She nods her head, and her cell rings. She shuts it off.
“Cole?” I ask.
“Yep. Let him feel what it’s like when you’re worried about someone, but they ignore you.”
I frown, not knowing what she is talking about. The bartender sets two more shots down.
“Make it four next time,” she tells him.
I drop my head to stare at my shot; she’s already downed hers. “I’m sorry you guys are fighting because of me.”
She looks over at me. “It’s not your fault, Demi.”
“Wanna talk about it?” I ask.
She runs her hand through her dark hair and lets out a sigh. “I … I couldn’t stand by and let Deke hurt you. I understand they have this unwavering loyalty, but Cole shouldn’t have let him hurt you. He dragged me out of the house and put me in his car. I was screaming at him. He was just gonna leave you there with him, knowing he was going to do something to you. But I opened up the door and ran back inside before he could get out of the driveway. I had to make sure you were okay.” The bartender sets four shots on the bar now, and she throws back one. “I used to be scared of them. The sharks. But now, they’re like fucking flies that I just wanna swat with my bare hand on most days.”
I laugh at that. She looks over at me and laughs as well. Then I pick up my shot, and we clink them together.
She slams her glass down as I try to swallow mine. “She wasn’t wrong,” she whispers.
I don’t say anything, confused by what she means.
“I think about it too,” she admits softly.
I begin to understand. “Austin, don’t …”
“What if he gets bored with me?” she whispers.
“Cole is madly in love with you,” I say, placing my hand on hers.
She looks over at me. “We can’t fight forever. We both can’t be this stubborn. One of us is going to have to give, or it will end.”
“Cole would never leave you. Ever.”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “He’s here.”
“Who?” I take a quick look around the bar. Did Seth follow me? My heart pounds at the thought. The odds of me fighting him off twice are not good. I’m already weak and tired.
“Cole,” she answers, opening her eyes.
“How do you know?” I ask.
She lets go of my hand and takes another shot. “I can feel him watching me.” She throws back the shot and a smile appears on her face before she whispers, “I dare you.”
Just then, a man walks up behind her and places his hands on her hips. I watch Cole lean down and whisper in her ear. “Hello, sweetheart.” He’s no longer the pissed-off guy he was thirty minutes ago, but I can’t tell if it’s a front or real. He’s put a shirt on and now wears jeans instead of his board shorts and has his hair spiked.
She wipes the smile off her face and stands, turning around to face him. “I didn’t want to be around you.”
He tucks her hair behind her ear. “And I didn’t care.”
She huffs. “Cole …”
He cuts her off with a kiss. One hand cups her cheek while the other goes to her ass, and he kisses her. It’s passionate. Slow and sexy. I watch his tongue enter her mouth as he pushes her back into the bar. I’ve never spent much time with them, but I’ve read about their passion, anger, and sex life in her journal. And the words she wrote don’t even compare to the real thing. To what he feels for her.
He pulls away, and she licks her lips, her eyes slowly opening. “I’m not leaving,” she states.
“I didn’t expect you would.” He lets go of her, grabs her hand, and says, “Dance with me,” before pulling her away from the bar.
I sit on my stool and watch them take their place on the mini dance floor. There’s no grinding. Nothing to show that he once used her for his own sick game. He makes love to her out there. Slow and sweet. He holds her to him and kisses her while they dance to their own song. It’s beautiful.
I realize I want that. The fighting. The passion. The love. I want someone to love me so much that I make them crazy. Anything less would be boring. Lifting my hand to my throat, I flinch when I realize that’s exactly what Deke and I have. I wanted him to fuck me, and now I want him to love me.
Spinning around, I hold up two fingers to the bartender. “Vodka,” I state. I’ve had enough of that cinnamon shit.
“Here you are.” He sets them down.
“Thanks,” I mumble as a man slides onto Austin’s seat. I look over to see a new set of blue eyes. Ones that make my breath quicken and my thighs tighten.