Tessa beams. “Isn’t it cool? I want one. I think we decided on a smiley face!”
She isn’t serious. I pull my lip ring between my teeth to prevent myself from laughing at her. I look at Zed, who just shakes his head and shrugs. Some of my annoyance disappears at her ridiculous idea for a tattoo. “Are you drunk?” I ask her.
“Maybe.” She giggles. Great.
“How much did you drink?” I ask. I had two drinks, but I can tell she’s had more.
“I don’t know . . . how much did you drink?” she teases, and lifts up the bottom of my shirt. Her cold hands rest against my hot skin, and I flinch before she nuzzles her head on my chest.
See, Zed, she’s mine. Not yours, not anyone’s, only mine.
Looking at him, I ask, “How much did she drink?”
“I’m not sure how much she drank before, but we just played two games of beer pong . . . with cherry vodka sour.”
“Wait . . . we? You two played beer pong?” I ask through my teeth.
“Nope. Cherry-vodka-sour pong!” she corrects me with a laugh and brings her head up. “We won, too, twice! I made most of the shots. Steph and Tristan were both pretty good, but we beat them. Twice!” She holds her hand up like Zed should high-five it, and he begrudgingly does a sort of air-high-five from where he stands.
This is Tessa, the girl who is so used to being the best and smartest at everything that she’s boasting over winning a game of beer pong.
I love every bit of it. “Straight vodka?” I ask Zed.
“No, it’s the mix with only a little vodka, but she had a lot of it.”
“And you brought her out here in the dark when you knew she was wasted?” I say, raising my voice.
Tessa brings her face close to mine, and I can smell the vodka and mix on her breath. “Hardin, please chill out. I’m the one who asked him if I could c-come outside with him. He told me no at first because he knew you’d act like . . . like thissss.” She frowns and tries to remove her hands from my bare stomach, but I gently put them back against my skin. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to me.
Chill out? Did she really just tell me to chill out?
“And let’sss not forget if you wouldn’t have left me, we c-could have been beer-pong partnersss,” she adds, slurring.
I know she’s right, but she’s pissing me off. How could she play with Zed, of all people? I know he has feelings for her still. Nothing compared to what I feel, but I can tell by the way he’s looking at her that he cares for her.
“Am I right, or am I right?” she asks.
“Okay, Tessa,” I growl in an attempt to silence her.
“I’m going to go inside,” Zed says, tossing his cigarette onto the ground before walking away.
Tessa watches him, then says to me, “You are so grumpy, maybe you should go back to wherever you ran off to.” She tries to pull away from me again.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I respond, purposely dodging her remark about my absence.
“Then stop being grumpy—because I’m having fun tonight.” She looks up at me. Her eyes appear even lighter than usual with the black lines she colored around them.
“You couldn’t have expected me to be happy to find you alone with that motherfucker.”
“Would you rather me being out here with someone else?” She’s awfully testy when she’s drunk.
“No, you’re missing the point here,” I snap.
“There’s no point. I didn’t do anything wrong, so stop being an ass or I don’t want to hang out with you,” she threatens.
“Fine, I won’t be a grouch.” I roll my eyes.
“No rolling your eyes either,” she scolds, and I take my arms away from her waist.
“Fine, no eye rolling.” I smile.
“That’s what I thought.” She tries to fight her smile.
“You are quite bossy tonight.”
“The vodka makes me brave.”
I feel her hands move lower on my stomach. “So you want a tattoo, then?” I ask, moving her hands back up, but she defies my attempt and touches me even lower.
“Yep, maybe five.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“You aren’t getting a tattoo.” I laugh, but I’m beyond serious.
“Why not?” Her fingers play at the hem of my boxers.
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow when you’re sober.” I know this idea will not appeal to her when she’s not drunk. “Let’s go inside.”
She slips her hand into my boxers and stands on her toes. I assume she’s going to kiss my cheek, but she brings her mouth to my ear. I hiss as she squeezes me gently in her hand.
“I think we should stay out here,” she whispers. Fuck.
“The vodka certainly makes you brave.” My voice cracks, betraying me.
“Yes . . . and it makes me hor—” she begins to say, way too loud. I cover her mouth as a small group of drunk girls walks by.
“We need to get inside, it’s freezing, and I don’t think they would appreciate me fucking you in the bushes.” I smirk, and her pupils dilate.
“But I would appreciate that very much,” she says the moment my hand uncovers her mouth.
“Jesus, Tess, a few drinks and you become sex-crazed.” I laugh, remembering Seattle and the filthy words that fell from her full lips. I need to get her inside before I take her up on her offer and drag her into the bushes.
She winks. “Only for you.”
I can’t hold in my laughter. “Let’s go.” I put my hand on her arm and pull her across the yard and into the house.
She pouts the entire time, and that makes my groin ache even more, especially when she pushes her bottom lip out. I could easily lean across and pull it between my teeth. Fuck, I’m just as bad as she is, and I’m not even drunk. Maybe a little high, but not drunk. She would be so mad if she’d found me upstairs; I didn’t actually smoke, but I was in the room and they were making it a point to blow it in my face.
I pull her through the crowd and lead her into the least crowded room downstairs, which happens to the kitchen. Tessa leans her elbows on the island and looks up at me. How is it that she looks just as beautiful as she did when we left the apartment? All the other girls here look dreadful by now—after the first drink, their makeup begins to smear, their hair begins to tangle, and they look sloppy. Not Tessa. Tessa looks like a fucking goddess compared to them. Compared to anyone.
“I want another drink, Hardin,” she says, but when I shake my head, she sticks her tongue out of her mouth like a child. “Please? I’m having fun, don’t be a party pooper.”
“Fine, one more, but you have to stop talking like a ten-year-old,” I tease her.
“Okay, sir. I most sincerely apologize for my immature language. I will not repeat said indiscretion—”
“Or an old man,” I say with a laugh. “But you can call me sir again.”
“Fuck, well, okay, then. I’ll fucking stop fucking talking like a motherfucking . . .”
But she doesn’t finish her foul sentence because she and I are both laughing too hard.
“You’re insane tonight,” I tell her.
She giggles. “I know, it’s fun.”
I’m glad she’s having fun, but I can’t help the annoyance that I feel at her having had fun with Zed, not me. I’m going to keep my mouth shut, though, because I don’t want to ruin her night.
She stands, taking a sip from her drink. “Let’s go find Steph.”
“You okay with her now?” I ask as I follow her. I don’t know how I feel about that. Good? I suppose . . .
“I think so. There they are!” She points to Tristan and Steph sitting on the couch.
As we walk into the living room, a small cluster of guys sitting on the floor turns to look at Tessa. She’s oblivious to their lustful stares, but I’m not. I shoot them a warning glare, and almost all of them turn away except a blond who slightly resembles Noah. He continues to stare as we walk by; I debate whether
kicking him in the face would be a good idea or not. But I choose to take Tessa’s hand in mine instead, for now at least.
Her head snaps back to look down at our joined hands, and her eyes are wide. Why is she so surprised? I mean, yeah, hand-holding isn’t something I feel comfortable doing usually, but I do it on occasion . . . don’t I?
“There you two are!” Steph calls as we approach.
Molly is sitting on the floor next to a guy I recognize. I’m pretty sure he’s a junior and his father owns some land in Vancouver, making him a trust-fund brat. The two of them look fucking stupid together, but I’m just glad she’s leaving me alone for now. She is so damn annoying, and Tessa hates her.
“We were outside,” I tell her.
“I’m bored,” Nate says, stirring his finger through his beer.
I sit down at the end of the couch and pull Tessa onto my lap. Eyes dart to us, but I don’t give a shit. I dare someone to say something about it. Within seconds, they all look away, except Steph, who stares a little too long before smiling. I don’t return it, but I don’t flip her off either, which is progress, right?
“We should play Truth or Dare,” a voice suggests, and it takes a second to realize who the voice came from.
What the hell? I lean my head up to look at Tessa, who is still seated on my lap.
“Sure, like you want to play,” Molly mocks her.
“Why would you suggest that? You hate those games,” I say quietly.
She smirks. “I don’t know, I think it could be fun tonight.”
I follow her eyes to Molly, and I don’t even want to know what is stirring in that pretty head of Tessa’s.
chapter fifty-nine
HARDIN
Right as I whisper to Tessa, “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she turns around in my lap and puts her index finger over my lips to silence me.
Molly pipes up with a sly smile, “What’s wrong, Hardin, afraid of a little dare . . . or is it the truth that you fear?”
What a fucking cunt. I’m about to reply, but I’m taken aback when Tessa growls, “You’re the one that should be afraid.”
Molly raises one brow. “Really?”
“Okay . . . okay . . . calm down, you two,” Nate says.
As much as I’m enjoying watching Tessa put Molly in her place, I don’t want Molly to take it too far. Tessa is a lot more fragile and sensitive than she is, and Molly will say anything she can to hurt Tessa.
“Who goes first?” Tristan asks.
Tessa’s hand shoots up immediately. “Me.”
Oh Lord, this is going to be a fucking disaster.
“I think that maybe I should go first,” Steph interjects.
Tessa sighs but sits silently, bringing her cup to her lips. Her lips are reddish from the cherry drink, and for a moment I’m lost in thoughts of them being wrapped around me—
“Hardin, truth or dare?” Steph breaks me from my perverted thoughts.
“Not playing,” I say and try to go back to my fantasy.
“Why not?” she asks.
The spell broken, I look at her and groan. “A, I don’t want to. B, I’ve played more than enough lame-ass games.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Molly mutters.
“That isn’t what he meant, back off,” Tristan says to defend me.
Why did I ever fuck Molly, again? She’s hot and was decent at giving blow jobs, but she’s so damn annoying. The memory of her touching me makes me nauseous, and I give Steph a keep-it-moving hand motion in order to redirect my mind.
“Okay, Nate. Truth or dare?” Steph asks.
“Dare,” he answers.
“Hmm . . .” Steph points to a tall girl wearing bright red lipstick. “I dare you to go kiss that blonde in the blue shirt.”
Looking over, he whines, “Can’t I kiss her friend instead?”
We all look at the girl next to the blonde, who has long, curly hair and deep brown skin. She’s much prettier than the blonde, so for Nate’s sake I hope Steph allows the change. But instead she laughs and says with authority, “Nope, Blondie it is.”
“You are evil.” He groans, and everyone laughs as he walks toward the girl.
As Nate walks back with red lipstick stains around his lips, I now get why Tessa usually despises these games. Daring one another to do stupid things like this is just pointless. I never minded before, but then again I’ve never wanted to kiss one person only. I never want to kiss anyone except Tessa ever again.
When Nate dares Tristan to drink a cup of beer that people have been using for an ashtray, I zone out. I take a lock of Tessa’s soft hair between my fingers, slowly twisting it around. She covers her face with her hands as Tristan gags and Steph shrieks.
After a few more mindless dares, it’s finally Tessa’s turn. “Dare,” she bravely says to Ed.
I glare at him, warning him that if he dares her to do anything inappropriate, I will not hesitate to jump across the table and choke him. He’s a pretty cool and chill guy, so I didn’t really think he would go too far, but I wanted to warn him anyway. “I dare you to take a shot,” he says.
“Lame,” Molly chimes in.
Tessa ignores her and downs the shot. She’s already wasted—if she has much more, she’ll be getting sick.
“Molly, truth or dare?” Tessa says, her voice much too smug. Everyone tenses. Steph looks at me questioningly.
Molly’s eyes meet Tessa’s, clearly surprised at Tessa’s bold move. “Truth or dare?” Tess repeats.
“Truth,” Molly answers.
“Is it true . . .” Tessa begins and leans forward, “that you’re a whore?”
Gasps and chuckles fill the area. I bury my face in Tessa’s back to muffle my laughs. Jesus, this girl is nuts when she’s drunk.
“Excuse me?” Molly retorts, mouth agape.
“You heard me . . . is it true that you’re a whore?”
“No,” Molly says, her eyes now small slits.
Nate is still laughing, Steph looks amused yet worried, and Tessa looks like she’s ready to pounce on Molly.
“It’s called truth for a reason,” Tess eggs her on. I gently squeeze her thigh and whisper to her to let it go. I don’t want Molly to hurt her, because then I’ll have to hurt Molly.
“My turn,” Molly says.
“Tessa, truth or dare?” she asks. Here we go.
“Dare.” Tessa smiles sadistically.
Molly fakes surprise, then sneers, “I dare you to kiss Zed.”
I look up quickly at Molly’s terrible face. “Fuck no,” I say loudly. Everyone but her seems to shrink back a little.
“Why not?” Molly smirks. “It’s familiar territory—she’s done it before.”
I sit up more, pulling Tessa against me as I move both of us. “Not fucking happening,” I growl at the little whore. I don’t give a shit about this stupid-ass game, she isn’t kissing anyone.
Zed’s eyes are focused on the wall, and when Molly looks over at him, she sees she has no support there. “Fine, let’s do truth, then,” she says. “Is it true that you’re a dumb-ass for getting back with Hardin after he admitted he fucked you for a bet?” she asks in a cheery voice.
Tessa’s body goes rigid on my lap. “No, that’s not true,” she says, her voice small.
Molly stands up. “No, no, this is Truth or Dare, not little-girl make-believe. It is the truth— and you are a dumb-ass for it. You believe anything that comes out of his mouth. Not that I blame you, because I know all of the amazing things that mouth can do. Man, that tongue—”
Before I can stop her, Tessa is off of my lap and lunging toward Molly. Their bodies collide, Tessa pushing her back by her shoulders and grabbing on to them as they both fall back over Ed. Luckily for Molly, some other random kid breaks her fall. Unluckily for her, Tessa moves her hands from Molly’s shoulders and grabs her hair.
“You fucking bitch!” Tessa screams, holding Molly’s bright hair in her fists. She lifts Molly’s head off of the
carpet before slamming it back down. Molly yells and kicks her feet under Tessa’s body, but Tessa has the advantage and Molly can’t seem to gain any control over the situation. Molly’s nails claw at Tessa’s arms, but Tessa grabs her wrists and slams them down to her sides before raising a hand and slapping her across her face.
Holy shit. I jump off of the couch and hook my arm around Tessa’s waist, yanking her off. I never in a million years thought I would be breaking up a fight between Tess and anyone, let alone Molly, who’s all talk.
Tessa’s body thrashes in my arms for a few seconds before she calms slightly and I’m able to drag her out of the living room. I tug at the ends of her dress to make sure it isn’t hitched up; the last thing we need is for me to have to get into a fight, too. There are only a few people in the kitchen, and already they’re talking about the fight in the living room.
“I will fucking kill her, Hardin! I swear!” she yells, moving out of my grip.
“I know . . . I know you will,” I say, but I can’t take her seriously, despite witnessing her savagery firsthand.
“Stop smirking at me,” she huffs, out of breath. Her eyes are wide and shining, and her cheeks are red with anger.
“I’m not. I’m just really surprised at what happened.” I bite down on my lip.
“I hate her so much! Like, who the hell does she think she is?” she shouts and bobs her head toward the others in the room, obviously trying to get Molly’s attention.
“All right, Ortiz . . . let’s get you some water,” I say.
“Ortiz?” she asks.
“He’s a UFC fighter . . .”
“UFC?”
“Never mind.” I laugh and fill a glass of water for her. I check back in the living room to make sure Molly is nowhere to be found.
“My adrenaline is rushing like crazy,” Tessa tells me.
The best part of fighting is the high from the adrenaline. It’s addicting. “Have you ever been in a fight before?” I ask, even though I’m sure I know the answer.
“No, of course not.”
“Why did you get into one just now? Who cares what Molly thinks about us being together.”
“It’s not that. That’s not what made me mad.”