by C. Shell
“It’s my sister. She needs to talk to you.” My initial reaction is fear that something bad has happened. My gut clenches for a second before common sense seeps in and I realize Jimmie wouldn’t be donning a stupid shit-eating grin if that were the case. Raking a hand down my face, I let out a breath of air, then drew in a slow one before putting the phone up to my ear.
“What’s up?” My words came out like an annoyed huff, something I didn’t intend to do, but couldn’t help after the craptastic day I’m having.
“Good morning to you too sweet cheeks. I thought you would be glad to hear from me. Who peed in your cornflakes this morning?”
Despite my bad mood, I laugh. Jelly Bean has that effect on me. Just hearing her sultry voice has my dick standing to attention. God, I can still hear her little moans in my head from last night and the memory of how she clenched around me so tight as she came. Being inside her was fucking heaven. I’ll never get enough of her. I adjust my pants hoping the guys don’t see the obvious boner I’m now sporting. I don’t need to hear their shit, and knowing Jimmie, he would go ballistic on my ass. Addison is going to be the death of me. Saying goodbye to her this morning was torture. I didn’t want her to leave, but she was determined to get back home before anyone realized she had stayed out all night. Always the good girl. I smile and shake my head ad I force the thoughts away and concentrate on what she’s saying.
“Sorry. My truck is pissing me off, and its put me in a bad mood.” I lean back and ask her again, “ So what's up Jelly Bean?”
“Well, Cammy and I are headed to the mall today to catch up on some over-do shopping and other girl stuff.” She pauses and I can hear Cammy in the background telling her to hurry up. The breathless quality of her voice has me concerned about what I’m about to hear. My relaxed frame goes ramrod straight as I wait her out. “She’s talked me into going with her to Daniel Leamon’s beach party tonight. Would you be interested in going with us? Jimmie’s already agreed to meet Cammy there later after he’s done helping you.”
My nostrils flare. Daniel fucking Leamon. I’m seriously beginning to hate that guy. My head snaps back, and I shoot a glare at Jimmie. The jackass could’ve at least warned me first, or tried to talk them out of going to his party. Too mad to think straight, I say the first thing that comes to my mind. “You’re not going to that damn party. ”
I hear her small gasp, and then I’m met with total silence. Nate nudged me with his shoe, and then mouthed, “What happened?” I pointed to Jimmie and mouthed back, “Ask him.” I wait through ten long beats of silence before Addison speaks again, and when she does her voice is void of any warmth.
“Thanks for sharing your opinion with me Dex, but here’s a newsflash for you. Screwing me doesn’t give you the right to tell me where I can and cannot go. I’m not some puppet you can play with then put away on the shelf when you’re busy.”
Oh boy. I curse under my breath and rake a hand through my hair. I look to the guys for help, but they’re laughing at my words too hard to help bale me out. “That is not what I meant.”
Her voice raised. “So you do want to go to the party tonight with me?”
“No,” I counter. I waver on what to say and decide to stick to the truth. “I promise I’m not trying to go all caveman on you. Controlling you is not my intention, and I do want to hang out with you tonight. Hell, every night if you’ll let me. We can go to the movies or crash at my house if you prefer. I Just don’t want you going to Daniel’s party.”
She sighs and the hostility in her voice lessons a degree. “We’ve been over this before. Daniel is one of my best friends. I’m not dropping him for you or anyone else. One of these days you’re going to have to get over your issues and stop hating on him so much.”
My shoulders tighten in anger. I hate hearing her take up for that bag of shit. She might not see Daniel for who really is, but the guys and I do. Not wanting to fight, I decide to try a different tactic. “It’s not just about Daniel. With everything going on, I’m worried about your safety. There will be a lot of people at that party, and that includes Lacey and whoever is helping her. I can tell this means a lot to you, so how about a compromise?”
“I’m listening.” Her tone is sharp.
I clear my throat. “The guys and I have to run some errands and finish my truck that is a mess and taking longer than expected. You girls do your shopping. Once we’re finished up here, we’ll pick you two up and escort you to the party.”
“Will be you long? The band is set to start at seven o’clock sharp. Cammy heard that they were amazing. So we don’t want to miss it.”
The guys are focused on my conversation. As always, anything involving Addison concerns us all. She’s our fourth, our missing link that makes us whole. I give them a thumbs up, letting them know that everything's okay now. “We’ll hurry. I promise we’ll get you there on time.”
“Okay then. We’ll wait for you.” She seems happy again, which gives me a sense of relief. I have no clue when I became such a pansy. It should probably bother me how much her happiness and opinion means to me, or, at least, it should scare me, but it doesn’t. Not in the least.
I’m so screwed. Addison has me whipped, and I don’t even fucking care.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Addison
“I’m done waiting!” Cammy begins pacing my room again.
I look into her determined face and can see that my friend is not fibbing. This is a big problem for me. I glance down at my phone and consider calling Dex again, but as my fingers hover over the buttons, I shake my head and decide against it. I’ve called him five times in the last thirty minutes and each time I got the same answers.
“It’s almost eight o’clock, Addy. I’m tired of sitting here all dressed up and ready to party while the guys are out playing with tools and grease.”
I’ve only seen Cammy this mad once before when her mom hired a clown for her ninth birthday party. It was a sweet gesture on her mom’s part, but she forgot that Cammy had acquired an unhealthy fear of clown’s after watching the movie IT by Stephen King. Cammy came unglued after he jumped out of a large wrapped box. It’s safe to say that that once she opened that present, the party was as good as over. I wouldn’t be surprised if that poor clown needed a good dose of therapy of his own after that day.
Cammy stops pacing and cocks her head at me, a weird expression on her face.“How long does it take to fix a measly fluid thingy?
I roll my eyes. “Stop calling it a thingy. I’ll explain it to you one more time; then I’m done.” I’m exasperated with repeating this story, but for the sake of an argument, I told it again. “Jimmie messed up and forgot to bleed the brake line. When they test drove the truck, everything went was great at first, then once it got warmed up, everything changed and the truck didn’t want to stop. Now, they’re stranded out by Mr. Wilson’s farm trying to fix it so we can go to the party. Whenever that might be.”
“So we just wait for them?” she asks, the irritation evident in her voice.
My patience is wearing thin, and Cammy’s incessant bitching is close to pushing me over the edge. I get her concern, but I’ve promised the guys we wouldn’t head to the party without them. I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place. If we go to the party alone, Dex might never trust me again, and If Cammy misses out on seeing the new band playing, she’ll hold it against me. Either way, I lose. The odds are against me.
Laughing nervously, my mind raced to come up with an alternative that would make everyone happy and keep my ass out the fire. Nothing came to me. Glancing at the clock and seeing that the band had begun at least twenty minutes earlier, I decide enough is enough. It’s time for me to put on my big girl panties and make a decision.
Clearing my throat, I palm my house keys and slip them along with my phone in my back pocket. “Let’s do this. Grab your car keys, you’re driving. I’ll shoot the guys a text on the way and let them know to meet us there.”
Her eyes light
up with delight than dim with suspicion. “You’re not pulling my leg, are you? Because if you are, that would be just wrong.”
I hold two fingers up in a scouts honor kind of way. “No joke. I promise we will leave now, but when the guys try and kill me later for not listening to them, you better have my back.” She studies me for a long moment, long enough that I start to fidget. Her faded smile comes back full force. Whatever she was looking for she must have found it, because my friend is cheery once again.
Cammy abruptly grabs me by the arm and steers me down the stairs, and out the door. She doesn’t speak until we are seated in the car. “I’ll always have your back.” Her smile spreads slowly. “You need to have some fun. It’s been too long since we got to hang out and be stupid together.”
My lips pursed as I thought about what Dex said earlier. “Things have been so crazy lately,” I breathed out. “The guys don’t mean to come off as controlling pricks. They’re just concerned that Lacey will be there and try something again.”
She nodded. “I get it. No worries and I promise not to leave your side until they arrive. I’ll be your personal bodyguard, keeping the bad guys away and making sure you have the fun you so badly need.”
I laughed. “That sounds like a damn good deal.” I pull out my phone and frown at it, knowing I can’t put off texting Dex any longer.
Me: Can’t wait any longer. Band has already begun, so we’re leaving. Headed to Daniel’s party with Cammy. Meet us there when you finish with the truck.
Dex: Fuck no. Don’t you dare leave. We’ll be done soon. Wait for us.
Me: No can do lover boy. Already on the way. Cammy will stay with me. Love you
Dex: Turn the fuck around. We only need another thirty minutes.
Dex: Answer me
Dex: Jelly Bean???? Answer me. It’s not safe to be alone.
********
The party in full swing when we arrive. Parking was a nightmare. Daniel’s annual beach parties are always a blast. Last years went on for two straight nights and ended with a spectacular fireworks show. Cammy pulls me down a pathway crowded with people that leads us to the beach. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
A section of the beach is patronized off and decorated with tiki torches, lawn chairs, and large tables filled with colorful bottles of liquor, beer, and several big kegs. A light October breeze had people huddled around a bonfire as the full moon lit the sky. You couldn’t ask for a better night.
Cammy points to the side where a band is set up on a make-shift stage. “That’s got to be them. I can’t believe we made it.” Cammy gives me a wink then slapped me on the ass. “Let’s go have some fun.”
I link my hand with hers, and together we follow the music to a throng of dancing teenagers. We carve out a little spot near the stage and with our hands swaying in the air; we dance as if we don’t have a care. Feeling free, I lost myself to the beat of the music and pushed away all thoughts of my dad, the threat of Lacey, how mad Dex will be once he finds me, and the damage to my car.It was
After ten minutes of non-stop dancing, my parched mouth is begging for a cold drink. I turn to Cammy who’s now dancing with a guy that is a spitting image of Harry Styles- except with blonde hair and sleeves of tattoos decorating his arms- and speak next to her ear so she can hear me over the music. “I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want one?”
She gives me a big, goofy grin. “I’m good here. Do you want me to go with you?”
I point toward a table near the entrance. “I’m not going far, just over there. I’ll be back in a flash.”
I halt instantly when Cammy places a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t think you should go alone. If anything happens to you on my watch, the guys will kill me. Just give me a second and I’ll tag along.”
My lips pinch in irritation. Everyone means well, but this whole babysitting me thing is getting ridiculous. I had to turn off my phone earlier after texting Dex about coming here because the neanderthal wouldn’t leave me alone about it. I’m seriously surprised my phone didn’t blow up with the amount of messages he sent. I don’t want Cammy to miss any more time having fun because of me. I can tell by the way she keeps bumping and grinding on the Harry look-a-like guy that she is really into him.
Pulling out my phone I make a point of turning it back on in front of her. “If I have a problem, I’ll call you or Dex. Stay here and dance. It won’t take me long, and I’ll be back before the next song is up.”
Shooting her a little wave, I continue on to the table lined with drinks, leaving her back in the masses of people. The line is short when I reach my destination. Studying the drinks laid out before me, I choose two cups of beer and a handful of strawberry flavored jello shots. I’ve just managed to get it all balanced in my arms when my damn phone goes off. I don’t have to look at the screen to know who it is. Letting out a ragged breath, I set a few things down and pull my phone out.
“Hey, Dex. Did you get the truck working yet?”
“Addison, where are you?” His voice has a bite to it, and it hurts. He’s still pissed about our texts earlier, not that I expected anything less, but a girl can hope.
“At the beach party with Cammy, but you already knew that. The real question is when will you be joining us?”
He growls into the phone. “We’re on our way. Traffic is light, so we should be there in fifteen to twenty minutes.” He pauses, and I imagine him gripping the wheel the way he does when he’s upset. “I’m so mad at you right now. I’m tempted to take you over my knee and spank some sense into you. Stay around people you know until we can get there.”
I roll my eyes. “The spanking part sounds a little sexy. I might like to try that.”He laughs, and the sound of it makes me miss him more. “Everything is good here. The place is packed so take the first parking spot you find.”
“Will do. See you soon, babe.” The call disconnects and I shove the phone back into my pocket so I can regain our drinks.
Heading back toward the music, I have a hard time holding onto everything in my arms. So, when I feel a warm hand brush up against my ass, the hurried spin I do, sends one of the cups of beers tumbling down, coating not only the sand but the front of my shirt and pants as well.
It looks like I peed myself, my white tank top is now see through and showing off my white lace bra, I’m out one drink, and thanks to Daniel, I smell like a damn brewery. I stare up at him with narrowed eyes. “What the hell? You scared the shit out of me.”
He tentatively smiles back at me. “I’m sorry Addison. I didn’t mean to startle you; I was just trying to catch your attention before you got away.” He points to a tall guy standing beside him. “I wanted to introduce you to my friend. Addy, meet Nicholas.”
“Hi,” I mumble. My manners take a back seat as I openly stare at Nicholas. In description, he looks a lot like the guys that go to our school. Tall, well-built, broad shoulders, and dark brown hair. Nothing special stands out about him until you look into his eyes. There is no warmth in his gaze. His charcoal gray eyes are stone cold. He smiles as if happy, but it never reaches his eyes, not once. Something about him nags at my brain. There's a familiarity about his features that unsettles me.
My head cocks in thought before I have to ask. “Have we met before?”
Nicholas takes a long sip of his beer. He swallowed, shaking his head. “No. I would remember a gorgeous girl like you.”
I ignore his compliment and turn my attention back to Daniel. My lips quiver as a breeze blows across my wet clothes.
Daniel must have noticed my discomfort because he quickly steps forward and takes the drinks out of my hands. Concern flickers over his features as he takes me in. “We need to get you into some dry clothes, or you could catch a cold out here. Do you have a spare set in your car?”
“No,” I grumbled. I turn and look back toward where the band was playing. “Cammy might. She’s down near the stage dancing.” My brow creased as I thought about having to pull her away from her new man. I ha
te the idea of interrupting her fun. “I’ll be okay. It should dry off soon enough.”
Daniel frowned. “The wind is picking up. If you get sick because of me, I’ll never forgive myself. If you want, I will go-”
Lacey appears by his side and rudely interrupts our conversation. I tense up expecting her to lash out at me, but her focus stays on Daniel. If anything, she seems to be ignoring me, which I take as a positive sign. Maybe things are looking up for once.
Lacey taps on his arm. “Daniel you're needed in the house. Someone is on the phone asking for you. I think it’s your mom but its hard to tell over all the crying.”
Daniel’s brows slam together. “That can’t be good. She wouldn’t call unless it were an emergency.“ He gives me an apologetic smile. I can read his uncertainty like an open book. Being the good friend he is, he doesn’t want to leave me standing here cold and wet.
I level my eyes with him as I speak so he can see how serious I am. “Go and talk to your mom. You need to make sure everything is okay with your family. I’ll find Cammy and get my clothes fixed or have the guys bring me another set when they come.” With a grim smile, he darts off with Lacey fast on his heels.
I’m left alone with Nicholas, and I don’t like it. Something about him bothers me. I can’t put my finger on why, but my gut instinct is telling me to be cautious. “Well, it was nice meeting you,” I say taking a few steps back. I turn away, ready to make my exit when he places a hand around my upper arm, halting my retreat. Fear flashed in me for a second before I push it down. I glance at his hand on my arm then up to the man in question.
I grit my teeth in annoyance. “Unless you want me to scream bloody murder, I suggest you take your hands off me.”
Nicholas coughs, clearing his throat. He releases me and holds his hands up showing that he means no harm. “I just want to help. I have a stepsister about your size.” He points to a beautiful beach house near Daniel’s. “I live right over there. You’re welcome to borrow something of hers if you like. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”