“Yeah, let’s blow this party. Do you know where your house is?”
“Yeah, but I’m allowed to stay out all night,” she says, trying to put her arms around me again. “We can go to your house. I promise it’s okay.”
I groan. “Jesus, how old are you?” If Patty brought an underage girl to Shelby’s birthday party, I’m gonna cross check him to death.
“Nineteen.”
Thank God.
“Come on,” I grunt, trying to get her to walk in front of me without our bodies touching. “Fuck—stop—”
“Ryan?”
I go still, glancing over my shoulder to see Tess looking at me, her eyes wide. Actually, she’s not looking at me, she’s looking atus—me and Cleopatra, my hands clinging to her as she pushes her ass against me, wiggling like a fish. I say the only thing I can think to say. “Help me.”
She blinks. In moments, her look of hurt surprise vanishes and she’s rushing forward. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s just drunk,” I say, grateful that she’s not questioning me. “She showed up with Patty. I don’t know where the hell he is. If you see a tall, blond gladiator, punch him in the face.”
“Will do.” She steps around to my other side and places a hand under Cleopatra’s chin. “Hey, honey. I’m Tess. What’s your name?”
“Tegan,” the girl replies.
“How you feeling, Tegan?”
“Tired,” she slurs. “And bloaty. God, why won’t he just fuck me already?” she whines.
“Oh, sorry, honey. This one’s taken,” Tess replies.
“What?” Tegan whines again. “Noooo. But I want him.”
“I know,” Tess says, patting the girl’s shoulder. “But in love, as in life, sometimes there are great disappointments.”
“We need to get her out of here,” I say over the girl’s head. “I was trying to ask for her address to put her in an Uber.”
“I don’t know if we can trust anything she says at this point,” Tess replies. “Do you think Shelby will mind if we put her in a room upstairs?”
“Goddamn it. If she pukes all over the place, Shelbs will make me pay for it.”
“Make Patty McHotAbs pay for it,” Tess says with a glare. “If he’s her date, he needed to take better care of her. She’s completely toasted.”
“Oh, he’ll pay for it in more ways than one,” I assure her. Nothing that a few sets of suicide sprints won’t fix. He’ll be puking up his breakfast at next practice.
“Let’s get her upstairs,” Tess says. “Can you carry her with your knee—”
“I got it.” I scoop Cleopatra up in my arms and move towards the stairs.
Tess follows behind, snatching my discarded water off the floor.
The stairs open to a large game room area where some of the guys are playing video games. No one pays us any mind as Tess and I cut left towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.
“I stayed here once,” I say over my shoulder. “This is a guest room,” I say nodding at a door.
Tess slips between me and the door as she opens it. “Whoa—ohmygod,” she cries, throwing a hand up over her eyes.
I peer over her head to see a half-dressed Novy and Morrow spit-roasting some blonde girl. Novy is closer, his back to us. They both turn to the door at the same time, eyes wide.
“Get the fuck out,” Novy barks, still thrusting into the girl from behind. His toned ass is on display, pants around his thighs.