“You guys appeared quite cozy earlier.”
“She’s just a friend,” I clip back.
“Be right back,” he says and hands me his empty beer bottle.
I watch Jayson stalk over and grab Elizabeth, smashing his mouth down on hers. She jumps, startled, but then relaxes as she weaves her arms around his neck. I know I should turn around and leave. Why torture myself? But that’s exactly what I do. I watch as he kisses her passionately. I watch as he grabs her ass and lifts her up. I watch as her legs wrap around him, her hands grip his neck and slide into his hair. I watch as he pushes up into her, her head dropping back, his lips at her neck. I stand there like a perv and watch it all, wanting to be him, jealous that I’m not. Jayson carries Elizabeth off, stumbling a bit.
A movement beside me catches my eye. Jacinda slides in next to me holding out a bottle.
“Hey,” she purrs. I chug the rest of Jayson’s beer and take the one she’s offering.
“Hey,” I say back.
Jayson
It doesn’t escape my notice that Elizabeth has been distracted tonight ever since she saw Ryder and Maria together. Maria has always been a bit odd, but tonight she and Ry appear to be hitting it off. I’m happy for him, really. He’s a great guy and deserves to be with a great girl, even though I know the great girl he wants is mine.
For the past year, Ry and I have slowly put our friendship back together. It’s almost like old times between him, me, and Julien and it feels good to have my friend back. Doesn’t mean that I’m going to let my guard down when it comes to him and Liz. I know he still loves her. I see the look he gets on his face when he watches her. Perhaps I can help push his attention elsewhere, and Maria seems as good as any for me to use to start that push.
When Ry and Maria catch up to us, Elizabeth pulls her aside as Fallon walks over to greet Ryder.
“What was that all about?” Elizabeth asks Maria. I take that opportunity to go get us beer, but I can still hear them talking as I stroll over to a cooler sitting in the dirt.
“What was what all about?”
“You and Ryder.”
“What about me and Ryder?”
“Mar.”
I spot Julien heading toward Ry and Fallon. By the time I get back to Liz, whatever conversation she and Maria were having has ended. I hand Liz and Hailey a water and Maria a beer. Elijah and Julien walk off as do Fallon and Jacinda. Fallon’s been feeling her up the entire time and she doesn’t seem to mind one bit.
“I would stay away from that one,” I warn Ry. Jacinda’s been eye-fucking Ryder even though she’s apparently with Fallon tonight.
“Not interested, so doesn’t matter.”
My jaw clenches when I see him looking at Elizabeth, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Well, she definitelyisinterested.Shit, Ry, you shoul-”
Liz and the girls join us, stopping me from finishing my sentence, and I see Liz frowning once again as she watches Jacinda. My mood suddenly sours. I gulp down my first beer hoping it will help alleviate the ache in my chest, decide it isn’t enough, and start guzzling my second. Some of my old fears decide to rear their ugly heads at me. The only way I’m going to get through tonight, I decide, is to get hammered. When Maria shouts out “I’m so going to get drunk tonight!” I tip my bottle back in absolute agreement.
By the time Ryder and I are standing watching the girls dance around the bonfire, I’ve got a very nice buzz going. It mellows me out enough so that I don’t get too pissed as I continuously side-eye Ryder next to me because he can’t seem to stop looking at Liz. Jealousy is a dangerous thing. I swore to Liz I would move heaven and earth to make sure our unit of four stayed intact. I know how much her friendship with Ryder means to her, means to me too, and I love my girl, so I will not do anything ever again to hurt her like Ry and I did last year. That doesn’t mean, however, I can’t show him who she belongs to now.
“She’s so fucking sexy,” I groan. Time to push. “You should hit up Maria.”
“Not interested.”
“You guys appeared quite cozy earlier.”
“She’s just a friend.” Well, fuck. This isn’t going anywhere.Whatever. I have better things to do and stumble away to get my hands on my sexy girlfriend.
I grab her and turn her in my arms before smashing my lips down on hers. She startles before realizing it’s me. I get a high every time I kiss Liz. She knows exactly what to do to drive me fucking crazy with lust. Honestly, I think that’s just all her. I can’t imagine I’ll ever get tired of how she nibbles my lower lip, her tiny pink tongue sweeping across the edges like she’s memorizing its shape. I groan into her mouth and lift her up. She wraps those long, toned legs around me, her skin glistening with sweat from dancing around the bonfire.
“Your body is so goddamn lethal,” I grunt and walk off with her to find a more secluded spot. I weave a little and wonder if I’m more drunk than I thought.
Like every time we kiss, Liz is lost in the sensation and doesn’t notice that we’ve left the bonfire until I press her back against the side of a tree across from the dilapidated warehouse.
