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“Don’t tell me you already forgot about the hottest guy you’ve ever met.” He winks, before adding. “Or is your head still clouded with your bets and those boys of yours? Are the guys here? I would love to catch up with them.” He looks around, missing the pain that must flash across my face at his words, before I quickly school my expression.
When his gaze comes back to me, I fidget with the glass in my hands. “Oh, I don’t really speak to the guys that much anymore. I mean, they do go here, but I’m here with Carson.”
He pulls his head back and frowns. “Crawford?” When I only nod in response he looks even more confused. “I didn’t know you guys were even friends…” He trails off waiting for an explanation, but I just shrug as I reply, “It’s a long story.”
Thomas smiles, full of charm as he grabs the bourbon bottle I discarded and throws his arm around my shoulder. “Well, down some more of your wine and tell Becker all about it.”
“Becker!” Carson booms. “I see you’re the reason,mygirl isn’t by my side.” He strides towards me, swallowing the space between us so quickly, that I step out of Becker’s arm before he can do anything against him.
My move isn’t lost on Carson though and I grit my teeth as he pulls me into his side and drops a kiss to my hair at the same time his fingers pinch tightly into the back of my arm. I grit my teeth into a smile as I look up at him and heed the warning I know he is giving me.
“Sorry, I was just buttering you up to the treasurer here.” I purr, praying that Becker goes along with it as I force a loving mask in place as I look at Carson.
He watches me carefully, searching for a lie, but Becker adds. “Your girl sure is obsessed with you.” Carson still doesn’t look away from me, waiting for the slightest crack in my façade, but I hold my smile in place and eventually he smiles, turning his attention to Becker. “The feeling certainly is mutual.” His hand drops down from my arm to caress my hip as he pulls me further into his side.
My heart is banging against my rib cage but I remain calm and collected on the outside, taking comfort in the wine that warms my veins as he adds. “Come along, Darling. Let’s not monopolize too much of Becker’s time. I’m sure he has a lot to do.” The snide barb isn’t lost on me and I’m sure it isn’t lost on Becker, but all I can do is offer him an apologetic smile as Carson drags me out of the kitchen.
For everything I have gotten away with so far tonight, I know I will pay for it now. Carson steers me over to a group of frat guys sitting on the sofas, pulling me into his lap so my ass is pressed right against his groin. I squash down the vomit in my throat and force a smile to his frat buddies as their eyes trail over the pair of us.
“If it isn’t the happy couple.” Davis grins, holding up his drink in a fake cheers motion, his eyes fixed on us as if he knows our every secret. “Or I guess not so happy, if rumors are to be believed.” A few of the other guys smile at his joke, but I feel Carson's fingers tighten around my knee. Davis doesn’t miss a thing as he sits up and leans towards us. “Brielle, aren’t you ready to upgrade again? At least I can promise not to give you any STDs.”
Carson’s rage is like a living thing beneath me and I know if I don’t do something, I am going to be forced to endure it all. I keep my smile in place as I lean back into his embrace and direct my words to Davis. “No, you’ll just give me poor breeding and an addiction to my vibrator.” My joke draws more laughs than his and I feel sick when I find myself relishing in Carson's possessive touch on my thigh. My words hit their intentions perfectly as he cuddles into me.
“You do seem a little obsessed with my girl, Davis. Maybe I have been looking in the wrong place for the person who started these pathetic little rumors.” Carson stares him down and takes a smug sip of the bourbon I poured him when a few of the other frat guys look at Davis judging him. “Not that I can blame you for being jealous,” Carson adds nuzzling into my neck. “Brielle is very flexible when catering to my needs. Aren’t you, Darling?”
I feel my skin flush red as a mixture of embarrassment and sickness roll through my stomach while I am forced to keep my perfect composure. When I look up to meet Carson's eye, I spot Becker leaning against the wall watching us, a look of confusion in his eye as he watches a practiced flirty grin spread across my face. “Oh, everything I do for you is such a pleasure.” I make sure to emphasize the word pleasure before cutting a mean look in Davis' direction. “Maybe if you stopped acting so desperate then you would be able to find someone for yourself, David.”
“Davis!” He snaps, like I knew he would and Carson’s grip reaches higher on my thigh as he squeezes me firmly but all I do is smile and respond, “Davis, David, not important.”
Carson downs the rest of his drink as a stare off ensues between them and with Becker’s wary stare still watching me, I feel I have no choice but to turn back to Carson and grip his chin, pulling it towards me. If he’s shocked, he doesn’t say anything, just tips his head as I lower my mouth to his, ignoring the cheers of his frat brothers as his tongue forces its way into my mouth. I kiss him like my life depends on it because it does, but all I can think about as our mouths collide with one another is how it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Not with him.
ChapterThirteen
My head poundsas I head towards the gym and I groan thinking about how much I drank last night when I knew I had to play today. I pray for an easy one in my mind and just when I think my day can’t get any worse, a familiar ringtone makes me curse to myself. There’s only one person in the world that would Facetime me before a game.
“Hey, Little Sis,” I answer as I pull my phone up to my face. Vanessa rolls her eyes as she scowls at me through the screen.
“We’re twins, Jackass.”
“Uh huh, but one of us had to be born first.” I take comfort in the familiar joke as it eases me a little. At least antagonizing my sister is as fun as it has always been. Nothing else seems to be the same anymore.
“And to think I really called your ass just to wish you good luck at your game.” She smiles brightly, but I know her well enough to see the disappointment in her eyes. It hits me like a punch to the gut. This will be the first game that my sister won’t be cheering for me and Z from the stands. Another thing fucking Brielle has ruined for all of us. “I’ll be cheering you on from here.”
I sigh, tightening my fist at my side as I lean against a building in the shade to talk to her. I check the time and I have a few minutes to spare before I need to be in the locker room. “I wish you were here, V.” I can admit that to her. For as much as we fight and bicker, not having her here has left yet another hole in my life. I never realized how lost I would feel without her. Without both of them.
“I could have been if anyone wanted to include me in the plan,” she grumbles and I flinch. She isn't wrong. We purposely left her out of our plans. We didn’t do it maliciously though. I just wanted to protect my sister. There was no need to derail her life as well as ours. Her boyfriend was already at OCU, just waiting for her, and I know she would have changed her plans for us.
There’s also the whole she’d never let us make a move against Brielle thing. I’m almost surprised Brielle hasn’t said anything to her about the shit we’ve been pulling here. I know they still talk, as much as I hate it and have tried to convince V to cut ties, we all knew she wouldn’t. They’re friendship was always separate from the rest of ours.
Vanessa scrunches her nose up and I tense. I know that look. She’s about to say something she knows I’m not going to like. “Have you talked to her?” she whispers.
Fuck. There it is. I knew it was coming, but it still fucking cuts me like a knife.
The fact that we are in a place now where she even has to ask that question hurts me. I imagined my life at college with Bri and the guys countless times, but not once did I ever imagine it would be like this.
I give her a sharp shake of my head. This is just something she wouldn’t understand. If I did tell her about the conversations we have had, she’d drive down here just to kick my ass, then the rest of the guys too. She’d be able to do it too, I made sure of that. She doesn’t know why Brielle abandoned us either, but unlike us, she is positive there’s a reasonable explanation.
