I walk quickly until I’m right behind Tate as a group of drunk girls rush past her, causing her to lose her balance, but thankfully, I'm there to catch her.
Chapter Three
Tate
My vision blurs a tad after the second shot Maddie hands me. I didn’t expect to come here to drink, but here I am. My body feels warm, and contentment beats through my veins.
We dance and sing songs with random people; our bodies move in synchronized rhythm to the loud pop song blaring through the house. The neon lights shining everywhere only add to the fun. For once, my anxiety is replaced with no care at all.
Maddie moves behind me and grabs my hips as we grind on each other. I feel myself relax a tad, knowing my best friend is here with me. The feeling of eyes on me when the song ends is what makes me turn around to face Maddie. But that feeling doesn’t lessen. Trying not to get freaked out, I take a deep breath.
“Let’s go get another drink. I’m thirsty,” my words come out louder than needed, which causes Maddie to laugh, but she heads in the direction of the kitchen.
Trying to avoid getting shoved by the crowd of people who are also in search of drinks, I stick close to Maddie. My nerves calm a tad now that we are out of the room, the pounding in my chest finally dissipating. Maddie’s sweaty hand grabs mine, and she pulls me with her, navigating our way to the keg. But as it comes into view, I’m shoved back as a group of girls pass through.
Of course, the one to knock into me is the one and only Becca. “Watch where you are going, Tate.” Her face transforms into a sneer as her shoulder hits mine, causing me to lose my grip on Maddie. Stumbling backward, I brace myself to hit the floor. Only I don’t drop down. Instead, I feel a hard chest against my back and a powerful set of arms wrap around me, holding me up. Becca storms off without another word.
Once I’m firmly on my feet, based on the electricity shooting up my spine, I think I know exactly who has his arms around me. The strong scent of cedar and clove invade my nose, making it impossible to think about anything other than the man it belongs to.
He doesn’t give me time to think as my body is being turned, and I’m face-to-face with the man I’ve been infatuated with for as long as I have known of his existence.
Before I have the opportunity to say anything, I’m being yanked back by Maddie, making me realize Damon isn’t alone. Ace and Roman are both standing a few steps away. Ace has a smile on his face as he stares at Maddie, but Roman only looks bored. The tension grows thicker as I realize Damon’s eyes haven’t left mine.
Then Maddie speaks up, pulling me behind her, “Thanks for the save and all, but unless you brought drinks with you, we have more important things to do.” She goes to turn, only this time, an arm wraps around her just as quickly. She attempts to turn her head with a scowl etched on her face.
When Roman's words come out, she stops her fight against him, “Not so fast, Little Mouse. Scurrying away so quickly?”
She tries to yank her arm from his grip, a scowl still on her face, as an intimidating smile pulls at his lips. Maddie’s face turns redder as the minutes pass. It has her looking like she’s ready to explode. But before she has the chance, the tension is cut when Damon speaks up. His eyes trained on me.
He disregards everything and steps over to where I am standing. Leaning down close enough for me to feel his breath hit my cheek, he talks into my ear, “Let’s get you a drink, Angel. You look parched.” He steps back, a lazy smile on his face.
I nod my head as if my mouth forgot how to work, but he doesn’t seem to mind as he takes my hand in his. The butterflies in my stomach are growing as he pulls me with him. When I look around, I notice multiple sets of eyes are on me. Quickly, my eyes move towards the ground, trying to avoid all intense contact with the stares of everyone, making me grow more uncomfortable by the second. Not because of being with Damon, but because of the attention that comes with it.
Turning, I look back over my shoulder to check on Maddie, only to find Ace has now thrown his arm over her shoulder. Roman still has a smile on his face, but Maddie is definitely pissed. A small smile pulls on my lips as we stop in front of the keg.
Catching me off guard, Damon speaks up, causing me to turn back towards him, “What do you want to drink?”
God, how is he so beautiful? Never in a million years did I think I’d be talking to someone like him.
“Tate?” he says, breaking my inner thoughts on him. I can feel my face heat as he smirks. Probably knowing exactly what I was thinking about.
I clear my throat, forcing the words out, “Just water or something.”
He nods, grabs a new cup off the counter, and walks to the fridge before pulling it open and retrieving a cold bottle of water. Throwing a few ice cubes into the cup, he walks back over to where I am, and cracks open the water bottle before pouring it into the cup. It’s kind of weird he knows I like my water really cold, right? Or is that like a normal thing?
He hands me the cup, and I bring it to my lips, my eyes closing as the ice-cold water flows down my dry throat. When my eyes open, I find Damon’s watchful gaze still on me.
I bring the back of my hand up to wipe the water off my lips, and he tracks my every movement. His eyes are full of something I can’t quite make out.
As I go to set my cup down, someone bumps into me from behind.Again. The cup falls from my hand, hitting the floor, and I fly forward and right into Damon’s chest.
Fuck.
This is the second time tonight he has caught me.
“Oh, shit sorry, Tate!” a member from the football team says after realizing he almost made me fall.
“It’s fine, Ryle.” I give him a reassuring smile.
