“Hey,” the guy said, his eyes running over Flick and then me. Cameron moved closer, whispering how much he’d missed me in my ear. Riley smirked. “She yours?”
“Actually, he’s mine,” I said, clasping Cameron’s hand in mine.
“Noted.” Riley’s smirk morphed into an easy smile. “And you?” He flicked his head to Flick who blushed deeply.
“Me? I’m, uh, I’m very much... single,” she croaked out.
“But you’ll be keeping your dirty paws off her.” Asher threw his arm around Riley and pulled him away.
“If I didn’t know better,” Vaughn said as she took off after them. “I’d say my cousin has a crush.”
“Hey, man, you okay?” Cameron asked Jason who was rooted to the spot, watching Vaughn’s retreating form.
“What? Yeah, I’m good.” He glared at Flick. “You know she’s joking, right? Ash doesn’t want you. He just likes playing with you.”
“I...” She snapped her mouth shut, embarrassment burning her cheeks.
“Jason don’t be such a dick,” I scolded.
“Yeah, man, come on. We only have one night,” Cameron added. “Let’s try to all get along.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled before stalking off after Asher and his cousins.
“Are you okay?” I asked Flick.
“Please, I’m fine.” She smiled but it was forced. “Come on, we should keep up with them.” Flick brushed past us and hurried after them.
“That was... weird.”
“Don’t worry about Jase,” Cameron said, “He’s just pissed his best friend is shacking up with his sister.”
“You make it sound so romantic.” I leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Later,” Cameron breathed. “Later, I’m going to kiss every single inch of you.”
“Is that a promise?” My fingers twisted into his sweater, and he smiled.
“It is.”
“I look forward to it.” I stole another kiss. “Come on, before we lose them.”
“Wait.” He snagged my wrist. “What Asher said earlier, about the thing.”
“The thing?” I vaguely recalled Asher asking Cameron if he’d told me about the thing, but I’d been too busy taking in the view of the city.
“Yeah.” Cameron’s throat bobbed. “I decided where I’m committing to.”
My heart fluttered. “You did?”
“I did.”
“It’s okay,” I said over the lump in my throat. We hadn’t talked about it much, our relationship was new and I didn’t want to make any assumptions. “Wherever you go, we’ll make it work.”
“Good, because I chose Michigan.”
“Michigan... as in...”
A slow smile broke over his face as he nodded. “Is that okay?”
“You’re going to go to school in Michigan?”
“If you want—”
“I want.” I threw my arms around him. “I really want.”
“Thank fuck because I kind of already made a verbal commitment.”
I swatted his chest, hardly able to believe it. I’d known Cameron was looking at colleges again since his mom’s surgery went well. But deep down, I’d expected him to follow Jason to Penn, and although I hated the idea, I would have never stood in his way.
“Jason—” I started but he cut me off.
“Is important to me, but this was my decision to make, not his.”
And although he was almost six years too late, he’d finally chosen me.
Cameron
“What’s up with you?” I asked Jase as we looked out over the club. Hailee and Flick were dancing below in the middle of the crowded dance floor. She’d wanted me to go with them, but I wanted her to enjoy some time with her best friend, and I wanted to talk to mine.
“You’ve had a stick up your ass all night. Is it her?”
“Her?” He eyed me coolly, taking a long pull on his beer. I had thought we might have a problem getting into the club, but it turned out Asher’s cousins knew everyone and we’d all walked right in. It was pretty cool, even if I would have rather been back at the penthouse with Hailee. Alone and naked and buried so deep inside her I didn’t know where she began and I ended.
“You know who I’m talking about.” My gaze slid back to the girls as they laughed and danced, oblivious to all the guys staring at them with hunger in their eyes.
“You’re okay with that?” Jase flipped the tables on me. “With her down there while they watch? If she was mine—”
“Are you okay with it?” I countered, and he knew full well I didn’t mean his step-sister.
“What the fuck are you getting at?”
“You watch her, you know.” I fought a smirk. “When you think no one is looking, you watch her.”
He let out a strangled laugh. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. The only girl I’ve got my sights set on tonight is Vaughn.”
“Really, man? She’s Asher’s cousin.”
“Didn’t stop you, did it?” He blew out a long breath and turned to lean against the balcony rail, giving the dance floor—and the girls—his back.
“I’m not doing this with you.”
“Doing what? I’m not doing anything.” His hard gaze flicked over me to Asher and his cousins. He looked hungry. Vicious. He looked like the Jase I knew before shit hit the fan.
I slammed my hand into his stomach as he stepped forward. “Don’t do this. You don’t need to prove anything. All you’re going to do is hurt her—”
“Hurt who?”
With a disapproving shake of my head, I let him go. Jase lived for his games but one day they would come around and bite him on the ass. And for as much as I didn’t want Felicity to get tangled up with him, maybe she was the girl to finally put him in his place.
“What’s his deal?” Asher joined me, running his eyes over the crowd below.
“Who, Jase? Just his usual bullshit.”
“He likes her, you know,” he said as if it was nothing. “He won’t ever admit it, but he does. She gets under his skin.”
I side-eyed him but he was too busy watching the dance floor... the girls.
Felicity.
He was watching Felicity.
“And what about you?” I asked, uncertain whether this was water I wanted to tread. “Does she get under your skin?”
He shrugged, playing it cool. But I saw the tightness around his jaw. He liked her. Fuck. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “She’s not into me.”
“And she’s into Jase?”
“I’m not sure. She says she isn’t, but I catch her watching him sometimes with this look in her eye, and I’m pretty sure something happened with them the other week at my house.”
“What look?”
Asher expelled a shaky breath as he gripped the rail. “The look you used to give Hailee. The same look that says you want something even though you know it’s a really fucking bad idea.”