Page 26 of Don't Puck Your Best Friend’s Girl

To my surprise, she complies, fishing her phone from her purse and handing it over. I create a new contact, typing my details.

"There," I say, returning her phone. "If you want to talk, you can text me. Ball's in your court."

Her laughter bubbles up again, more pronounced this time. "Could you get any more fucked up, Cade?" she asks, her words slightly slurred. And my gut sinks. "You think I'd be interested in you like actually?"

The question lands like a physical blow. I stare at her, trying to reconcile this Saylor with the one who told me about her fears less than two hours ago.

"You think I'd be interested in getting cheated on?" she continues, her smile still in place despite the cruelty of her words. "No, thank you."

She turns to leave but stumbles slightly. My hand shoots out automatically, catching her elbow to steady her. The contact brings her closer, her face tilted up to mine, close enough that I can smell the sweet remnants of cranberry on her breath.

"You are really amazing in bed, Cade," she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'll call you when I buy new lingerie, okay? I want to look cute for you."

The whiplash of her changing moods leaves me speechless. Is she mocking me? Flirting? I can't get a read on her, can't tell if I'm being played or pursued. But the thought of her buying lingerie just for me makes me ache for our her all over again.

She reaches up, bopping me lightly on the nose with her fingertip. "You are very naughty, Cade," she says, her tone playful now. "You hooked up with your best friend's girlfriend."

"Ex," I correct her automatically. "You're his ex."

She laughs, tossing her head back. "Am I? Oh, right. Still naughty though."

Shit. She's drunk and I don't know if she's going to remember tonight. Dread fills me as Mina's voice calls her name. Saylor steps away from me, toward the door.

"I expect you to keep this a secret," she says, suddenly serious.

"I will," I promise, watching as she backs toward the exit, her gaze holding mine until the last possible moment.

Then she's gone, the door closing firmly behind her. I stand in the empty entryway, running a hand through my hair, trying to make sense of what just happened. The confidence I felt earlier has evaporated, replaced by a gnawing paranoia. How drunk was she earlier? What game is she playing? What game am I playing?

The drive to my apartment is solitary and cold, the spring night carrying a chill that seeps through my jacket. My phone buzzes as I reach my place — a text from Byron.

Dude where are you? Call me when you get this.

I stare at the message, guilt settling heavy in my stomach. I should call him. I should tell him I saw Saylor at the party. I should tell him that I talked to her.

Instead, I stay off my phone and climb the stairs to my house in the darkness. Trevor's gone for the weekend. I strip off my clothes, still carrying her scent, and fall onto my bed, exhaustion and alcohol pulling me toward sleep.

As I lay in bed, the same thought keeps repeating over and over.

I fucked up.

I fucked up big time.

Chapter 6

My phone vibrates under my pillow nonstop, but I feel like I'm dreaming it. The persistent buzzing tunnels through my skull, each vibration like a tiny earthquake against my temples. I burrow deeper into my covers, chasing unconsciousness, but the device continues its relentless assault on my senses.

Whoever is trying to reach me can wait. The pounding in my head won't. I squeeze my eyes shut against the thin sliver of sunlight seeping through my curtains, willing the room to stop spinning.

Fragments of last night float through my consciousness like debris after a storm. Dancing with Mina and Chloe. Shots of something clear and burning. The party. More dancing.

And then—

Cade.

My eyes snap open as memories cascade through the alcohol-induced fog. His hands on my skin. His mouth on mine. The look in his eyes when I took off my clothes for him, wearing lingerie underneath. My first ever orgasm during sex. The size of his large dick making me cry out. How he had my ass in the air.

Oh god.

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