Page 70 of Collide
I stare at my hands in regret. “You’re right, you don’t. I just want to make sure we’re okay.”
“We are. It’s your birthday party, I guess I can give you one free pass for being insufferable,” she says with a tilt to her lips. Not a smile, but close enough. Though the way she saysone free passonly makes my abdomen tighten. I know she’s referring to Connor, but images of what she can grant me flash in my head.
Before I can say anything, the guys barrel up the stairs and drag me away to do shots. Birthday shots which is just a keg stand, and the guys attempting to take twenty-one shots.
Going down the stairwell, I look back at Summer, and she’s laughing. It calms an uneasiness in my chest.
EVEN MY BUZZ doesn’t alleviate the irritation I’m feeling right now. I was happy with how things were going after we all played beer pong about an hour ago, but now my fists tighten. Summer’s dancing and laughing her ass off when Tyler Sampson whispers something in her ear. If I see him smile at her one more time, the team's going to be missing a forward. What could she be laughing about anyway? I’ve had the displeasure of sharing a hotel room with him and he’s not that fucking funny.
“Careful, you’re going to break that glass.” Amara stands beside me, pointing at my angry grip. “Though I’d be all for you channeling that rage into Sampson.”
I down the remnants of my drink and leave my glass on the table. “There is no rage.”
She nods in response, though it seems disingenuous. “Here.” She holds out a shot.
“What are we toasting?”
“Your birthday. And for you to grow some balls.” Amara sees my raised brows. “You’ve been staring at her all night. Go get your birthday wish, Captain. Unless you’ve lost your charm.”
Mycharm? I’m pretty sure she felt every ounce of my charm between her legs the other night.
She clinks our glasses, and the liquid burns my throat along with its bitter taste. “Everclear? Are you trying to blackout?”
“Precisely.” She seems unaffected by the bitterness.
I’m not sure if it’s the Everclear or if time has stalled, but Summer moves in slow motion. The heat that fogs my senses, makes my vision hazy. Her tits are tightly wrapped in the thin-strapped dress, and all I can think about is how she whimpered when I took her nipple between my teeth.
Her tight little body isn’t feeding only my fantasies. When she dances like that, the attention around her grows heavy, but it doesn’t seem like she notices as she pulls Cassie closer. Taking Amara’s advice, I move through the crowd. I’m inching close enough to smell her peach-scented shampoo before Eli slaps a hand on my back. The lights dim, and a chorus of happy birthday begins, but my eyes only focus on Summer, who glows even under the dim light. I don’t often drink, so her ethereal state could be a product of alcohol, but there is no doubt she’s sparkling. She always does.
“Make a wish,” Kian says, snapping me back to the candle-lit cupcakes in front of me. I do, and my friends erupt into cheers before the music grows loud again. I’m sure Summer is going back to her friends, but instead, she heads toward me. She swipes a finger over the icing on my cupcake and pops it in her mouth. I have to hold back a groan.
“Twenty-one, huh? You’re practically an old man,” she says.
I chuckle. “We’re the same age.”
“Nuh-uh, I’m twenty until October.”
“Ah forgive me. I must be thinking about your fake ID,” I say.
When screams erupt from the dance floor, Summer’s friends call for her. “We love this song,” she says.
“With the way you were dancing, I’d think you loved all of them.”
“You were watching me dance? That’s a little creepy.”
“Not much else I could look at.” I lean in to whisper in her ear. “It was like watching a train wreck.”
She tries to appear offended but fails. “I was going to ask you to dance, but I guess train wreck and all, you wouldn’t want to.”
My blood thrums with an unfamiliar heat. “Ask me anyway.”
“Dance with me?”
I take her hand, and she pulls me to the center of the dance floor. I can barely make out the lyrics because Summer presses into me, but I know it’s dark and sinful from the way her hips sway. The lights are so dim I can’t make out anybody but her. I let my hands fall to her waist, my touch light, but she takes them anyway, snaking them around her body. I feel desperate, and on fire to touch every bit of her warm skin. It’s a challenge keeping my hands in a respectful place, especially with all these people around. Summer doesn’t seem to care because she hooks her arms around my neck and swivels her ass all over my erection.
“Easy, Summer,” I whisper into her ear.
My head feels like it’s underwater when the music changes, and she turns, her movements slow and sweet. I can’t tell whether I appreciate the change or I’d rather have her torturing me with her hips again. No doubt it’s the latter. I would choose anything this girl willingly does to me over and over again.
