“Fuck, he’s hot or fuck, get me out of here?”
My heart thumps in my chest, not sure what part of her question is truer. Yeah, the man is hot, there is no denying it, but Kasen Throne is not who I wanted to see tonight. But there is something in the air. Maybe it’s the tequila, but I don’t want to run away from him. I’mnot letting him ruin my fun with my new friends. “It’s fuck, I need another drink.”
“I knew you were running from some dude. Shit, girl, he’s gorgeous as well.”
“Shea,” Carla chastises her friend. “What did he do to you? Do we need to beat him up?”
I motion to the bartender for three drinks, who cares what we get. “Nope, we need to stay away from him. I’m here to dance with you girls.”
They both look puzzled but don’t push it. I throw back my next drink as soon as I get it, and they do the same. Then we move back onto the dance floor, resuming our place in the sea of sweaty bodies.
A hand lands on my lower back, and I feel hot breath on my neck. “Never knew bubble wrap could look so fucking good, but you pull it off like no other, baby.”
I stiffen, River’s voice doing things to me it shouldn’t, like light me up inside. And his touch might be soft, but it ignites flames within me. The girls both give me what-the-fuck looks.
I turn in his arms, my breath hitching when our eyes lock. He has on normal slacks, but his chest is mostly bare with just a few caution tape pieces running over it that don’t cover up anything. “You didn’t try very hard with your costume,” I snip, my resting bitch face firmly back in place.
He shrugs, his smile charming as ever. “Glad you did.” His hand runs down the length of my short dress until he’s trailing his finger along the hem where he pops a few of the air pockets.
“What are you doing here, Riv?”
His grin widens. “Could ask you the same, baby, this is our party.”
I take a shaky step back. What? It’s then I spot Slater clinking his bottle of beer with Kasen, and a white-hot fury erupts within me.Because I know I’m not being paranoid. I lean back to the girls. “That dude over there with the man bun, the guy that invited you?”
“Yeah, girl, hot, right?”
“No.” I suck in a sharp breath and push away from the girls and River, marching my way across the room toward the two assholes now watching my every move. “What kind of game are you two playing?” I yell over the music.
They give each other a look like they have no clue what I’m on about. “No game, birdie, you showed up at our party after telling us you wanted nothing to do with us anymore. Maybe it’s you playing games.”
My hands fly to my hips. “We both know it’s not.”
“Maybe she missed us already.” Slater laughs.
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Kasen leans in closer. “You miss me, sweetheart?”
I blink back at him. Sweetheart? What the hell is this shit. “What is wrong with you?”
His hand moves to my lower back, and in one move, I’m spun round so my back hits the wall. He leers down at me. Slater is right there with him. I feel the pressure of his eyes on me as well, but I don’t dare look away from Kasen. “Looks like you’ve made some new friends. How cute, settling into life back here already.”
“I…” I glance back at the girls, who have moved back to the dance floor with River. He twirls Shae, and she giggles up at him. Oh, dear God, what is actually happening here? My glare flicks back to Kasen.
His lips turn up at the sides. “Don’t you think she looks happy, Bodhi?”
“She sure looked like she was having a good night to me. Did you have a fun couple of days with your new friends, birdie?”
My heart leaps into my throat. Do they know the girls already? Am I losing my mind? “Did you two set this up?”
“What?” Slater chuckles. “Why would we do that?”
I look between them, a weird uncomfortable feeling sinking under my skin. “I don’t know.” I step away from them. They are so intense like this, all calculated control, and I’m not thinking straight. I need air. Noise and moving bodies blur past me as I walk back through the house. The cool air of the night is a refreshing change as I hit the balcony. I take off my heels and descend the stairs, but I don’t stop there. I keep moving until my feet are touching the damp sand.
I slump down, collapsing onto the sand, letting it squish between my toes as I stare out to sea, a calm washing over me with the constant rumble of the waves. These fuckers are playing with me, I’m sure of it. I don’t know why they would bother, what they are getting out of it? But they have been weird since I got back. Nothing feels like it should, and it’s confusing.
Maybe this is my dad sending me a sign. It’s weird, but for the first time in days I know what I need to do. Stay and get answers. Like where the fuck is Jay? Or did they know Keller was having an affair with my mum? They might not know how she died, but I would bet my left tit they have all sorts of secrets they are hiding from me. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be acting the strange way they are.
When I have wallowed in my own self-pity long enough, I stand and brush the sand off my dress, a fresh wave of determination coming over me. I turn to see the three of them at the bottom of the stairs. My fists ball at my sides. They couldn’t even leave me alone down here, they have to stand there watching me like creepers.
