Page 61 of Keep Me Safe

I roll my eyes, shaking my head. “He’s just making sure I don’t sneak something to drink,” I tell her, not entirely believing myself.

“Speaking of...” I look out into the yard.

Jared and some of his friends are standing in a circle, plastic cups in hand. Jared’s eyes meet mine, and he gestures for Maddie and me to join them. Grabbing her hand, I pull her with me to the group.

“You guys want to play a round of cornhole?” Jared asks, “You and Maddie versus me and Brennan.”

I look up as Brennan approaches. Only a little taller than Jared, he’s objectively beautiful. He was the one who was flirting with me at the bar the night that Noah refused to let me leave with them. I glance back at Noah, his gaze laser-focused on Brennan. I think someone’s jealous.

“If you go get me a drink, then yeah. Come on, Brennan. You can stand on my side,” I say with a sweet smile.

Jared’s jaw visibly tightens as he glances between Brennan and me. What is that about?

“What kind of drink?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Surprise me.”

Jared returns with a plastic cup filled with a fruity yet strong liquid, and I grin at him.

“Thank you,” I say. “Now, are you guys ready to lose?”

Jared chuckles, seemingly back to normal, “You’re on.”

Brennan and I head to stand by the board closest to the hammock, which just so happens to be closer to the grill. Noah’s eyes are trained on me, a scowl on his face. This is going to be somuch fun.

“You can start!” Jared exclaims from the other side of the yard, tossing the bags to us. I roll my eyes, bending over to pick them up off the ground and set them on the board. I can feel eyes on me as I stand up and notice Brennan’s gaze gliding up my body.

“You go first,” I say, only loud enough for Brennan to hear.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

His first throw misses, landing at Maddie’s feet, and I let out a small laugh. He looks over at me, an eyebrow raised in a challenge. His next two land on the board, although one just barely. As he goes to throw the last bag, I take a sip of my drink, and I watch it go right through the hole at the top of the board. I hear Jared cheer, but I’m distracted as Brennan’s hand comes up to my waist.

“You think you can beat that?” he asks, his brown eyes not leaving mine.

My body responds, anxiety filling my chest, but when I look up at him, I don’t see any danger there. He isn’t going to hurt me, at least not right now. I take a deep breath and plaster on a smile.

“Yes,” I answer, taking another sip of my drink before grabbing a bean bag. His hand drops from my hip, and I take a second to look over to the porch. Noah is gone. Keith is manning the grill without him. I glance over the crowd of people on the porch, and that’s when I see him. He’s leaning against the stairs with his arms crossed and his focus locked onto me. He looks pissed.

Good.

I turn back toward the game and study the board on the other side of the lawn. All I need to do is get more than five, but I’m in the mood to show off a little. Stepping up to the board, I throwthe bag with a perfect arc, and it slides into the hole, knocking one of their bags off in the process. I look up at Brennan with an innocent smile.

“I must have just gotten lucky,” I tell him, and he laughs.

“Of course, you’re good at this.”

The rest of the game goes similarly, and Maddie and I secure the win in what feels like record time, finishing as the sun starts to dip below the horizon.

“Alright, I’m not subjecting myself to that again. Let’s go swim.” Jared says.

Finishing my drink, I wave it at Jared, and he laughs.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, grabbing my cup.

I’m already feeling a light buzz from the first drink, but hey, it’s a party. I see Keith untethering Noah’s pontoon boat as we approach the dock.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

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