Page 15 of Get Even

I shrugged, “I like to party.”

“So do I,” she said slightly defensively and I poured us another shot, clicking them together before throwing them down just as Nick walked into the room.

“Well, looky what the cat dragged in,” he purred and I pulled him in for a quick kiss on the cheek and introduced him to Liv and Ryan. “Oh! This is your mystery girl, I heard Jamie slipped you quite the tongue the other night.”

Color filled Liv’s face and Ry sent me a look as if to say,Really?I responded with an eyebrow wiggle and pressed myself against his side as Taylor walked into the kitchen, spotted me and sniffed haughtily as she knocked into Nick reaching for the plastic cups.

Liv recovered well, not everyone could adjust to Nick’s occasionally crass humour so quickly, and sank her hand onto her hip as she pursed her mouth, “I can’t believe you already have a gay black friend, here I thought I was special.”

Nick laughed, “You can join the rainbow hon, Jamie is only slightly less gay than me.”

Ryan looked like he didn’t know quite what to make of this conversational turn and Liv looked… confused? It was hard to place the look on her face as her wide eyes turned to me and she took a step closer. “Really?”

I slapped at Nick’s shoulder, “I’m definitely not as gay as you Nick, otherwise Ryan wouldn’t have anything I’m interested in.”

Taylor finally spoke up, like I’d been waiting for her to do. “Oh well, that’s not hard. You’ve fucked, what –half the football team now? You’re not exactly picky.”

I smiled and Liv relaxed the tense grip on her shot glass before the cheap plastic could break, “Opposed to you, Taylor? Oh right, I forgot. Your type is other people’s boyfriends.”

Taylor scowled and Nick whistled. Liv opened her mouth like she was going to respond but was cut-off as the person I’d been both looking forward to and dreading seeing walked into the kitchen and stopped short, taking in the arm that I now had firmly hooked in Ry’s.

There it was. The look I’d been waiting for. The rage, maybe a little betrayal, crossing those blandly handsome features. The pop of his jaw as he strode closer to us, the clench of his fists, the way the air around him seemed to crackle as if his rage was a tangible thing. Like I was a prize to be fought over.

I turned my back to him as he got close enough to speak and instead leaned into Ryan. A small grin curled Ry’s bottom lip, that sloppy smile more attractive than Aaron’s carefully polished looks by a mile. Ryan didn’t look up from my lips, running his tongue lightly across his mouth before saying calmly, “Hey, man.”

A hot hand clamped onto my forearm and I gasped, whirling around to face my ex and shrugging his arm off me ineffectively. Another hand, strong with a pale scar running across the index finger to his wrist, grasped Aaron’s and prised it off slowly. Ryan’s expression didn’t change, as though the action required little to no effort.

“When a woman recoils from your touch, you should let go.”

My eyes met Ryan’s and I got lost in the pool of blue for a moment, letting Aaron stew for longer. Like a bad dog, I didn’t want to give him any attention. Ryan was steady, calm and maybe a little smug where Aaron was seething. Liv leaned back against the faux granite countertops, sipping at another shot of vodka and I pulled a face at her. Why couldn’t she just swallow the things like a normal person? Who wanted to actually taste their vodka? Not me, that was for sure.

“Ryan,” Taylor cooed, trying to wedge her way between us as she pressed perfectly manicured nails to his chest so hard they left ripples in his dark shirt, “you could do so much better than these damaged goods.”

“Like you?” Liv snorted and I grinned, glad she had my back.

“Who even are you?” Taylor snarled, spinning around so fast her blonde hair whipped across Ry’s face. “Just another slut, I’m guessing. Did Jamie fuck you too? You guys could form a club!” She clapped sarcastically and only Ryan’s hand sliding firmly around my waist stopped me from ripping her hair out.

“Academic probation,” he whispered as he pressed his mouth to my neck, trailing kisses up to my ear and biting the lobe punishingly.

“Oh,” I let out a deep breath and decided to ignore Taylor in favor of finally acknowledging my ex, knowing that denying her any attention would hurt her vanity more than me plowing a fist into her mouth. I ran my nose against Ry’s cheek, teasing a kiss at the corner of his mouth before flicking a disinterested look over at Aaron. “It’s you.”

Aaron’s nostrils flared and his eyes were like hard blocks of ice, the blue looked cheap and faded next to Ryan’s deep denim tones. “Really man? You’re banging my girlfriend?”

“Ex,” I corrected helpfully and pressed my chest against Ryan’s from the side as I looked up at him, effectively pushing Taylor out of the way and she left the room in a huff. Good job too, this tiny room was becoming crowded.

“What the fuck are you doing here with him?” Aaron barked and I fought back a laugh. “I don’t want you two together.”

“Hmm,” I said, tapping a finger against my chin as I reached out and accepted a shot from Liv with my other hand. “That’s strange.” The alcohol burned all the way down, setting my veins humming.

“What?” Aaron snapped, mouth a flat, white line, like a bloodless slash in his face.

“I’m just really struggling to remember when I asked you for your fucking opinion,” I turned and gave him a wide, sweet smile, the one I used to use when I sucked his dick just the way he liked, and he heaved in a breath that sounded like a grunt as Liv snorted and Nick muttered a prayer. Ryan slid an arm around my waist and I moved my body back against his. “Now, if you’d be so kind – get out of our fucking way. I think Taylor went in that direction when she stomped out of here. You guys are close, right? I’m sure she’ll give you some of the attention you so clearly need.”

I mouthedblue ballsat Liv and she grinned as she linked her arm with Nick’s and I slid my hand into Ryan’s as we collectively elbowed our way past my ex. A smug smile caught at my mouth as I saw Aaron’s enraged face in my head over and over. Ryan didn’t even look at Aaron, just let us lead as we made our way back to the main room where the music was loudest.

Someone with some taste had finally taken the aux off of the freshmen new recruits and I moved my hips to Doja’sWoman, grabbing onto Liv’s hips and encouraging her to move when she stayed standing still. Nick shook his ass and Liv relaxed a bit more, laughing.

Ryan dropped down into an armchair close-by and I felt his eyes on every inch of my skin as I moved to the beat, like I danced just for him. Liv held tightly onto the plastic red cup of drink she’d made in the kitchen as she bobbed her head to the music, eyes darting back and forth between me and Ry.

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