“Yeah?” he whispers, sliding his hands lower down my back. His fingers slide into the back pockets of my jeans and he tugs me closer to him.
It takes me a second to think of what I want to say. In the moment of silence, he takes it as an invitation and dips his head low, kissing my cheek and then my neck.
“Wait,” I say, pushing myself backward. “You’re drunk.”
“And you’re super hot,” he says, running a tongue across his bottom lip. He goes in for a real kiss, the scent of beer lingering just inches from my mouth. I back up, pull his hands out of my pockets and drop them at his sides.
“Lincoln, I don’t—”
“You don’t what?” he says, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Please tell me you’re not some jerk college guy.”
“Hana, you know I’m not.” He reaches for me again, and this time I let him take my hand. He is really attractive, but he is too drunk and I am too sober to find this moment in any way romantic. He pulls me toward him, then turns so quickly you’d think he had all of his senses and wasn’t several drinks deep by now. My back is forced against the wall, and he presses one hand against the window frame near my head while the other hand grips my waist.
The moment his lips lower onto mine I know this is a mistake. I don’t feel a thing.
Just the slightly wet, beer-stained lips of a guy who is kissing me when I don’t want to kiss him back.
It doesn’t last very long.
“Lincoln?” The shriek of a drunken girl makes us both freeze. I take the opportunity to push him a step backward, and the source of the voice starts spewing obscenities toward us. I think her name is Carly, and she’s the little sister of one of the local racers. Her bright blonde hair is silky straight, stopping just at her shoulders. “I can’t believe you would do this shit to me!”
“What’s going on?” I ask, holding up my hand as if that will make her incredibly annoying voice stop yelling.
Carly’s eyes shoot daggers at me. “Don’t stand there and act all innocent, bitch.”
“Excuse you?” Rage erupts inside of me, and I’m about to lay into her when Lincoln takes my hand.
“Hana, wait,” he says, meeting my eyes with a sudden sense of sobriety. He turns to Carly. “Look, we’ll talk later, okay?”
“No we won’t talk later. You’re a player and pig.” Her nostrils flair and she punches him in the arm. “Don’t call me again.”
“What exactly is going on here?” I ask.
Carly shoots me an evil look and then hits Lincoln again. “The guy you’re making out with was having sex with me two days ago. I guess he didn’t tell you that.”
“Carly, go!” Lincoln seethes, his fists tightening at his sides. “We’ll talk later.”
“No, we’re never talking again.” She turns on her heel, obviously happy with the bomb she just dropped, and leaves.
In the silence that follows, I stand here like an idiot, my mouth open. It feels like I’ve been betrayed, like all of the strings that hold my heart in my chest are being wound up and twisted to the breaking point. But Lincoln and I aren’t a couple and he can sleep with whoever he wants.
“Hana, let me explain,” he says, grabbing for my hands again.
I pull them away. “I think I’m just going to get out of here.”
“It’s . . . god, Hana.” He grabs his beer from the table next to us and then slams it back down again. “It’s not what that sounded like.”
“I don’t really care,” I say. All around us the party rages on, music thumping and people having a great time. I’m sure one of them can take me home. Lincoln says my name again and I just shake my head.
It doesn’t matter what he says now. I was right before. He is just some jerk college guy.
Chapter 16
Four months ago – February
“You completely forgot about me!” I was fully aware that my voice was shrill, bordering on tea-kettle-screeching, the kind of whiney bitchy tone that guys hate. Actually, everyone hates that kind of voice, especially if it is directed them. But I didn’t give a flying dirt bike about any of that. All I cared about was the epic display of betrayal that I’d just witnessed. I glared at Ash. “How could you do that to me?”