“Okay, easy there.” Jaimie nervously chuckles, pulling me into her side. She’s on my left.
I still cast a glare at the pissy girl on my right and flash her my tongue.
“I wanna play—” I begin to exclaim.
But a knock on the open door cuts me off.
“Hey, are we too late to join?” a familiar sweet voice asks, and I look up and find Rose nervously waving at me.
I gasp and look to her side, where her hand is curled with Grey’s, who is staring at me with a hard look that makes my stomach twirl like it’s in the drying machine. “Rose!” I shoot to my feet and rush over to her like a baby deer in heels, stumbling and all. When I finally reach her, I launch myself onto her, wrapping my arms around her.
She doesn’t hug back, shocked, but then she does, and I sigh in relief. “Happy birthday,” she says with a short laugh.
“Mmm, thank you,” I mumble into her hair. It smells like roses that God danced through. When she pulls back, I turn my eyes to Grey and wince. “Don’t like you at the moment,” I say blankly, then skip back to my seat and crash onto the floor, bumping into the girl next to me. “Whoopsy daisy! Time to play!” I shout, then reach for the bottle. Jaimie pulls me back a tad.
“Think you should take a break,” she says, and I evil-eye Grey as he walks over to the black leather couch on our left, glancing at me with an unreadable but damn annoying look.
“No breakage needed, m’kay? M’kay.” I push her face away and spin the bottle. “Land on Noah. Land on Noah,” I chant quite loudly, making everyone, especially Noah, chuckle.
I hold my breath as it slows…and lands on…I follow the tip of the green bottle…Grey…
“Oh, fuck me,” I groan.
Chapter Forty
“Nope, nope—not doing that. It’s canceled, over with—not doing it.” My words slur heavily as I wave a finger around.
“Come on, it’s just a ga—” the girl next to me begins to say.
“He’s the devil incarnated!” I move my accusing finger to Grey, who blankly stares at me. “See? No feelings. He’s like an evil mannequin with abs. Glorious, glorious abs,” I whisper the end, but from the laughs all around, I’m not so sure it was discreet.
I see Noah wince and frown.
“It won’t be so bad…seven minutes, tops.” Jaimie pokes my side.
“Why are you supporting this?” I hiss.
“Because I want Julia and me in there next,” she properly whispers. “Don’t take too long doing what y’all freakies do.”
“I am not a freaky. If anything, he’s a freaky,” I whisper successfully but point straight at Grey.
“Are we doing this or what?” Grey barks, making everyone, including me, face him, but I’m more scared than anything. Me alone in a closet space with him? The freak of the freaks? Oh, no. There is no possible way I am going in there. There is no way I’m moving from this spot.
“No!” I scream at him, then show him my tongue.
He rolls his eyes. “Stop being such a baby.”
“I am not a baby!” I snap, then compose myself. “I am a nineteen-year-old girl, no baby in sight.”
His lips fall into a sloped smile. “Then come on.” He eyes the closet on the other side of the room, and I gulp and glance at Rose.
She catches my eyes and shrugs, raising her palms in the air. “I’m all good with it—just a game.”
How is she okay with this?
“I demand a recount,” I exclaim, waving a finger in the air.
“You can’t do that if there was no count in the first place,” a boy with curly red hair across from me says, rolling his eyes.
“I do, because this game is booty!” I declare.
“No, it’s not—” he tries to defend.
“Yes, it’s booty,” I insist.
“Stop saying that—” He’s getting annoyed.
I stare into his eyes for one beat, then two, then, “Booty.” I drag the word out.
“That’s it!” he screams, jerking forward.
“Protect me!” I fly into Jaimie’s arms, and she laughs and pats my head.
“Stop being a pussy and come on,” Grey drawls, taking a large gulp of his canned beer.
“No way, José.” I shake my head no.
“Why not? It’s not like I’m going to touch you or anything.” His eyes are just as cold as his words.
“You want me to go in there with that? He’s a big ol’ meanie,” I say, exasperated.
“Liv,” Noah says, and I face him. He has a slight smile that I just know is forced, because surely, he can’t be okay with this. “If you don’t want to play…we can go somewhere else.” He’s so sweet, maybe too sweet for me.
I hear Grey grunt, and something clicks in me that makes me see red…maybe it’s just the alcohol, but red is what I see, and I’m going off on that!
I shift my eyes from Noah’s beautiful green eyes to Grey’s black-as-night eyes. “I am no pussy,” I snarl, then stumble to my feet, swaying a bit, but I catch my balance and glare at Grey. “I am more of a dog person, thank you very much!” With determination clouding my judgment, I stomp through the circle, purposefully kicking the carrot top boy, and stride into the dark closet.
Black overtakes my sight, and I shriek and whirl around, ready to run out and jump onto Noah. But I bump into what I think is a wall. And although I shouldn’t freak out, my drunken mind makes it out to be a soul-sucking demon who’s come to take my not-so-pure soul, and I scream on the top of my lungs.
A hand is clamped over my mouth, and a flickering light is by my face, illuminating Grey’s scowl.
“Stop screaming,” he demands, voice hard and rugged.
I scream even louder into his rough palm, but it comes out muffled and incoherent.
“Will you stop screaming now?” he hisses, annoyed, eyes flattened in slits.
I mumble a no just to be defiant and lick his palm.
“Eck, gross!” he shouts, wiping his hand on my cheek.
“Don’t do that!” I squeal, shaking my head.
“Then don’t lick my palm.” He chuckles, and I smile, enjoying the way his full lips curl into a rueful smile.
“What’s with the flame? Are we cave people?” I nod to the lighter clutched in his hand.
“There’s no lightbulb,” he informs me.
“Great,” I huff and cross my arms. After a few seconds of silence, I ask, “Do you have any games we can play? I’m bored.”
His smile widens a tad bit. “If you’ve forgotten, we’re in here because of a game. And it’s been, like, one minute since we’ve been in here.”
I nod. “Do you have food on you? Perhaps peanut butter? I can reeeeally go for some peanut butter at the moment.”
“Liv,” he says, and I hum a response. “You’re drunk. Just sit down and we’ll wait this out.” He places the lighter on one of the shelves and grips my arms, leveling his pitch-black eyes with mine. I wonder if he can see mine through the dark, because I can barely see his in this moment. They sparkle, though, like they were plucked from a patch of starry night and placed carefully in his head.
“But I’m hungry,” I whine, pressing my face in his chest.
He stiffens. “What are you doing?” he slowly questions as I bite his hard chest.
“Nothing,” I mumble, then bite again.
He pulls me back and tries so hard not to crack a smile. “Are you trying to eat me?”
I take a second to think, then draw out, “Nooo…”
His struggle isn’t long-lived, because his lips branch out into a lovely smile.
“You’re very beautiful,” I blurt out.
His smile dims a little. “You should really sit down.”
“I mean, really, really beautiful.” I close the gap between us and brush the hair falling over his forehead behind his ear. He carefully watches me but doesn’t push me away. I cock my head to the side with a crooked half-smile. “You have stars for eyes, you know that, right?
” I hum as I trace my fingertips down his temples into his dimple that’s peeking out like a groundhog. “And dimples the size of canyons,” I add, biting down on my bottom lip. My fingers glide across his rugged, but attractive, stubble and touches his lips like a feather. “And lips like two plump cushions…”
He grabs my wrist and grinds his teeth. “Stop it,” he orders, his voice low and chilling. I shiver.
“But—” I whimper.
“I said stop it, Liv!” He flings my arm away, and I consciously rub it as he runs his hands over his hair.
“Stop what?” I shrug my shoulders.
“That.” He gestures to me wildly. “I’m supposed to be mad at you, and you’re not helping by calling me beautiful and talking the way you just were.”
“Why are you mad at me again?” I slump my shoulders, my face twisted up in exhaustion.
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my head. “You broke me. That’s why I’m fucking mad!”
“This again?” I huff.
He scoffs, pinching his lower lip. “Yes, this again.”
“I just wanted to get into the program,” I breathe and sit on the floor. It was taking too much energy to stand up. “You were an asshole ninety-five percent of the time, but it is no excuse—I get it. But…fuck, Grey. What do you want me to do?” I raise my arms, avoiding his eyes. “Do you want me to bake you a cake or something?”
“I want you to suffer,” he whispers, his voice laced with malice.
“I already am.” My voice cracks.
Silence fills the room, and tears trail down my cheeks. I hang my head in shame. This lovely little conversation has definitely sobered me up, but I want to be drunk again. Because when I am drunk, the liquor clouds my never-ending thoughts about him. I’m able to forget about him and I am finally able to breathe. But I cannot do either while I am here, stuck in this small, dark closet with him.
“Did you ever love me?” His voice is so low, I almost don’t hear him.
“What?” I crane my neck back, but he descends onto the ground next to me.
The lighter is enough to illuminate the room, so I can see the hesitation, the battle on his face. He tugs and twists his lip, and I want so badly to just reach over and kiss him. But I’m not drunk enough for that, especially since I feel a tad sober.
My heart stammers when he looks at me, eyes orange and red and black, filled with sadness.
“Did you ever…love me?” he asks again, sounding soft as silk.
I am speechless before I find the energy.
“Yes, of course,” I say breathlessly.
“Of course,” he mumbles, tearing his eyes from me. He’s trying his best not to explode on me.
“I’m serious, Grey,” I say in a firm voice, and he clicks his tongue, meeting my eyes again. I place my hand on his knee, and he freeze the same time I do, but I don’t move my hand. I need to touch him to find clarity the same way he needed the same when grabbing my hands. “I loved you more than life itself…and I still do.” My words are slurring, but I push past the cloudiness in my throat and continue. “When I first saw you, you scared the crap out of me. But even then, I knew…I just knew that you’d mean something to me. And you proved my theory each and every day.”
“How could you do that to me?” His voice is so shattered, so gone…it breaks me completely. It sounds like he’s on the verge of tears.
“I am so sorry, Grey.” I nearly choke on my words, but I have to tell him this or I think I might implode. “I had everything, but I didn’t know…I wish I could take it back. I wish we could go back to December when everything was perfect—”
“Well, you can’t!” he snaps, and I stare at him, startled. His hair is a dark mess as he threads his long fingers through them. “Okay? You can’t go back, and you can’t fix anything. You’ve ruined everything, you’ve ruined us…and you’ve ruined me.” His pants fill the room.
I turn from him and nod to myself, fighting back tears. “So where do we go from here?”
I can feel his eyes drilling holes in the side of my head. He breathes, “Nowhere.”
I know I should nod, take his decision, and walk away from him…but I can’t. I don’t want to obey the courteous rules. I don’t want to walk away when I can run into his arms. I once promised that I would run to him and not from him. I have to at least try to get him back, even if it kills me. Because then I’d die knowing that I gave it my all.
I sit on my knees and maneuver myself in front of him.
“What are you—?” he begins, eyes wide.
“Tell me you don’t feel anything…and I’ll leave Miami, first thing tomorrow,” I promise, clutching his face.
His hands grip my hips, and I feel my blood get burning hot. “You’re drunk…” he trails, but I can see how badly he wants me in his eyes. He emphasizes his desire the way he keeps glancing at my lips as I wet them with my tongue.
“Drunk for you,” I whisper, looking down at his lips too.
Is he pushing forward, or am I leaning forward? I honestly can’t tell.
“No, Liv—” he grumbles without conviction.
I brush my lips against his. Just one push, just one motion…and I am able to taste him in what feels like an eternity of isolation…
Before I can push forward, blinding light enters the room, as well as the sounds of laughter. Oh yeah, there’s a party going on. It felt like it was just me and Grey in our little black world.
I squint and find Noah staring at me, looking like he’s been shot in the gut.
My heart sinks.
“Noah,” I wheeze.
His jaw tightens as he balls his hands in his fists and storms out of the red room.
“Wait!” I stand up, wobbling, and glance down at Grey.
He looks hurt all the same, but then a blank canvas replaces it, and he’s out of the door, brushing past my shoulders, making me stumble back.
What the hell did I just do?
Chapter Forty-One
Grey
“Another,” I demand, slapping my shot glass on the kitchen table. The sucker I dragged from his friends to be my own personal bartender bites his tongue, afraid I’d whip his ass, and pours me another shot of plain vodka. It stings like a motherfucker as it goes down, but it’s all about the buzz, right? The buzz that works its way to your brain and flushes out common sense.
I just need to get drunk out of my mind and get her out of it. I can’t help but admit that, when she got in front of me, so close to my lips, so close to me…I was ecstatic. On cloud nine, jumping for joy and almost relief when her lips brushed mine, it was almost torturous. But when that door swung open and we were thrown back into the real world, she scrambled off of me, like I wasn’t enough for her in her new world of lavish living and new friends. I felt my entire body shut down when she pulled away from me and ran after him.
For a moment, I let myself believe that all could be forgiven…as long as I tasted her sweet, precious lips, and more, so much more…but then she realized she’s moved on and had to go console her teddy bear boyfriend. The thought makes me boil even more and skyrockets my irritation to new levels.
“Can’t you do this yourself…?” The boy trails off when I glare at him. Clamping his mouth shut, he goes back to pouring me another drink after I finish the previous shot. “Sorry,” he mumbles, and I roll my eyes in pure annoyance.
“Grey…you okay, man?” Mateo greets me with worry in his eyes as he enters the lavish kitchen.
“Of course, I’m okay,” I grumble, downing my fifth shot. Or is it my seventh? Doesn’t really matter. I slap the glass on the counter and avoid Mateo’s gaze. “Is there something you need?” I snap, finally meeting his wide eyes.
His brows furrow. “You’re obviously not fine…is it Rose?”
I scoff. “She’s not important enough for me to be upset over her.”
Mean, but I’m not known for being nice, now am I?
“Then I’m guessing, Liv?” He raises an eyebrow,
and I make a whooping noise.
“Bullseye, big guy,” I sass with an equally sarcastic grin. But I drop it and smack the glass on the counter. I think I hear a crack. The boy whimpers, and I roll my eyes and snatch the Grey Goose from his shaky hands. “Fuck off. You’re too incompetent and slow. You wouldn’t make it as a bartender.” When all he does is shake and look up at me as if I’m a big bad wolf, I bark like one. “Get the fuck out of here, shrimp! Get!”
“Mommy!” he screams like a little bitch as he bypasses his equally scared friends, who follow after him into the next room.
I smirk and tip my head back with the bottle.
“Okay, don’t you think you should calm down a little? There is such a thing as alcohol poisoning,” Mateo coos, bringing the bottle down.
“Stop being a little bitch. Take some.” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, offering the half empty bottle. Already, I can see colorful spots popping up from behind my eyes.
He only stares into my eyes until it gets uncomfortable. “What happened, Grey?”
“Nothing happened, mood killer.” I bring the tip of the bottle to my mouth, but he takes it away. “Hey, give it back!”
“What happened?” he reiterates.
“You’re really fucking annoying; did you know that?” I gripe.
“Grey,” he warns.
“She’s with someone else!” I snap so loud, everyone lingering in the kitchen glances at me. I grind my teeth and grab the bottle from him, taking the longest swig yet. Tears well in my eyes, and I suddenly can’t take the fire burning down my throat when all I want is to extinguish it. The only other time I feel flames licking their way from the inside out was whenever I was with Liv, because she always made me feel like I was burning up but in the best way possible.
I throw the bottle at the wall, receiving screams of terror, but I ignore it and the tears threatening to escape my eyes.
“Jesus Christ, Grey,” Mateo shouts, looking between the wall and me.
“But I have someone else too,” I sneer and shove by his shoulder as I storm into the next room. I hear him scream my name, and I know he’s chasing after me, but with the massive crowd and blaring music, I lose him easily.
Grey: The Retribution (Spectrum Series Book 3) Page 27
