13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
T he tangy alcohol burned as it slid down my throat, immediately igniting a warmth in my body. The air around me buzzed and I found myself gravitating toward the dance floor.
“Sam, let’s dance.”
“You know I can’t turn down an invitation like that,” she said.
I tore her hand away from Anthony’s but not before she placed quite the kiss on his lips, Grey and I awkwardly standing by. I tried not to make eye contact with him; the moment felt too intimate.
“She’s mine now,” I said, smiling as I pulled Sam in the direction of the sliding glass doors that had been left open for the night. Making our way toward the music, I stole a glance at the bar just in time for the cute bartender to send me a wink.
“Okay, he’s cute,” Sam teased.
“I thought so too, but—”
“But he’s not Grey Prescott.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Is it not?”
“I was going to say that I’m focused on enjoying dirty martinis and dancing the night away.”
“Fair enough.”
“But also, he’s not Grey Prescott,” I admitted.
We both burst into laughter as we stepped outside.
The night air was warm, but not unbearably so. The makeshift dance floor was located on a massive concrete slab that surrounded the pool. The music was thumping so loud, you could feel the crowd radiating from a few feet away. I wanted to be close to the DJ, but I couldn’t seem to find him at first. Then I spotted a floating stage in the pool and realized that was, in fact, the DJ.
How in the hell was that even possible?
I weaved in and out of people until I found the perfect spot smack dab in the center. Just in time too, as the first notes of “Feels Like Summer” by Samuel Jack filled the space around us. I felt invincible.
There couldn’t be a more perfect song for this exact moment.
I would’ve sworn Liv was here, dancing right next to me, experiencing this moment, this entire night. And in that instant, everything felt right. It had been years since the accident, and not a single day went by that I didn’t find myself missing her, but I was proud of myself. Proud of how far I’d come.
Time had continued on, but somehow missing her still felt consistently present.
I didn’t think I’d ever fully heal from losing her, and sometimes that was a hard pill to swallow. But being here and fully enjoying myself felt like something to be proud of. Something to share with her.
Sam grabbed both of my hands as we moved our bodies to the beat of the music and I tossed my head back, mouthing the lyrics.
When the song came to an end and the crowd seemed to disperse a little, I turned to Sam. “I’m going to grab a water, you want one?” I asked. “And I’m kind of in the mood to flirt.”
Sam shook her head. “I like this MJ. She’s a good time, a real good time.”
I swayed to the bar, grinning ear to ear.
“Another dirty martini?” The bartender paused to flash me a smirk. “Extra dirty?”
“Actually, can I just grab a water?”
“Of course,” he responded, reaching for a glass. “So, what brings you to this kind of party?”
“What? Don’t I fit in?” I teased, knowing exactly what he meant by this kind of party .
“Oh, no. You fit in better than most. It was your use of the word please that really gave you away.” He chuckled.
“Ouch.” I laughed. “My friend is dating one of these guys and dragged me along so she wouldn’t be alone. Although, I have to admit, I could get used to these kinds of drinks.”
I leaned over the bar, resting both of my elbows on the top and holding my chin in my hands, making it clear that I was at least trying to flirt.
“Are you from around here?” I asked.
“No. I moved here a couple weeks ago from California. Just looking for something new.”
“I wondered. I haven’t seen you around before.”
“Yeah, I’m still trying to get used to the small town feel of things. Like the whole everyone knowing everyone else thing.”
“You’ll get used to it, and then you’ll never leave.” My thoughts trailed off. “I will say, it’s not a bad place to move to. I’ve lived here my whole life, and there is something really special about this town.”
“Now it all makes sense,” he joked. “But yes, I have to agree with you. There is definitely something special about this town.”
He slid a tall glass of ice in my direction before filling it with water. “Well, I better get back to work before I get fired from my first job.” His eyes darted from me to someone behind me. “But I’m happy to be your bartender all night,” he said.
I picked up my water and swiveled back toward Sam, but not before his eyes caught mine. Grey’s intense glare sent my heart racing as though I’d been caught doing something wrong. The rush of adrenaline was intoxicating.
He casually took a sip of his drink, the dark substance hitting his lips.
A Dark and Stormy.
He lowered his glass as his tongue traced his lips, catching any remnants of his drink before he effortlessly tipped it in my direction and shot me a wink.
Doing my best to appear unbothered, which was proving rather difficult, I raised my glass, smiled, and turned away. Pleased with myself and my ability to keep my composure, I quickly spotted Sam leaning against one of the cocktail tables that was set up around the perimeter of the pool.
“Holy shit, you were gone long enough. I thought maybe you decided to take Mr. Bartender into the bathroom for a little quickie.”
“Funny,” I scoffed. “No quickie, but I did enjoy flirting with him.”
“That’s a good excuse. I’ll forgive you.”
Before I could say anything else, I noticed she was holding two more shots. “Absolutely not, Sam.”
“But, like, are you sure? Because I got Slippery Nipples, and everyone knows those are your favorite.”
“Are you hand-delivering me a Bubba’s breakfast sandwich in the morning?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“Damn you. Fine.”
“Don’t act like you’re not having fun,” she said, handing me the shot glass full of light brown liquor. “I’m seeing a different MJ tonight. One that I think I could get used to.”
“Oh my god, you’re being so dramatic.”
“Your flirting with the bartender was fun, but those stolen glances that you and Mr. Prescott having been sharing from across the room could make anyone hot and bothered.”
I laughed, revisiting that moment, wishing I could feel that rush again. I didn’t know how to explain it, but the way he looked at me made me feel desirable, like I was the only girl in the entire room. We barely knew anything about one another, but somehow, he felt familiar.
“You saw that?”
“I’m pretty sure everyone at the party saw that,” she said.
The drinks were starting to go to my head as the words I spoke came a little easier and with less of a filter. “I mean, I’m not sure what it’s about, but I can’t say I’m not into it. He’s hot, and my god, the way he looks at me has me tempted to see what else he can do.”
I threw my hand over my mouth, shocked I’d spoken so many of my inner thoughts out loud.
“I don’t blame you one single bit. That man is undeniably sexy and undoubtedly mysterious.”
We both started giggling before she tugged my hand from the table and pulled me back toward the music. My body seemed to move more freely now, and I wasn’t complaining. My dress spun perfectly with the rhythm of the music, and I found myself lost in a world of lyrics and dirty martinis. Did it get better than this?
Sam swirled me back to reality, and I noticed Anthony dancing up behind her. I let her go, finding myself back in my own world.
It was clear from the number of party people that’d made their way to the dance floor that the party was revving up, and just like us, everyone was gravitating toward the music. Obviously feeling the momentum, the DJ started a killer mix that faded into “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris.
The music pumped through my chest and made me feel like Calvin Harris himself was playing a set right in front of me. As soon as the beat dropped, the crowd went wild. The movement drew the crowd closer, bodies filling in one after the other, but not in an annoying way, more of a cohesive way that made you want to keep dancing.
My hands flitted around my body, as if someone else had taken control. I felt free. For a second, I pictured myself as seventeen again, dancing in Caleb Davis’s living room with Liv. We were so young, so carefree, and so innocently unaware of what lay ahead of us. The realization paused my happy thoughts, but only for a brief moment.
The presence of another person quickly pulled me back, his hot breath walking across my neck. “You probably shouldn’t be dancing like that. Someone might think you’re flirting with them and want them to join you.” His voice was somehow smoother in a whisper tone, if that was even possible.
“That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it?”
The words left my mouth, and immediately his body tensed behind mine. He lifted his hand and just barely ran his fingers up the sleeve of my dress. I paused, thinking to myself that if this dress didn’t have sleeves, I might have simply melted from his touch on my bare skin.
For a second, I leaned my head back into his chest, getting caught up in the euphoria of it all. The outside air had dropped to cooler than it was before, but the air around the both of us was only getting hotter. Our bodies synced without any effort, smoothly swaying to the beat of the music.
“Depends on who that someone might be.” His breath crawled down my neck this time, the smell of rum filling the air between his mouth and my nose. “Because if it’s anyone but me, I can’t think of anything worse.”
“Good thing that someone is you then.” I rotated my body, the want in his voice setting my skin on fire as our faces were only a few inches apart. He studied me as if I were his next meal, dark and hungry, and when he inched even closer, our lips nearly grazed one another.
All of this newfound confidence had me needing to catch a breath.
“I’m going to run to the bar, need anything?” I asked.
Grey’s low but audible huff only fueled the desire in my belly.
“Yeah, I do.” His pause was accompanied by a lopsided smirk. “I’m gonna need you to stop leaving me hanging like this.”
“Don’t forget, you were the one that said this was going to be interesting, remember?”
Peeling my body from his, I headed to the bar but veered in search of a bathroom because now that I’d stopped dancing, my bladder was screaming at me. Except, in a house this size, I had no idea where to start.
I found a promising hallway next to the bar and took my chances. The first door I opened was some sort of library. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covered three of the four walls. There was an overstuffed leather chair that resided just behind a dark wooden cigar table. The room was impeccable, but the urge to pee was stronger. I pulled the door closed and moved down the hallway.
The next door I opened was an abnormally large hall closet, although I shouldn’t be surprised given that everything in this house appeared to be abnormally large. At the end of the hall, I stopped at a set of double doors, hoping there’d be a bedroom and preferably a bathroom behind them.
“Thank god,” I said to myself.
The first pee after you started drinking had a sense of urgency unlike any other.
Stepping into the pristinely designed bedroom, I quickly admired it before spotting the bathroom and making a dash for it. I maneuvered my dress up as I sat, immediately feeling relief. Sitting on the toilet, I glanced around the room but immediately realized this wasn’t just any bedroom. It was definitely the primary one.
The double sinks propped on opposite sides of the room were separate but connected by a center vanity that sat lower than the other two. They were modern but classic. The floating bases were natural wood–colored with black hardware and marble countertops. Two rounded black mirrors sat centered above the sinks, each one enhanced with a wall sconce that provided subtle golden light.
I moved toward the sink to wash my hands and was confused when I spotted the shower—or should I say bathtub? Or was it both? There was an enormous black bathtub sitting behind floor-to-ceiling glass shower doors. Both the bathtub and shower were confined to one, but it was the most breathtaking space I’d ever seen.
At least ten people could’ve showered at the same time, which I wasn’t sure was necessary, but regardless, it was beautiful.
Tipsy MJ really struggled to stay focused.
I faced the sink once again, washing my hands, drying them, and making my way back toward the loud party. As I reached the doors, I grabbed for the handle, but as I pulled it open, someone else was pushing.
Then it all registered. This was Grey’s house. Which meant this was Grey’s bedroom.