“There a problem?” Blake asks.
“Speaking of party poopers,” I mutter, tearing my attention from the house to Blake. “You sure you don’t want to get out of here?”
She laughs and motions to the party in front of us. “We haven’t even gotten into here yet.”
I scratch my temple but stay put behind the wheel.
With a smile, she reaches for my knee and squeezes playfully. “Come on, Teddy Bear. Don’t tell me you hate your own parties.”
I look down at her hand on my thigh. The way her long fingers barely reach from one end to the other. The way her nails are free of polish and her fingers free of jewelry. She’s so effortlessly beautiful. So quietly gorgeous. It’s the little things. The subtlety. The way she stands out because of it, even though she has no idea.
“Dude. You okay?” she asks.
I clear my throat and look at her, meeting her gaze. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Should we go inside?”
“Sure.”
She reaches for my favorite hat still on her head, ready to take it off, but I tug at her wrist and stop her. “Leave it on. You look good with it.”
Incredible, actually.
The fire in her eyes sparks, like she wants to fight me on it, but she decides against it, letting her hand rest in her lap. “Only ‘cause I’m feeling generous.” She climbs out of the passenger seat, and I follow behind her, locking the car once the doors are closed.
The bass is thumping, practically shaking the windows as we walk up the driveway. Tukani is on the front porch with Depp. When they see us, their eyes heat with interest and roll over an oblivious Blake.
With a glare in their direction, I press my hand to Blake’s back and lead her up the steps to the front door.
“Hey, Baby Thorne!” Tukani calls.
“Hey, Tsunami!” she returns.
The Tongan grins and pulls her into a hug, winking at me over her shoulder when he catches my scowl.
Chuckling, Depp steals Blake from Tukani and squeezes her against his side. The gesture is more friendly than annoying as if he doesn’t feel like having his ass kicked tonight. He lets her go and takes a swig of his beer.
“What’re you doing here?” he asks her.
“Just stealing some free booze. You?”
Lifting the beer bottle in a cheers motion, he answers, “Same.”
“Ah, and here I’d been hoping for another game of Strip Pong,” Tukani chimes in.
“Since you put up such a good fight the first time,” Blakely jokes.
A rumble of laughter echoes from Tukani as Depp adds, “Bet Burrows would love to have another stab at––”
“Aaaand we’re going inside,” I interrupt, pressing my hand to Blake’s back again. It takes everything inside of me to keep from tossing her over my shoulder and racing back to my car, but I control myself. For now, anyway.
“See you later, guys!” Blake calls over her shoulder and peeks up at me as we step inside the house. “Is there a problem, Teddy?”
“No problem.”
“You sure?”
“What makes you think I have a problem?”
“You’re being particularly pushy tonight.”
“I’m always pushy,” I remind her.
She hesitates, considering my comment, then letting out a soft laugh. “Good point. We should––”
“Theo!” a high-pitched voice interrupts, hitting a frequency sounding almost like nails on a chalkboard, only worse.
My expression falls as I catch the culprit striding toward us on stilettos. Missy Beckman. One of the bunnies. She rises onto her tiptoes and kisses my cheek, the sour scent of alcohol on her breath. “Why haven’t you called me lately, Theo? I’ve missed you.”
“And on that note,” Blake interjects. “I’m going to grab a drink.” She slips through the crowd, heading toward the kitchen without a backward glance. It’s like the first night she came to the Taylor House all over again.
Thanks a lot, Missy.
27
BLAKELY
I pour the Crush and vodka over ice into the red plastic cup, hating the jealousy as it crashes through my system like a massive wave, especially when it’s so damn unwarranted.
What? He isn’t allowed to say hi to the opposite sex anymore?
Come on, Blake. Take a chill pill.
I go easy on the vodka, adding another splash of Crush to balance out my drink and head outside, dodging around a couple going at it like rabbits in the kitchen. Suddenly, the party ambiance feels overwhelming, and the idea of some fresh air sounds like heaven. I leave a wide berth between me and the Beer Pong tournament on the back patio. Burrows is in his element beating Austin, but I ignore the look he gives me and keep walking, grateful for my insistence on wearing sneakers instead of the heels Mia suggested when dressing me up like a Barbie doll tonight. At least my shoes won’t get caught in the grass.
I snort at the idea of me in heels and bring the cup to my lips, taking a small sip. Ash and Colt are talking near one of the large maple trees in the side of the yard, and I stop short when I see them. She looks sad, wiping at her cheeks as Colt pulls her into a hug. She lets him and rests her head against his chest.
Yikes.
What’s going on?
I’m most definitely intruding, though I don’t want to turn around and walk inside, either. But sticking around doesn’t exactly sound like my cup of tea at the moment. Tiptoeing a few paces back, a stick cracks beneath my shoe, and I freeze.
Dammit.
As if they can feel my stare, Colt lets Ash go and walks toward me, a frown marring his features.
“Hey, big brother.” I give him a tentative smile. “Everything okay? I swear I wasn’t snooping, but––”
“Keep an eye on her. It’s getting cold. I’m gonna get a blanket.” He heads toward the house without another word, and I rock back on my heels, turning to Ash.
With a pathetic smile, she gives me a wave from beneath the massive maple tree.
I step closer, unsure what to say. Whatever I just walked in on? It looks messy. And I already have enough on my plate.
“Hey,” I offer weakly.
“Hey.” She sniffs and wipes under her nose with the back of her hand. “Where’s Theo?”
“He’s…around,” I mutter, taking another sip of my drink.
Ash nods but doesn’t say anything else, too distracted by whatever I’ve walked in on to ask me for details.
Clearly, something’s on her mind. I’ve never been good at girl talk, but my instincts are telling me it’s exactly what she needs.
Where the hell’s Mia when I need her?
I glance at the house and scan the patio, but she isn’t anywhere in sight.
Here goes nothing.
“Everything okay?” I ask carefully.
Rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms, Ash mutters, “I think so?”
“You think?”
She rolls her watery eyes and folds her arms, looking oh, so small and oh, so fragile. “I love your brother, Blake.”
“Well, duh,” I tease. “He kind of loves you too.”