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“Really?” I say with a snort. “I hadn’t noticed.”
A chuckle erupts from me when she whacks me on the chest.
It takes about ten minutes before we finally make it to the kitchen. Everyone is there and having a good time. Luckily, the party isn’t too rowdy or out of control. This hasn’t turned into a clothing-optional evening and no one’s putting on a sex show in the living room.
Some of these people just don’t care about having an audience.
Or maybe that’s the kind of thing they’re into.
It’s the sound of raised voices over the music that pulses throughout the first floor that catches my attention. Fights erupt here just as often as they do on the ice. These are a bunch of guys who are used to throwing punches.
Hell, I’ve thrown a few myself.
My gaze sweeps over the packed space until it lands on the guy Carina brought with her.
And Ford.
I should have known this would happen. Even though all these two do is bicker, their wicked barbs seem more like foreplay than genuine dislike.
Ford glares at the ballplayer. “What the fuck are you doing here, Fischer?”
The other guy’s jaw stiffens as he takes a drink of his beer. “I was invited.”
“Who the hell did that?”
He wraps an arm around Carina before smiling at Ford. “Carina did.”
I lean closer to Juliette before muttering, “You realize that if these two get into it, I’m gonna have to jump in, right?”
The corners of her lips wilt.
Ford straightens to his full height before flicking a glance at Carina. “She shouldn’t have done that. This isn’t her party. Maybe you should do us all a favor and take off.”
Justin drags her even closer before pressing his lips against the side of her face. “Nah. Don’t think I will.”
Just when it seems like all hell will erupt, Ford’s gaze swings back to Carina and he grits out between clenched teeth, “Can I talk to you outside?”
Her cheeks have pinkened from the near altercation. “Is that really necessary?”
“Yeah, it is.” He jerks his head toward the back door. “Let’s go.”
She presses her lips together before glancing at the douche at her side. “Give me a minute and I’ll be right back.” Then she flicks a steely look at her ex-stepbrother. “Apparently, Ford has decided to be an inhospitable dick tonight.”
“He’s a dick every night,” Justin says with a smirk.
Before she can say anything else, Ford locks his fingers around her wrist and drags her away from the other guy. The look he shoots over his shoulder at the baseball player is feral.
I shake my head as they disappear through the back door before glancing at Juliette. “Well, it looks like one crisis has been averted.”
Even though Carina and Ford have vanished from sight, her gaze remains locked on the back hallway. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
I snort.
She’s probably right. It seems like tension has been ratcheting up between those two for months. Ever since we returned for senior year. Guess it’ll be interesting to see if anything actually happens between them.
Dismissing the ex-siblings, I pull Juliette closer before pressing my lips against the crown of her head. Normally when the house throws a bash, I’m all about it. I’ve done my fair share of partying and screwing around with groupies, but as I scan the crowded space, I realize that I no longer have the same need. The person who truly matters to me is already in my arms, and as long as we’re together, life is good.
I got the girl.
