Page 157 of The Charlie Method

I let out a small breath, realizing how much these guys mean to me. They’re not just here for the fun of it—they’re looking out for me. And that makes my heart swell with emotion.

“Last rule,” Will says. “You listen to us. If we say it’s time to go, we go. No arguing, no ‘just one more song.’ Got it?”

I lick my lips, noticing how they both track the movement of my tongue. “You two are so fucking hot right now.”

Beckett narrows his eyes at me, clearly trying to keep a straight face too. “We’re serious. We’re not playing around.”

“I know,” I say, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “And I love that you guys care so much.”

Beckett opens his fist and holds the baggie out to me. “You still want to do this?”

I nod, warmth flooding my chest as I accept the bag from him and fish out the tiny pill. Before I pop it into my mouth, I glance at the boys, my throat tightening.

“Thank you,” I say softly. “For looking out for me.”

“Always.” Will’s voice is a low rumble.

“Now take it before we change our minds,” Beckett says with a grin.

I grin back, then place the pill on my tongue and swallow it with a gulp of water from the bottle Will passes me.

No matter what happens tonight, I know they’ll take care of me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

BECKETT

She’s with us

AKALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR WASHES OVER THE PACKED CROWD, LIGHTSpulsing in time with the frenetic beat, and the air is thick with sweat and the electric energy of a thousand bodies moving as one. I’ve been to raves before, but this one is different. This time, Charlie is with me. And she’s fucking glowing. The way she moves, the way she smiles… It’s like watching someone come alive for the first time. She’s let go completely, lost in the music, her body swaying and spinning in a rhythm that’s all her own.

Will and I stick close, making sure she’s safe, but we can’t help but be mesmerized by the way she dances. As she moves under the flashing lights, her dress slides and skims over her pale, firm thighs, her black hair cascading down her shoulders, I can’t tear my gaze away.

The last time I was this spellbound by a girl was in high school. With Shannon. I still remember the first time I laid eyes on Shannon. Ninth grade. First day. I walked into homeroom and spotted her sitting in the front row, her golden hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights, her full lips pinched in a line of distress as she tried to make sense of the math equation she was trying to solve. Yep, she was doing homework before it had even been assigned.

Turns out I have a hard-on for the overachieving type.

I’d always been a back-of-the-room sort of guy, but the moment I saw that willowy blond with the sweet frown and delicate fingers choking the life out of her pencil, I was a goner. I walked to the front row, sat beside her, and introduced myself. I was confident, even at fourteen.

I think she was surprised I was talking to her. It was only the first day, but I was already destined to be the popular dude at Lincoln High. Already one of the stars of the hockey team, as proven during our summer training camp. Already wearing a hockey shirt in our school’s colors.

On our first date, Shannon confessed she never thought a jock would be interested in someone like her. She claimed she’d been a huge dork in junior high, invisible to all the boys. I had no idea how someone like Shannon could ever be invisible to anyone. Her aura drew me in from the second I saw her. I never believed in love at first sight until that morning in homeroom.

It wasn’t love at first sight with Charlotte. I thought she was hot when I met her in Climate Policy, but nothing more. Hell, even now, I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling for her. Not love, obviously. I don’t do that shit anymore.

But it’s…something.

I told her about the letters I wrote to Shannon, for chrissake. That indicates something more than lust.

But it’s definitely not love.

Charlie catches our eyes and beams at us. Her cheeks are flushed red from excitement. Well, that and from the MDMA coursing through her veins. She’s high, but it’s a giddy, euphoric high. Her laughter rings out above the music as she dances her way over to us.

“You guys are just standing there!” She grabs Will and pulls him into the throng of dancers. “Dance with me!”

He chuckles, letting himself be dragged into the crowd, and I follow, unable to resist her infectious energy. I hate dancing, but this doesn’t require a lot of skill. It’s too crowded to move much. All I have to do is stand there and grind against my girl’s hot, tight body, sandwiching her between me and Will. The three of us dance together, moving in sync, laughing like the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

I bend my head toward Charlie’s ear, checking in with her as I’ve done all night. “You okay, sugar puff?”

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