I used to think Nico was the broadest, largest Hayes and, while Nico is taller, Cody’s gym routine ensures his biceps put Nico’s to shame. They’re huge. Just like his boots...
A warm flush heats my cheeks, followed by a tiny giggle tearing from my chest. If I have more tequila, I’ll pass out, puke, or land in ER with alcohol poisoning.
Or... I’ll make a pass at Cody.
My tiny giggle has his eyes snapping to my mouth, and that warm flush spreads through me, giving me a fever.
“Come on, girl!” Kelly-Ann squeezes my shoulders, snapping me out of my lustful fog. “You can do it! You’re halfway through. Just a bit more.”
The room kaleidoscopes as she shakes me from left to right. “I don’t think—”
“No way,” she clips, morphing from friendly to judgmental. “You had a choice. Fuck Cody or drink tequila. You chose tequila, so suck it up.”
“He chose,” I hiccup. “I didn’t choose anything.”
Cody’s gaze remains burning into my eyes once Kelly-Ann stops rocking me, and the blurriness clears. There’s something in his stare that electrifies my entire body. The abyss of his black pupils melts me from the inside out. I’m not far off crawling to him under the table.
At this point, I’d let Cody hate-fuck me whichever way he pleased. Closet, bed, table, I don’t care, as long as it means no more drinking. I’m about to tell him, but when I blink, he’s gone. He probably went out for a smoke.
My head pounds, my stomach so full of Patrón I feel it sloshing back up to my throat, the vile taste coating my tongue.
I squint, searching for Finn and the bowl of watches. He’s in the corner, chatting with Justin.
“Can I pick again?” I ask Brandon, as he comes back from his seven minutes. “I can’t drink anymore. I’ll pass out.”
“You want to play? You’re drunk, babe. You’re not thinking straight.”
“I won’t be thinking at all if I keep drinking,” I say, doing my utmost not to slur. “Please, let me play. I promise I’m fine. Not that drunk.”
“Yeah, she’s a-okay, babe,” Mikaela purrs in Brandon’s ear. “I’ve seen her drunk, and this isn’t it. Let her play. She’ll be better off getting an orgasm than alcohol poisoning.”
Kelly-Ann nods in agreement, but Brandon doesn’t look entirely convinced. It takes a few more lines of encouragement from the girls for him to check with me again, his gaze unfocused. I think he’s as drunk as I am.
That’s good. Works in my favor.
“You’re sure?” He trades a glance with Justin when I nod, and one short, nonverbal conversation later, Finn approaches, holding the bowl out.
I grab the first watch and haul myself up as Alan Turner steps out of the crowd. I think he’s grinning, but the black spots dancing before my eyes make it hard to tell.
The alcohol rushes straight to my head, every step making me feel twice as drunk.
A warm hand clasps my upper arm, the hold firm but gentle as Alan leads me to the closet. My feet—no longer in heels—drag across the floor. I step in something wet, then something sharp, the pain only registering for a fleeting second before everything goes dark.
NINE
Cody
ISHOULD’VE FUCKED HER.
Iwantedtofuck her. Why wouldn’t I? She’s pretty. Gorgeous, spellbinding, and... Finn had a point. Hate-fucks are great, but I wouldn’t be able to look in the mirror tomorrow if I touched Blair.
I wouldn’t be able to look Mia in the eye.Remember the girl who made you cry a thousand times, Bug? I fucked her.
Yeah, not happening, even though getting my dick wet would’ve been so much better than throwing up behind the house every time I head out for a cigarette.
No, I’m notthatdrunk. I’m just being smart about this, emptying my stomach every three to four shots means I won’t get shitfaced before the end of the bottle.
It’s something Shawn told me years ago—whenever he had too much to drink at a party, he shoved two fingers down his throat when he got home, ejected the alcohol, and woke up fresh as a daisy the next morning.
