“Come on, Maggie,” Lucy groaned. “You’re acting like the police are about to throw your ass to the lawn and arrest you at any moment.”
Untucking my arms from around my waist, I tore my gaze from the dilapidated house. I was kind of worried it would collapse in on itself from the vibrations of the music and the number of people that appeared to be inside it. “You don’t know how much trouble I could get in for this,” I hissed at her. “Why couldn’t we just stay at your place like you originally said we were going to?”
She rolled her eyes, flicked her brown hair over her shoulder, and marched toward the door. “No one is going to find out,” she said with a grin. “Besides, you could’ve stayed behind if you really didn’t want to come.”
Damn it, that was true. I could’ve stayed at her place and read my book or watched a movie. But, well, I was curious. My embarrassment over never having been to a party that involved illicit things such as alcohol and maybe drugs had my feet stuffing themselves into my Chucks and marching me out the door. Only now that I was here, I was suddenly extremely nervous.
What if I drank too much? Oh, God. What if I threw up?
“Maggie, come on!”
Sighing, I shuffled over the jungle of weeds and walked in behind Lucy before pulling the door closed behind me.
The noise had my ears immediately screaming in outrage. The smell of tobacco and other acrid scents drifted down the dingy hallway to greet me.
Grabbing Lucy’s arm, I whisper-yelled into her ear, “Who are these people again?”
She shrugged my hand off. “It’s some kid’s house from the public school; he always throws these parties.”
“But where are his parents?” I asked as we nudged past a group of guys laughing around the entry to the kitchen.
She threw me a glare. “Who cares? Dean said they’re okay.”
Her new boyfriend. Right. Okay.
Straightening my shoulders, I followed her into the kitchen and stood by the old fridge as Lucy rummaged through it.
Her head appeared above the door a moment later, a huge smile making her blue eyes twinkle mischievously. “Beer.” She shoved one at my chest, and I barely caught it in time to stop it from dropping to the sticky linoleum floor.
The pop and hiss of Lucy opening her can snapped my attention back to her. Closing the fridge with her ass, she tipped the can back and took a lengthy pull. “Go on, then.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Fumbling with the tab, I opened it and brought the cool metal to my lips. My nose crinkled at the foul taste, but one look at Lucy, who was chugging back most of her own, had me holding my breath and attempting to do the same.
“Let’s go find Dean,” she said, walking out the other doorway of the kitchen to the small living room. I followed, of course. What else was I supposed to do? The beer sloshed around in my belly in a weird, fizzing way. I needed to burp but kept the urge at bay even though the likelihood of anyone hearing it in that room with the loud music was very slim.
“Lucy!” I called, but she waved me off when some guy wearing a backward facing baseball cap and a sweat-stained band t-shirt walked over and grabbed her hips. That must be Dean.
Damn it.
Leaning against the wall, I decided that if I couldn’t at least muster up the courage to dance and mingle, then I might as well try not to look like any more of a loser. I finished half my beer but couldn’t bring myself to drink any more.
Feeling awkward just standing around, I decided to go for a walk. I dumped my beer on a side table and left the room. Maybe my father was right about one thing at least. Maybe I wasn’t missing out on a lot by staying away from this kind of fun.
Shimmying past a couple of girls making out, I slid open the back door near the kitchen and stepped out onto the small deck.
The cool air was a welcome respite from the noisy crowd polluting the stale air inside. I closed the door and walked down a set of cracked concrete steps, thinking I’d just sit out here and play snake on my phone for a while before going to find Lucy.
Then I heard something.
“Lix, you always say that. Why? Why can’t you just give me a chance?”
“Sam, Christ. Don’t do this now. Let’s just go back inside.”
I froze with my ass halfway to the step when who I’m guessing was Sam let out a frustrated cry. “I’ve given you everything, and I’m starting to get sick and tired of feeling used.”
Male laughter hit my ears, dark and raspy. “I’ve never lied to you, Sam. And I never told you that you had to. In fact …” He lowered his voice as I lowered my butt to the step, straining to hear what he said next. “You throw yourself at me every fucking time. I don’t want to hurt you; you’re my friend. But fucking hell, I’m not interested in being anything more, and I’ve always told you that.”
“Throw myself at you?” she almost screamed. “You know what? Find someone else to warm your dick, Felix. Fuck you.”
Then she was rounding the corner of the house, the dark of night unfolding around her like it was making way for her turbulent feelings. I shrank down, trying to look interested in my phone and not like I’d just heard the poor girl have her heart broken.
She paused just before she reached the steps, and I lifted my gaze to find her looking at me, but she only sniffed before continuing past me up the stairs and then heading inside. The noise escaped the house for a moment before the door slammed shut.
Well, crap. Maybe parties were interesting after all.
I hated to soak in other people’s misery, but I’d never had my heart broken by a boy before. I’d only been kissed a few times, had a boob grab or two, but it was over the clothing, so I didn’t know if that even counted. I was often living vicariously through other people’s experiences. Couldn’t help it if I found them interesting. A girl took what she could get when she was never allowed to partake in the usual adolescent fun that her friends did.
“What are you doing?”
Crap. Turning my gaze to the left again, I found the guy who broke hearts.
Felix—half shrouded in the shadows, half shining in the moonlight.
He sat down across from me on a plastic chair near a burned-out drum, which I guessed was used as a fire pit.
“You got a voice, Little Doe?”
“Uh.” I cleared my throat. “Little doe?”
He shrugged, tipping a beer can to his mouth and draining the contents. He then crushed it and chucked it at the drum. “You got that whole deer caught in the headlights look about you.”
My eyes widened. “I do?”
He chuckled and the sound was like an old, rough, well-loved blanket that wrapped around me, making me want to inch closer to him. To see what it might’ve felt like to press my palm against his chest while he laughed.
Jabbing a finger at me, he said, “Right there, Little Doe.”
“Oh.” I tried to school my features.
“What are you doing out here? Party’s in there.” He tilted his head, peering at me curiously. “Wait, you even from around here?”
Busted. “Yeah, no. My, um … my friend’s boyfriend told her to come, and I tagged along.” I fidgeted with the plastic casing on my phone. “I guess.”
His lips tilted to one side. “You guess?”
Heat infused my cheeks, but I nodded.
“Where do you go to school?”
Picking at a thread on my jeans, I murmured, “Bonnet’s Bay High.”
He whistled, diverting my attention back to him. “A Bay bitch.”
My head snapped back. “A what?”
“A Bay bitch.” He reclined in his chair, the plastic creaking with his weight. “Rich girls.”
I tore my eyes away from the sliver of skin peeking out from between his jeans and his black long-sleeved shirt. “I’m not rich.” It was all I could think to say.
Because my family was definitely not rich. They owned a bakery, worked hard, and sometimes struggled to pay tuition to keep us in school. Well, it was a bit easier since my sister graduated two years ago and there was only me, but still.
His eyes roamed over me, and it took everything in me to sit still under his intense inspection. He scratched at the stubble coating his jaw. “While that may be so … you definitely don’t look like a lot of the girls who hang around here.”
I glanced down at my off-the-shoulder peach sweater. “So?”
He grinned, looking like a wolf gnashing his teeth together before he pounced on his prey. “Why don’t you come sit over here, Little Doe?” He kicked his leg out, catching the chair next to his and dragging it closer with his booted foot.
I shivered. “I think I’m good where I am, thanks.”
“Scared?”
Was I? I guess I was. Something about him had my instincts screaming to run. But in which direction, I wasn’t sure. To him or away from him?
Trying to act aloof, I scoffed, “No.”
“Prove it then.” He nudged his head toward the chair.
Oh, what the hell. I rose from the step, my butt a little numb from having sat on the hard concrete, and dumped myself into the chair next to him. “There, satisfied?”
He leaned his chin on his fist, staring at me.
I swallowed as I took in his dark brown eyes and the even darker lashes that framed them. Handsome wasn’t an adequate word to use for this Felix guy. Roguish was what came to mind. He couldn’t be much older than I was, but the hard lines and deep cut of his cheekbones made him appear much older. The two-day-old scruff that peppered his square jaw and surrounded those full lips didn’t exactly help matters either. And his hair—oh God, his hair. It stood in every direction, dark brown and thick. I had the sudden urge to lift my hand to see for myself just how thick it was, but thankfully, his voice stopped me from humiliating myself. “I’ll be satisfied when you tell me your name.”
“Why do you want to know?” I didn’t know where my bravado had come from, but I wasn’t going to complain.
“So when I go home, climb into bed, and wrap my hand around my cock, I know whose name I’ll be whispering into the dark.”
Wow. That should have had me running. Away from him. Definitely away from him.
But I didn’t.
Tingles ignited over the skin of my neck, dancing down my spine as I puffed out a nervous breath in response.
He chuckled again, reaching out to wrap a thick finger in a strand of my long auburn hair. “Shit, Little Doe. You’re fun to play with.” He leaned in and sniffed the strand wrapped tight around his finger, causing my stomach to clench. “Strawberries.”
“My shampoo.” This guy … this guy named Felix was sniffing my hair. And as if that night couldn’t get any weirder, I realized that I liked it. I liked it way too much.
He hummed. “Where’s your friend?”
“Inside with her boyfriend, Dean.”
He sat back a little, letting my hair drop. I think I might have sighed in disappointment. “Dean Trellot?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” Then frowned. “Why?”
He shook his head with a snicker. “That dickhead’s got his hands full.”
I didn’t know what he meant, though I’d find out later.
“Do, ah, you go to school here in the city?” I asked quietly.
“I do.” He sucked on his lip for a second. “How old are you?”
“I just turned eighteen,” I said, glad that I could now ask him the same. “How old are you?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a cigarette. “Eighteen, too.”
I watched as he lit it; the way his eyes narrowed and the way he cupped the flame with his large hand. He tucked his lighter away and inhaled.
That was when the weird smell hit me that I’d noticed inside. “What is that?”
He passed it over to me. “A blunt.”
I took it from him, staring at it. “You mean … weed?”
He laughed, and I tried not to drop the smelly thing. “Yes. Weed. You’ve never had any?”
Not wanting to look like an idiot in front of him, I shook my head and brought the blunt to my lips, instantly coughing when I inhaled.
My lungs felt like they were on fire, and my throat burned.
“Whoa, Little Doe.” He reached over and took it from me, then to my horror, he started rubbing my back. “You okay? Small drags for a beginner.”
He moved his chair right next to mine, his arm looping around my shoulders as he showed me how to do it. I tried again, taking a few short drags and only coughing once. “No more for you,” he said, finishing off the blunt. “Otherwise, you’ll be high as a kite.”
I think I already was. “So was that your girlfriend?” I asked when he finished, then laughed at my own audacity and covered my mouth.
He grinned and my eyes narrowed, trying to get a good look at his straight white teeth. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” I sat back in my chair.
He chuckled. The clouds moved past the moon, and seeing his face in the light again, I noticed his eyes looked a little bloodshot. I wondered if mine did, too. I reached up as if I could check by touching them.
He nudged my hand down. “Trying to poke your eyeball out?”
I laughed, loud and crazy sounding. “Of course, not.”
He kept my hand in his, and I let him. It felt warm, large, a little rough, and a whole lot nice. “You heard that earlier conversation, did you?”
“Sure did, if that’s what you call it.” I threw him a smirk. “Though I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to play some snake and then bam.” I tossed my free hand into the air. “Heard you break some poor girl’s heart into itty-bitty pieces.”
Laughing under his breath, he never moved his keen eyes from my face. “We weren’t together. She’s a friend.”
“You usually let a friend keep your you know what warm?” I snorted, and he grinned, shaking his head.
He brought my hand to his lips, softly rubbing them over the back of it. “I did. But it seems it was a mistake.”
My breath hitched loudly, which made him groan against my hand. He lowered it to his thigh. “You’re really fucking cute.”
What? Cute? My nose crinkled with annoyance. “Cute?” I asked as though he’d called me a toad instead.
“Yeah. I mean, you’re beautiful. But you won’t even say the word dick.”
“Dick,” I blurted out, then promptly dropped my head down and started howling with laughter.
He waited for me to get my crap together before saying, “You’re definitely high.”
I lifted my head, which kind of felt like it was spinning. “You’ve corrupted me, big guy.”
“Big guy, huh?” He huffed. “And I guess I should feel bad about that?”
Sniffing, I flopped my head to the side, and stared at his lips. “But you don’t.” My voice was all breathy; I’m surprised he even heard me.
He shook his head again, his tone low and husky, sending shivers skating over my skin. “I really don’t.”
Then he was leaning in, his other hand grasping my chin while his lips hovered over mine. “Are you …” I swallowed hard. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“Do you want me to, Little Doe?” His breath washed over my lips. It smelled like beer with a slight hint of spearmint.
“I think I need to ask you a question first.”
His lashes fluttered half closed, his eyes hooding. “Ask.”
“Did you kiss your friend earlier?”
He exhaled before answering. “Not tonight, no.”
“Okay,” I whispered with my heart banging against my chest. “You can kiss me now.”
“Thank fucking Christ.” His lips landed on mine, and I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t the gentleness I received.
He kissed me softly, as if he was planning to memorize the feel of my lips pressed against his to recall long after the night was over.
Dragging them up and down, he hesitantly parted them, fusing his bottom lip between both of mine. I freed my hand from his and lifted it to the side of his face, feeling the coarse stubble over his jaw before discovering just how thick his hair really was. My other hand joined in, sinking in and tugging gently, trying to pull him closer, deeper, everywhere.
He groaned. Then I was on his lap, sitting sideways.
Just as his tongue touched mine, the noise from inside grew louder from the back door sliding open. “Maggie?” Lucy’s voice had my head snapping back. “Shit, Maggie, is that you? How much did you have to drink?”
I jumped up, wobbling on my feet a little, and Felix steadied me with a hand on my hip.
“What’s up?” I tried to act cool, but one look at my face had Lucy asking, “Holy shit, are you stoned?”
“Ah, I think so. Maybe.” I shrugged and tried for a smile.
Laughing, she shook her head. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I frowned at her. “What, why?”
She sighed loudly. “Because Dean’s a two-timing asshole who was just kissing some other chick in the laundry room while I was on the stinking toilet, that’s why.”
“Shit.” My eyes bugged. “But …” I glanced back at Felix, wishing I could stay.
Lucy turned around and marched down the side of the house. “Sorry, dude, she’s coming with me. Hurry up, Maggie. I need to get out of here before the sleaze finds me.”
“Maggie.” The sound of my name from Felix’s mouth had me giving my attention back to him. “You dropped this.” He held out my long-forgotten phone. I took it, only to have him grab my wrist and bring my hand to his mouth once again. “Text me when you get home.”
I nodded, still wondering when I’d dropped my phone, but then I realized I didn’t even have his number. “I don’t have your nu—”
His crooked grin had my stomach fluttering as I realized what he’d done. I tucked some hair behind my ear, giving him a small and probably dopey smile before removing my hand and following Lucy out the side gate to the street where we waited for a cab.
I didn’t wait until we were back at Lucy’s place to text him.
I did it on the way there.
Me: Felix. Like the cat. I love cats!
Felix: I hate the reminder, but from you? It’s not so bad. ;)