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“Comfy?” she asks, wearing a huge grin.
I pluck at the sweater—part of a set that was waiting at the foot of the bed when I woke up. “This was you?”
She nods. “My trunk’s full of go bags. Stick with me, noob, and you’ll never have to do the walk of shame in your old party clothes again.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“You have sweet dreams?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Like to have some?” She extends her hand. I stare at the tiny square of paper on her palm. Unease rolls through me, and this time I listen to my intuition.
“No, thanks.”
She shrugs and the acid disappears into her mouth, swiftly hidden by a wide grin.
“Could I have some coffee?”
“Self-service, babe,” she says, pushing me off her chair. “Bring me a tequila, would you?”
I don’t even ask her if that’s a good idea. I’m sure she’s had a ton to drink since I went to bed, and judging from the three joint roaches beside her chair, she’s been smoking weed all night too.
How the hell can her body withstand so much punishment?
As I’m walking away, I feel a tug on my bag.
Kat quickly smooths a grimace from her face. “Leave that thing here.”
“I don’t—”
“Jesus, Evie, there’s no shame in toting some Xanax around,” she says. “This bag, however?”
“You looked through my bag?” My heart hardens into a heavy lump.
Kat lifts her sunglasses up so I can clearly see her rolling her eyes at me. “Your phone was ringing, remember?”
I drop the backpack to the tiles and push it under her chair with my bare foot, watching her carefully. She drops her sunglasses back onto her nose and shifts around on the lounger.
My stomach clenches at the thought of what else is in my bag… but I guess she wasn’t going through my things as much as hunting for my cellphone. I can only hope the pills are all she found.
The smells coming from the buffet table make my stomach growl. I grab a cup of coffee and a bear claw, juggling them in one hand while trying not to spill Kat’s requested shot of tequila.
Kat downs the alcohol and pats the side of her chair, shifting over so there’s more room for me. “So is Scary Fuck here?” she asks quietly, tipping down her sunglasses to give me a conspiratorial wink.
I shrug, nibbling on my bear claw as I scan the area through lowered lashes. I don’t see the guy with the slate-colored eyes, but I do see Sterling and the tall guy who called him over doing a line of coke on one of the coffee tables. The guy with the curly hair who’d been trying to get me to skinny dip with Kat is there too.
“Sweet Jesus, don’t tell me it’s one ofthem,” Kat says, making no effort to hide the fact that she’s staring right at the group of guys. “While I admire your bravery, as a friend, I’d have to warn you that there’s no coming back from dating one of those freaks.”
“Uh…” My mouth quirks up at the side in an awkward grimace. Scary Fuck isn’t there, and I guess Kat makes the connection even through the haze of drugs.
“Oh.” She shrugs and shimmies her shoulders against the lounger. “Well, good. The Royals are bad news, noob. You obviously couldn’t have known that, so I forgive you.”
“TheRoyals?” I take a sip of my coffee, willing the caffeine to wake me up so I can follow Kat’s erratic train of thought. Then I take another bite of the pastry, becauseoh my godit tastes so delicious, I swear they baked it fresh this morning.
She waves a dismissive hand. “That’s what they started calling themselves back in junior high, and no one could make them stop.”
I wince when she starts pointing out the different guys. One or two of them look our way, but they seem just as unfazed at being gawked at as the Big Five on a safari. “Liam Bailey. And that’s Oz Walsh. Then there’s Sterling and Adams as runner-ups. Last…certainlynot least is Owen.” She looks around, shrugs. “Doesn’t look like he’s here. Probably got some sex kitten locked up somewhere.”
