Good Girl Complex(Avalon Bay #1)(46)

“So.” Even his voice sounds different now. Lighter, flirtier. “Which one of Mackenzie’s friends will I be seducing tonight?”

You’d think a line that sleazy would evoke groans. Instead, the girls all but swoon over it. Even Melissa is affected. Her face turns pink, lips parting slightly.

I don’t blame them. This guy is sex personified. Doesn’t matter if he’s being his broody self or pretending to be his manwhore brother, the sexual energy pours off him in waves.

“Keep it in your pants, Evan.” My tone is meant to be teasing but sounds like a warning.

His grin widens.

“Alright.” Sutton releases an exaggerated sigh and hops off her stool. “I guess I’ll take one for the team.” Her hazy expression tells me she’s already having sex with Cooper in her mind. “How ’bout a dance first, and then we can discuss that seduction offer?”

There’s not a single muscle in my body that isn’t coiled tight. My fingers curl around my cup, squeezing hard. I’m worried I might crush it. It’s a damn good thing it’s made of plastic, otherwise there’d be glass shards everywhere.

Cooper’s mocking eyes don’t miss my response. He’s watching me even as he answers Sutton. “A dance sounds great. Lead the way, babe.”

Three seconds later, he’s wrapped up with Sutton on the dance floor in front of the stage. Her arms loop around his neck, her slender frame pressed against his strong one. Cooper’s hands skim the back of her lacy camisole, one palm trailing lower, resting right above the curve of her ass. His other hand glides up her spine and tangles in her dark ponytail before cupping the back of her neck.

Bitter rage coats my throat. I reach for my daiquiri hoping to get rid of the vile taste, only to find my cup is empty.

“Ugh, I can’t believe her,” Alisha is griping.

Her? I can’t believe him. What is he doing, dirty dancing with a complete stranger?

Beside me, Kate pats Alisha’s arm. “I’m sorry, hon. Next time you gotta be quicker.”

“Lord, he is hot,” Melissa remarks, her attention glued to Cooper and Sutton. “If I wasn’t with Benji, I would totally consider slumming it with a townie for the night.”

I lift a brow. “I thought extracurricular activities were perfectly acceptable?”

She laughs. “Um, no. Not for us, sweetie. At least not until we’ve got the I Dos locked down. Then you can screw the pool boys and gardeners to your heart’s content.”

Kate rolls her eyes at her older sister. “You’re one classy bitch, Mel.”

Melissa shrugs. “What? That’s the way it’s done.”

I tune them out, distracted by the vertical sex display happening ten feet from our table. Sutton is now on her tiptoes, whispering in Cooper’s ear.

He chuckles, and I stiffen. What are they giggling about over there?

And he really needs to remove his hands from her ass. Like, right now. He’s laying it on thick for my expense, and I am not having it. I bite the inside of my cheek. Hard.

“I totally should’ve staked my claim the second he walked up to us,” Alisha moans. She’s also obsessively watching the dance floor.

“Early bird gets the dick,” Kate says solemnly.

“Ugh. Whatever.” Alisha slams her cup on the table and pouts. “She’s all talk anyway. Sutton doesn’t do casual sex. She’s not going to fall into bed with some guy she doesn’t even—” Alisha stops abruptly, her jaw dropping.

I follow her gaze just in time to see Cooper and Sutton leaving the bar together.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN


MACKENZIE

The next morning, my media culture class is canceled. The professor sends a mass email that defies the laws of oversharing, informing us that his bowels had revolted against the meatloaf his wife prepared for dinner last night.

I feel your pain, bud. My stomach’s been in knots since I saw Cooper leave the Rip Tide with his arm slung around Sutton.

Did they have sex? I feel queasy at the thought. And a little angry. How could he fall into bed with some chick he’d known for 2.5 seconds? Or maybe they didn’t sleep together. Maybe she just blew him.

A red mist overtakes my field of vision at the thought of Sutton going down on Cooper. I want to rip his dick off for letting her touch it.

Hmm. Okay.

Maybe I’m more than a “little” angry.

But I’m not allowed to feel that way. Cooper is not my boyfriend. Preston is. I’m not allowed to have an opinion about who Cooper hooks up with, and I certainly shouldn’t be reaching for my phone right now and pulling up our chat thread and—

Me: You didn’t have to do that on my account. And by “do that,” I mean Sutton.



Damn it. What is wrong with me? I regret sending the text the moment it appears on the screen. I frantically tap at the screen in search of an unsend option, but that’s not how text messages work.

And now Cooper is typing a response.

Heart beating wildly, I sit up in bed and inwardly curse myself for my lack of self-control.

Cooper: Oh we’re talking again?

Me: No. We’re not.

Cooper: Cool. Later.



I stare at my phone in frustration. I’m more frustrated with myself than with him, though. I told him we couldn’t be friends. I literally said, “Goodbye, Cooper.” Last night I called him Evan and all but threw him at my single friends so that Melissa wouldn’t suspect anything and tell Benji. This is on me. Of course Cooper doesn’t want to talk to me.