He watched her… watched her like he’d been focused on her for some time now and she hadn’t even noticed. And like it happened every time, her face got hot, her cheeks no doubt flaming red.
She looked away, but her gaze landed on Lindy, who glanced between her and Reese.
Great, Lindy had seen the exchange and clearly didn’t like it, if her narrowed eyes and pursed lips were anything to go by.
Keira glanced back at Reese, and it seemed like an eternity of him doing nothing but watching her, and of her staring at him.
She felt something cold touch her fingers and looked down to see the guy who’d been manning the keg hand her a shot. She should have given it back, but as she continued to feel Reese watching her, Keira found herself lifting that glass and tossing it back.
The alcohol tasted like shit and burned as it went down her throat. Her face felt hotter, and she wheezed out and turned so she wasn’t sputtering in front of everyone. Eyes watering and throat on fire, she told herself how stupid she was to have just done that.
She couldn't breathe as she kept coughing, and she quickly headed out of the kitchen and out back, hoping the fresh air would help, but also she needed to get out of there, as Reese no doubt saw her making a fool of herself.
The night was humid and warm, a little off for this time of year, but she welcomed a change from the suffocating atmosphere of the party.
There were so many people outside that it felt suffocating even out in the open. Their loud, drunken voices carried far and made her head pound even worse.
I shouldn't have taken the shot. You idiot.
Alistor’s house was insane, like over the top and dripping with money. The backyard had a large fire pit, a circular patio couch around it. The flames were bright and high, and the people lounging on the white cushions were either tossing back their drinks, smoking weed, or all but fucking.
Then there was the pool, half naked, well-endowed girls splashing around, and the guys, their bodies toned and hard. It was clear they had too much time on their hands to be working out that hard at the gym.
She saw Haden, one of the football players who was known to fuck just about anyone who had a heartbeat, in the hot tub surrounded by three girls. Their bikini tops barely covered their nipples. One girl made out with Haden like she was practicing CPR, and the other two were kissing each other, but their hands were beneath the bubbling water, and Keira could only imagine what was going on down there.
She couldn’t stay out here forever, hiding from Reese and her ridiculous feelings, coupled with the embarrassment that she couldn’t even hold down a shot.
Keira let herself have this small reprieve as she made her way to the side and away from everyone—well, as much as she could, since people seemed to be everywhere. Molly would come searching for her eventually, but right now, she just wanted to get her bearings.
There was a small but gorgeous garden that was about twenty feet away from the patio. Fortunately, most of the people kept close to the house where the food, booze, pool, and hot tub were.
After taking a seat on a small cast iron bench surrounded by flowering trees and shrubs, she stared at the house. Her beer buzz was pretty strong, or maybe it was the shot she guzzled down that made it feel even more intense. She wasn’t used to this feeling.
A good girl.
A prude.
Too smart to be any fun.
Those were some of the bullshit things they called her at school. Not that she cared, but she felt so out of place at these things maybe she was all of those stupid labels.
She rested back on the bench and stared at the sky. There was a breeze that picked up, and it stirred the flowers, creating this floral aroma around her.
She sighed, feeling weird and like an outcast, but then heated as she remembered the smoldering look in Reese’s eyes as he stared at her. Maybe he did want her?
She scoffed. No, the truth probably was far from that. No doubt it was all in her head, wishful thinking… projecting what she wanted.
She heard the song that came from inside the house switch, the volume increasing, and the lyrics so filthy she actually shifted on the seat.
Bitch, fuck, and pussy were every other word in the song. She closed her eyes and breathed through the feeling that started to increase in her. The shot was ten times more potent than the beer, and for the hundredth time since she drank it, Keira regretted her decision-making skills tonight.
The sound of someone coming closer, twigs breaking and feet clearly stumbling over each other, had her opening her eyes. She straightened just as she saw some guy weave his way in and out of the bushes. He had a beer in one hand and his cell in the other. The phone was pressed to his ear as he slurred out directions to Alistor’s house.
“Dude, just get here.” A moment of silence passed before he said, “Yeah, Grade-A, prime pussy, man. This ain’t no lower-side snatch.” He chuckled, and Keira found herself curling her lip at the sound of his voice. “Man, you can score two times over tonight. Girls are so wasted they don’t care if you got money or not. Yeah, yeah. These Black Mountain bitches want the poor fuckers like us when they’re smashed.”
Wow.
“Okay, just hurry your ass up.” He ended the call and shoved his cell in the pocket of his jeans, lifted the beer bottle to his mouth, and chugged the rest before tossing it into the garden. He hadn’t noticed Keira yet, and maybe she’d be lucky enough he’d keep walking. She didn’t need that level of doucheary in her life.
But just as he was about to turn and head back to the party, his eyes landed on hers. He narrowed them, as if he couldn’t see her very well despite the decorative lamp posts placed around the landscaping.
“Shit,” he slurred out. “You hear all that. You eavesdropping?”
“No,” she said instantly.
His eyes narrowed again, so much it was almost as if they were closed now. He opened his eyes fully and stumbled over to her, the stench of beer and something sour coming from him in the worst kind of way. “It’s cool,” he said and grinned, his front teeth slightly crooked. “I’m cool.”
He’s cool? He’s the king of assholes tonight, it seemed.
He reached in his pocket and produced a lighter. And a joint. He said nothing else as he put it between his lips and lit the end. The only real way out of here was past him, and having to be that close made her skin crawl. Any other way would have her trampling through the flowers, but right now, she really didn’t care about ruining Alistor’s parents' landscaping.
He held the joint out, and she shook her head. She needed to get out of here. She went to stand and started walking past him, but he took a step to the side, blocking her path.
“What’s your name?”
“I need to get back to my friend… and my boyfriend,” she threw in there for good measure.
“I’m Josh,” he said as if she hadn’t just told him she needed to go.
“My boyfriend will be looking for me. He gets pissed when he can’t find me.” She looked into his eyes, which she could see were unfocused and glossy. “He’s kind of a possessive asshole.”
He inhaled deeply from the joint then exhaled directly in her face, the smoke surrounding her in a cloud. She coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. “I really need to go,” she said again, harder this time, with more firmness in her voice.