“Go nuts,” I told them. I handed Talia the bottle of peach liqueur and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “The house looks great, Tal.”
“Johnny,” she said, belatedly. “Thanks for coming.” Her eyes said,But why’d you have to come with such a nice girl?
I tamped down the urge to roll my eyes as I wandered into the house in search of Lex.
And that was pretty much how it went all night.
My buddies saw me with Angeline, they slapped me on the back when she wasn’t looking.She’s cute, they said.She’s sweet as hell, they said.What’d you do to get with that?That was Shane.
Every time we ran across some of Angeline’s friends, they nudged her aside, probably to ask her what the hell she was doing with me, if she was drunk or high, if she was safe, if she needed a ride home. Because God forbid I was actually looking out for her.
Pissed me off, actually.
By the fifth time or so it happened, I interrupted her chat with Summer, took her hand in mine, and walked away with her. “Uh, bye, Summer! Catch you later!” Angeline called over her shoulder. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere,” I said, leading her out onto the back patio where people were hanging out under the stars. “But you’re with me for the rest of the night.”
“Okay.” She discreetly took her hand back, like she was worried someone might see. “Why?”
I looked her in the eye. “Because everyone thinks you shouldn’t be.”
She glanced around, then drew closer to me, lowering her voice. “I’m confused now. Am I your publicist or your sister’s friend right now?”
“Neither. You’re the woman who’s going to climax for me soon.”
Her eyes hazed over a little as they held mine, her face flushing a soft pink that reminded me of how she looked when she climaxed. Like an angel in ecstasy.
She smiled a little, hesitantly, like she wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“You want a drink,” I told her.
She stared up at me with wide eyes, looking beautifully aroused. “Okay.”
I took her over to the patio bar and got her a drink. Then I stayed by her side for the rest of the night.
* * *
“I see you’ve got a new toy.”
Summer had walked up to me while Angeline slipped away to use the washroom. It was past midnight and the party was thinning out a little. I was heading inside through the back door, about to go find Angeline and corner her to deliver on my promise in the car, when Summer stepped into my path.
I quickly did the math; Summer was Elle’s best friend. Elle wasn’t here.
I feigned ignorance. “Toy?”
“You know the toy I speak of. Just don’t break it, okay?”
“If you’re referring to Angeline, you can say her name. Or at least not talk about her like an inanimate object with no free will.” I looked Summer over. Thick, dark hair, curves accentuated in a purple halter top and sleek black pants with studs up the sides. “You look good, Summer. You wear rock star as well as you wore DJ.”
Her blue eyes narrowed, distrusting. I wasn’t flirting though, or kissing ass. I was being honest. Why was it so hard for people to believe me when I was being honest?
“That girl is precious,” she informed me.
“I know.”
“She’s beloved,” she pressed on, like I hadn’t spoken. “To Elle, to me, and a whole lot of people, Johnny. And we can all see what’s going on.”
“Yeah? What’s going on?”
