The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(79)

Feeling a little flattered, I watched as she drew out my name. With her tongue sticking out a little bit, she concentrated on each letter. Finally curling the y like a lightning bolt, she tossed the pen over her head. It hit some dude’s shoulder. “Done.” Her hand slid down to grasp my hand.

“Nice. Now that I know you’re not drunk, I think I should get you a drink.” Still holding her hand, I wrapped my other arm around her waist and guided her through the crowd toward the beer keg and bottles of liquor on the kitchen counter. A giant blue cooler full of Cokes and other soda was on the ground.

Taylor followed me with a little skip in her step. “How do I know you’re not drunk?”

“Oh, believe me, I can drink better than anyone here.”

Looking very interested, her dark eyes flashed dangerously. She leaned against the counter and pointed a finger at me. “Oh yeah? That sounds like a pretty big dare. Why don’t we test that out? For every shot that I drink, then you have to drink three.”

Really? Was she really trying to challenge me? I didn’t regret coming over to Taylor at all. The party had been getting a little boring, but this conversation with her was worth making out with five girls. Snickering to myself, I handed her a small stack of white plastic shot cups. “Deal.”

With a grin of triumph, she grabbed a bottle of tequila and poured shots into them. She concentrated on getting the same amount in each one until there were three cups in front of her. I thought she was only going to drink one, but she let out a deep breath and grabbed them all, one by one. My jaw dropped as she downed three cups in a row before grabbing a can of Coke to chug.

Wiping at her chin, she shoved the bottle at me. “I had three, so that means nine more for you, Mr. Big Shot.”

I gave her an admiring look. Damn, she was tough. A lot tougher than I’d originally thought. My pride was yelling at me to do it, while my head told me to just let it go. As usual, my pride won. Oh, I was definitely going to regret this in the morning, but I couldn’t turn down her challenge. I splashed tequila in the cups she’d just used.

Here goes nothing. I took each shot before I could back down. After the ninth shot, I couldn’t help gagging. I was a good drinker, but I’d already had a few drinks. Not to mention, I hated tequila. Dark liquor flowed down much smoother. I waved the last empty cup at Taylor in triumph. The room was already starting to spin a little bit, but determined not to embarrass myself, I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. “Happy?”

“Awesome. Let’s have another one.”

I had to pry her away from the counter when she tried to lunge for the bottle again. Pride or no pride, I wasn’t planning to get shitfaced at the party tonight, and I knew I was already at my limit. “Let’s dance instead.”

The crowd in the living room parted a bit when we came in. Or maybe we shoved through them. I don’t know. I didn’t really notice. I didn’t notice anyone but the fascinating girl in my arms.

We danced to a few songs before someone turned on a slow one. Without any hesitation, Taylor wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Her face tilted back, and she bobbed to the music with her eyes closed. Tiny wisps of dark hair were plastered to her damp forehead.

My hands clasped both sides of her hips. Her tank top rolled up a little over her capris, and I could feel her soft skin. Just an inch or so. I rubbed it beneath my fingertips, back and forth until it started to warm up beneath my fingers. All the while watching her face as she swayed to the music. Her face was calm, but her cheeks were turning a pretty pink. I didn’t know if it was because of my touch or because the alcohol was finally creeping up on her. Everything was already getting kind of blurry for me.

Taylor opened her eyes and stared up at me. Her dark eyes were wide and unwavering. For some reason, I froze. I couldn’t look away. I just studied her face, from her small forehead to the little mole on her left cheekbone and sliding down to her rosy lips.

Suddenly, she licked her lower lip ever so slightly before leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss me. It was soft and hard. Hot and electrifying. Despite all the alcohol she’d just drunk, she tasted like candy. Sweet and addictive.

I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her tighter to my body. She fit perfectly in my arms, like she was made to be there. Belonged there. Her hands on my shoulders tightened like she heard me and agreed.





{Taylor}


With our hands linked together, we swayed in the empty street. My feet skipped to the music from the party still ringing in my ears. “Is it just me or is it really foggy tonight? Everything’s all fuzzy. The stars, the trees…” I squinted up at the sky and frowned. “Why are there two moons?”

Instead of looking up, Evan just pointed a finger at me and snorted. “You’re so drunk.”

“No way.” He had to be lying. I didn’t feel any different. I did feel happy, though. And light. Unburdened. Just in case, I let go of him and paced back and forth in a straight line. Perfectly straight. It couldn’t be any better if I had a ruler. I twirled in place. Once. Twice. “Maybe you’re the one who’s drunk.”

“Oh, I definitely am. I’m still better than you.”

I jabbed a finger in his direction. “No one is ever better than me—whoops.” My phone fell out of my pocket and hit the street with a loud crack. I stooped over to pick it up. “Oh crap.”