Page 15 of Mason
I frown, unsure what to think, but then the guy tries to offer me another, and Duke holds his hand up. “She doesn’t do well with tequila.”
We continue deeper into the party, Bear now stepping in on my other side. My eyes are big as I take in every last detail of this party, the house itself, the bodies wedged together on the dance floor, and definitely the booze. I’ve never been to a party like this before where alcohol is freely flowing and no one appears to care about adhering to legal drinking ages.
“Here.” Mason rejoins us, yanking me from my thoughts when he puts a hard cider in my hand. “This is probably more your speed.”
My brow furrows. “Um. Thanks?” It comes out sounding like a question because Mason’s wild mood swings confuse the shit out of me. Unexpected kindness one minute, ice-cold like this bottle the next. And to think it’s only been a little more than a full day of it.
Duke grits his teeth. “Just do all of us a favor and don’t get into trouble.”
I feel the snarl rising up from my chest, but instead, I slowly fold my arms over my chest before I calmly respond with a hint of snark. “You brought me here. If you thought I was going to do something crazy or stupid, maybe you should have brought Arik or Quincy instead.” My brows raise, and I chew on the inside of my cheek while waiting for him to respond.
Before he can say anything to me, a girl races over to us, dodging one body after another in her bid to get to him as quickly as possible. “Duke! Hey! How’s it going?” The redhead is smiling big and quite obviously tipsy as she grips his hand with both of hers and presses her chest to his arm. “We were beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
He spares her a glance before he grunts out, “I’m here. Just had shit to do.”
“Good, well, we’re all dancing if you want to join us.” She points toward a group of no less than five other girls who writhe to the sensual rhythm of the music before giving him what I’m certain is supposed to be a seductive smile, but in her inebriated state, it seems desperate.
Not my business if that’s what he likes.I tip the cider to my lips and chug half of it before I give my stepbrother a smile full of challenge. “Yeah,big brother,run along. Your posse of girlfriends dutifully awaits.”
Mason snorts beside me. “Goddamn, she has your number.” He shakes his head, glancing at my half-empty bottle. “I’d better go grab you another, baby sis.”
I nod my acceptance, ignoring thebaby sisjab that was meant for Duke, not me, and note that a storm has begun to brew in his eyes. “You’re not fuckin’ cute, Stella.” And to the desperate girl next to him, he grits out, “Give me five minutes, Darcy.” He runs his hand over his jaw, once again gazing off across the room, his eyes following someone.
I swallow down the rest of the hard cider, finding it refreshing. I’m beginning to think I was right—it’s warmer in this house with all these bodies than it was outside. I’m parched.
Bear corrals both of us into a corner, Mason joining us again with another cider for me a moment later. “I’m going to go see what trouble I can find,” he mutters.
My eyes flick to his. “Youarethe trouble.”
He touches his forehead to mine, our eyes connecting, electricity zapping between us. He breathes out, “You know it, baby.” An amused huff of laughter passes his lips, then he takes off across the room, out of sight, swallowed by the crowd in mere seconds.
“What the fuck is going on?” Bear’s thick brow lifts as he studies Duke for a clue.
My attention pulls back to them, and I look around. Duke’s definitely been distracted since the moment we entered the house. I sip at my cider with the idea in my head that it’s not really my business, but I have no fucking problem watching the stepbrother show.
Duke stiffens beside me, and he gets Bear’s attention over my head, nodding in the direction of a hallway off the living area. “Are you seeing this?”
“What?” Bear’s gaze follows Duke’s stare as his brow furrows.
“Hawthorne and his entourage. He just threw people out of that bathroom and took some dark-haired girl in there. Then his boys, Cannon and Archer, followed them inside.”
Bear shrugs. “Your point? Since when do you care about shenanigans at a fuckin’ party?”
The guy I’ve come to know through our limited time together is carefully in control of his emotions and, therefore, hard to read. But right now? He’s very clearly agitated, not hiding a bit of his feelings.
Just then, the bathroom door flies open and the girl stomps out, moving as fast as she can. She lookspissed.
“Is Kingston with her? Who is she?” Duke’s stance is rigid, his hands balled into fists at his sides as we watch the pretty brunette haul ass to the front door. A muscle-bound dude follows her very determinedly with the other two trailing behind. One of those two guys is very familiar to me, though I’m having some trouble placing him, and he’s definitely the one Duke’s staring daggers at.
“Judging by the raging hard-on in his pants, I’d say yes, he at least likes her. Why do you care, is the question.” Bear wets his lips, then closes his eyes for a moment, almost as if he’s praying for patience.
Duke bristles beside me, and his jaw is twitching like mad.
Bear focuses on him, almost as if I’m not standing right here, and gives each word in his question special emphasis. “Seriously. Why. Do. You. Care? Juliette is gone. She’s gone, man.”
The mention of Juliette reaches out and grabs me by the heart. I haven’t forgotten her. And I also haven’t forgotten that it was through Juliette that I’d first met Duke, well before our parents were married. Back then, he was nothing more than Juliette’s boyfriend, a guy who waited outside the diner to take her home. I don’t remember him ever setting foot inside. She’d claimed it was because he didn’t like her working there.
From the distraught look on Duke’s face, it’s obvious that he still feels some heartache or holds a grudge—and whatever blame he’s placing is squarely on this Kingston guy’s shoulders.Oh, hell.“Wait,” I whisper, “is that Juliette’s… brother?” That’s why I’d thought he seemed familiar, I’m almost sure of it without anyone’s affirmation. They could easily have been twins. Same hair color, same sun-kissed skin, same good looks, only Kingston is way more masculine. Obviously.
