Page 55 of Kiss Me in the Dark
“Fox—what are you doing?”he stammers, but I ignore him, leading him out of the house to the backyard, away from the noise and eyes.
I let go of his hand and glare at him.He pushes his glasses up, looking at me with that confused, slightly hurt expression that’s so… frustrating.
“What the hell is your problem?”Cameron blurts out, puffing out air through his slightly parted lips.
“What part of ‘stay the fuck away from my party’ didn’t you understand?”I demand.
He just stares at me.
“Blaze invited me,” he finally says.
“What?Why?”I ask, almost dumbfounded.
“Because he’s my friend,” Cameron says, holding my gaze for once.
I narrow my eyes.“Friends?”I let out a dry laugh.“Since when?”
“Does it matter?”he sighs, looking anywhere but at me.
“You have to leave,” I say, stepping closer, noticing the way he shudders slightly and takes a step back.
“I don’t have to do anything you say, Fox,” he shoots back, and for a second, the sound of my name from his mouth sends a jolt through me.I don’t even know why.
I close the distance between us.“You have to leave, Cameron.”I try to soften it.“This isn’t your kind of scene.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Fox.Why do you even care?I know you don’t like me, but Blaze invited me here.I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
I run a hand through my hair, feeling my frustration building.He’s stubborn, so damn stubborn.Blaze won’t watch out for him, and I know how these frat parties go.They’re rowdy and unpredictable.And I hate that a part of me is troubled about his presence.Why do I care about him?I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself.
I don’t want him to get hurt and I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell him that without coming off possessive.
“You need to fucking leave.Fucking get out of my party, Cameron,” I say, my voice sharp, harsher than I mean.“I don’t want you here.Hell, I don’t want you around me.Since when did you love parties?Shouldn’t you be in your boyfriend’s dorm, with your nose buried in some book?”
He bites his lip and glares at me.I don’t miss the flash of hurt in his eyes, and it twists something inside me.I hate that I keep hurting him, but I just want him out of here.I don’t want him caught up in this scene.
Cameron opens his mouth to respond, but Blaze steps outside, looking between us.
“What the hell is going on here?”Blaze asks, his arm slipping around Cameron’s shoulders.
“I should be asking you that.Why did you bring him here?”
“He’s not a kid, and I didn’t bring him here for you to treat him like shit,” Blaze says, holding my gaze.
I grit my teeth, looking at Blaze’s arm around him.I’m two seconds away from shoving him off.
“Lexi’s waiting for you inside,” Blaze adds with a smirk, like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
I shoot one last glare at Cameron before turning and walking back inside.Tonight cannot get any worse.
I watch as Bernard offers Cameron a beer, which he politely declines, looking as tense as ever.The guys are talking about random stuff, but I’m not paying attention.My focus keeps slipping back to Cameron, his posture a little stiff, and his eyes darting around uncomfortably.Lexi shifts on my lap, leaning in to kiss me, but I’m only half-focused.She bites my bottom lip when I don’t kiss her back, bringing me back to the moment.
“You okay?”she whispers.I don’t have time to answer before Leon asks Blaze a question.
“Blaze, how do you know Cameron?”I shift my gaze back to Cameron, catching him nibbling his bottom lip as he listens, a faint smile playing on his face.
“Oh, Cam’s Fox’s roommate,” Blaze answers, oblivious or just unconcerned with the glare I throw his way.
“Roommate?”Cynthia, Mike’s girlfriend, chimes in, and I barely hold back a groan.
