He smirks, seeming pleased with the direction their interaction has gone. Which is straight down the shitter. “I’d be happy to.”
With that, he turns away, giving us the wide expanse of his back. Even with the flash of the strobe lights, I can see the dull red color flooding into her cheeks. Awkwardness descends as I shuffle from one foot to the other, unsure how to smooth over their skirmish. What I’d like to do is kick Crosby in the ass right about now.
“Sorry,” I mumble, offering up an apology even though I didn’t do anything wrong. “He can be a dick sometimes.”
She raises a sculpted brow. “Only sometimes?”
My lips quirk in relief that she’s not letting the comment ruin her mood. “Well, probably more than that. I was attempting to be generous.”
Her attention shifts and she glares daggers at his back. “Don’t bother when it comes to that guy. He’s a raging asshole.”
I’ve known Crosby since freshman year, and we’ve become good friends. I should defend him, but I find myself unable to summon the words. Especially when he treats Brooke like such crap. So, yeah, I get why she dislikes him.
What doesn’t make sense is that her ex is the one who was sleeping with other chicks behind her back. He’s one of those guys who enjoys having a pretty girlfriend at his side but also wants to fuck all the jersey chasers he can. Unfortunately, Brooke was the last one to find out about his side dishes. Rumor has it that a clap diagnosis is what ultimately tipped her off. I have no idea if that actually happened or if it’s just an ugly bit of gossip that made the rounds. Regardless, she dumped his ass and has refused to give him the time of day. Instead of moving on to any number of the females who vie for his attention, Andrew is on a campaign to win her back. He’s taken groveling to a whole new, embarrassing level.
“It was nice running into you, Carson. Her lips hitch. “Literally. But I should get moving, I need to find Sasha.” She glances around. “She has to be here somewhere.”
“Yeah.” I point to the group next to us. “Last time I saw her, she was hanging out over there.” I hesitate, unsure if I should ask. Before I can weigh the consequences of my decision, the words are shooting out of my mouth. “Hey, you haven’t seen Brayden’s sister around, have you?”
“Actually, I just ran into her.” When she flashes a grin, it’s a relief to see that Crosby’s nasty comment has been relegated to the past where it belongs. “She looks totally amazing as Harley Quinn.”
Harley Quinn?
Fuck me. I can just imagine.
And it’s not good.
“See you later,” she says before melting into the crowd.
“Yeah, later,” I mutter, taking off, searching through the writhing mass of bodies for Elle. Even though I’m looking for one specific costume, there are a lot of girls dressed as the Suicide Squad member. It’s like hunting for a needle in a haystack.
After fifteen minutes, I’m about to throw in the towel when I finally catch sight of her across the room. She’s grinning at a guy outfitted in a full-on Batman suit. The way she’s dressed is like a punch to the gut. Elle usually wears shirts or sweaters with high necklines and skirts that are short to show off her long legs. Her preference for tall boots never fails to make my dick stir.
Tonight, it’s the total opposite. She’s wearing a blonde wig with pigtails that have red and blue colored strands. A thin, white T-shirt clings to her chest. Thank fuck for the jacket or I’d probably kill someone.
The obvious choice being Batman.
My gaze roves further down her body.
What the fuck is she wearing?
Or maybe I should say—where the hell are her pants?
Are those booty shorts? Or straight up panties? I’ll tell you what...it better not be underwear. The guy she’s with throws his arm around her shoulders and tugs her close. A thick haze of jealousy clouds my vision as I barrel through the crowd, cutting a path straight to her. As I pull up to the couple, I snake my arm around her waist before hauling her against me. Batman’s arm falls away as they both stare in surprise.
“Carson!” she says.
“Hey.” I glare at the guy, mentally willing him to leave before bodily injury becomes a necessity. Whatever delusions he thought would come to fruition tonight have been blown to shit by yours truly.
You’re welcome.
“I didn’t think you were going to show up.”
Tension fills every muscle, ratcheting up as I try to play it cool by shrugging. “Changed my mind.”
“I can see that.” Her gaze bounces to the caped crusader as she waves a hand in his direction. “You remember my friend Mike, right?”