I turn to watch her go for a moment before I glance over at Sylvie, whose gaze is already on me. “She seems pissed.”
“My brother is being an asshole.” Sylvie slings her arms around my neck, tucking her hot little body against mine. “I like your costume.”
I came as a vampire, right down to the fangs, which I temporarily glued to my teeth. I have fake blood trickling at the corners of my mouth, and even painted my face white. I dressed in all black and found a red-lined black cape online. “I like yours too. I didn’t expect it,” I tell her, letting my gaze linger on all of her exposed parts with approval.
Her expression is pleased. “I told you I was dressing up as an angel.”
“Not a dark angel. I expected you to show up in a flowing white dress with a halo above your head.”
She laughs, her eyes dancing. “That is so not my style. You know I’m not nice.”
That’s part of Sylvie’s charm, that she acts like everyone hates her because she’s rude like the rest of the family, but she’s not. She’s actually sweet. Thoughtful. Vulnerable. Broken.
So broken.
I’m a fixer. Maybe it’s because my dad has been so obviously shitty to my mother my entire life, and I was always there to pick up the pieces. Offer her comfort when he wouldn’t. When she finally got the balls to divorce his ass, I cheered her on. Dad didn’t like that.
At all.
“Hey.” Sylvie’s soft voice cuts through my thoughts, her hand on my cheek bringing me back to the here and now. “You want to go dance?”
“I don’t dance.” I let my gaze rove over her, slowly. Taking in her beauty, how different she looks tonight. Big difference from the uniforms we’re always wearing.
“Aw come on.” She rubs herself against me, the soft press of her tits to my chest making my blood run hot. “Please?”
“I don’t know…” I’d rather sneak off someplace with her alone, but what’s the point of setting up all afternoon for a party only to ditch it before it’s even started?
I’m going to stay. At least for a little while.
She pouts, those ruby red lips tempting as hell. “You won’t do it for me?”
The slight tremor to her voice makes me immediately capitulate. “Okay.”
Her smile of pleasure is a shot right to my dick. “Let’s go!”
Sylvie grabs my hand and leads me into the fray, where the majority of party-goers are dancing, beer bottles or cups clutched in their hands. Almost everyone is in costume, and some people I don’t even recognize.
But I can’t worry about anyone else. Not when I have a beautiful blonde girl draping herself all over me, her lithe body moving while I stand there like an idiot and let her do whatever she wants.
“You’re not dancing, Spencer,” she chastises at one point, yelling over the loud music. We’ve been out here for at least twenty minutes, maybe longer, and she’s not giving me any indication she’s going to stop dancing or drinking.
“I told you I don’t dance, Sylvie,” I remind her stoically, making her smile.
“Always so serious.” She shakes her hair back, the wings she’s wearing quivering with the movement. “Don’t you know how to cut loose and have fun?”
“I am having fun,” I insist, making her laugh. I don’t need to do anything else. Just get drunk and watch this girl. That’s all I need tonight.
“You could at least touch me,” she murmurs. I circle my arm around her slender waist and a purr of pleasure escapes her when my hand settles on her hip. “Everyone’s always afraid to touch me.”
“Really.”
She nods, moving her body to the beat. She has a natural grace, her limbs fluid. I know her little sister is the true dancer in the family, but Sylvie could’ve been just as good with the right training. “They think I’m going to break. You’re the only one who treats me like I’m a normal human being, I swear.”
Only because I refuse to believe all that nonsense she spouts about her mom trying to kill her. I want to believe her, but I also know Sylvie is melodramatic. Her brother has complained to me multiple times about how she carries on and says the craziest shit.
I’ve bore witness to her saying some crazy shit myself. I don’t know where she comes up with it.
“You’re stronger than everyone thinks,” I tell her. I know she enjoys basking in my approval. No one gives her positive affirmations. The teachers and staff are all scared of her and don’t question anything she says or does, for the most part. And her family treats her mostly like garbage. Yeah, Whit watches out for her, but he’s hard on her too. Claims she needs it.