Page 68 of Hale's Pawn
“Hmm, I’ll think about it,” Oran says.
This man is the biggest grump I’ve ever encountered, but I do understand why, especially this time around. I should have explained that Joaquin’s nickname is actually Papi and it’s not just me that calls him that, but Oran doesn’t want to hear me out right now, so I leave him be for a bit.
Karessa and I laugh as we nurse our drinks and talk about everything at the table. “Have you ever had a crush?” Karessa asks me.
“Hmm.” I think. “Weirdly, no, not really. First kiss?”
Wyn,” Karessa answers. “Yours?”
“Like Caerwyn Hale, Wyn?” I reiterate.
Karessa laughs. “Yeah, it was when I got pushed by a certain someone at this table at his pool party. Wyn helped me out of the pool and I kissed him. I was both grateful and stunned as fuck. We laughed it off after and kept it pushing.”
“Woooow. Girl, he’s fine, so you did good.”
Both Jagger and Oran make a noise and we look at them. Each man is glaring at us like we did something wrong.What?I mouth to Oran. He narrows his eyes for a beat. I blow him a kiss and he almost cracks.
“What about yours?” Karessa asks me again.
“Girl, mine is boring. It was Mikonos.” I roll my eyes and kiss my teeth. “Before you ask, we were like 13. Trust me, we realized we didn’t see each other like that. We just wanted to see what the big deal was.”
Karessa chuckles. “Don’t I get that. So, you really never crushed on anyone? What about someone crushing on you? Oooh Valentine’s Day, like when we were younger and got cards!”
I try to think. “None. Most kids were scared of me because first, Mikonos, and second, I’m a Bishops. Their parents were like ‘okay, no tea parties for you’.” I laugh. “No one has ever told me they crushed on me, unless you count some of my bold-ass followers.”
Karessa laughs. “Jagger counts too.” Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth but she snickers. “Oops.”
I chuckle. “Girl, you’re tipsier than me,” I say. “Jagger could barely stand me at a certain point in our lives.”
“Jagger is right here and can speak for himself,” Jagger says from across the table that we moved over to, just us four. “And she’s not wrong, you know. At some point in my life, I did like you, but then I moved on. It’s life.”
I look at Jagger, tilting my head from side to side. I shake my head, no way. “That’s a lie, “ I laugh. “I don’t believe you.”
Oran leans in, he places his hand on my thigh and bites my neck. My entire body wakes up like it’s supercharged. “It’s true,” Oran answers, the only words he’s said to me since I started laughing with Karessa.
“Oomph, would you look at us, finding out random shit,” I say, then laugh. I lift my glass to Jagger. “To crushes!” He smirks and clinks his glass. I look at Karessa, telling her to join. She smiles and joins. Oran reluctantly stops kissing up on me and my body reacts to that badly. Oran lets me go and I glare at him. “That was not cool,” I say.
“Yeah?” Oran asks. “Next time, you’ll stop fucking with me. Now, go have fun because soon enough, you’re going to be back on punishment.”
I pout. “Petty,” I say to him and ask Karessa if she wants to do something while we’re here.
I chug my drink and Karessa and I decide to play games. Karessa is showing me time and time again why it’s amazing to have a female friend. Mikonos would not have done this with me. Karessa and I laugh as I teach her how to hit a bullseye during darts. With each throw, she gets better, and now we have a drinking game going. We switch over to playing pool. This one, Karessa knows how to play. At first, we just play amongst each other, but as the night progresses, a couple of guys place a bet with us. A drinking sort of bet.
I stare at the shot glass of tequila. The nastiest shit on earth. I’m beginning to get tipsy again and I’m enjoying this, then a hand covers the ball. Frustrated, I look up. Jagger is standing there with a smirk on his face. “Time to go, girls,” he says.
“Why?” we both whine and, yep, we’re going to be a handful tonight.
“Oran wants to go, so let’s take this party back to the villa.”
I snort. “The same man who’s giving me a death glare? You want me to go back and enjoy myself?” I laugh mirthlessly. “So, he can punish me some more? Noooo thanks. I’m staying right here.”
Jagger has this look in his eyes that he had when we were younger, indicating he’s about to do something fucking crazy. Before I can even drop the stick and move, Jagger bends and lifts me up over his shoulder. “Put me down!” I grit through my teeth.
“Nope. Party’s over. Come on, Karebear.” He holds his hand out for Karessa.
She smiles. “Sorry, Ainslee.”
“Et tu, Brute?” I say to her and Karessa laughs.
