Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
I nodded. “I sure am.”
His lips didn’t move from my ear. “Your brother brought you here?”
“He sure did.”
“Who the fuck have you been drinking with then?” He leaned back, his eyes drilling into mine. He clenched his jaw. “Your brother’s been talking to me. Where have you been?”
My head felt heavy, but I frowned and moved back so I could see him better.
He looked pissed. He looked more than pissed. A vein popped out from his neck.
I swung my head to my brother. “Why is he mad? I just apologized.”
Gage’s mouth was still open. Some suspicion filtered in his gaze as his eyes jumped from me to Shay and back again. He shook his head. “I don’t know, Kenz.” Skimming an eye around the table, he drew closer and almost shielded us. Shay was leaning against the wall, the table on his right. I was facing him, the table on my left and my brother came over to box us in.
He ducked his head.
Shay grilled him. “Where’s your sister been while you were here? Who’s she been drinking with?” His hand tightened on my hip.
A buzzing filled my head, rising over the noise in my ears. Something was off. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t remembering to do something.
I suddenly got tired, and my eyelids started to droop. I shook my head to clear that away. I didn’t want to sleep, not yet.
“Kenz.” Gage pressed in closer.
I glanced around. There’d been a small cocoon, but that diminished. People were closer. There were hungry looks on people’s faces. Some seemed shocked. Some seemed pissed. I caught sight of Linde. He was moving toward us, his mouth pressed in a firm line. The girl who brought me over seemed rooted to her spot, her mouth slightly open.
This was what was wrong. That buzzing feeling intensified. It was me. I violated something, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was.
“Kenz.” Gage was saying again, trying to get my attention.
“What?”
“Who were you with just now?”
“Your friends, in the booth where we ate.”
He cursed, hanging his head a moment.
Shay asked, his jaw still clenching, “Who were your friends?”
Gage shook his head. “I don’t even remember. She needs to go home.”
“No shit.” Shay narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re wasted, too.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on. “No. I don’t want to go home.” I was having fun, finally.
Shay turned those heated eyes on me. “You’re underage and drunk. You’re not staying.”
I started to lean back, but his hand tightened. Who did he think he was? He clipped his head from side to side. “No. I’m not arguing with you. This is not up for debate. You are going home.” He caught movement at our side and lifted his head. “I’m taking her home.”
Linde shoved his way in, reaching for me. “Clarke?”
He just touched my arm. I didn’t understand why everyone was so mad. I looked between all of them. “I’m good. I’m having fun. I don’t get the problem.”
Gage groaned. “I fucked up.”
Shay ignored him, saying to Linde, “You sober?”
Linde shook his head, his hand falling back to his side. “No. You?”
“I just downed too much. It’s going to hit me.” He tugged me closer to him, leaning back to my ear. “I’m going to call for a cab. I’ll ride with you to your dorm.”
I turned my head so my lips were a few inches from him. He pulled back a little so he could see me, but that just meant our lips were even closer together. There was a small amount of space between our bodies. I wasn’t fully leaning on him, but I was beginning to wonder why not. We were so close, and I was getting heated. I was forgetting what I was going to say.
“You don’t want me here?”
His eyes darkened. “That isn’t it.” His hand lifted to the side of my face, but he cursed and let it fall again. He straightened, pulled away, and raised his voice. “If you get caught here, you’ll be in a ton of trouble. All of us would since we know you’re here. You have to go.”
I felt a pang in my chest. That made sense. I turned to Gage and Linde. “I don’t want you guys to get in trouble for me. I’m sorry.”
Linde started to shake his head, but Gage turned to Shay. “You stay. She’s my sister. I’ll take her home.”
Shay ignored him, asking Linde, “Can you call a cab?”
Linde nodded, pulling his phone out. He pointed to the side door where we stood. “It might be awhile. Tonight’s busy. I’ll have it pull up out there. You guys can just slip out.”
Shay nodded. His arm fell away from around my waist, but he kept one hand on my hip. It anchored me in place, and his hand flexed, clamping down a little harder. It just pulled me toward him again. That same buzzing sensation was building in me, taking over. I shook my head, trying to clear some of the fog that being around Shay formed.