Page 2 of Bought and Broken

I roll my eyes at their annoying need to flirt. They’ve been fuck buddies for as long as I can remember. Him, and three other guys on the team that don’t seem to care they’re all fucking the same girl. Summer likes to have fun in the form of sex and isn’t afraid to admit it.

“Devon is trying to hide from someone,” Summer adds, sidling up to Tommy’s side. He puts his arm around her.

“Yeah, I think we can help with that,” Marcus says with a smile. He steps closer to me and puts his arm around my waist. I giggle and take another sip, knowing I’m hidden behind his giant wall of a body. The rest of the guys shift into more of a circle, so Summer and I are in the middle. I work on my drink, swaying to the music that’s bumping all around us. I love a good party. The drinking, the music, the energy. Everything about it is—

“Hands off,” someone growls.

My spine goes stiff at the sound of that voice. Even through all the noise in here, that voice cuts me like a thousand knives.

Marcus, who is still touching me, slowly turns to face Tate.

“Excuse me?” Marcus says cockily.

Damnit. Summer raises a brow at me, but instead of telling her what’s going on, I turn to face Tate too.

“Go away, Tatum,” I say, giving him a shove while stepping out of Marcus’s grip. Staying there will only piss off Tatum more. Because even though he dumped me, he still thinks he owns me. He just likes to blame it on being my brother’s best friend now.

He gives me one of his devilishly gorgeous smiles that has my knees weak. I’d fall for it if I didn’t know his tricks. He uses that smile to get what he wants, and I so badly want to fall into his arms again but fuck him. Tate is an asshole.

We’d been best friends since kindergarten, and we started dating after years of tension between us. Then after only a few months together, he breaks up with me for no reason at all. I never even got an explanation. He likes to tell me I know what I did wrong, but I didn’t do a damn thing to him.

“Does your brother know you’re here?” Tate asks.

“Yes,” I say way too quickly.

No, Dane does not know I’m here.

I told him I wasn’t coming to the party so he wouldn’t have to worry about hunting me down to kick me out, to which he responded he wasn’t coming either. That’s why I’m here. I figured I could get away with it since he would not be here. But if Tate’s here, Dane is here. They don’t do anything without the other.

Used to be that way with me too. We were the perfect little triangle, doing everything together, all the time.

But—shit!

If Tate is here, Dane is here.

Why haven’t I been looking around for Dane?

Damn alcohol.

I take another sip of my drink and point at Tatum; the tequila giving me balls. Maybe it helps that I have five of our school’s best football players backing me up. Something that won’t hold weight much longer, considering we’ve just graduated.

“Go away!”

He raises a brow at me, seeming shocked. He shouldn’t be. Telling him off is something I do multiple times a day. Just not usually in front of so many people. At this point, when I’m caught at parties, I run away with my tail between my legs. Okay, maybe it’s more like lying down belly up and letting them drag me away.

It’s been going on for years and I’ve learned they go easier on me when I listen. Well, I’m done listening. This is the first party I’ve gone to since Tate broke up with me, and I want to enjoy myself.

“She said go away, Winters,” Marcus says, putting his arm around me again.

Well, that’s only going to piss Tate off more, but I don’t push Marcus away. I want to see Tate mad.

The rest of the guys take up space behind us, as if they’re all willing to fight for me. They’d kick Tate’s ass no doubt, but he’d get revenge another way. They’re much bigger than him, plus there are five of them and only one of him. It’s not that Tate is small—he isn’t. He’s tall and toned, but they’re football players and Tate has never touched a ball that isn’t his own. Maybe my brother’s. Who the hell knows?

Tate steps toward us, getting eye to eye with Marcus. Without saying a word, he grips my arm and yanks me away.

“I’d mind your own fucking business if I were you, Samuelson,” Tate seethes.

He storms away, tugging me after him.

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