This was what was wrong. That buzzing feeling intensified. It was me. I violated something, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was.
“Kenz.” Gage was saying again, trying to get my attention.
“What?”
“Who were you with just now?”
“Your friends, in the booth where we ate.”
He cursed, hanging his head a moment.
Shay asked, his jaw still clenching, “Who were your friends?”
Gage shook his head. “I don’t even remember. She needs to go home.”
“No shit.” Shay narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re wasted, too.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on. “No. I don’t want to go home.” I was having fun, finally.
Shay turned those heated eyes on me. “You’re underage and drunk. You’re not staying.”
I started to lean back, but his hand tightened. Who did he think he was? He clipped his head from side to side. “No. I’m not arguing with you. This is not up for debate. You are going home.” He caught movement at our side and lifted his head. “I’m taking her home.”
Linde shoved his way in, reaching for me. “Clarke?”
He just touched my arm. I didn’t understand why everyone was so mad. I looked between all of them. “I’m good. I’m having fun. I don’t get the problem.”
Gage groaned. “I fucked up.”
Shay ignored him, saying to Linde, “You sober?”
Linde shook his head, his hand falling back to his side. “No. You?”
“I just downed too much. It’s going to hit me.” He tugged me closer to him, leaning back to my ear. “I’m going to call for a cab. I’ll ride with you to your dorm.”
I turned my head so my lips were a few inches from him. He pulled back a little so he could see me, but that just meant our lips were even closer together. There was a small amount of space between our bodies. I wasn’t fully leaning on him, but I was beginning to wonder why not. We were so close, and I was getting heated. I was forgetting what I was going to say.
“You don’t want me here?”
His eyes darkened. “That isn’t it.” His hand lifted to the side of my face, but he cursed and let it fall again. He straightened, pulled away, and raised his voice. “If you get caught here, you’ll be in a ton of trouble. All of us would since we know you’re here. You have to go.”
I felt a pang in my chest. That made sense. I turned to Gage and Linde. “I don’t want you guys to get in trouble for me. I’m sorry.”
Linde started to shake his head, but Gage turned to Shay. “You stay. She’s my sister. I’ll take her home.”
Shay ignored him, asking Linde, “Can you call a cab?”
Linde nodded, pulling his phone out. He pointed to the side door where we stood. “It might be awhile. Tonight’s busy. I’ll have it pull up out there. You guys can just slip out.”
Shay nodded. His arm fell away from around my waist, but he kept one hand on my hip. It anchored me in place, and his hand flexed, clamping down a little harder. It just pulled me toward him again. That same buzzing sensation was building in me, taking over. I shook my head, trying to clear some of the fog that being around Shay formed.
I couldn’t fall into him and pull those lips down to mine. There was a reason, but I was fast forgetting it. I was in a bar. There were people around us, and he was so warm. He was so protective. He was dangerous. I felt a slice of awareness. This was the guy who commanded his football team against the opponents. He ran the show, and he hadn’t let me see this side of him, but I wasn’t worried. That danger wasn’t directed at me. It was out, because of me, because he was going to take care of me.
I started to throb, wanting him, almost needing him. But, no. My brother was there. People were there. I held myself back, and I glanced up and felt captured immediately. The same stark hunger was there, and I almost groaned, my tongue darting out to lick my lips. His eyes caught the movement, and I swear that I heard an answering groan from him. His hand took on a different hold. He was keeping me in place and himself back.
We just stood there, waiting, trying not to jump at each other.
Apparently the pub was still serving food because a pizza arrived to the table. I wasn’t going to eat any, but Shay’s eyes flashed at me. “You need to eat. You need to sober up.”
Well, when you put it that way. And my mouth was watering again. Why did everything taste so much better after booze?
I finished my second piece when I felt a soft touch on my arm. Gage flashed me a sad smile. He leaned close. “I didn’t know this was going on.”
I looked at Shay. He turned his head away. I wasn’t sure if he heard or not. The music was drowning everything out, but he was close. He could’ve heard. Either way, he was acting as if he hadn’t. He was giving my brother and me some privacy.
I said back to Gage, “There’s nothing going on.”
Gage cocked his head to the side, his lips forming a frown. “Are you serious?”
I was beginning to remember the problem. I’d outed myself. People now knew who I knew. The realization flooded in, along with an increasing panic, but I couldn’t stop it. It was already done. I was standing in a very small and sheltered circle of these guys whom I didn’t want people to know were in my life.
Even knowing the problems this could cause, I had no desire to pull away from Shay’s hand. That one touch, one hold, was tantalizing to me. I began to thirst for more, and I looked at his face, at his lips.
They were perfect, especially when they were on me.
Sensing my attention, Shay’s lip twitched into a smirk.
Hunger, desire, and a primal need overwhelmed me. I started to sway toward him, but his hand flexed again. He held me back, and he wasn’t letting me move any farther away.
Linde leaned in to my brother, said something, and then flashed his phone at Shay.
Gage turned to me. “Your cab is here. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I already knew I didn’t want that, though I nodded.
Shay turned me around, pushing away from the wall. His hands found both sides of my waist, and he started to propel me forward and around the table. We moved through the crowd. There weren’t a lot of people between us and the door, but there were enough that it still took a few minutes. I waved to Linde over my shoulder, and he dipped his head in another one of those nods. He turned, his hand going around the waist of the girl who led me to their table. She was saying something to him, and his head bent down to better hear her. Gage waved, too, but his eyes were sad.
I sighed.
Shay reached around me and opened the door.
I stepped out, his hands still on me, and made sure the door shut right behind us. He ushered me behind a truck, stepping around so we were hidden. As soon as we did, the door opened again. I saw a security guard look out. He searched up and down both sides of the sidewalk, frowned, and retreated back inside.
Shay was so close behind me that I could feel his body heat. “No one’s supposed to use that door. It’s for emergencies. They think someone tried to sneak in.”
That made sense. I was trying to tell him that, but my throat stopped working. Everything stopped working, even my brain. I turned around, my back against the truck, and I gazed at Shay. His eyes were almost black, and I knew he was feeling the same need as me. I could feel him on my hip. I reached down and brushed over the bulge in his jeans.
He expelled a ragged breath, closing his eyes. “You’re drunk.”
My hand curved around him, applying pressure. I murmured, my voice husky, “I’m not that drunk.” I’d been sobering up real fast, and I stepped into him, bringing our bodies in line together. I looked up, my thumb rubbing over him through his jeans. “Let’s go to your house instead.”
He groaned, his eyes lidded and heavy as he watched me, but then there was a flash of lights and a car pulled up by the side door we had just snuck out from. He cursed, taking my hand. “It’s the cab. Come on.”
We got into the cab, and Shay told him his address.
He sank back next to me, our hands intertwined, and I didn’t know what I was doing. My heart was racing. My entire body was inflamed. Our hips were touching, and he turned so it looked like he was looking out my door, but he wasn’t. His lips were at my forehead, and our hands moved to my lap. They pressed down on my leg. The back of his hand was lightly touching where I was throbbing the most.