Page 33 of Only When It Breaks

I flinch. “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is my mum dating your trainwreck of a dad, but here we are.”

She spins away again before I can answer, this time heading for the kitchen. Someone’s chanting “shot, shot, shot,” and I feel my stomach twist.

Bella intercepts me before I can go after Emmie. She trails her fingers over my chest, and I resist the urge to shudder in revulsion. I glance towards the kitchen again, but Emmie’s out of view. “You seem tense?”

“I said I’d watch out for Emmie,” I mutter.

She arches a brow. “She’s not a toddler. Besides, I thought that was, yah know, a social experiment or something.”

“She’s having a shit time.”

“Aren’t we all. Listen, I’m tired of these games, Kai. You’re either into me or you’re not.” And before I can answer, her hand wraps around the back of my neck, and she tugs me closer, her lips pressing against mine.

It takes me a second to come to my senses, and I try to pull back. Bella isn’t deterred, her lips and body pressed so tightly against me, I have to grip her shoulders and practically shove her from me. She grins, “Wanna take it upstairs?”

I frown. “No, Bella. I’m not into you,” I snap, annoyed she lunged at me. “I like someone else.”

Her sickly-sweet smile falters into something darker, a rage she’s trying hard to hold back. “If you’re telling me you’d rather go out with Emmie Carter, than me, we’re so over.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I mutter, moving her to one side and heading into the kitchen.

The crowd is cheering wildly. The chanting, pressing in like they’re watching the main event at some twisted circus.Shot, shot, shot.The smell of spilled beer clings to the air. I shove my way through, elbows digging into ribs as I pass through with my heart pounding for reasons I can’t quite name, until I see her.

Emmie.

She’s flat on her back on the kitchen table, her arms pinned above her head by some drunk girl laughing too hard to care. Two shot glasses balance on her stomach, her shirt riding up just enough to make my jaw clench.

And Henry,fucking Henry,is doing push-ups over her, hands planted on either side of her waist, dipping low to grab the shot with his mouth before tipping his head back with a victorious whoop. The crowdloses it, and the girl holding Emmie down shrieks with laughter.

He goes in for the second, but I’m moving before I think. “Get off her,” I bark, shouldering someone out of the way. Henry doesn’t hear,or pretends not to.He dips again, his face far too close to hers, the table creaking beneath them. “I saidget off her!”

This time, he hears me. Everyone does. The crowd goes still, voices dropping so they can listen to the impending showdown. Henry looks up, half-laughing. “Relax, man. It’s a party.”

Emmie’s eyes find mine, hazy and unfocused but full of something that looks dangerously close to challenge. “It’s fine, Kai. I’m having fun.”

“No, you’re not,” I snap. “You’re being stupid.”

Her face hardens instantly. “Wow. Thanks.”

Henry jumps down, heading off into the crowd, muttering under his breath.

“You lethimcrawl all over you like that, and I’m the bad guy for trying to stop it?”

“I letwhoever the hell I wantcrawl over me,” she says, sitting up and grabbing the last shot from her stomach. She throws it back in one swallow, slamming the glass down hard. “Shouldn’t you be playing tonsil tennis with Bella?”

There are murmurs of‘whoa’as the crowd get excited.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to breathe. She saw the kiss.Fuck.“You’re wasted.”

“And you’re boring,” she says with a crooked grin. “Go home, Kai.” And she jumps down and shoves past me.

Chapter Eleven

Emmie

Everything is spinning, and not in a good way. People are laughing and dancing, and for once, I feel relaxed, like I could join in and be a part of it. And if it wasn’t for Kai, frowning every time I took a shot or spoke to someone, I’d fully be able to let myself enjoy this experience.

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