dash

I brush off the thought that she’s upstairs plotting my demise until I hear her door creak open an hour later and hear her moving down the steps.

“Mom, I’m taking the extra key!” she calls out, not sparing a glance my way as she tugs on the bottom of her ridiculously short skirt.

Holy boner.

“Okay, honey,” Donna answers, returning from the kitchen and taking her in. “Ooh! Look at you! Where are you heading all dolled up?”

“Date,” Evie smiles, tossing her phone into her small purse.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

I’m fighting my natural urge to lash out, desperately trying to think of something, anything, I can say that won’t make me sound like a complete jackass. As she spritzes herself with the small bottle of perfume she’d pulled from her purse, I’m fuming. I’m straight up losing my shit. I know she can feel me glaring at her and her subtle smirk confirms it.

That vicious little shit.

“A date? With who?” Mason asks, seeming to read a very calm version of the thoughts screaming in my mind.

“A guy from the coffee shop,” she explains. “I’ve seen him in there a few times since we got here and he kept asking me out,” she continues, turning to face us. “I wasn’t going to, but you know I figured, what the hell? I’m not seeing anyone, so why not? Ya know?”

She actually has the audacity to wink at me when Mason looks away, making me stifle a growl.

“Well, where’s he taking you?” he asks, his protective streak kicking in.

“We’re just having drinks down at the bar, I think,” she shrugs. “After that, who knows? The night is young.”

Despite my best efforts, I release a low, maniacal laugh, pulling their eyes to mine.

“That’s funny,” I smirk. “Mason and I were just talking about getting a drink.”

“Yeah,” he starts, giving me a weird look. “Yeah, we were, but you said you weren’t into…”

“Well, I was gonna go to bed, but you know something?” I grin. “With all this talk about drinking, wouldn’t you know it? I’m getting a taste for whiskey.”

“What?” Evie asks, her evil smirk slipping from her lips

“Yeah, I think I’m getting a little cabin fever, all cooped up. A drink sounds great,” I beam. “You don’t mind, do ya, Evie?”

I can see her mind spinning, her childish game of chicken coming back to haunt her as I stand, Mason enthusiastically following suit and patting me on the back.

“Atta boy! Let me just grab my keys,” he says. “Evie, come on. You can ride with us. Night, Mom!”

“Goodnight,” she calls out. “Drive safe and have fun.”

“How could we not?” I chuckle maliciously as I glance down at Evie, my grin wider. “Look at that. It’s all working out.”

“Yeah, this is going to be fun,” she feigns calmness as I follow her toward the car, Mason leading the way. “Hey! Y’all can meet Steve,” she smiles back at me. “He’s an MMA fighter.”

“Shit,” Mason says, patting his pockets. “I forgot my wallet. Let Evie in the car, will you?”

“Sure, man.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back,” he says, jogging back to the cabin.

“Steve,” I snort, shaking my head as I unlock her door. “What kind of stupid fucking name is that?”

“If drinks go well, it’s one I’ll be screaming later,” she blows me a kiss, slipping into the front seat and slamming the door in my face.

I laugh darkly, raking my palms over my jaw before I yank the driver’s side door open and slip into the seat beside her.

“You said you were fine,” I manage through clenched teeth.

“Oh, I am,” she promises, fastening her seatbelt and checking her reflection in the mirror, reapplying her lipstick before smiling over at me. “Never been better.”

“Evie…” I start, trying my best to stay composed despite the desperate rage nestling in my chest.

“Hmm?” she asks, her eyes sparkling back at me slightly as Mason’s door opens.

“Sorry about that,” he apologizes as he slides into the backseat and pulls the door shut. “Everyone ready?”

“Sure am,” Evie smiles. “Dash? You ready?”

“You bet,” I snicker, the engine roaring to life. “Let’s do this.”

***

The short drive to the lodge is filled with Mason’s voice mostly talking about some band on the radio while I silently fume in the driver’s seat.

I make random comments, remaining calm on the outside but on the inside, I’m going crazy.

We make it to the bar and she slips out, not another word to me as she moves toward the entrance, typing something on her phone, presumably to Steve.

Stupid ass name.

We make our way inside behind her a moment later and I see her approaching him with a sultry smile, blushing when he says something about her dress I can’t make out.

I try to ignore her, do my best to not think about the shit being said as they shift closer to each other. By the time Mason goes to the bathroom an hour later, though, the possessive fury building in my chest has gotten the better of me.

“Dude, just stay here and drink your whiskey,” I whisper to myself, watching Mason stop to talk to someone he’d probably met over the week. I risk another glance her way and she’s laughing at something Steve said, making me shift again. “Don’t fuckin’ do it, man.”

Mason disappears behind the door and I take a final look at their table, his hand grazing her thigh.

Yeah, I’m done.

Tossing the last of my whiskey back, I set the glass down on my table and push my chair back with an obnoxious skid. I clear the distance between us in only a few strides and by the time I make it to the edge of the table, his hand is higher, hidden beneath the edge of her dress.

“Excuse me,” I start, clearing my throat and pulling their eyes to mine. “Evie, can I talk to you?”

“Um…” she says, the combination between her expression and her slow response making it obvious she hadn’t expected me to show my ass in the middle of this bar. “I’m kind of in the middle of…”

“It’ll only take a second,” I assure her, giving her a friendly smile before facing him. “Hey man.”

“Fine,” she grounds out, glaring at me before turning toward Steve to give him a sweet, apologetic grin. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he offers, waving her off with an awkward smile, his eyes darting between us.

“I’ll be right back,” she promises as I gently pull her away by the crook in her elbow. We’re only a few steps away when she spins on me, her eyes demanding and embarrassed. “What?”

“What the fuck are you doing? Who the hell is that guy?”

“It’s Steve. I told you that in the car. He’s taking me to dinner tomorrow.”

“Yeah? Is he?” I ask, my eyes narrowing. “You’re having dinner with him now?”

“Yes.”

“That’s great. I hope you have a great time.”

“Thank you. I’m sure we will,” she moves away. “Now, if you’ll fuck off please…”

“Evie!” I hiss, catching her elbow and turning her to face me. “What the fuck!”

“What?”

“I know what you’re doing and it’s not cute.”

“Well, Steve thinks I’m adorable,” she smirks. “Hence, dinner.”

“Cut the shit, Evie! Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not doing anything,” she shrugs. “I mean, I just figured that if you’re not seeing anyone, it stands to reason that I’m not either, so why not have dinner with Steve?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I never joke about steak, Dash,” she says seriously before a snide look crosses her features. “Hey, why don’t you call Amy? Maybe we can double?”

“Evie,” I shake my head, fuming. “You’re being a child. You know why I had to say what I said.”

“Yes,” she nods.

“So, you try to make me jealous?”

“Well,” she sighs, crossing her arms as one of the corners of her mouth turns up. “I guess that really all depends.”

“On what?”

“Is it working?”

“Yes,” I admit, staring at her seriously as her expression quickly changes from amused to stunned. “Are you happy? Yes. It fucking worked.”

She stares back at me for a moment, swallowing hard. She’s about to say something, but she’s cut off by the sound of a throat clearing behind her.

“Evie?” Steve starts quietly, pulling her attention to him while I continue to stare down at her, pushing the knot in my throat away. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she nods, giving him a small smile. “Steve, I’m sorry. I’ll um…” she clears her throat, looking down at her hands for a second before returning her eyes to his. “I’ll be right over, I just…”

Like hell you will.

“Hi. It’s Steve, right?” I interrupt, making him reluctantly pulling his eyes from Evie’s as she turns to face me, her cheeks blazing.

“Yeah,” he answers awkwardly.

“Hey Steve, I’m Dash. Nice to meet you,” I lie, reaching forward and shaking his hand, patting his arm with my other palm. “Evie’s with someone. Fuck off.”

“Um…”

“Dash!” she gasps, horrified and taking a step back from me before turning to face him. “No, Steve. I’m not. I’m not with anyone. He was just leaving...”

“No, I’m not,” I cut her off, facing Steve with a wide smile. “And yes. She is. Fucked her four hours ago. Have a good night, man.”

“Oh, my God, Dash!” she gapes, smacking me hard. “Would you shut your fucking mouth?” she grounds out, facing Steve. “Steve, I’m not…”

“You know what?” he chuckles, shaking his head and putting his hands up in surrender. “Evie, you’re crazy hot, but I don’t need this shit.”

“Awesome, we’ll see ya, Steve. Those roads are icy, buddy. You drive safe,” I smile wide as I grip her arm. “Evie, come on.”

I gently direct her to the small deck outside where we won’t be seen by anyone and as I glance down at her, I can tell the only reason she’s not punching me is out of shock. Once we’re through the double doors, though, I’m not surprised when she pulls away from me, her expression furious.

“I cannot fucking believe you, Dash!” she finally spits out, turning on me. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“What the fuck is your problem, Evie?”

“I don’t have one! You did this to yourself.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.

“It means exactly what you think it means,” she counters. “It means you’re right, we’re not together, so why the hell am I locking myself up in a cabin my last few days on vacation? We’re not a couple. Us not seeing other people wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Really?” I raise my eyebrow. “So, you’re telling me if I walked into that bar right now and picked up some random girl, went back to her room and fucked her six ways to Sunday, you’d be just fine with that?” I challenge, watching her jaw clench. “That’s what you’re saying to me?”

“Well, I damned sure wouldn’t make an ass out of both of us in the middle of a fucking bar, you lunatic!”

“Right, because you only do that in hotel lobbies.”

“That was different. I’d just been traumatized,” she grounds out, childishly stamping her foot and making me roll my eyes. “Dash, what I’m saying is that you can’t just use me for sex and make demands while you just get to do whatever you want. That’s not how this works,” she continues, her chest heaving in frustration to match mine. “If you’re telling me that you want to be in a position to make demands, then you’re telling me you want something besides this,” she gestures between us. “If you’re just interested in sex, then you need to accept that we are not each other’s property. You do not have the right to pull your fucking fourteen-year-old caveman bullshit on me.”

I stare down at her, swallowing hard and hating that I know she’s right. I think about her words, trying to find the right response with no luck. I’m about to say something, what I have no idea, when she cuts me off.

“Don’t say anything yet,” she says low, her voice softer this time. “We’re leaving in two days and things are weird right now. Let’s just talk about it when we get home,” she sighs, her eyes coming back to mine as I nod. “I mean, maybe all this is the altitude or something. Who the hell knows anymore?”

“Maybe,” I nod, my lip quirking up on one side in amusement and although I know better, I say nothing.

“We’ll just… we’ll worry about it when we get home.”

“Fine. Deal,” I agree low, following her back inside. “Were you seriously gonna sleep with that guy?”

“Probably not,” she admits with a shrug. “He was kinda dumb.”

“What do you expect with a name like Steve,” I ask, earning a weird look in return.

“You know that’s a very common, normal name, right?” she asks, earning a shrug from me this time as she pulls the phone from her purse and starts typing a text.

“It’s stupid,” I retort. “Who are you talking to?”

“I’m texting Steve,” she says, nearly sending me into another rage.

“Evie! What the ever-loving fuck? You just told me…”

“I know what I told you!” she cuts me off in a shriek. “I’m just apologizing to him. Jesus! You need to calm the hell down before you give yourself a heart attack,” she shakes her head, hitting send and sliding her phone back into her purse. “By the way, you’re buying my drinks tonight. You just ran off my date, so you better pay up.”

“Fair enough,” I smirk, following her to the table Mason’s sitting at.

“Where the hell have you two been?” he asks, throwing his arms up in confusion. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Well, we were literally twenty feet away, so I find it hard to believe you had a search party formed,” I joke, taking a seat beside him as he chokes on his beer in laughter.

“I was about to text you. Same thing,” he offers with another chuckle as he faces Evie. “What happened to your date?”

“Nothing,” she shakes her head, diverting her eyes. “He was a creep, so I left. Dash just walked outside to make sure I was alright. That’s where we were,” she says, clearing her throat. “I’m gonna get a drink.”

“Hey, are you alright?” he asks, his concern putting a small smile on her lips.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay,” he says, watching her before glancing over at me with a smile and giving my arm a brotherly pat. “Thanks for looking out for her, man. I know she can be a lot to deal with and she’s not your favorite person.”

I find Mason giving me an appreciative smile and a whole new wave of guilt hits me. God, I’m the shittiest friend on the planet.

“Yeah,” I smile, guilt running through me as I stare after her for a moment before swallowing hard. “Yeah, she’s the worst.”