Make Me Bad(72)

“Hey sis, is the beer in the fridge free game or—”

His question is cut off by the tell-tale sound of glass shattering somewhere in the house.

Arianna groans and jumps to her feet, running toward the noise. I hear her murmuring obscenities under her breath as she goes. Andy better get here soon or she’s going to lose it.

I meet her brother’s gaze and shrug, holding back a laugh. This whole night is truly a bust. Where the hell are those guys?

“Guess that’s a no on the beer,” her brother says, scratching the back of his head.

I stand up, taking pity on the guy. “C’mon, there are some coolers out back—I’m pretty sure that’s where the beer is.”

He holds open the door to the patio and I point him in the right direction. I’m about to go back inside when his hand juts out in greeting. “I’m Pete, by the way.”

I smile. “Madison.”

He nods and reaches for a beer. “Want one? I saw you double-fisting earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, about that…”

I could have sworn no one was watching me.

He laughs and breaks the awkward moment. “I’m kidding.”

Now that he has his beer, he should leave me alone, but he doesn’t. I’m wearing the jeans from my “bad girl” day at the bowling alley. They hug my butt. I had a cardigan on over my silky white tank top, but with all the people crammed inside, I got hot. Now, I feel like I should probably run back and get it.

I’m beginning to realize that the superhero mantra “With great power comes great responsibility” might apply to sex appeal too. We’ve hit the crucial point in our conversation where I either need to turn and head back to Eli and Kevin or somehow work in that I have a boyfriend. It feels very much like Pete is hitting on me, and when he not so subtly checks me out, that point is made even more clear.

No. Don’t be silly.

Not every man wants you. Just Ben. Just Ben who is now lying to you and disappearing into the night…

With that thought, I turn back to Pete and smile.

“So, do you live around here?”

Apparently, he’s Arianna’s younger brother and he’s visiting from Dallas. He’s just down for the weekend, and we talk about the places he should visit while he’s in town.

“You’ve been to the beach already, right?”

He laughs. “Yeah, you know, Clifton Cove being a beach town and all…”

I wave away his sarcasm. “Right, okay. Ignore that suggestion. There’s a cool farmers market on Saturday mornings. This time of year, I bet they have some good produce.”

He looks at me like he doesn’t quite understand what I’m saying.

“How old are you?” I ask.

He grins. “22.”

I nod. “Right. Okay, so no farmers market. Probably forget about the train museum too. Unless—wait, are you into that kind of thing?”

His eyes narrow playfully. “Y’know, not really. It’s weird, but I’m not a big train guy.”

I chuckle. “Right, well, probably just stick to the beach then. Women in bikinis, sun, waves—you can’t go wrong.”

“Do you like going to the beach?” he asks, taking a step closer.

WHOA.

This dude wants to see me in a bikini!

I’ve officially crossed into the red zone. I feel bad now. Am I cheating?! Is this cheating!?

I open my mouth to quickly blurt out an apology followed by I have a boyfriend whom I very much love please stop looking at me like you want to kiss me because I will throw my drink in your face, but I never get the chance.

There’s a commotion near the front door. People are yelling, “Surprise!”, which is odd, because this is definitely not a surprise party. I think people got confused when they arrived and Andy wasn’t here.

Through the large back window, I watch as Andy steps into the living room and laps up the attention, more than happy to have everyone focused on him.

“No way! Guys, I’m totally shocked!” he shouts, accepting hugs and felicitations.

Apparently, he’s also forgotten this isn’t a surprise party.

I stand rooted to my spot as Ben walks through the door behind him. If everyone rushed in to greet Andy, they do the opposite for Ben. The crowd parts and stares. The special guest has arrived.

It’s like he’s stealing the spotlight without even trying. It’s his own damn fault, really. He shouldn’t wear that black shirt. With his brown hair and tan skin, it’s just too much. Jesus, wear pink or purple or just go without clothes altogether. At least then we’d all pass out and be put out of our misery.

Ben nods to a few friends but brushes past the people who step into his path, trying to stop him for conversations. His eyes are sweeping the room, looking, searching. My heart thunders in my chest and I nearly use Pete to block myself from his view, but it wouldn’t do any good. This is my life. Ben is my boyfriend. I’ll just have to get used to the overwhelming emotional grenade he sets off inside me by simply walking into a room.

When it’s clear that I’m not in the living room, he turns for the kitchen then pauses and glances out the window. The invisible rope tied between us pulls taut when he glances my way. We’re half a back yard apart and it feels like he just ran a finger down my spine.