Chapter 21 Shane
SHANE
“Hey, babe,” a sultry and familiar voice says a moment before a warm hand slides down my back and slips into the pocket in my jeans.
“Hey, yourself,” I say as Lianna tucks herself up against my side.
“Are you having a good time?” She gives my ass a little squeeze.
I resist the urge to step away from her. Just like when Courtney was flirting with me at the party, her touch feels wrong. It’s too soft and gentle, and her delicate fingers and long nails are more irritating than they are seductive right now.
“You could say that.” I lift my glass and shoot back the rest of my drink.
I have no idea how many I’ve had, and the world is getting blissfully dull around me, so whatever the number is, it’s a good one.
“Why are you out here all by yourself?” she asks in that sultry purr I’m all too familiar with.
“Just getting some air.”
The truth is, I escaped to the backyard to get away from everyone while I wait for the pills I took to kick in.
The party is a chill one compared to some of the ragers I’ve been to here, but there are still too many people around, and too much noise.
I knew I needed to get the fuck out of there before I lost my shit because someone stepped on my foot or did something equally innocuous, and the backyard seemed like the best place to hide.
Not a lot of people come out here because, unlike the rest of the well-kept grounds around the house, the back is a mess of overgrown grass and rotting garden beds that’s surrounded by the woods on two sides.
The only light sources back here are the moon and whatever glow can be seen from the windows, so the entire area looks like something out of a horror movie, but it’s blissfully quiet.
Or at least it was.
“I’m glad you came,” she says, pulling her hand out of my pocket and slipping it under the back of my shirt. The feather-light scratch of her nails on my skin sends a shiver up my spine, and not in a good way.
The snap of a twig in the forest beyond the yard catches my attention, and I scan the area. Was that an animal? Or maybe the forest is just settling like a house does at night. Is that a thing?
“You are?” I ask and look away from the trees. Whatever it was sounded small, so unless there are killer bunnies out here, we’re safe.
“Of course. I was so worried when I found out what happened. That must have been terrifying.”
My chest squeezes, and all the good feels from my drinks disappear in a flash, like a popping bubble, leaving behind the restlessness and despair I’ve been desperately trying to mask.
“It wasn’t fun.” I toss my empty cup onto the ground for no reason other than I don’t want to hold it anymore.
“But you’re okay?” she presses.
“Right as rain, darlin’,” I drawl.
She giggles and slides her hand over my back in soft circles.
Instead of feeling nice or soothing, her touch reminds me of the sensations I sometimes get where it feels like something is crawling on me, and it takes way more willpower than it should to not step out of her reach.
There’s another snap of a twig or something breaking, and I can’t be sure because the world isn’t all that clear right now, but it sounds closer.
“What was that?” She looks around nervously.
“Probably a killer bunny.”
She laughs, the melodic tone loud in the quiet night air. “There are killer bunnies in the woods?”
“No one has proven there aren’t killer bunnies out there, so who knows?”
She laughs again and gently drags her nails down my back.
This time I can’t help leaning away from her touch.
She blinks up at me. “You used to like that.”
“It tickles,” I say by way of an explanation.
It doesn’t because I’m not actually ticklish, but lying is easier than telling her that there’s a lot of stuff I used to like that doesn’t do it for me now. And even more that I used to dislike that are all I think about.
Like strong hands and a hard body that know exactly how to give me more pleasure than I ever imagined possible.
Long, lean muscles that not only match my strength but can easily restrain me.
Icy blue eyes that are as mesmerizing as they are intense.
Full lips and a raspy voice that can reduce me to a whimpering mess with just their words, and a hard dick that feels way too good against me, and in me.
I shake my head like I can physically shake those thoughts from my mind. I do not want to think about Jace right now. I’ve spent most of my energy tonight trying not to think about him, and definitely not while I’m hiding from a party and probably surrounded by killer bunnies.
“Where’s Mason?” I ask, my tone harsher than I was a moment ago.
“Around,” she says lightly. “But I don’t want to talk about him when I’m out here with you.”
Snap.
“What was that?” Lianna asks, her voice trembling as she presses right up against my side.
Her fear is genuine, but I’m not in the mood to play protector when she’s the one who invaded my alone time. If there is something in the woods that wants to attack, then so be it. Who am I to deny a creature his dinner? Or maybe it would be more like late late-night snack, considering the time.
“Just the woods making noise,” I tell her.
“Are you sure?” She looks around again. “Maybe we should go inside.”
“You can if you want. But I need some more air.”
“You’re not happy to see me?” She looks up at me with big, liquid eyes as her lip comes out in a little pout.
That look irritated me when we were together, and it’s not any more tolerable now.
“You should go find Mason.”
“It’s not like that between us,” she insists. “We’re just casual.”
“Right,” I say dryly. “Totally casual in that way that exclusive couples are.”
She rolls her eyes, some of her flirty facade fading. “We’re not exclusive.”
“Have you told him that? Because he thinks you are.”
“What do you care? It’s not like he’s your friend or anything.”
“Maybe not, but you know I hate drama.”
“Then at least come in and get another drink,” she presses. “Or we can find something else to enjoy.” She leans in a bit closer. “Remember the night we first got together? That was a good time, right?”
“It was,” I agree.
That night was fun thanks to the booze and weed I’d consumed, and mixing in some MDMA when the buzz was wearing off helped extend the good times, but the marathon hookup session we had is mostly a blur.
I’d never tell her this, but it was the drugs and the escapism I was after.
The sex was just another way to shut my brain down and chase the good feels of arousal and orgasms.
“We could go back to your room if you don’t want to stick around here,” she suggests.
Crack.
Lianna jumps and lets out a little shriek as she looks around wildly. “What was that? Do you think something is out there?”
“Maybe.” I glance around, but the night is still and once again silent.
Whatever made that noise is close, and definitely bigger than a bunny, but it’s staying hidden for now. I’ll worry about it if it decides to venture out of the woods instead of just making noise nearby.
“We should go inside.” She gives my arm a little tug.
“I’m good here.”
She looks like she’s about to argue but whips her head to the side when there’s loud rustling, like something moving through low-hanging branches, directly to our right.
“Come inside,” she begs. “Something’s out there.”
“You go ahead. I’ll be in soon.”
Shaking her head, she mutters something under her breath that sounds a lot like “Men,” and untangles herself from me.
“It’s your funeral.” She gives me a hard look, then stalks back toward the house.
“I wish,” I whisper, and some of the tightness in my chest lessens when the door bangs shut behind her.
“You dropped something,” a voice says behind me.
“Jesus!” I jump a mile and almost fall right on my ass when my feet get twisted up together.
“Nope, but you can call me that if you want,” Jace says with a grin, my discarded cup in his hand, when I finally manage to turn and face him.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” I ask, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
“I took a shortcut.” He points to the woods.
“Was that you making those noises?”
“What noises?” he asks innocently.
“Are you doing that thing where you pretend to be a human with emotions and feelings, but you’re really just running a program like some sort of android?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Android?” he repeats with a grin. “I like that. I’m totally stealing it.”
I blink at him a few times. “Why are you here?”
“Because it’s a party and I’m bored.”
“But why this party? There have to be dozens of parties happening tonight. Why are you here at this one?”
“Because I was invited.”
“By who?”
“You.”
“What? I didn’t invite you.”
“Yes, you did.”
“When?”
“When you texted and told me all about the hot girls here. Remember?”
I nod and swallow hard as he looks me up and down, his icy eyes as intense as I’ve ever seen them. I did text him that, and I still regret every single message I sent.
I don’t even know why I texted him in the first place, but I can’t deny that I don’t hate the idea that he’s here.
The little flare of good feels disappears, and a pit forms in my stomach. Did he come here for the girls, and it has nothing to do with me?
He takes a step closer and stops when we’re still a few feet apart. “Why are you out here and not inside with all the hot girls?”
“I needed some air,” I tell him, but my voice sounds dry and forced, like I just chewed on a mouthful of sawdust.
He tilts his head to the side and studies me for a few beats.
“What?” I ask when the silence between us stretches.
“Why did you text me?” he asks, his tone just as intense as those eyes that are definitely going to be the death of me.
“I don’t know,” I scrape out.
“Were you thinking about me while you were talking to her?”
I look away as my cheeks flush hot.
“Tell me.”
“Maybe,” I admit grudgingly.
“And what were you thinking about?”
I don’t answer.
He steps closer, and my stomach clenches as he pauses when we’re only about a foot apart.