“Just water,” I squeaked, lowering my eyes to the ground to avoid the stares of the people around us. And no, I wasn’t paranoid, because they were definitely staring.
“What? Hanging out with jailbait, Montgomery?” A male voice from the corner of the kitchen called out. I looked up, locating him immediately. He was a monster of a guy, taller and wider than Cade with black wavy hair falling messily into his eyes. He was smiling, but there was something off about it.
“Shut up, Eric,” Cade growled.
The guy named Eric chuckled, draping his arm around the shoulder of a blonde that looked like her boobs were about to pop out and say hello to all of us. “Ooh, someone’s testy.”
“Ignore him,” Cade mumbled under his breath to me. “That’s what I try to do.”
Try being the keyword there.
“Don’t worry, beautiful,” Eric turned his gaze towards me, “I don’t bite.”
I stepped closer to Cade. I felt like at this point I was practically trying to climb him to get away from these people.
I suddenly wished I had my camera so I could hide behind its protective lens.
“Don’t talk to her,” Cade defended, moving his body in front of mine.
I might not have liked the guy, but I didn’t need Cade to get all Alpha male defensive on me.
I moved so that I stood beside him once more. Eric glared at Cade, taking a few steps forward around the kitchen island that separated us. The blonde moved with him, his arm was still draped over her shoulders and every little bit he brushed his fingers over her breast. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” He asked me, ignoring Cade’s threatening glare. He smiled once more and I still found it threatening.
I didn’t want to give him my name, but I knew lying wasn’t an option. “Rae.”
“Rae,” he repeated my name slowly, like it was a flavor exploding on his taste buds. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Cade growled, his hold on me tightening.
“Don’t get defensive, Montgomery. I’m just stating the obvious,” Eric chortled. “Man, I’ve never seen you so worked up over a girl before. Haven’t actually seen you with many girls. I was starting to think you were gay.”
Cade jolted forward, his fist tightening.
I grabbed ahold of his arm, digging my fingernails into the skin. “Cade, stop,” I warned. “He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”
That made him stop, but he still glared at Eric like he was ready to kill him.
“Come on,” I coaxed, “let’s grab a drink and go back to the living room.” Or leave, which I didn’t say out loud.
He bristled, still glaring at Eric, but after a few more seconds his body relaxed and he turned away from the other guy.
“He’s just trying to piss you off,” I hissed.
“I know,” Cade mumbled, staring down at his shoes, “but it’s working.”
Cade grabbed a bottle of water for me and a beer for himself. Taking my hand, he led me from the kitchen. I felt Eric’s eyes boring into my back. I didn’t tell Cade, but the guy gave me the creeps. There was definitely something off about him.
Cade found an empty space of wall in one of the hallways and pulled me in front of him, my back to his chest. Almost every surface in the house was covered with bodies, and those that weren’t looked like they were covered in vomit and other mysterious stains.
I could feel a headache coming on from all the noise and reached up to rub my temples.
This was exactly what I’d pictured a college party to be like and I didn’t want anything to do with it.
Even when I was still Rachael I’d never been the girl screaming, taking her top off, and dancing on a table. And yes, that definitely just happened.
I wasn’t sure whether I should cover my eyes, Cade’s, or both. Probably both—oh God, she was going to knock someone out with one of those if she kept swinging around like that.
I felt like maybe I should be the responsible person and step forward to try to stop her, but now a ring of people were forming around her, urging her on. Yeah, I wasn’t going to try and break through them.