“You don’t have to do this,” he said in a low voice.
“I can do whatever I want,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I want to take a shot with your brother.”
“Another shot!” Kingston shouted at me. A couple of girls gave me dirty looks, probably because they would prefer to be the recipient of Kingston’s attention, but I was beyond caring.
“Let’s do it,” I said as I held out my shot glass for a refill.
Kingston gave me an approving grin. “Just us this time. Mav?”
Kingston looked over at his brother, and I risked a glance. I never expected to see the all-powerful Maverik wearing an indecisive expression, but he looked torn. As soon as he saw me watching him, his expression hardened.
“Nah, I’m good.”
Kingston poured for just the two of us, and this time when I tossed back the shot, I only choked a little. Kingston still laughed as I shook my head as if that would help to eliminate the burning sensation.
“You gotta keep taking them until you toss it back like a pro,” Kingston said excitedly. I could tell that the alcohol had definitely taken effect because he was a little unsteady on his feet, and there was a wild gleam in his eyes.
“You’ll kill her,” Abby scolded him as she walked up to us. “A skinny little thing like her needs to build up her tolerance over time.”
I rolled my shoulders back and scowled. “I’m not skinny. I’m athletic.”
Kingston slapped me on the back. “That’s my girl.”
“I’m not your girl,” I corrected automatically.
Kingston winked at me. “That’s what you think. One more.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t completely hold back my smile. Kingston was fun, and his attitude was infectious. It was difficult to stay angry at him when he was making a genuine effort to include me with his friends. Maverik frowned at Abby, then turned in the other direction and walked away. Whatever. Mr. Broody McBroody pants could go sit in the corner for all I cared.
The third time was the charm, because I took the shot like a pro – meaning I didn’t choke or otherwise embarrass myself.
After that shot, Kingston was pulled into the pool by one of his friends. A game of pool volleyball broke out, and I took the opportunity to go back to my lounge chair. I was starting to feel relaxed and a little dizzy. The tight control I always kept over myself began to slip – which should have worried me. However, the wild feeling rising in me was freeing, and the alcohol was making me giddy.
Abby was happily flirting with Trent, but I didn’t mind a few quiet moments to myself. Kingston’s friendly attitude had thrown me off. What this another act, or was he starting to warm up to me? Everyone here in Bedford was so duplicitous. It made it difficult to figure out who I could trust. The safe option was to trust no one. I smiled to myself, even though there was nothing funny about that.
A tall blond in a hot pink bikini took Abby’s empty chair beside me. “How do you know the Wilders?” she asked in a tone that bordered on accusational.
I raised an eyebrow at her, the goofy smile still on my face. “I don’t.”
A shorter, slightly less blond, girl sat on the other side of me. “I think she’s lying, Elena.”
Elena stretched her long limbs out like she was a model posing for a magazine. “I agree, Carey.”
“I’m just here to hang out with Abby,” I said with a shrug. “I couldn’t care less about the Wilders.”
I was definitely feeling a buzz, because my body was warm, and my words were flowing. The giddy, free feeling meant that I didn’t care what these girls thought about me.
“Then you won’t mind staying away from them,” Elena said conversationally.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s the plan.”
Carey and Elena exchanged a glance.
“We’re telling you to leave, bitch,” Carey hissed at me, dropping all pretenses of being fake-nice.
I shot a glance in Maverik’s direction. Had he sent these girls over here? It wasn’t like him to have someone else fight his battles for him. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned his friends against me, then stepped back to watch as they attacked.
“If they want me to leave, they can come over here and tell me themselves,” I said with narrowed eyes.
Elena laughed. “That’s not how this works.”
Carey shook her head. “We give you an order, and you follow it.”
“Or what?” I asked with a wild grin.
Both girls looked taken aback by my words, and I laughed. These girls wanted to appear threatening, but they were nothing compared with everything else going on in my life. They were housecats compared to the lions that were out for my blood. Maybe it was the alcohol that made me feel bold, but I wasn’t going to sit here and let them push me around. They could go fuck themselves.
“Or you’ll regret it,” Elena said as if I were stupid.
“You need to leave,” Carey added. “And take Abby with you. We don’t need sluts here.”
“We don’t need trash like you two crowding around,” Elena added.
“Leave Abby out of this,” I said angrily.
Elena chuckled meanly. “How did Abby even get in here? Everyone knows low rent whores are just for desperate booty calls. They shouldn’t be seen in the light of day.”
“Please,” I said with a snort. “She’s a hundred times classier than you two bitches. You should skulk back to the shadows where you came from.”
My anger was bubbling to the surface under the layer of giddy carelessness. It hadn’t faded after being dragged away from my home or threatened by Nina. It had just been shoved down and was waiting to come
