head out of my ass when I was on home confinement, I would’ve broken his jaw. I took several deep breaths before replying. “She’s not like that, Jase. I know that’s hard for you to believe. I get it. You’ve been screwed over in a way I can’t even begin to fathom, but she is not like that.”
Shaking his head, Jase turned and leaned against the closed door. “That’s what every guy says before they are royally fucked over.”
“Avery is different,” I told him, pulling out my cell again. No response. A ball of unease formed in my stomach. “You don’t know her like I do. You don’t know her at all.”
He stared at me as he scrubbed a palm over his jaw. “I don’t know you right now.”
I didn’t know h
ow to respond to that.
“What is it about her?” he asked, sounding like he truly wanted to understand the attraction I could barely figure out. “She’s not like any other girl you’ve gone out with. She’s fucking awkward as hell and quiet. She’s pretty, but—”
“She’s fucking beautiful,” I cut in, daring him to disagree.
He didn’t. “Is she worth this?”
“Yes,” I said, glancing at my phone again. Still nothing. “Yes, she is, and I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“Cam—”
“I’m leaving this room right this fucking second and you’re not going to stop me.” When Jase didn’t move, I cursed under my breath and reminded myself that he was only doing this because he was my friend. “I’m not going to go beat the shit out of someone. I’m going to go find Avery. That’s all I care about right now.”
Jase looked away, a muscle flexing in his jaw and then he shook his head. “I’m sure she’s okay, Cam.”
“You don’t . . .” I paused, rubbing a spot on my chest as the white walls in the room seemed to blur. My chest constricted. “You don’t understand, Jase. I think . . . I think something happened to her before.”
Comprehension settled across his face and then he stepped aside. “Aw, shit.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, feeling that horrible sensation along the nape of my neck. “Shit.”
My heart was pounding as I stared down at Brittany. “You haven’t seen her?”
“No.” She shook her head, causing her angel wings to droop. “After you went inside with Jase and Ollie, she said she was stepping outside for fresh air, but she never came back in.”
“Shit.” I glanced down at my phone as I pressed her name on my phone again. Walking out to the driveway, I cursed again when there was no answer. I hadn’t seen Tony inside or anywhere, but I doubted he would’ve gone after her. Jase was right. The guy was just a drunk idiot, but that didn’t tell me where Avery was.
And I had looked everywhere.
Brittany trailed behind me. “She hasn’t answered my calls or Jacob’s. I don’t even think she’s here anymore.” She paused, pushing her hair off her face. “I’m going to go to her—”