Page 26 of Purity

I shake my head sharply. “A Mai Tai is way too strong for her.”

“I—” Livvy starts but then closes her mouth when Travis starts talking.

“Dude, you already force-fed her bacon. I think she’s fine now, Daddy Cole.”

Daddy Cole. He’s just trying to goad me, probably because he knows I saw that kiss. Travis always pulls shit like this. He gets under people’s skin for fun. Why didn’t I notice what a dick he is before tonight?

I take a deep breath and turn to Livvy. “I’ll get you a strawberry daiquiri later, okay?” I look at her sternly. “In an hour. You’re only having one drink an hour.”

When she sucks in her lips to fight a smile, heat creeps into my cheeks. “I just don’t want you to get sick.”

She smiles in earnest now, and her chest shakes with silent laughter. “I know.”

I exhale. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to having you out at the bars with me, but I promise I’ll stay back and let you have a good time.”

Travis pats my shoulder. “Why don’t you start now? I’ll take her in. How about you drive my car to my apartment? It’s literally two minutes from here, and my roommate can drive you back.”

I stare at him blankly. When he lifts his keys in my direction, heat washes over my skin. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No.” He shrugs. “I don’t want it to get stolen, and you’re staying sober, so what else are you going to do?”

“I’m not your fucking valet. You can drive it yourself.”

A faint smile twinges his lips. “Nah, I’m ready to drink, and she’s having a good time with me. Don’t kill the vibe.”

When he sets his hand on her shoulder, I clench my teeth to fight the childish urge to reach out and pull her away from him.

Why am I letting him do this? He’s almost laughing he’s enjoying my irritation so much.

“‘Don’t kill the vibe’?” I frown. “You sound like a fucking idiot—”

“Cole, enough!”

Livvy’s uncharacteristic shout startles me, and when I glance at her, my stomach sinks. Oh God, I hate it when she looks at me like that. It’s so rare that it happens, and it means I really fucked up.

Her frown deepens. “I’m getting sick to death of hearing you both argue like little boys. You weren’t even letting me talk.”

Travis chuckles. “I’m sorry, Livvy. I was just fucking with h—”

“Let me finish! I need a minute away from both of you, but especially you, Cole. You keep saying over and over again that you want me to have a good time, but I don’t think I believe you anymore.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “It seems like you’re only thinking about yourself and how you want things to go tonight.”

“I’m sorry.” My voice is soft. “I really do want you to have fun.”

She stares at me for a long moment. “I think you should drive Travis’s car to his place, if only to give me a few minutes to myself.”

My stomach hollows. Oh God, I hate it when she banishes me from her presence. She’s only done it a handful of times when she’s been really angry with me, and usually never for more than a few minutes, but it always fills me with the irrational desire to throw myself at her feet and beg her to never leave me.

“I can do that.”

She nods once. “I’m heading inside to find the others.” When she starts toward the bar and Travis follows her, she turns to him and lifts a hand. “I want you to give me a minute, too. As someone who’s been a designated driver more times than I can count, I can tell you I’ve felt really used when people have treated me like their chauffeur.”

Travis nods quickly. “I should have thought of that.”

As soon as she walks inside the bar, Travis bursts into laughter. “Dude, what just happened? Are we in time-out?” He shakes his head. “God, she’s cute.”

I roll my eyes, unable to even slightly share his glee when I’m in the doghouse. “Shut up. I’m so fucking annoyed with you.”

His laughter grows louder. “Thank you for calling me an idiot.” He can barely get the words out as he lifts his keys in my direction. “That worked out really well for me.”

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