Jerks!
"If you behave and go have fun like a good little girl, then I'll put you down," Maverick says, trying to make it sound as though it's a generous offer.
I'll have his balls for this.
"You've got to be kidding me! I can't do this. Take me back home, now!"
"Chill, Rain," Corbin snickers, earning a glare from me. Well, I try to glare at him, but it's hard to do when you're upside down! "It's just for a little while. You can get drunk and let loose. Dane won't even have time to notice you. It's just a party."
Just a party? I hate them.
After calling them a string of terrible names and making several vicious threats to their balls, I finally concede, because they're sure as hell not going to fold. They'll just continue to humiliate me if I don't go in, and this night will only get worse if everyone sees me tossed over a shoulder.
I can do this. I can face Dane Sterling without going weak in the knees and looking like a fool.
"Fine!" I bark, trying to swing a foot low enough to catch Maverick in the balls, but he knows exactly how to manhandle me without risking bodily harm. Years of practice.
"You gonna behave?" Corbin taunts—from a safe distance, of course.
I glare at him once again, and earn a throaty chuckle from the asshat. I'll remember this.
Maverick snickers as he puts me down, letting my feet find the ground once again, and I stagger in my heels. I go to knee him, but he catches it, and rolls his eyes as he pushes it away from his groin. Damn his reflexes.
He wraps an arm around me while pushing me toward the door, and all that dread knots up in my stomach, distracting me from unleashing my wrath.
"I'll never play wing woman for you again," I hiss as he opens the door and lets me walk in first.
"What?" Maverick gasps. "You can't be serious."
Ignoring his shock, I double check myself in the mirror and try to fix the damage Maverick did to my hair. The music hits a lull, and I hear the distinctly familiar laugh that I loathe. I'd rather endure nails on a chalkboard for an hour than to hear that laugh for five seconds.
Tria Noles. My demonic half-sister.
What the hell is she doing here?
I look to Maverick and Corbin who don't seem to have the same reaction to the laughter we're drawing closer to. The music kicks back in, drowning out my nemesis's chuckles.
I grip onto Maverick's hand when we step onto the back patio to see the platinum blonde I knew for a fact I'd heard. I see her, but I don't believe it. She's sitting on Dane's lap like there aren't fifty fucking chairs out here.
How could she? I know we hate each other, but there was always an unspoken promise that we'd never cross this line.
Her eyes meet mine, and her laughter falls flat as a touch of anxiety rattles through her eyes. I'm worried my jaw is about to snap off from over grinding my teeth right now.
"What the fuck is she doing here?" Maverick growls.
"What the hell is she doing in Dane's lap?" Corbin snaps, coming to stand beside me. "I thought he was trying to make amends."
"Don't worry about it, guys," I mumble, trying not to let the sickness I feel show in my voice.
Tria goes to shift off Dane's lap, but his arm comes to rest around her waist when he refuses to let her up. He hasn't even bothered to glance our way. Why is he so cold? He doesn't have that right.
Soft, sandy blonde hair gets tousled by the wind, drawing my attention away from the unexpected duo, and I smile when Kode's beautiful grin captures my full attention. A sigh of relief slips free from my lips. He won't let Tria even look at me.
Maverick and Corbin are too nice. They only mess with her if she oversteps a line, but Kode... Kode knows her shady ways. He'll protect me. From her and Dane.
"Daaamn," Kode drawls as he rakes his eyes over me. "Are you trying to make us all get in a fight tonight?"