Chapter 25
AVERY MOORE
“This punch is spiked, isn’t it…” I ask Ivy as she dips the ladle into the bowl of red liquid and scoops a generous amount into our cups.
“Yes.” She glances up at me with a grin so wide I almost consider taking her drink. She’s had double the amount that I’ve had, and she’s definitely feeling it. “You’re going to drink it, and you’re going to like it.”
I chuckle as she eagerly passes me the drink, and I take a sip. It really is too delicious to even be legal at this point. I can’t even taste the alcohol, though I’m sure there’s a generous amount in it.
There are a few people behind us waiting for the punch bowl so we step aside, leave the kitchen, and head into Jacob’s living room.
Jacob lives in an apartment complex on the other side of campus.
We had to drive here, but thankfully, Reid said he wouldn’t be drinking tonight so he can drive us home.
His place is the typical bachelor pad - leather couches, dark colors - and he’s lucky enough to have a roommate that parties as well.
His roommate is on the football team, and they’re celebrating a win.
I don’t watch football, but I’m happy our school is good at sports.
However, that means this place is packed, and squeezing between the people without spilling my drink is proving difficult.
Ivy steers us to Dustin and Jacob, who hover by the stereo. I frown. When we left them to refill our drinks, Reid was with them. It’s just the two of them now, and I scan the crowd for him, but with so many heads and a little alcohol in my system, I don’t spot him right away.
“Where’s Reid?” I whisper-yell in Ivy’s ear.
She glances around, and when she doesn’t spot him, she shrugs. “Want me to ask?”
I shake my head. That would seem desperate, and though we had a close call at getting caught the other day, I don’t want another close call.
The two boys laugh at something they shared and turn to us as we crowd closer. Jacob smiles at me, takes in my dress, and whistles. “You look hot tonight, Avery.”
Dustin slaps him in the stomach, and he bends over, clutching his abdomen. “No hitting on my sister.”
A blush creeps up my neck anyway, and I take a drink to hide that fact.
“Don’t you have a girl or something now anyway?” Ivy points out.
Jacob rights himself and gives Dustin an accusatory look. “You told her?”
Ivy waves a hand around. “We tell each other everything.”
Not everything, I correct in my head. But with any luck, Dustin will never know the secret she’s kept.
“So where is she?” Ivy asks, getting up on her tiptoes and looking around.
Sheepishly, Jacob glances down at his feet, tucking his lips between his teeth.
“She’s not here,” Dustin says for him. “I already asked.”
“Where the hell is she?” Ivy presses with a deep frown.
Dustin slaps Jacob on the shoulder. “My man is afraid of commitment.”
“I didn’t invite her because I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.”
Ivy’s eyes narrow. “And just think of the impression you’re giving her by not inviting her at all.”
Jacob cringes. “Why is this so complicated?”
“You’re making it complicated,” I answer, realizing how hypocritical I sound.
He gives me a look for a split second, one that tells me he is, in fact, thinking I’m being hypocritical.
I shrug, and he sighs. “How do I make it less complicated?”
“Do you like the girl?” Ivy asks.
He reluctantly nods as though he can’t believe he’s admitting it himself.
“Then start taking her places. Dates. Football games. Walk her to class. It’s not that hard, Jacob.”
Dustin rubs the back of his neck. “Sometimes you guys make it hard. Sometimes we don’t know what the hell you want.”
Ivy leans into the circle we’ve created and winks at them. “Sometimes we don’t know what we want, either.”
I laugh as they start to bicker back and forth and look around to see if I know any other faces.
I see a couple of girls from my classes, but we aren’t on friendship terms, so I don’t bother going over and saying hello.
There’s a couple making out by the speaker on the other side of the room and beer pong going on in the dining room.
My perusal stops when I spot Reid, and I smile. He’s leaning against the wall and…I scowl. He’s talking to a girl. I don’t recognize her at all, and since Reid, Dustin, Ivy, Jacob, and I run in the same circles, it’d be likely that I’d know who he’d be having such an intense conversation with.
She laughs at something he says and touches his chest, and jealousy curls in my gut.
It’s nothing. It’s just a touch.
His hand comes up over hers, and he leans down and says something into her ear.
Okay, so maybe it’s more than friends.
My face flushes, and tears spring to my eyes. I thought I could trust him, I thought I was the only girl he wanted to flirt with, but clearly, I was wrong. He lied to me, just like Neil. And to do it at the same party I’m at? It’s the ultimate betrayal.
My heart cracks and the tears begin to spill. I have to get out of here, and before I know it, I’m passing Ivy my drink and pushing through the crowd. Unfortunately, Reid and the girl are by the door, and I try not to look at them as I pass them.
Reid’s attention catches on me as I rush by, and he calls out my name. I ignore it and quickly exit the apartment. Jacob lives on the third floor, so I make quick work of getting down the first flight of steps before I hear Reid call my name again as he tries to keep up with me.
“No!” I say when he asks me to wait.
I make it to the first floor and rush toward the door. Cold air greets me and licks at the fresh tears on my cheeks. I begin to power walk on the sidewalk, which is difficult in heels, but no matter how fast I go, Reid’s strides are longer.
He snags me by the elbow and spins me to face him. “What is wrong?” he asks, taking in my tears with concern.
I look away from him and yank my arm out of his grasp.
“Avery?” he presses, stepping closer to me. “Why are you crying? Why are you running from me?”
Whipping my gaze back to his, I pin him with a murderous stare. “You know, I thought you were different, Reid. But you’re just like every other guy.”
He frowns. “What are you talking about?”
I throw my hands in the air. “I saw you flirting with that girl.”
His eyes go wide, and for a second, he says nothing. “Are you talking about Dorothy?”
“Oh, is that her name?” I ask sarcastically.
“She’s just a friend, Avery,” he whispers in shock.
“It looked more than friendly to me,” I grumble, losing my fight because it’s happening all over again.
He reaches for my face and cups both of my cheeks so that my attention is solely on his eyes. “I’ve known Dorothy since we were kids. It’s a long story, and I’m not going to lie to you, but my parents wanted us to get married.”
Fresh tears fall as I whisper, “So you’re engaged?”
He shakes his head. “I told my parents that I refuse to marry her, that I had someone else that I loved. I was telling Dorothy that tonight, and we agreed to remain friends and only friends.”
I freeze in his arms. “Love?”
A smile spreads across his face, and he rubs his thumbs over my wet cheeks. “You caught that, did you?”
“You love me?” I ask, the anger slowly fading as shock takes over.
He nods and waits patiently for me to come to terms with the fact that he said the ‘L’ word first. “I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now, but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same, all things considered.
I wanted to give you time before I bombarded you with that declaration.
But it slipped out, and I can’t take it back and -”
“You love me,” I repeat more for myself than for him.
“You’re panicking, aren’t you.” He lets go of my cheeks and rubs at his jaw.
I shake my head and wipe away my tears. “I love you too, Reid.”
His gaze flicks back to mine, and he searches my face for the lie. When he finds none, he wraps an arm around my middle and tugs me to him. “You do?” he asks, his forehead on mine.
I nod, new tears for a completely different reason gathering in my eyes.
He takes my mouth, kissing me deeply, and I melt into him.
This is a big step for me, admitting I found love in another man. A man who is honorable. Trustworthy. A man I second-guessed because I saw something I thought meant one thing but was another.
I never said I wasn’t an idiot sometimes.
We kiss under the autumn moon and the stars that twinkle around it, the breeze rustling the leaves our only song. I love him. I do. And I pour it into my kiss.
He tugs me closer, and his erection hits my belly button. His hands roam my back, and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling on the hair at the nape.
Out of breath, he breaks the kiss, grabs my hand, and takes me into the parking lot. “Where are we going?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he heads to his car, opens it, and pushes the passenger seat back.
The gears in the seat whir until it comes to a complete stop.
He takes a seat, unbuttons his pants, and pushes them down.
My eyes go wide when he pulls me onto his lap, my dress riding up my thighs and bunching at my waist.
Gathering up on my knees, I shut the door, slide my thong aside, and don’t waste any time sinking down onto him. We groan and I start riding him immediately. Desperate. Needy. A final union for our declaration. I can’t get close enough to him, but I try when our lips find each other’s once more.
His hands fall to my hips, guiding me, and mine find his chest, steadying myself as I rise and fall on him. We moan into each other’s mouths, our breaths fanning against each other’s cheeks. It doesn’t take long for my abdomen to coil tight.
“I’m never letting you go,” he whispers against my mouth.
“I know,” I whisper back, and then I fall apart, my pussy clamping down and squeezing him tight. It’s the strongest one I’ve ever had, and I break the kiss in ecstasy. His mouth works across my jaw and down my neck, and he moans deeply as he clamps his teeth on my shoulder and cums inside me.
When we’re both spent, we rest our sweaty foreheads against each other. We chuckle under our breath, and I open my mouth to tell him something, but a knock on the window startles us both.
We look over and find Dustin standing there, a look of rage on his face.
“Shit,” Reid whispers.
Dustin snarls at him, turns on his heel, and walks away. That’s when I see Ivy standing a few feet away with a pained expression on her face.