Yep. That was the perfect costume for him alright. The idea of being his master and ordering him to do anything I wanted made me all tingly. But I couldn’t get sucked into possibilities, because Hayden’s costume was just that — a costume. He’d never belong to any one girl.
He’d asked me a question and his wording made any answer dangerous. Always better to get out of awkward situations like that by firing back another question. “You seriously think that would ever happen?” I lifted one brow.
“I can hope. Seeing you in this…” He waved a hand as if encompassing all of me. “I’m glad I skipped the shirt because it’s heating up in here.”
From any other guy, that line would have sounded cheesy. But someone else’s eyes wouldn’t look at me the way his did and any other guy’s voice wouldn’t growl softly like Hayden’s. Coming from him, the words sounded flattering and sexy.
My mouth went dry and I worked to steady my breathing.
“Drink?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure if drinking would be a good idea in my already uneasy condition. It might make me even more jumpy. I wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with. On the rare occasion I had access to liquor, it hit me like a sledgehammer. But maybe a little would numb me to Hayden and his affect on my pulse. And I wouldn’t be driving home so… “Yeah, what do they have?”
“Let’s find out.” Hayden took my hand and led me to the kitchen. My skin tingled at his touch.
We passed several large metallic barrels. “She’s allowed to buy keggers?”
“No way. Her parents are gone. But her brother’s over twenty-one.”
Zero adult supervision. Crap. I needed to get away from him. Once in the kitchen, he scanned the counters littered with empty beer bottles and partially full plastic cups. He focused in on a bottle of vodka. “Screwdriver?”
“Sure.”
He found orange juice in the fridge and set it on the counter then stood with his back to me, blinding me from the mixing process — or so he thought. I could still pick images from his mind any time I wanted. I didn’t care though. Screwdriver ingredients were pretty basic. I cast a glance over my shoulder to see who else was around.
No one more interesting than Hayden.
“Thanks.” I took the plastic cup he held out. Parched from my nerves, I gulped down a third of it instantly then almost gagged on its potency. Was he trying to get me drunk? It didn’t matter because I didn’t plan to be around him much. As a matter of fact, right then, I needed a breather. “I have to go to the bathroom.” I spun around and didn’t look back, uncertain if he followed.
The alcohol warmed my throat and soothed my stomach, making it more difficult to tell where Hayden was or what anyone was thinking. It was nice not seeing everyone’s pictures so clearly. As I made my way to the bathroom, the tension gradually dissipated.
“Tessa.” Brad blocked my way through the door to the hallway. “You look edible.”
Ugh. The way he said it made me feel cheap. I strained my brain for the quickest way to get rid of him. “If you don’t move this second, I’m going to vomit on your shoes.”
He jumped out of my path. I snickered and continued to the bathroom. Directly in front of the door I thought might be it, I changed my mind. I’d only planned on going there to get some alone time. Now that the alcohol relaxed me, I didn’t need the escape.
Rather than double back, I made my way to the other end of the hallway and came out the other side, which led me to a big room. I searched the faces for someone I knew.
Blane.
I’d lost my virginity to him last year. He’d broken my heart, stomped on my confidence and shattered all hope that the male gender had any redeeming qualities. Before the epic dumping, he’d worked me over for weeks. At first, I assumed he was playing me, but eventually, impressed with his patience, I decided that any guy who stuck around that long must be crazy about me. We dated a few weeks and the entire time, he remained the ideal boyfriend. When he told me he loved me, I gave him what he wanted. What I wanted.
The next time I saw him, after leaving multiple messages on his cell phone and at home, he’d acted like he didn’t know me. It took me months to get over him and how he had used me.
The bastard.
I watched him head toward me. I searched over my shoulder to see who stood behind me that rated his unwavering attention. Then I realized he was coming for me. After all this time, I’d come back on his radar.
A few yards from me, Hayden stepped in front of Blane. I’d never even seen Hayden speak to him. But my desire to listen in on their conversation was killed by Hayden’s posturing. He was ready to kick some ass and I didn’t want to get in the way of him accomplishing that with Blane.
Chapter Eleven
Hayden
I was surrounded by willing and aggressive females in skimpy costumes. Exactly what I needed. If I played my cards right, by the end of the night, I wouldn’t be able to remember Tessa’s name.
Except all the other girls paled next to her. I couldn’t stay away from her. I was becoming quite disgusted with myself.
“Thinking about revisiting that?” I asked Blane.
He smirked. “Thought I might.”
“The way I heard it, you dumped her.” I studied his face, looking for any reason to beat his ass.
Blane laughed. “She was a crappy lay.”
I took a deep breath, willing myself not to smash his face. “Girls don’t want a rep for being boring any more than guys do. And given a chance, they’ll try to make the guy happy. Unless they weren’t given the opportunity. I don’t know, Blane. Did she have time? Or did things happen too quickly?”
He snorted. “Trust me, dude. My performance was up to par, as always. But they gotta give you something to work with.”
“And she didn’t?” I raised my brows in mock surprise. “Which is why you want to go there again?”
His grin widened. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Why not Tessa too?”
My hands balled into fists and I tensed — but I restrained myself. “I’ll tell you why not. Because she’s too good for you, jack-ass. And if you come on to her, I’m going to take you around back, crush you and hurl you in the dumpster. Which would be a lot better than how you treated her. Hands off. Got it?”
I didn’t have to look. I could smell Tessa’s perfume. “Goodbye, Blane.” I stretched taller, daring him to stay another second.
He fidgeted a moment, eyes darting between me and Tessa, then he slowly backed away.
Tessa’s slim fingers circled my bicep as she sidled up next to me and my stomach knotted at her touch. “What happened?” she asked. “Was he hitting on your girlfriend or something?”
She obviously had only caught the last line. That was fine. I needed her to think I was indifferent. Because I was. Mostly. A girl like her wouldn’t hold my attention long before she ceased to exist for me. “I told you. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“You did?”
“Maybe not. But I don’t. Did you find the bathroom?”
“Yeah.” She tipped the cup high for the last sip then smiled. “You look nice, by the way.”
“Buzzed already?” I laughed. “You’re a lightweight. No more drinks for you.”
“I’m not drunk. Are you my dad now? That would be such a shame.” Her pink mouth formed a perfect pout.
Yes, it would be a shame. God, I wanted to kiss her. She looked so freakin’ amazing and her smile drove me crazy. But she’d been standoffish the past few days and I had a feeling if she’d been completely sober, she wouldn’t be so flirty. Something felt wrong about taking advantage of her buzz, even though I helped get her there.
I had to get her sober again, even if it took me all night. Because I intended to kiss her before she left and I wanted her fully aware of everything without blaming it on the screwdriver. I’d have to watch over her to make sure none of the guys who were looking to get laid tried to ply her with more booze.
I glanced a
round to make sure no one was waiting for their chance with Tessa. Spotting Blane across the room, I sent him a warning glare, then returned my gaze to Tessa. “Stay right there. I’ll get you another drink. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Don’t be long.” She licked her lips.
Oh, Christ. I hope she sobered up soon. I wasn’t big on control since I’d never needed to be. I didn’t know how long I could hold back. Sending Blane another scowl, I trekked back to the kitchen. I found a carton of orange juice then grabbed some vodka. I poured the fruity liquid in a cup and opened the vodka. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching then pretended to pour, blocking their view with my body. I got a few drops in there though, so I could truthfully tell her I’d added vodka.
When I found her, Blane had her cornered, his arms imprisoning her against the wall. Fury ravished my senses and I set her drink down. Before I’d taken a moment to consider my next move, I’d already seized the slimy weasel. The wall crunched and crumbled as I shoved Blane against it. The lights in the place were too dim for me to tell how the wall fared. I didn’t care. They could bill me.
“What did I tell you, Blane?” I snarled.
He whimpered, his eyes huge, and I half expected him to pee his pants. “Y-you said stay away or I’d end up in the dumpster.”
“And you didn’t believe me. Do you believe me now?”
“Y-yeah.”
I let him crumple to the floor, clutched Tessa’s hand and practically dragged her through the back door, snagging her drink on the way. It was crowded outside too, but not as badly, and at least I could think better without so much noise. My blood still boiled at Blane’s sleazy maneuver.
“Hey, I was talking to him.” She scrambled to keep up with me.
It hadn’t occurred to me that Tessa might want to continue her chat with Blane. Maybe she still liked him. I stopped at the edge of the yard where we had a view of everyone and the back door to the house. “Oh.”
“He asked me if I wanted to go out tomorrow night. I was going to say yes.” She grinned.
“You’re working tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes. “But he doesn’t know that. He would’ve waited for a call that never came. Like he did to me.”
Girls can be as cruel as guys. But I admired Tessa’s methods and was unable to prevent a slow smile.
She sat on a cement bench and tilted her head up at me. “In my head, I’ve already kissed you a hundred times.”
My eyebrows shot up. I’d given her plain OJ but wondered what else she’d tell me with another real drink. “You’ve been fantasizing about me?”
“Of course not, silly.” She waved a hand as if washing away such foolish thoughts. “They’re your fantasies, not mine. I read minds.”
“Okaaaay, no more drinks for you.” Her weird talk did not turn me off like it normally would have. Instead, I found it charming and only wanted to kiss her more. But I needed to wait until she sobered up. The more time I spent with her alone, the weaker my resolve to resist. I grabbed Tessa’s hand and pulled her up. “C’mon. Let’s find Nadia or Corinne.” Preferably Nadia since she was the toughest of the two. I spotted her at the other end of the yard, talking to Skyler. Skyler? What the hell?
Now Nadia needed rescuing. Or did she?
When we reached Nadia, I released Tessa. “Can you keep an eye on Tessa? She can’t handle her liquor.”
“I’m busy. Why don’t you keep an eye on her?” Nadia gave a sultry smile, looking every inch the devil’s helper.
I checked my watch while keeping an eye on Tessa in my peripheral. It was a little after ten which meant I could take her out for coffee and have her back in time for them to be home by the midnight curfew. No way could she stay the night here with the rest of us. I couldn’t possibly keep my hands off her. “You guys leaving before midnight to make curfew?”
“That’s the plan,” Nadia answered. “My dad offered to pick us up though if we lost track of time. We might take him up on that and stay the night at my house.”
Then how late would they stay at the party? I groaned, realizing things did not look good for me — more temptation than I could handle. “Your friend here told me she can read minds. I don’t think she should drink anymore.”
Nadia laughed. “I think you’re right. But I’m busy.”
“Yeah, dude, she’s busy,” Skyler chimed in. “You can take care of Tessa.” The traitor winked at me.
What the hell was I supposed to do with her now? “We should all go for coffee.”
“Sure.” Nadia sighed. “Delia’s is open.”
“Let’s go.” I motioned for them to follow.
“Too bad we can’t take your car. Next time, buy one with more than two seats, then the rest of us can enjoy it too. We’ll be back,” she told Skyler. “Unless you want to come?”
“Sure,” Skyler replied.
We went to find Corinne who was near the back door, beyond several drunken bodies swaying unsteadily to the boom of a hip-hop song. After a brief debate, Corinne opted to stay at the party, so we headed down the driveway to Nadia’s car. At the last second Skyler wanted to make a bathroom stop. I loaded Tessa safely in the passenger’s side then closed the door and turned to Nadia. “Skyler’s okay but…” Should I tell her? “He’s probably going for a hit and ditch.”
“That’s so flattering, Hayden.” Nadia’s tone oozed sarcasm.
I realized then that my warning sounded like I didn’t think Skyler wanted her as a girlfriend. I felt like a total ass. “Sorry. I just thought someone should give you a heads up.”
“I’m offended that you think I’m so dumb that I’d fall for Skyler’s scamming. I plan ahead for guys like him. Don’t worry about me.” She patted my cheek and handed me her keys. “You’re driving.”
Chapter Twelve
Tessa
Sitting in the car just watching Hayden and Nadia talk bored me to distraction, especially since I couldn’t hear what they were saying and couldn’t participate. At least it gave me time to sober up. Mostly.
I stuck my head out the window. “Hey, are we leaving or not?” Not that I wanted to, but I wanted to do something.
“One second.” Hayden held up a finger and continued talking to Nadia in a hushed voice. He still wasn’t wearing a shirt and when his arm had moved, his bicep flexed. And I loved the way the muscle at his hip flanked six-pack abs just above the waistband of his jeans.
When Skyler returned a couple minutes later, it occurred to me that I’d spent that entire time happily studying Hayden’s body. The horror of that knowledge cleared my head the rest of the way, but the anxiety didn’t return. I felt good, relaxed. Being at the party was a piece of cake. I just needed to avoid Hayden.
Wait. I’d told him I could read minds. Worse, I’d admitted to imagining kissing him. How embarrassing. God, I needed another drink to carry me through the humiliation. Never mind — that’s what landed me there in the first place. But what’s done is done and I couldn’t change any of it. Hayden would never like me seriously anyway, so why worry what he thought?
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Coffee,” Hayden said, getting inside and closing the car door. “Figured you’d feel better with some caffeine in you.”
“To sober me up?”
“Yes,” Hayden answered.
Grabbing my purse, I opened the door on my side and got out before he could start the car. “I’m fine now,” I told them through the window. “But if you guys want to go, I’ll wait here with Corinne.”
“All sobered up, are you?” Hayden asked, eyes narrowed.
“Yes, completely.” I backed up so he didn’t have to worry about hitting me with the car. “I’ll see you guys later.”
As if waiting for me to say that, he jumped out of the car and slinked toward me like a panther — never taking his eyes off me. The look on his face was anything but mild. Uh-oh. What was up with that? He’d been pretty cool all night, hadn’t flirted and had
only touched me to lead me somewhere.
Hayden didn’t slow down as he passed me. Instead, he gripped my hand again and dragged me along. Leaving the partiers behind, we went back up the driveway, and into the garage. He left the door slightly ajar, letting in a sliver of light so we didn’t have to fumble. He finally stopped in a secluded spot in the far corner of the garage and leaned against a work table. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Refusing never occurred to me. Like a pliant doll, I lifted my chin and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me. He swooped and covered my mouth with his, his hot tongue assaulting mine.
Oh, crap. It was perfect — like his fantasies had melded with mine.
Except this was better.
I drowned in the feel of his lips, and his hands brought shivers as they skated up my back. When his mouth deserted mine, his eyes seemed to absorb the details of my face, his hands planted firmly on my hips. Then, in one swift move, he lifted me up onto the work table and kissed me again. Harder, hungrier…
I set my purse aside to free my hands. They skimmed his bare arms, moving on to explore his naked chest, my thumb sneaking into the waistband of his jeans.
What was I doing?
I couldn’t let him get any more than he’d already gotten from me. With my palms flat against his chest, I shoved him away. “Uh… I have to go.” Jumping off the table, I bolted.
“Tessa, wait.”
Once out of the garage and into the safety of the crowd, I halted. “Yeah?”
He caught up to me. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re smart enough to figure it out.” I put my hands on my hips.
“I thought we were having fun.”
“If I remember correctly, you promised several days ago that you wouldn’t hit on me. I’m pretty sure that includes kissing.”
“I assumed that only applied to school, when I was on duty.”
I flinched. Sadly, he made sense in a weird way.
“Besides, I may have said I was going to kiss you, but you kissed me.” He grinned.
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