“Figured I’d start working on those pesky daddy issues while I was in there.” I refused to look at him as I buckled in. “Or was I guzzling D1 jizz? Ugh. The things I fill my time with these days…”
Cash snorted. “If those assholes knew aboutourdaddy issues they’d think twice about talking shit.”
Hayes slammed his door shut. “Maybe we cut West out of this? It’d definitely be more believable if it was just me and Cash supposedly dating you.”
Seeing a chance to feel a little better about how shitty Weston had been to me, I jumped on it. “I’d be fine with that. I’d even prefer it.”
“Too fucking bad.” Pulling away from the curb too fast, Weston sounded like he wanted to strangle the entire world. He jabbed the radio on and then cranked up the volume so no one could speak. It was the first smart thing he’d done.
The party was at one of the frats on campus and it was already going strong when we got there. I felt beyond nervous as we got out of the truck and started walking towards the entrance of the house. Partygoers were spilling out into the front yard and I quickly saw that I wasn’t dressed like the other girls. I’d always had a cheer team at my back to help me when it came to stuff like parties and dances. I felt painfully inadequate on my own. My favorite chucks looked childish next to all the high heels I saw.I barely looked like a woman next to all the makeup and perfect curls and batting eyelashes.
Cash slung his arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Ready?”
“Would it matter if I said no?” I let out an awkward laugh, aware of all the eyes on us. “Totally kidding.”
He lowered his mouth to my ear. “Would a drink help?”
I nodded. “Yes, please. And then a second drink.”
Weston broke away from us as soon as we got inside but just when I was ready to write him off he reappeared with two beers. He locked gazes with me and wrapped an arm around my waist to tug me into his chest. We were barely inside the front door, on full display, but his intensity made it hard to focus on any of that.
In a move that I didn’t want to find attractive he used his teeth to take the cap off one of the beers and spit it out. Then he lifted the bottle to my mouth and pressed it to my lips, tilting it up until I had to drink or let it spill. His own cold beer pressed into my back, so different from how hot his body was.
I didn’t look away as I drank, unwilling to look weak in front of him one more time. I needed to take a breath but I focused on finishing the beer. Weston pulled the bottle away when there were just a few drops left and then leaned in to kiss me. Wanting to punish him, I turned my head at the last second and made him kiss my cheek instead. Then I giggled like it was a great joke and booped him on the nose before twisting out of his grip.
“Cassidy.” The way he growled my name sent shivers up and down my back but it was his grip on the back of my neck that stopped me cold. He pulled me back into his arms and held me as he lowered his mouth and kissed me. It was a deep kiss with his tongue dancing against mine in a way that made me curl into his chest and grip his shirt. He broke away before I wanted him to and pressed open-mouthed kisses across my jaw. “Your actingskills are amazing, baby. Especially the way you rubbed all over me.”
Instead of stomping on his foot like I wanted to I wrapped my arms around his neck and tugged at the ends of his hair. “I don’t like you, Weston, but I’ll give you credit where it’s due. You have a very talented tongue.”
He leaned back enough to meet my eyes and I almost laughed at the confusion I saw in his. I jumped at the chance to feel like I was ahead of him in his mean games for a moment and patted his cheek before slipping out of his arms and into Cash’s.
20
***Cass***
Cash didn’t miss a beat. He held my hand in the air as he led us deeper into the house, a playful smirk on his face when I looked back at him. There were people everywhere and we passed through a hallway that made me claustrophobic but then we were in a large living space with all the furniture pushed against the walls to create a faux dance floor. Cash spun me as much as he could in the slightly less packed space and then whistled when I came back to him.
“Did Hayes suggest this top? Remind me to hug him.” He gripped my waist and swayed to the music. There was something mischievous in his gaze and it was intoxicating. He always looked like he was up to something but that certain hint of wildness made me want to go bad with him. It was easy to forget the gravity of what we were supposed to be doing when he looked like a dare. “Show me those dance moves, sweetheart. Make everyone jealous that I’ve got you and they don’t.”
Even if it was fake, he was proudly showing me off. It stroked that need in me to feel wanted and I couldn’t hide the way it made me happy. I grinned at him and shrugged. “Sure you can handle me?”
He laughed. “I’m sure as shit going to try.”
Years of cheer and dance had given me rhythm and enough skills to impress the average person and I used every one of them. I danced around him, only brushing against him every so often. It was torturous but also the most fun I’d had in so long. With each brush of my hips against his, the energy heated around us. I forgot about everything else and just enjoyed myself.
Cash laughed and tried to keep up with me but when the first slow song came on he locked his arms around me and held me still. “Ah. This is more my pace.”
I grinned up at him and swayed as much as possible. It rocked our middles together in a way that Cash definitely didn’t hate, if his erection said anything. When I didn’t pull away shrieking, he raised his eyebrows at me and let his hands rest a little lower on my back.
“Okay?”
I locked my hands behind his neck and shrugged one shoulder. “Is there a reason I wouldn’t be?”
He shook his head and stopped whatever he was going to say when someone pressed into me from behind. His calm response had me relaxing even before I looked back and saw Hayes. Cash might not have noticed the vibe shift in the room around us but I did. We were putting on a show and it didn’t seem like they had any clue.
My body grew jittery but pinned between the two of them, it would’ve been hard for anyone else to notice. They were each big enough that when they wanted to they could practically engulfme and keep me hidden. I wanted that, especially when a camera flash went off in the room.
Hayes gripped high on my waist and spread his hands so it felt like he was holding me everywhere. “We should grab a few drinks and sit out back.”
