Bender (The Core Four #1)(44)

He looked from me to Luke and back to Macie. “We’ve talked about this, and I’m not discussing it in front of other people.”

“Oh come on Dodger, anything you tell me, I’m going to share with Keegan.” Gah! Did she really need to bring me into this?

He vehemently shook his head. “No. This isn’t the time, nor the place.”

“Well aren’t you chivalrous,” she replied snidely.

Dodger’s frustration amplified, and he dragged a hand through his almost black hair. “I swear to God, Mace. I don’t know what you want from me.”

She flung her arms up in the air in frustration. “I want you to fuck me!”

Dodgers eyes grew wide and then narrowed on her. “You’re pushing it. Keep this up and I’m going to drag you out of here and take you home.”

“Oh goodie. Then I’m sure you’ll just drop me off and leave me there to take care of my own needs. Such a gentleman.” Her words were laced with venom, and she wasn’t even drunk yet.

I didn’t want to be in here for this, and I’m sure Dodger would appreciate it if we left them alone to sort this out. Touching Macie on the shoulder I told her, “We’re going out to sit on the patio. Come get me if you need me.”

Not breaking her stare, she said, “K.”

Luke grabbed my hand and led me back out through the crowd. “What was that all about?” he shouted in my ear.

“Long story,” I yelled back.

As we passed groups of girls chatting and laughing, I noticed that a few of them took notice of Luke. Jealousy stirred in my veins. He was mine ladies, eat your hearts out, I thought. I also took note that of all the costumes and how mine was surprisingly tame. There were barely there bikinis and Playboy Bunny bathing suits. A few girls were wearing outfits where the back went up their butt like a thong. I shivered. I’d never be caught dead wearing something like that. Not even in the privacy of my own home. The guys, on the other hand, had an array of costumes. From Ace Ventura to Chippendales. A few of them made me giggle with their creativeness. Walking out a set of French doors, we stepped onto a very large deck that spanned the whole back of the house. There were no Halloween decorations out here, but Tiki torches, resting in cylinder holders, lit up the backyard. There were about a dozen lounge chairs scattered across the deck. A group of guys were off to the side loudly talking and having a good time.

“Hey Luke!” a male voice shouted over the crowd. Several heads turned and looked in our direction. Luke smiled, and we went over to where they were sitting.

Luke palmed several of their outstretched hands, and they all greeted each other.

“Keegan, I want you to meet some of my brothers from the house. This is Holden, Brent, and RJ.” I gave a shy wave to the three of them. “And the rest of these clowns are pledges.” There was a resounding grunting coming from the males standing in front of me. All I could picture was every one of them sitting in front of a television with a beer and their hands down their pants. The thought made me want to laugh.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me, Luke?” a sweet female voice said from behind a few of the guys who had stood up, blocking her from my view.

I noticed Luke’s jaw working back and forth, and something about his posture said he didn’t have any interest in telling me who this chick was.

“Keegan, this is Veronica. Roni, Keegan.”

“Ugh, I wish you’d stop calling me that. That nickname is so high school, Luke,” she said with slight annoyance. “Please, call me Veronica. Nobody calls me Roni anymore except for him.”

“Some things never change,” he said under his breath.

Veronica was sitting down on a chair, but I could tell she was tall. Maybe even taller than Macie. Her features were a mix of Asian and Caucasian. She had long black hair that touched the top of her breasts, and a pair of lips that were pouty and full. What was most striking about her were her long full eyelashes that surrounded cat-like eyes. The color was almost a caramel, which I’ve never seen before. For as beautiful as she was, she also didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies. She was eyeing me like I was somehow the enemy stepping into her territory. I had no doubt that a girl like her held every single one of these boys under thumb. That was fine. I wasn’t interested in any of them. It would, however, be an issue if she were interested in Luke. We’d only been on a few dates together, but it was enough for me to feel possessive of him. The way she was looking at me made me uneasy.

“So Keegan, what do you do?” the one introduced as Holden asked.

Breaking eye contact with Veronica, I turned to him and said, “I’m a nursing student here at UG, and I work in Medical Records at Dr. Hill’s office.”

Holden looked like an average guy, brown hair and brown eyes. Nothing really stood out about him. “Sounds cool. What year are you?”

“I’m in the middle of my junior year,” I stated proudly.

“You’re a junior, and you aren’t in the nursing program yet?” Veronica asked, interrupting the conversation. Her voice was suddenly becoming annoying.

“Stop it, Roni,” Luke scolded. I hated that he had a nickname for her. I wondered how long they’d known each other.

“What? I’m just asking. Most juniors are already doing clinicals in their third year.”