Dangerous?
We climbed out of the car, I stretched my arms up high, my whole body stiff from hours of sitting. The rain had followed us, and the weather was dark and gloomy, thunder shook the mountains somewhere in the distance.
My phone rang, I pulled it from my bag. It was Jodie. I answered as Karson held the door open and I stepped inside. The spicy scent of green curry tickled my nose. Ethan was cooking one of my favourite dishes.
“Hi, beautiful,” I answered.
“Hi, Aims.” She sounded a little stressed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing my bag on the side table.
Ethan sprang to his feet and stood stiffly, a worried expression on his face. He was so tense, I had to look away to concentrate on the phone call. I moved a few steps along the hallway.
“I need to ask you a favor.”
I stopped and turned back. “Sure, anything.”
“Jefferson has a big ball planned for Saturday night. It’s a last-minute thing, something to do with special dignitaries for the development, or some bullshit. And my parents are insisting I have to go. But I don’t have a date and I can’t go on my own, would you come with me? Pleeeaasse?”
Anything but that. “What about Trent?”
“No, we separated. He thinks I’m too high-maintenance, can you believe that?”
I could actually, Jodie’s wealth meant she could buy whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She liked the best of brands. For a guy like Trent, whose family didn’t come from money it was an impossible ask. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I avoided a direct response. Ethan and Karson smirked.
“Seriously, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, no big deal, it was never going to work out anyway. So, can you?”
“What about Georgie, she loves balls?”
“She’s already representing the hospital and going with Jeff.”
“BJ?”
“No. I have a dress you can wear, it will look amazing on you, and shoes I brought that are a size too small. They’ll fit you, please, Amy,” she whined, “don’t make me go on my own.”
Karson shook his head slowly, no.
That irked me. He didn’t get to tell me what to do, and it might be an opportunity to snoop and see what I could find out.
“Sure, sounds good,” I said brightly, looking straight at Karson and lifting my eyebrows in defiance.
His face darkened, the power of his stare shrunk my stance. Rattled, I pulled my eyes away.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re the best. I’ll come to your house and do your hair and makeup. We’ll get rolling drunk, it’ll be fun.”
Okay, sounds amazing,” I forced a bright tone. “See you later.” I hung up.
“Absolutely not, Amelia, I forbid it,” Karson said, in a disturbingly loud voice.
“Forbid it, really? Well, Karson, lucky for me it’s no longer the 1500’s and I don’t have to do what you tell me.”
“Be that as it may. Until we deal with your little problem . . .” He poured a whiskey. “Time with your friends without one of us with you isn’t an option.”
I gritted my teeth and we eyeballed each other in an unrelenting standoff of wills. I wanted to argue but I knew it’d be pointless. I’d never win. Keen to remove myself from his gaze. I moved over to Ethan. He looked handsome, as usual. He wore jeans with rips across the leg and a white t-shirt which brought out his tanned face.
He still looked apprehensive, I wondered if he thought I might hold some angst or fear for him now I knew what he was. I couldn’t see him as anything other than the Ethan I knew. If he had fangs tucked away somewhere I didn’t care. I kissed his cheek, lingered for a moment and breathed him in.
