Page 40 of Obligation
“The best,” he said, his gaze dropping to her mouth.
She swallowed hard, her heart thundering. Would he kiss her, right here and now in front of all these people? She wanted him to, which was a terrible thought, especially when she was supposed to be here with Danny.
Shit. Danny.She’d totally forgotten he’d been calling and texting. If she didn’t respond soon, he’d only get angrier, and she did not want to have yet another argument with him. She’d already had one earlier that left her in tears and caused him to storm off to God knew where.
“Uh, I…” She licked the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. “I should probably get back to the table.”
“You’ve only been gone five minutes,” he said, head tilted.
“I know, but I made a commitment to help, and I don’t want them to think I don’t follow through.” She wiped her fingers on her jeans. “I’m still just a pledge, you know, and everything I do…”
“Right. Of course.” Bradley took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and took a few steps backward. “And thanks for the S’mores.”
He gave a small nod, and then she turned and walked away, grateful the place was so busy that she could get lost in the crowd. Not looking back at him was next to impossible, but she forced herself to keep moving forward. Her heart pounded a little harder with each step.
What happened just now? He’d absolutely been thinking about kissing her. She’d seen the desire in his eyes, felt it in the space between them, but less than a week ago, he’d rejected her, told her he wouldn’t kiss her while she was in a relationship. So, what had changed? Why was he suddenly willing to cross that line?
Shaking her head, she veered off toward the portable toilets. Not that she had any intention of using those disgusting things, but portable sinks had been set up nearby, and she needed to splash some cool water on her face.
Her phone buzzed again. Moving out of the way, she stood off to the side and yanked her phone from her pocket. She swiped her thumb across the screen to accept Danny’s call.
“Hey, I—”
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“At the bonfire,” she said, confused. “Where are you?”
“Standing at the S’mores table. Y’know, the place you told me you had to be.” His tone was venomous.
Carissa sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I legit just walked away to use the bathroom,” she lied.
“Don’t move. I’m coming to you.” And then Danny disconnected the call without another word.
Great. He was obviously in a bad mood. Carissa remained near the toilets, and a moment later, Danny approached. His face wasn’t red, and his body seemed relaxed. Maybe he wasn’t as mad as she thought.
“Hi,” she said with a big smile.
“Hey, babe.” He grabbed her in a bear hug and spun her around.
She clutched his biceps and laughed with shock. Well, that wasn’t the greeting she’d expected, but this Danny was the guy she loved, the one she could see having a future with. Being with this Danny was easy and fun.
When he set her on her feet and lowered his mouth to hers, the stench of alcohol and cheap liquor hit her. She shoved him away. “Are you drunk?” she asked.
He laughed. “Look around, Carissa. Everyone here is drunk.” He reached for her again, but she moved before he could touch her.
“Yeah, and everyone here has beenheredrinking. Where haveyoubeen?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.
The night she’d lost the baby, the same night he’d cheated on her, he’d been drinking, too. That was his excuse for doing what he’d done—he’d been drunk and hadn’t really known what he was doing, but she was supposed to give him credit and forgive him because he’d stopped things before they’d gone too far.
“With some guys from the basketball team.” Danny shrugged. “We were celebrating winning homecoming.”
She gritted her teeth. “Let me guess, the cheerleaders were there, too?”
The girl Danny had cheated with—Lily—was a cheerleader, and Lily was constantly hanging out with the athletes. Seeing a basketball player on campus without Lily close by was a rarity.
“So what? Nothing happened. I swear.” He once again reached for her, and this time, she didn’t stop him. He tugged her closer. “You’re the only woman I want.” He nuzzled her neck, his breath hot and sticky.
