Page 89 of The Star

I run my hands through my hair, even though I know it’ll be obvious what we’ve been doing in here the second we step out. Grabbing my shoes, I dangle them in one hand. “I’m gonna go upstairs and clean up. I’ll be back down in a minute.”

He kisses me one more time, holding my lips for a moment as he hums in his throat. When he pulls back, he kisses the tip of my nose, then pulls the door open so we can leave.

forty-one

LOGAN

“That’s right, you little bitch!” I yell, sinking another ball in one of Hayden’s cups, making his face twist into a scowl. “Drink up, pretty boy!”

Carson laughs, his own ball still in his hand as we watch Hayden down another cup of shitty beer. Levi is beet red, drunk as a skunk, and laughing hysterically as he stands next to Hayden.

We’ve been going two against two for three rounds now, and I have singlehandedly dominated these games of beer pong. Carson sunk one ball, then accepted that his girlfriend is from the hood and she’s going to be better at this stuff than him.

I wonder what they play in Luxington? Something with champagne, probably.

I mean, I’m sure these goons play beer pong sometimes, because Levi’s managed to sink a few shots, but they’re nothing compared to me. I was raised on beer pong and dominos.

Hayden crumples the plastic cup once he’s downed the entire thing, throwing it on the floor and giving me one last dirty look before he looks at Carson. “Shoot your ball, bitch.”

Levi wavers on his feet as he watches intently, and I give Carson a reassuring look. “One last ball, baby. You got this. Sink that shit, and I’ll give you head.”

His mouth twists into a smile as he concentrates on where he’s going to throw the ball. “Alright, I’m gonna hold you to that, Logan.”

Focusing, I watch as Carson tosses the ball overhand. It moves almost in slow motion as it goes over the table, then plops down into the final cup of beer like a magnet. I scream, throwing my hands in the air and turning to Carson, who is also screaming like a banshee.

I jump up and down. “That’s right, bitches! We are unstoppable!”

Launching into Carson’s arms, I wrap my legs around his waist as my arms go around his neck. “You did it!”

“Fuckingchampions,baby!” he yells, slamming his lips to mine as we both laugh.

“Oh God,” Levi groans. “I don’t think I can do it, man. Hayden, dude, you gotta drink this or I’ll die.”

Carson drops me back onto my feet, and we laugh as we watch Hayden take the cup from Levi’s unbalanced hand, then he downs it in one big gulp before throwing the cup onto the table.

“Another?” I question, wiggling my eyebrows at Hayden, who’s still scowling.

“Fuck no. If I drink one more cup of beer, I’ll be barfing all night.” He groans, rubbing his flat stomach.

“You just don’t like getting beat by the fuckingchampions!” Carson yells, his arms flying out into the air. My man is drunk.

Hayden laughs. “Thechampions? Logan might as well have been playing alone, my guy. Don’t kid yourself.”

That makes us all laugh, because there’s complete truth behind it, and when Levi laughs so hard that he loses his footing and falls on the floor, we all scream out our laughter even harder. We’re all drunk, that much is obvious, and since it’s nearing 3am, most of the party has cleared out except for a few stragglers.

A yawn slips past my lips once my laughter has subsided, and Carson catches my eye. “Tired?”

I nod as I watch Levi roll around on the floor as he tries to get up. Hayden keeps laughing, holding his stomach with one hand and trying to lift Levi under the arm with his other. They’resloppy drunk,and to be honest, it’s making me warm up to them more. I mean, I was already pretty warm with Levi, but Hayden has been a tough nut to crack. There’s just something about him that is so…unlikeable.He’s a moody, broody asshole.

But seeing him let loose is making me understand what Carson must see in him.

He’s being a sore loser since I kicked his ass in pong, but he’s different. There’s a lightness to his eyes rather than the darkness that creeps through them during the day.

Hayden slips both arms under Levi’s arms, lifting him with a strength I didn’t realize he had. “Let’s get you to the couch, Valentino.” He chuckles. Levi cannot handle his alcohol – note taken.

“We’re gonna head to bed. Kick the rest of these people out, Hay.” Carson flicks his head to his friend, and Hayden nods back.

“Yeah, I got it.”

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