When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(28)



“That’s not the point.” I snap irritated with her accusations.

Amanda puts up her hands in defeat. “Okay, I’ll get her home. Relax. Will you be here for a while?” I nod in answer as she stands on her toes to lay a soft kiss on my cheek. I watch her prance to the backyard before heading back into the house myself.

And there she is standing at one end of the beer pong table next to none other than my best friend, Craig. They are playing against Violet and some sophomore. There is a crowd gathering around the table watching as Kennedy stretches to make the final shot to end the game. She turns her head catching my eyes raking over her before turning her attention back to the table. She sets up and shoots the ping pong ball banking it into the only single red cup left. Craig lifts her up in a hug as they both cheer in victory. She slides down his body and immediately notice what she is wearing. My eyes hone in on her bare legs.

Kennedy is modest most days. She doesn’t completely shun us all from seeing her legs. She’s wearing a short white summer dress that shows off her lean legs and allows just enough cleavage to be exposed with a pair of green sandals. Most girls would look ridiculous wearing a dress with a clunky cast, but somehow she manages to look gorgeous. I watch as she continues her celebration with everyone around the table. I can’t draw my eyes away from her body as she leans across the table to high five Violet making her dress shimmy up her thigh. I’m screwed.

“I have to go fill up my beer,” Kennedy shouts back to Craig before grabbing her crutches and stumbling into the hallway. She nearly trips over her crutches landing right in front of me. Her eyes are bloodshot showing how much she had already guzzled down tonight. Kennedy isn’t used to having alcohol gushing through her veins and it’s obvious by the glossy cover on her eyes. Why do you care how much she’s been drinking?

Kennedy looks up at me just as she trips with a look of surprise. I reach out to catch her fall. “You okay?” I ask with sincere concern. She jerks her arm away from me as if I burned her.

“I’m fine,” she barks at me with animosity.

“No, I don’t think you are. How much have you had to drink tonight?” I put my hand under her chin to get a better look in her crystal blue eyes.

“What are you doing?” Kennedy jerks away from my touch once again. “I’m just having fun. You know that thing you do every weekend when I’m usually at home reading.”

“Sweet heart, I don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but you can barely stand up on your own. You won’t be having much fun tomorrow morning. I can promise you that.”

“Well Mr. Black, if you haven’t noticed lately someone ran me over with their car and because of that idiot I have a broken fucking leg,” Kennedy bobs her head back and forth enunciating every word while poking me in the chest. I just stand staring at her in silence.

I half expected her to lash out at me at some point. I never imagined it would cut as deep as it had. She forgave me for what I had done or at least she claimed she had. The girl standing in front of me now was not the one that sat in her room feeling vulnerable and unsure. Her passion was a major turn on. My pants grew tighter with her hostility. That’s a weird reaction, I know. How she’s making me feel is unnatural, that much is obvious by the major hard on I am rocking in the middle of this party.

“Fair enough, Kennedy. Go have fun. Try not killing yourself tonight. Craig seems like he’d miss you,” I gesture to the beer pong table where Craig and Violet are standing. Kennedy glares up at me with her eyes burning with fire. She is infuriated. I’m not sure if she is upset by what she has said to me or by the way I am treating her.

“I think you have that market cornered, Graham. Don’t you?” she rolls her eyes then turns away from me. My mouth just falls open in dismay.

Craig came up behind Kennedy and pulls an arm around her shoulder just in time to interrupt. “You ready to play? Violet and John want a rematch.” Craig looks to me nodding his head to show what his intentions are. It only pisses me off more. I tighten my fists to push back the urge to lay his ass out.

She smiles up at him. Damn, that grates on my last nerve. “Of course, I’ll be right over as long as we’re done here,” she pokes her finger into my chest one last time for good drunken measure.

“Yeah, we’re all done,” I speak directly to Craig. Kennedy’s already making her way back to the kitchen where a full cup of beer waits for her.

“Who knew, right?” Craig points back to Kennedy who’s standing at the keg waiting for Dan to fill up her cup. Craig leaves me to grab her drink carrying it back to the table. Talk about playing the gentleman card just to score a little tail. She’s not like most of these girls, she should be able to see right through it.

I’m left frozen in the same spot watching her. Feeling territorial is out of my wheel house. Seeing Kennedy with Craig only makes my blood boil hotter. He may be my friend, but he isn’t a good guy. I suppose I’d be placed in that same category alongside him. Craig’s been known to pull girls in with his sweet talk and spit them out just as quickly.

The next few hours go by slowly. I discreetly watch every move Kennedy makes. She continues to kick back beer after beer. Even from a far distance I can tell she’s well past the point of just being drunk. She would be feeling the repercussions of her choices tomorrow morning. We ended up being in the same room throughout the night. She refused to make eye contact and spent most of her time laughing at something Craig was saying. I know for a fact that he’s not nearly as funny as she makes him out to be with her little giggles and gentle hand brushes.

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