Catching Summer (Second Chances, #6)(19)

“Honestly, I haven’t talked to him. He called but I didn’t answer.”

Before getting too close to the others, I stopped him. “I know he’s your friend, Evan. Don’t let his problems with Lara come between you two. She wouldn’t want that, and neither do I.”

“I won’t, I promise. But I don’t want to talk about him right now.” He threw back his beer and tossed the bottle in the trash can. “It’s time to have some fun.” We joined the others on the porch and spent three hours laughing and carrying on just like normal people. There was a whole party going on around us, but I didn’t pay attention to all of that. Evan had a solid group of friends that I enjoyed every minute of talking to. I didn’t really have that many of my own friends. I’d moved around so much that it was hard to keep them. By the time I moved back to Charlotte, my friends had all gone their separate ways.

“These things are f*cking awesome,” Derek shouted. He tossed another Jell-O shooter in his mouth and swallowed it down. It had to be his twentieth one. I sipped on my glass of wine because I knew at the end of the night I was driving home. Evan, on the other hand, had a contest with Cooper and Derek to see who could do the most shots. They all ended up toasted.

“Is this what they usually do at these parties?” I asked, glancing back and forth from Kate to Brianna.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Most of the time, when they win a game. They celebrate by acting like idiots,” Brianna claimed. She had stayed sober so she could drive Derek back home.

She stood up and Derek smacked her ass. “Woman, you know you like it when I get drunk. I can last for hours this way.”

Face blushing, she thumped him in the ear. “All right, let’s go. I think you’ve had enough.” I think they all had. The party had died down and a majority of the people had already left. Evan put his arm around my shoulders, but I could feel his body leaning heavier against my side.

Derek groaned when he stood and stretched his arms high over his head, yawning. “Fine, we can go. I know I need to make sure you get taken care of tonight.”

Shaking her head, she threw her arms in the air. “Oh my God, he’s ridiculous.” Then to Evan she said, “It was a fun party. We’ll see you on Monday.”

We all waved goodbye, and then Kate and Cooper got to their feet. “I think we’re going to head home as well,” Kate said, rubbing her belly. “I’m exhausted.” Evan and I both stood while Cooper shook his hand and Kate moved in for a hug. “Remember what we talked about, okay?”

“I know,” I whispered. “You have nothing to worry about.”

After they left, Evan put his arm around my shoulders again and led me inside. The rest of the people who were outside were filing into their cars and leaving. “Did you have fun?” I asked him. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. Even though he was drunk, he’d never gotten out of hand at the party. I’d caught him staring at me a lot. It made me nervous, but if I was honest with myself, I’d admit that I liked it.

“Only because you were here.” Eyes half lidded, he watched me over the rim of his glass and drank the rest of his water. “I’m drinking water for you again, Nurse Jacobs. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Rolling my eyes, I took the glass from him and set it in the sink. “I think you need to go to bed and sleep off the alcohol. Where’s your room?”

He nodded toward the hallway. “Down there. Do you want to see it?”

I pushed against his chest and laughed. “Only to see your drunk ass go to sleep. I’ll help you get in bed and then I’m going home.”

“So soon?”

Shaking my head, I pushed him down the hall until we got to his bedroom. When he opened the door, the room smelled exactly like him. The only light we had was from the hallway, but I could see enough. I pulled him over to the bed, and he sat down while I kneeled in front of him and slipped off his shoes, moving them away. “Lie back,” I commanded.

With a seductive grin on his face, he watched me with those gray eyes of his as I unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down his thick, muscular thighs. I tried not to look at the bulge between his legs, but failed miserably. His deep chuckle vibrated all the way down my body. Once his shirt was off, I covered him with the sheet and was about to leave when he grabbed my hand.

“Wait.”

“What?” I asked.

“I want you to lie down with me.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Just for a minute.” I did as he said and lay down on the bed, facing him. His breaths came out slow and deep, and his eyes grew heavier by the second. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. His hand tightened on mine and he moved closer, his lips only a breath away. I was frozen, secretly wishing he’d kiss me, but scared to close the distance.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“I never got to answer your question from earlier.”

“Which one?”

“The one about what I would’ve done if I caught you in the locker room with someone else. I never got to answer you.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand; he was about to pass out on me. “Tell me.”

His eyes closed and a deep growl rumbled in his chest. “I would’ve beat the f*ck out of him.”