I tried to spot Piper in the craziness but saw no sign of her. And between the crowd, the cops, and the lights shining in my eyes, I didn’t think I stood much of a chance finding her at the moment.
“To the right,” Grey said in a low but firm voice.
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. Then I made out a thick line of trees nearby. We made a beeline for the woods, crouching below branches until we found a secluded place where the scene was still in view but we were well hidden. We stayed there for a few minutes, watching as more people got arrested and a couple of fights broke out.
“They can’t all be underage,” I whispered.
“No, but public intoxication is a thing,” Grey replied. “My bet is they’re grabbing the drunkest-looking people from the crowd.”
I was still way too drunk to be comfortable walking past the cops at this point, so I had no plans to move anytime soon. A shiver ran down my spine from the chill in the night air. I hadn’t realized how cold it was until now. Cursing myself for not having the foresight to bring a jacket, I sat and hugged my knees to my chest to keep warm.
Grey took notice. “Here.” He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.
I opened my mouth to protest, but I was so instantly warm and it smelled so much like him that any argument died before it had even made it to my lips.
“Better?” he asked.
“Better.”
He made himself comfortable next to me. Wind rustled the leaves around us and caused me to shiver. I moved instinctually closer to Grey. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he took the opportunity to wrap an arm around me.
Pulled up tight against him, I didn’t dare move a muscle. Maybe it was fear that he would realize what he was doing and pull away that kept me frozen in place. Maybe I was just scared thatIwould force us apart if I so much as shifted an inch. Whatever the case, I stayed there, warm in Grey’s arms while the rest of the party fled the scene.
“So, that girl…” Grey said after a prolonged silence.
“Her name’s Piper,” I said.
“Piper.” Grey said the name like it was a foreign word to him, like he was playing with it in his mouth to see if he liked saying it or not.
“What about her?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “Nothing. She seemed really into you.”
“Carina seemed really into you as well.”
Grey gave a dry laugh. “Were you trying to make me jealous tonight?”
“No. The kiss just happened.”
“Right.” Grey clearly didn’t believe me.
I pulled away from him. “Why would I try makingyoujealous?”
“Because you have a crush on me.”
“A crush is nothing,” I said. “I’ve gotten over crushes before. You’re not special.”
“Really.” He leaned his face closer, close enough that his breath tickled where it swept across my skin. “How do you plan to get over me?”
“Well, for starters”—I pulled away from him again—“by not being alone with you after this.”
“Why?” His fingers grazed my knee. “Do you think we’ll wind up making a mistake?”
“Probably not the mistake you have in mind.” I pointedly removed his hand from my leg. “Listen, we’re both involved with other people, so this isn’t happening.”
“Exactly. I’m glad we established that.”
Grey’s chuckle infuriated me.
