Chapter 12
“I’m not skinny-dipping,” I argue, taking a few short, staggered steps away from Kellan.
Unlike me, he helped himself to Wes’ closet earlier and stole a pair of swim trunks. I nearly pissed myself when I realized his bare ass and balls were going to leave a permanent stain on them. Wes would be better off sending him home in them instead of keeping them once the night is over.
“Wes has, like, eighty pairs in his closet. Go steal one. I even left the hot pink Speedo for you.”
I watch as he does a cannonball into the backlit pool, sending water splashing up and over the cement pad around me.
It hits my toes, forcing me back until I hit the perfectly manicured lawn.
A series of high-pitched squeals hit the air as the group of women wading in the shallower end react to getting wet.
Months ago, I’d have been all over that. Some cheesy-as-fuck pickup line would have been falling from my lips before I’d even made it into the water and started swimming toward them, more than happy to offer a distraction from my friend’s antics.
The thought of that right now sours my stomach worse than the frothy beer did.
“You’re so fucking weird,” I say, watching Kellan bob up out of the water.
“You used to be fun.”
“Taunting me won’t get me into the pool with you.”
He shakes his hair out like a wet dog, splattering my shins. “You’re only punishing yourself. Look around, buddy. Plenty of mermaids to play with.”
A strained laugh climbs my throat as I finally approach the edge of the pool. He’s not wrong. Despite their annoyance at getting splashed, the women Wes invited tonight seem just fine with continuing to move closer, their eyes clinging to me in a way that I should appreciate. Kellan sure does.
The not-so-subtle way he’s flexing his biceps as he leans against the edge of the pool doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone. I snort loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“How long are you going to keep this up?” he asks, dropping his voice a bit.
The beer and whiskey mix in my blood, hitting me smack across the face as I force myself to sit beside him. Luckily, I still have the brainpower to take my shoes and socks off before dropping my feet into the water. The bottoms of my jeans get wet, though.
Oh well.
“Keep what up? I’m here. I’ve already played pong with Wes and drunk the foamy-as-fuck beer he put in those cups.”
He knocks his knuckles on the cement a few times, eyes narrowing on me for a beat. “You know I love you, man. You’re my closest friend.”
“Yeah, I love you, too. What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You’re freaking me out. I don’t get you right now. Haven’t for a few weeks now.”
“How drunk are you?” I ask, jaw tightening.
He blows out a breath and spins in the water, resting his back against the side of the pool. “Sober, actually. Kind of.”
“Kind of sober? That’s what we’re calling it now?”
“Sober enough to know what I’m talking about. That good enough?”
I arch a brow. “Drunk enough to be all up in arms. Come out with it already.”
Looking to the other end of the pool, he lifts a hand and curls a finger at the blonde sipping from the rim of a martini glass.
My gut tightens when she turns a soft shade of pink and whispers something to the woman closest to her and grins, accepting an invitation that I didn’t want sent.
Something in the back of my brain is tingling, a kernel of a memory, maybe.
Whatever it is has me curling the fingers hidden beside my thigh.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask Kellan, muscles coiling beneath my clothes.
He doesn’t answer me. His lips part around the easy smile he’s flashing at the blonde, the same one that I’ve seen him wear on many occasions. I know exactly what he’s doing, and whether it’s the alcohol talking or something else, it’s pissing me off.
The closer the woman gets to us, the more tense I get.
That tingle in my brain turns into a full-on spasm as I recognize her.
It’s not rare that the same group of girls will attend these parties.
Wes loves hosting these things in this ridiculous house, and I can’t say I’ve ever cared much about the guest list. We don’t invite random people into our space, which means everyone here is a friend of a friend or a member of someone’s family.
With the recent headlines I’ve been dealing with the last year, I trust that I’m not going to run into any shit when I’m with my teammates in an environment like this. It was when I’d venture out of their grasp that I’d get in trouble.
Or that was my reality up until the last four months.
There hasn’t been an article in forever now. No bad photos or rumours that the Havoc have had to clean up for me. I’ve been on my best behaviour, and I know exactly why.
The question I have now is why Kellan is trying to get me to fuck some random girl that I haven’t seen in over a year, at least. She’s not his type.
He’s a picky bastard and prefers dark hair and curves, whereas I’ve always been more open.
I hate that I’m even aware of what type of women he likes, but that’s what happens when you have a handful of threesomes, I guess.
The point is, I know he’s about to push her onto me, and I’m not in the mood for this shit.
If he’s trying to prove something or just straight up rile me, he’s going to find himself choking on pool water.
“Beck, you remember Flora, right?”
I wrap a fist around my anger and bury it deep as I force myself to smile at her, nodding once. “Yeah, of course. Hey.”
“Hi. It’s good to see you again. Both of you,” she murmurs, quickly reaching up to tuck a non-existent chunk of hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t sure if you remembered me or not. We figured we’d stay back just in case.”
Again, my smile remains, though it’s beginning to sag at the edges. “I try my best not to forget anyone I meet.”
“I was just telling Beck here that I’m debating setting the net up so we could play a quick game of water volleyball,” Kellan explains, smacking my shoulder. “Would you be in?”
She tips her chin in instant agreement and starts wading through the water toward me.
My vision’s a bit slow to react as I force it to follow her, refusing to look below her shoulders.
The memory of our singular night together is far too hazy to make out specifics, but I’m positive it would be the complete wrong move to look any further down.
My phone is still in my pocket. If I pulled it out, would Kellan throw it into the pool? Because if Quinn has finally replied to my text and I lost the chance to see it, that would send me over the edge.
“We’d be interested! I could ask Lily to be your partner, Kellan?” Flora asks, the heady excitement in her tone making my skin stretch too tightly over my bones.
It’s nothing like the raspy, sassy tone I wish I were hearing instead.
“I’m not interested in volleyball. I didn’t bring a bathing suit, unfortunately.” With a pathetic excuse of a frown, I reach behind me and start pulling myself up off the cement pad.
When I waver on my feet, a set of many fingers circles my ankle. I glance down, finding Kellan looking up at me, his eyes far too curious. With one rough shake of my head, I release my grip on my anger and let him see the full extent of it.
He releases me, and I walk away as quickly as I can without falling over.
Voices mix behind me, but I let it go, deciding that I don’t care what he does now.
Betrayed isn’t the right word. He didn’t do that, but he did push too far.
And for what? To prove a point? Because what point is there that would need all of that?
“Wait up, Beck. Jesus, you’re going to take off in a jog pretty quick, and we both know I’m faster than you.”
I tighten my jaw. The scent of marijuana is pretty damn strong right here, making me woozy.
Tipping my head back, I fix my gaze on the balcony attached to Wes’ bedroom and the puffs of grey smoke floating from it.
The guy himself isn’t visible, but I know he’s there, hiding from the party he was so insistent everyone attend.
It was a shock in itself that he stayed downstairs long enough to play a game of beer pong with me earlier.
The weight of Kellan’s arm dropping onto my shoulders puts me off balance. I lurch forward, then to the side, before I catch myself and reach up to shove him off.
“Don’t do that. I’m pissed at you.”
“That’s fair. I had a feeling you were going to be.”
I grunt. “So, you were bored, then, and wanted to see if I’d throw a punch?”
“And risk your money-making hands? No, I was curious how deep this obsession with the barista had gone.”
“You could have just asked me straight up.”
“Also fair.”
Closing my eyes, I press my thumb deep into the space between them to try to work out the knot growing there. “Why are you fucking around? I’m not going to sleep with someone just to entertain you.”
“Nah. If I wanted entertainment, I’d go fuck someone myself.
I was trying to see just how screwed you are for that girl.
You need to either buck up and actually convince her to give you a chance or walk away.
’Cause you’re too distracted lately, and I’m not about to watch you get taken advantage of.
Quinn could be just tugging you around for attention, and that’s not right, man,” he says, his grip on my shoulder tightening.
“You’ve got a lot to offer her, and if she’s not gonna give you the time of day, then get out of there before it’s too late.
You need help convincing her, then tell me, and we’ll make it happen. But no more desperation.”
“You don’t know her,” I argue, grimacing at the slur in my words. Straightening, I try to sound more intimidating this time. “And I’ve made progress.”
He palms his hips. “How much progress? Last I checked, it’s been months, and it didn’t look to me the other day that she’d given you any encouraging signs here.”
I scowl, trying to shake the buzz from my mind. “I’m not going to explain myself to you right now. Just . . . let it go, yeah? For now.”
“I don’t want you getting fucked over, Beck.”
“She’s not gonna fuck me over. Trust me here.” I reach for him, slapping his shoulder. “I appreciate you looking out.”
He sighs heavily, like he’s finally giving up. “Fine. But I’ll be watching.”
“In silence,” I add pointedly. “And you’re still going to give her a chance.”
“No promises.”
“I’m going inside. You staying or coming?”
His lips quirk before he says, “Staying. For a bit, anyway.”
He’s already turning back to the pool when I open my mouth to speak. To remind him to be safe in a cage full of piranhas before he winds up as fish food. There’s no point. He can take care of himself.
Besides, I have texts to check.