“Gah!” I lunge into full assault mode and let her know that under no circumstances is she to venture out this way tonight. What with all the protesters and penis pumps lying around. But that’s not what I say, of course.Bad cold! Contagious! Very, very infected. Stayaway!
A warm body creeps up behind me as Axel’s scruffy face pops up on myshoulder.
“Serena. Tell her I said hi. She always likedme.”
“Yes, well, she’s older and wiser, and she fully loathes you properly now as she should.” I hitSend.
He steps directly in front of me, and the sheer girth of his chest in that T-shirt mesmerizes me for a moment. It’s been so long since I’ve been this close to a man—Drunk Frat Boynotwithstanding.
“Lexy,” he whispers while pulling that sad puppy dog eye routine, and I instinctually snarl at him. “Serena shouldn’t waste her energy on loathing anybody on this planet.” He hitches a loose hair behind my ear, and my eyes widen while my mind reels with all the possible ways to chop his hand off at the wrist. “Neither should you. I’m not worth theenergy.”
For a moment, I consider this. If Axel wasn’t worthy of my love—was he worthy of my hate? “You’re worth it,” I’m quick to assure him. “You’ll always be the one I loathe the most.” A self-satisfied smile comes to my lips. “I must say it sends a ripple of joy through me at the thought of detesting you so openly. Love is timid and weak, but hate gives me something meaty to sink my knife-sharp fangsinto.”
He takes a quick breath as his face fills with surprise, something just this side of a laugh dying in his chest. As it should. “I’m still up for you sinking your fangs into any part of me youlike.”
I suck in a never-ending breath. “The audacity! I don’t know whether to slap you or deckyou.”
Low pops up. “Sounds like things are getting kinky in this corner of the room.” Her brows do that faux waggle I hate so much for many,manyreasons, but mostly because it implies that something lascivious is percolating between us. I bear into him with beams of hatred as Raven claps the room toattention.
“Enough chitchat, y’all!” A country twang expels from her, and my hate filled beams switch directly to her. If I detest anything more than waggle brows, it’s a faux country accent that grows thicker with every shot of tequila, and a bottle of tequila is exactly what Raven is waving around. Great. Hopefully, she’ll black out soon and cast a pall on the party. Which by the way I did not sign off on. I believe this was billed to me as an intimate gathering that consisted of just the three of us. It’s clear that math is not the educational focus over at Whitney Briggs. And judging by the wild whoops that keep escaping Raven’s lips, neither issobriety.
Raven has Chip and Levi scoot the coffee table off to the side and instructs us all to sit in a circle on the floor—my teal diamond silk Oriental rug, that is. Poor Nannette did not ask for all this actiontonight.
I sit between Low and Mer the Trollop. I dubbed her that quasi-derogatory moniker officially earlier this summer when Low let me in on the fact Mer cheated on Levi with his twin. With his twin?Really? Those two are practically interchangeable, but Low swears the trollop knew oh so well whose hotdog was plugging hercrater.
Raven clears her throat before taking another swig of tequila from the bottle. “As y’all know, I’ve got way too many big brothers in this room to play any games so I’m the official mod, and if any of you get out of line you’ll have me to deal with. This here is serious.” She gives a wink over to Low as if she’s in on whatever is about to transpire. Raven and Low are a dangerous combination. Trust me, I know this after spending five minutes around the two of them together. They’re both seated at opposite ends of our psychotic sphere, so I’m torn as to who to glower at first. Grown-ups sitting cross-legged on a rug as if this were kindergarten. Ten bucks says someone will start to complain about their creaky joints. Both Nannette and I willlaugh.
Axel grunts as he leans back on his elbows. “This is tough on my knees. Let’s move italong.”
“Forever complaining.” I sneer. Knew he’d be the first to crack. “It’s nice to know some things never change.” Axel didn’t actually complain that often—but once we were through, it was all that incessant whining—Take me back, Can’t we work things out? Please, Lex, talk tome.
Our eyes latch for a moment, and my stomach squeezes tight. I remember those long hard days after the breakup. Axel Collins tried to rearrange the planets for me, but I wouldn’t haveit.
“Spin the bottle!” Raven waves that jewel-toned tequila bottle over her head as if reveling in avictory.
The room fills with groans, mostly from Chip and Mer. I can see how this can get awkwardquickly.
Brody shakes his head at the idea. “I can’t get behindthis.”
“Oh hush, you.” Raven lands the bottle dead center and proceeds to spin it, and we watch mesmerized as it transports us all back to seventh grade. Only in seventh grade, we were savvy enough to understand you needed two circles and two bottles. Come to think of it, this might be more entertaining than previously anticipated. It lands on Brody, and Raven gives it another spin. Round and round it goes until I’m tempted to pick it up and bash Raven over the head for ever coming up with such a stupid idea. The bottle finally slows and lands onher.
“Well, Tater Tot?” Brody offers an ear-to-eargrin.
Tater Tot. It’s all I can do not to gag on site. I’m betting that was some adorable nickname she earned once upon a rosy childhood after stuffing her potato hole with the deep-fried tots and barfing them all over his shoes. My version does have a certain flare aboutit.
“Not on your life,Animal.”
Animal? I snarl at her for the lack of imagination. I get it though. Brody Wolf—thusanimal.
She spins the bottle again, and it lands on Chip then Mer. Thank goodness. The last thing I want or need is sibling rivalry rearing its ugly head and wrestling moves on my silk rug. They lean in and do the lip-lock nasty, and I keep an extra eye on Levi through the entire event, but he doesn’t even flinch. So it’s not bad enough they’ve canoodled behind closed doors and procured an heir from their infidelity—they now do it right here in the open, defiling my innocent rug with their lack of social decorum.Idiots.
The bottle spins and spins and Levi kisses Low. It didn’t quite land on Low, but Raven’s big toe helped a bit. And bare feet on my pretty Nannette? I don’t care how cute your bright pink painted talons look. I don’t want or need your sweat on my pet. Speaking of pets. Strudel has nestled himself under Axel’s knee. I knew I couldn’t trust hisalliance.
Finally, the bottle lands on me. “Action at last.” I cock my head to Axel because I’m secretly hoping it’ll land on Levi. The two of us hit it hot and heavy a few weeks back after I accosted him at the bar. It was all a ruse, of course, as I tried to convince Raven that Levi was my man. And, of course, after that, it was a heavily contested point between Low and me whether or not Levi gifted me some tongue. He didn’t, but I needed to get a rise out of her for putting me in that ridiculous situation to begin with. There’s nothing like driving someone insane over a well-contested fact. I still refer to Levi as The Frencher to this day whenever Low isaround.
The bottle lands on Chip then nods and bobs until barely cresting its way into Collins’ territory.Crap.
“Ha!” I balk at the idea. “As if that’s about to happen. I wouldn’t even let you kiss mydog.”
