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Free of judgment.
Free of anything other than this moment right here.
Trevor wound an arm around my waist and pulled me in close, and as he spun me around, a burst of laughter left me. Then my eyes caught on the lone figure standing off to the side.
Daire was exactly where he had been earlier, but instead of facing away from the crowd, he was now staring right into it. Or, should I say, staring right at me.
He had a drink in one hand and one of the cigars in the other, and the scowl on his face was the complete opposite of the smile on mine. I had no idea what could’ve put it there. He was on one of the most spectacular yachts I’d ever seen, sailing down the Hudson River, and still he couldn’t seem to find any kind of joy.
Oh well—he didn’t want me watching him, talking to him, having anything to do with him, so that was on him. I was determined to have a good time, and not even Daire and his scowl could ruin that.
EIGHT
daire
I GLANCED AT the time. Almost midnight.
I’d been debating whether I wanted to go back out tonight, and the irritation that still chafed my insides all day was answer enough. I didn’t even know the source of the frustration, only that it was there, and I wanted it to get the fuck out.
So going back out it was.
Heading to the bar in the kitchen, I scanned the bottles of liquor and decided against the smooth vodka in favor of something that burned. No need for a shot glass—I took a couple of swallows of the cheap tequila straight from the bottle and closed my eyes as fire scorched my throat.
Perfect.
I stood there, relishing the feel as dead silence surrounded me. So damn quiet. I’d always enjoyed it before, but now it only meant one thing: Gavin wasn’t home.
When I opened my eyes, they landed on his closed bedroom door. He’d gone out with the actor prick he’d met on the yacht last night, and the fact that it’d been hours and he was still gone meant it was probably going well.
It was annoying as shit that I even cared that he kept dating these losers. He was better off alone. Like me. ’Cause I was such a fucking joy to be around.
Tearing my eyes away, I set the bottle back on the bar and headed to my room to change. Already I could feel the heat from the tequila warming my body, getting me ready for what was ahead. The cheap shit always gave me a headache the next day, but it served its purpose for now. East would have a shit fit if he knew I kept a bottle worth under a hundred bucks in my apartment. Next time he was over, I’d have to offer him a glass so he could stroke out.
I pulled off my shirt and pants, tossing them in the direction of the hamper and not caring that I missed. Then I threw on a worn pair of jeans and rummaged through my drawers for something I didn’t care about fucking up.
The sound of the front door opening and shutting had me pausing. I didn’t hear the sound of laughter or voices, which meant Gavin hadn’t brought the guy home with him. Unless he was just a really quiet one, and if that were the case, I felt sorry for Gavin.
I yanked a faded shirt from the drawer as a knock sounded on my door.
That was a first. We barely talked anymore, and now he was venturing over to my side of the house?
“What?” I said, shoving the drawer shut with my hip.
The door opened suddenly, and I spun around to see Gavin standing there, still perfectly put together in a grey blazer that matched his eyes. His gaze traveled over my half-naked body, and the moment his eyes widened, I knew exactly what he was seeing.
“Did I say come in?” I snapped, throwing on the shirt.
“I…” Gavin swallowed and then looked up at me. “I just got home and… Wait, are you going out? Now?”
“That a problem?”
“Well…no. I just thought?—”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Gavin shook his head and turned as though he were about to leave but then stopped suddenly and looked back at me. “Why do you do that?”
Here we fucking go.“Do what?”
