“I don’t get the vibe from him.”
“He’s always watching.”
“Grant is always with Luke. I’m sure it’s related to that.” I polish off the rest of my drink, and we grab another round.
“Never seen you at one of these, Georgia.” Paul slides up beside us. We have one class together, and he is on the hockey team.
“Wanted to see what all the hype was about.” She shifts on her feet, and I know she’s uncomfortable, so I slide my arm into hers.
“And she’s doing me a solid by taking me around since I’m new,” I add, but Paul’s eyes remain trained on Georgia. See, now I’m getting a vibe, and it’s Paul being into Georgia.
“You’ve never been here, so maybe I should show you around,” he says to her. Georgia’s eyes widen a fraction.
Paul isn’t hard on the eyes. He’s tall with shaggy, short blond hair. All the players on the hockey team are built big. There are more abs around here than I could ever count.
“Ah, I—” She stumbles over her words. I’m about to cut in, but she finds her voice again. “You know what, sure.” She glances at me, and I nod for her to go and not worry about me. I’m shocked she agreed, but I know she is really trying to put herself out there more.
I give her a wink, letting her know I’ll be around.
“You kids have fun,” I joke as Paul leads her toward the kitchen area. I finish my drink and toss it into the trash before snagging another.
My phone starts to go off in my pocket. I pull it out and see it’s a text from Luke. I hate that I get this excited thrill when I see his name. He’s a freaking dick. I’m trying my hardest not to be attracted to him, but I’m finding it hard to control.
It’s hormones. That’s all. Nothing more.
Chapter Twelve
LUKE
Ichug back my beer before grabbing another one. It’s hard not to follow Madeline when she heads back into the house. I don’t know why I fucking care. Who gives a shit if she knows I’m staring?
This girl and the things she does to my head are fucking me up. I pull out my phone and text her. I have blackmail over her, but she doesn’t care. She continues to do things to piss me off.
“Where would they go?” Grant asks.
“Who?” I take another long pull of my beer.
“You know who. Wasn’t it only a couple of days ago you didn’t want me to say her name, and now you’re asking me who?”
“Whatever.” A tray of shots comes by, and I grab two off and shoot them back. I already have a buzz.
I don’t want Grant saying her name. I don’t want anyone saying it. It’s an irrational thought, but I can blame it on the booze for tonight. I start heading up the stone stairs that wrap around the side of the house and up to the back deck where she’d been standing with Georgia.
“Trying to ditch me?” Grant jogs to catch up.
“Why are you following me?”
“I want to know where they went.”
“They?” I cock a brow at him.
“The bonfire?” Grant nods toward the east side of the home where there is a giant patch of land. Someone started a fire, and people are all minding their own business. Those legs of hers make her easy to spot. “Where’s curls?”
“Georgia?” That’s the second time he’s asked about her. “You got a thing for her?”
“What do you care?” He’s got me there. “She’s not with her.” No, Madeline is talking to a couple of girls I don’t recognize. They could have come from another school. She’s always chatty with people, but she can’t respond to a damn text.
It’s really starting to piss me off. Maybe I should send the video to her sister. It’s a dick thing to do, but maybe she’ll think I’m serious then. I’m sure her sister would be pissed. She’s a goody two-shoes.
