Suit (The Twin Duo #1)(49)

Candace looked back to her husband with a noticeable grimace. “You eat meat three times a day.”

“Yeah, I know I do. I’m just saying some people.”

“You’re not drinking anymore,” she said, still wearing the frown. My eyes met Lane’s and I unintentionally scowled. Was he talking about me?

“Oh, my God. This is so good, Gabriella. What’s in it? Mmm, Shay, Tricia, you gotta try this,” Candace said while licking the icy alcohol from her lips.

I used my fingers to calculate the ingredients as I thought them out. “Captain Morgan. The spiced kind. Blackberry liqueur, crème de bananas, fresh squeezed orange juice, and—oh, crushed ice. That’s it.”

The gathering moved away from the pool and under the roof when Collin splashed everyone again.

“You don’t even drink,” Candace said.

I looked up, puzzled. “I don’t?”

“You hate alcohol,” Paxton reminded me with a squeeze to my hand.

“No, she likes it,” I heard, barely above a whisper. Lane’s hand went to the small of my back as he passed me, needing to get closer to his grill.

“You help me get this off?” Rowan asked with her head stuck in her dress. I gave her bare belly a noisy raspberry first and then lifted it over her head. She giggled and ran off to join the other kids in the pool.

From all the strange stares I seemed to be getting from my friends, my neighbors—or whatever the hell they were—seemed to be telling me something. I was a freak. Why did I get a look every time I said or did something? Or was it the raspberry?

“I like this alcohol,” I admitted. I poured myself a drink in one of the cute whisky glasses and sipped it. Again, all eyes on me. Paxton discreetly nodded to the chair next to him and I sat. With my drink.

“You okay?” He set a hand on my knee and raised his eyebrows.

I leaned in closer and whispered back, “I’m going to need a cooler full of ice for this day.”

His frown deepened with confusion. “Excuse me?”

“Forget it.”

“Good idea. No more after that.”

“No more what?”

“Drinks.”

I snorted. “Hmph, okay.”

“Gabriella,” he said in a quiet yet stern tone. It was a warning and I knew it. Gah. Why couldn’t I just be fake like everyone else?

The night wasn’t so bad. Maybe because I didn’t stop with one. It wasn’t my fault, though. Lane kept pouring them for me. If Paxton really cared, he should have said something to him. He didn’t. Not my fault.

It wasn’t like I got drunk. I was far from drunk. Especially after we ate. I barely felt anything. If Paxton was mad, he didn’t show it. He talked in a circle with the guys like any other guy would do. I got a couple of looks, but nothing major. All and all, I thought the night was a nice change. Even Paxton seemed to enjoy himself. If anyone was a little intoxicated, it was him.

I liked Tricia, I liked Shayla, but I loved Candace. I don’t know why. I felt like she understood me more than the other two. I didn’t feel like a freak show with her. It was as if she understood me. She didn’t remind me of the things I didn’t like before the accident. If Shayla told me one more time how she’d never seen my boobs this much before, I might have punched her. It was a little cleavage. That’s it. She had more tits hanging out than anyone there. Including Ophelia who was running around without a top.

The four of us sat in a circle, drinking the second batch of rum-runners. I had to admit, mine were better than Candace’s. She admitted it, too. I tried to tell her frozen orange juice wouldn’t be the same. It was okay, though.

The guys were playing badminton with the kids. Two of them couldn’t take their eyes off me. One of which I didn’t understand why. I shifted my gaze away from Lane every time I saw him staring. Maybe I didn’t want to remember that one.

Shayla took Paxton’s place when he ran to the bathroom. She batted the birdie straight to the roof. During Paxton’s absence, I took the time to pour myself another drink. Only I didn’t pull any wool over his head.

Paxton moved behind me and kissed my neck. Geesh. He was a fast pisser.

“Need some help, Mrs. Pierce?” Paxton asked while his hand slithered around my waist.

My eyes shifted to him and then down his body, probably a more haughty expression than anything. “Sure, there’s a birdie on the roof.”

He glowered at me, but his single-word response held a tinge of bewilderment. “What?”

“You should go get it.”

Paxton’s gaze lifted to the plastic birdie Rowan had hit on the roof. He smirked. “That’s funny. Forgetting who you are has made you a comedian. Keep it up. I like it.”

“I’m scared.” I said with a sarcastic tone. My eyes darted to Rowan, who yelled for me to watch her do a cannonball like Collin. And then I caught Lane glaring at me. What the hell is this guy’s deal?

Paxton placed his phone in front of us, searching for an app. I sipped my drink and then panicked.

Smart panties!

“No, Paxton. Don’t you dare,” I warned. My hand covered his screen, but not fast enough. It felt like it went in a circle. All the way around my suddenly alive nub. The vibration was powerful. Extremely powerful. I stiffened like a board, using the outside bar as support.