Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Sierra clinked her bottle against mine. “That’s how I feel about her friendship. Never had a friend like Lily. I’m going to miss the hell out of her.”
At the trembling of her mouth, she took a pull from her beer bottle to cover up the emotion. I drew her into my side and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “She’s going to miss the hell out of you. But I promise I’ll take care of her.”
Lily’s friend gave me a grateful nod. “Do you need me to stick around? Play bodyguard some more?”
“No. Go have fun.”
“Great. Because I have my eye on your old school pal Brendon.”
“Brendon Platt?”
“That’s the one.”
I grinned. Lucky Brendon. “Don’t let him get too drunk, then. He’s useless to anyone after four beers.”
Her eyes widened comically. “Noted. Bye!”
I waved her away and dug my phone out of my pocket. My fingers hovered over the text conversation between me and Lily. Yet it was late. She might be asleep. And surely, I should be able to enjoy a party with my friends without my girlfriend around.
We would not become one of those sickening codependent couples.
I threw back a swig of beer and ventured through the kitchen to find Harry.
For a while I had fun with Harry catching up with old friends. An hour later, however, people were starting to break off into couples (throuples and groups in a few cases too), and the pool looked like the beginning of an orgy. Harry seemed pissed at Sierra for making out with Brendon (I made a note to ask Lily if she knew if something had actually happened between those two) and had buggered off with some random. Zac was hooking up with Colette again. And Maddie had disappeared into her room and locked it ages ago.
Deciding it was time to do the same, I locked the bedroom door on the primary suite and sank down onto the bed with a groan.
I’d turned down the music, but it still played softly throughout the house because of the wired sound system. There were trickles of laughter and groans coming from the pool area.
My parents would kill me if there was any damage to the house after this blowout. I was going to kill Zac for arranging this without asking.
The plan had been to drag myself up off the bed to change into something to sleep in, but I must have started to drift off because it took me a second to realize there was someone climbing over my body.
My eyes flew open as her face came toward me and her lips crashed down over mine.
The too-sweet perfume couldn’t mask the overwhelming smell of rum from the many rum and Cokes she’d downed that evening. Gisele groaned into my mouth, her fingers tugging down the zipper on my jeans.
What the hell!
There was a flash of white behind my closed eyelids and I put it down to the molten anger flooding me. It took everything in me to control it so I wouldn’t hurt her as I gripped her arms and shoved her away. Her taste on my tongue made me want to bloody spit all over the bedcovers. “Get off!”
Horror filled me to realize Gisele was straddling me without her shirt or bra on. She laughed, cupping her bare breasts with a ridiculous pout. “Oh, come, Sebby, you know you want to.”
“Fucking hell.” I pushed her with less gentleness this time and rolled off the bed.
The sliding doors out to the pool were half open, as were the curtains. I’d forgotten to lock them.
Gisele pouted, arching her back as she turned to huff, “You’re seriously rejecting me?”
Grabbing the throw off the bed, I threw it at her. “Cover yourself up and get out of my room. In fact, find your clothes and get out of my house.”
“You can’t be serious?”
Rage bubbled beneath my surface. “If I did to you what you just did to me, it would be sexual assault. Do you understand that?”
“No, it wouldn’t because I wouldn’t have shoved you off!” Gisele pushed away the throw and jumped off the bed, moving past me to grab the top and bra she’d discarded. “I can’t believe this!”
“Really? Because I think I made myself clear all bloody night!”
“You don’t have to yell at me!”
I grabbed my head in my hands, my fingers tightening into my hair in agitation. “Get out before I say something I will regret.”
Gisele frantically pulled on her clothes, anger mottling her pretty face. “You’re a prick!”
“And you’re an entitled brat.” I gestured to the door. “There’s your exit.”
“Fuck you!” She fumbled with the bedroom door and flew out of it, slamming it so hard I think I heard a crack.
“Wonderful.” Shaking from the incident, I moved to close the sliding doors and lock them, pulling the curtains over. I still felt a bit dazed by the whole thing, but an edge of panic rode me at the thought of Lily ever finding out and assuming the worst.