Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
JAYSON
A s soon as Liz steps out of my truck, she’s distracted, and that distraction is Ryder and Maria. Maria has always been a bit odd, but tonight she and Ry appear to be hitting it off. I’m happy for him. I want him to move on. He’s a great guy and deserves to be with a great girl—unfortunately, the great girl he wants is mine.
Ry and I have been slowly putting our friendship back together. It’s almost like old times between him, me, and Julien, and it feels good to have my friend back. Doesn’t mean that I’m going to let my guard down when it comes to him and Liz. He still loves her. I see the look he gets on his face when he watches her. It’s the same look she gives him. She’d never cheat on me. I know she loves me. It’s a complicated fuck of a mess. I just hope, given enough time, those feelings between them will simmer and die, and I can have her love all to myself.
Perhaps I can help push his attention elsewhere, and Maria seems as good as any for me to use to start that push.
I kiss Liz’s neck right where I know she’s most ticklish, and she laughs, no longer paying attention to them. Good.
When Ry and Maria eventually catch up to us, Liz pulls her aside. “What was that all about?”
I take that opportunity to go get us drinks, but I can still hear them talking as I stroll over to a cooler sitting in the dirt.
“What was what all about?” Maria asks.
“You and Ryder.”
“What about me and Ryder?”
My evening takes a turn when I see Fallon. I hate that pompous asshole. Rich prick syndrome, more like it. I’ll never understand how he and Ryder are friends.
“She’s trouble,” I warn Ry.
Jacinda looks back, eye-fucking Ryder right in front of Fallon.
“Not interested, so doesn’t matter.”
My irritation rises when I see him looking at Liz.
“She seemed very interested. Maybe you should?—”
Liz and the girls join us, cutting me off, and I see Liz frowning once again as she watches Jacinda. My mood suddenly sours. I gulp down my first beer, hoping it will help alleviate the ache in my chest, decide it isn’t enough, and start guzzling my second. Those old fears decide to rear their ugly heads. The only way I’m going to get through tonight is to get hammered.
When Maria shouts, “I’m going to get drunk tonight and hump some legs!” I tip my bottle back in absolute agreement with the first part of what she said.
Things start to go a little fuzzy as the quick infusion of alcohol settles warmly in my blood. A girl walks past with more beer, and I steal two of them. My brain is on autopilot, my mouth moving to say things I don’t pay much attention to. The nice buzz I’ve got going helps take the edge off my compulsion to punch Ryder in the face because he can’t stop looking at Liz.
Jealousy is a dangerous, pernicious thing that can make the smartest person do the stupidest things.
“She’s so fucking sexy,” I groan.
Ryder’s attention doesn’t stray from Liz.
I tap his arm with my beer bottle. “You should hit up Maria.”
“Not interested,” he replies.
No shit.
Time to show him who Liz belongs to.
“Be right back.”
I weave a crooked path to my girl and grab her, claiming her lips and kissing her deeply. Mine. Not his.
Liz startles before realizing it’s me.
“Jayson, what?—”
Nope. No talking. Only kissing.
I groan into her mouth and lift her up in my arms. She wraps those gorgeously long, toned legs around me, her skin glistening with sweat from dancing around the bonfire.
“Your body is so goddamn lethal,” I grunt.
My footsteps are unsteady when I carry her off to a more secluded spot.
Liz braces her hands on my shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Kissing my girlfriend.”
Pressing her up against the nearest tree, I lift her green blouse and shove her bra aside, my hand taking her breast. Fuck, she’s soft.
A tiny whimper leaves her. Hell, yeah .
“Not here,” she says.
I use my weight to pin her in place. I can’t wait another damn second to get my mouth on her. I pinch her nipple until it hardens, and then take the tight bud into my mouth.
“Jayson, stop.”
“I need you,” my tipsy brain says.
Liz and I decided a while ago not to rush into having sex. Do I want to? Hell, yes. Every damn minute of every hour of every day. She walks in a room, and I get hard. When I’m in my bedroom and can hear her voice from her open window, I get hard. I wake up every morning after dreaming of her, and I am hard as a rock. The fact that she and I breathe the same air makes me hard. I love this girl so fucking much. But I know she’s not ready to take that next big step. But right now, my drunk mind doesn’t care. My insecurities are high. Old fears about her and Ryder wage a war inside my head.
I nip her breast one last time before I step back, allowing her legs to drop from around my waist.
“Jayson,” she says my name again. My name, not his.
My hands immediately go to the zipper of her jeans.
“I said no.”
I don’t listen. I tug on the metal pull—my need to claim her, to make her want me like I want her—drive my impulses.
With a strength that belies her petite size, she firmly grasps both my wrists.
“I said no,” she calmly repeats.
Shame begins to seep through the haze of alcohol.
“We’re in the middle of the woods, and you’re drunk.”
I struggle to focus on what she’s saying, but comprehension alludes me, the four beers I practically inhaled in minutes showing their effects.
“Let’s go find Julien and sober you up.”
All I can manage is a nod as I rest my dizzy head against her chest. God, she smells good. Like jasmine and sunshine.
“Hold on to me.”
Liz throws my arm over her shoulders and takes most of my weight as we stumble back toward the bonfire.
Beer sloshes around my insides in a tidal wave of nausea. I should have eaten something before we came.
Liz suddenly halts in her tracks, and the sudden jostle makes my stomach heave. Through the white noise filling my ears, I hear her pained, confused gasp.
“Ryder?”
And then I throw up all over her.