“Since your date is too busy to take care of you, I’ll do his job,” she said with a grin.
I raised the cup to my lips. Alec put his hand on my thigh, squeezing. It was a warning, but my body interpreted it in a very different way. His fingers were way too close to the place I ached to be touched by him. Alec’s eyes locked on mine and something dark almost hungry swirled in them as if he knew exactly how his touch made me feel. I tipped the cup back and took a gulp, still holding his gaze. It wasn’t much, but the taste was enough to make me shudder. Beer had never been my favorite drink.
Alec’s lips tightened. The angry glint in his eyes made me want him even more. Why was it that I was unable to resist him, no matter how often he pushed me away?
I took another swallow. Alec squeezed my thigh again and leaned in close, his lips against my ear. “That’s a bad idea.” His hot breath against my skin, his hand on my thigh, his chest pressed against my chest. His smell. His warmth. It was all too much.
I put the cup on the table beside the couch. My hands moved to Alec’s shoulders, my eyes dropped to his mouth and I leaned in for a kiss. I could feel his breath on my lips, could feel my heart slamming against my rib cage, my stomach tightening in anticipation. Our eyes locked and for a moment I was sure he’d pull away, but then our lips met and everything around us faded to the background. I wanted to lose myself in the kiss but I hadn’t forgotten Alec’s words after last time. His tongue brushed my lips, but I pulled back, wanting to be the one in control this time. His brows snapped together, his expression questioning but I pushed to my feet and grabbed the cup of beer off the table. Alec’s eyes filled with realization as if he’d figured out the situation. That made one of us. Not saying anything I took my leave and emptied the cup on the way despite its bad taste.
I entered the kitchen, where two boys were mixing vodka and juice in a huge plastic bowl. Their words and laughter washed over me but were unable to infect me with their good mood. I opened the fridge. It was filled to the brim with beer. I grabbed a bottle, opened it, and began to guzzle it down. The taste became bearable but the alcohol did nothing to disperse my anger and frustration.
Ana leaned against the counter beside me. She didn’t seem that drunk anymore. “Do you want to talk?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, playing dumb, even though I knew what she wanted to talk about.
“Something’s off between you and Alec.”
That was one way to put it. I shrugged, deciding to give Ana a tidbit of information to keep her on my side. “He’s got a lot of baggage and he’s still hung up on his ex-girlfriend.”
Ana grimaced. “That’s a red flag. He’s stupid if he doesn’t want you. There are plenty of other guys who’d jump at the chance to be with you, so kick his ass and let him return to his ex.” She wrapped her arm around me and I leaned against her.
The stench of puke wafted through the open window. Someone must’ve thrown up in the garden.
Ana handed me a cup with the fruity mixed drink. “Here, take this. It’s good.”
Surprisingly it tasted better than the beer, if a bit too much like cough medicine. But after the first swallow, I stopped. Being angry with Alec was one thing but I couldn’t risk losing control. What if my Variation stopped working once I was drunk? I needed to act professional. I was on a mission even if my actions of the last thirty minutes didn’t show it. Guilt filled me. I was here to catch a killer and not get distracted by Alec.
Ana waved her hand in front of my face. “Hello? Did you hear me?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I said it looks like your brother’s getting lucky tonight.” She pointed at the stairs.
Devon and Francesca ascended the staircase, their arms wrapped around each other. One of Francesca’s hands rested in Devon’s back jeans pocket. It made me feel surprisingly stabby to see them so cozy. Maybe because I wasn’t getting cozy with anyone. They disappeared from my view, on their way to do God-only-knows what. At least the party hostess was having fun. The way my life was going, it’d never be my turn to get lucky. Envy was a bitch.
I took another gulp of the fruity vodka mix. It left a trail of heat in my throat that spread all the way down to my stomach.