“Can you go grab me another beer?” he asks, causing her to soften the nasty look she’s giving me for interrupting her special time with a guy who will want nothing to do with her come tomorrow. It’s how Reed operates, and every girl he shows an interest in is made aware of that before he does more than talk to them. Although, I’m not sure it needs to be said. His reputation for only wanting one night with a girl has crossed state lines.
“Sure.” She stands, yelping when he smacks her on the ass before she walks away.
He looks up at me, sitting forward and resting his forearms on his knees. “Did Mike hit on you already?” he asks with a mocking smile.
I grimace. “I don’t know why he even bothers. There are at least fifty chicks here that he can try and get with. He’s wasting his time with me.” I keep my eyes on the crowd as I take quick sips of my beer, scanning for two faces and only really wanting to see one. Squinting, I try and focus on the group of people through the tall flames across the pit, but I can’t make them out as well as I’d like. I move to the other side of Reed to see better, dropping my gaze to the sand when I don’t see who I’m looking for.
“When is that guy supposed to get here?” he asks, prompting me to look over at him.
“Six o’clock. What time is it?”
He pulls out his phone and lights up the screen. “Six thirteen.”
I run a hand through my hair, letting out an exhaustive grunt. “I hate lateness. This guy better have a damn good reason for making me wait. And, by that, I mean nothing less than a carjacking. His ass better be walking here.”
Reed looks over my shoulder, eyes widening with curiosity. Before I can turn around to see who’s grabbed his attention, strong hands grip my hips and a body presses against my back. I’m turned before I can protest and soft, full lips move against mine as one hand wraps around my waist, pinning me against the hard body.
“I had trouble finding the place. Your directions sucked,” he says against my mouth, keeping his firm grip on me as he tilts his head and deepens the kiss.
And I let him. I forget all about my threat to knock his ass out if he kissed me as soon as he got here. Because this guy, fucking right, this guy knows exactly how to use his tongue, and I’d be a very stupid woman to interrupt something this amazing.
My body goes limp against him as my eyes flutter close and my beer falls to the sand. He tastes like watermelon, and I fully surrender myself to a man I haven’t even gotten a good look at yet. But with a mouth like this, I’m willing to wait a few more seconds to make that observation.
I moan as he pulls away, a suggestive smirk playing across his mouth. He runs his thumb along my bottom lip, smearing the wetness along my skin. “Hmm.”
I smile before giving him my own, “Hmm.” And then I really focus on him, all of him, confirming his identity and loving every detail of it. His blond hair is down, tucked behind his ear and stopping just below his jawline. He’s rocking the perfect amount of facial hair, which I now know feels soft against my easily irritated skin. And he’s firm. Very firm.
“You must be Tyler,” Reed says, standing to his feet. He moves next to me and holds his hand out in front of him. “I’m Reed, Tessa’s friend. It’s good to meet you.”
Tyler stares at him for several awkward seconds before letting go of my waist, and firmly shaking Reed’s hand. “Friends, huh? You ever been more than that?”
Reed laughs, as do I, but Tyler remains completely serious. His hand slides along my back, grips my hip, and pulls me closer.
“Here you go, baby,” a meek voice says from behind us. Reed’s flavor of the day walks up and holds out his beer, glancing over at me briefly before beaming back at him.
Reed smiles, taking the cup and putting his arm around her shoulder. “Thanks. This is Tessa and Tyler,” he says, motioning toward us with his drink. “Guys, this is Alice.”
“Alicia,” she corrects him with a glare.
Tyler laughs next to me, but Reed merely frowns and shrugs it off. “Yeah, that’s what I said. Alicia.” He looks up at us. “We’re gonna go take a walk. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“See ya,” I reply, watching as the two of them disappear into the crowd. I look up at Tyler, catching his eyes on me. “Do you wanna get a drink?”
He shakes his head as he shamelessly drops his gaze to my mouth.
“Do you want to sit down and talk?” I ask.
He shakes his head again, never meeting my eyes. “I wanna get outta here.”
I shift my footing so we’re standing chest to chest, his hand flattening against my lower back. At this closeness, and without the distraction of his mouth on me, I focus on his scent. Like fresh rain water and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Honey, maybe?
Oh, God, yes. That’s what it is. Honey.
He steps back with a smile, grabs my hand, and pulls me in the direction I just came from only minutes ago.
“I thought you wanted to party?” I question as I move with him through the crowd of people. I wave at a few girls I graduated from high school with before glancing over at him.
He grins down at me. “I do, with you. I don’t give a shit about anybody else here.”
“Hmm,” I reply, hearing his soft chuckle next to me. I look ahead of us and stop dead in my tracks, causing Tyler to stumble forward when I refuse to move. I knew this was a possibility. Not even that—I knew it was a damn near certainty I’d see him, but it still shakes me, as if I’m completely unprepared for it.
Luke shifts his attention from my whore of a cousin, who just so happens to be hanging all over him, to me, and then to Tyler. He stands, leaving Leah on the log, and walks straight to us.
“What’s going on?” Tyler asks, unaware of the man who is quickly approaching us from behind him.
Before I can respond, Tyler turns around and comes face to face with him, keeping a tight hold on my hand. He looks back at me. “You know this guy?”
I look at both men, unsure if I should use straight honesty with this situation or not. I choose to stick with the vague truth.
“Yeah,” I answer after one of the longest pauses of my life. I swallow uncomfortably, wishing I still had my beer to help ease down the lump that’s formed in my throat. I keep my eyes on Tyler before continuing. “He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“Jesus Christ. Are you going to introduce me to your parents next?” He tugs me toward him. “Come on. I wanna get outta here.”
Luke steps in front of him, raising an eyebrow. “What’s the rush? The party is just getting started.”
“Luke,” I warn, gaining his attention fleetingly. “Mind your own business.”
“Like you mind yours?” he asks, already having returned his attention to Tyler. They’re both similar in size, but the intimidation Luke has radiating off him right now is enough to make a bigger man recoil. Tyler doesn’t falter as Luke steps closer, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing.
“No priors. No traffic citations. Not even a fucking parking ticket. I’m gonna be honest, that shit doesn’t sit well with me.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Tyler asks.