Evan's Addiction (57 page)

     Rumor was…straight from Landon…Maya had set Greg up with this
woman because he’d been down in the dumps and bad tempered lately. Maya had had
to push him to come out tonight for some long overdue fun. I guess she was
worried about him. I had to concur his expression wasn’t the content one you’d
expect to see with having a beautiful woman hanging off you. 

     My ruminations on Greg’s bad mood flew out of my head when Shaw stepped
into view. She was dressed in a short black and purple mini with black fishnet
stockings, black t-shirt with logo—
My
five fingers do more in five
minutes than yours do in a day
—dog collar, leather wrists bands, black nail
polish, heavily coaled eyes that looked wicked and amazing, and that familiar
bobbed, vibrant purple wig. The only thing she was missing from last time was
the combat boots and purple lipstick.

     The outfit was over the top and hot as hell.

     The rest of girls fanned out to their perspective partners and I
watched with hot eyes and taut muscles as Shaw strolled my way, her gaze
mischievous. “No, this isn’t a Halloween party. It’s a gamer party, and I was
just giving the girls an opportunity to set free their inner game girl.”

     “Well, my woman’s inner game girl is fucking hot, and now that
I’ve met her she’s going to be coming out a lot more to play.” Noah exclaimed
spinning Amanda into his arms.

     Blake’s standing next to the chair I’m in and his date sidled up
next to him hissing under her breath. “I feel like a Goth slut. I wouldn’t be
caught dead in this even on Halloween.”

     I had a feeling I wasn’t going to see her again.   

     As Shaw reached me I patted my leg tuning out everyone else.
Cheeks reddening Shaw’s eyes flickered around the room, and only after a slight
hesitation she sat sideways in my lap. Tucking her in I fingered her wig.

     “Is this how you dress for all these parties?” I growled.

     “It’s my alter-ego. Do you have a problem with it?” She quirked
her brow at me.  

     I gave a small tug to her wig. “It bothers me that for year’s guys
have seen you like. I know they’ve been going home and spanking the monkey to
your image at the end of each night. They probably didn’t even make it home.
There was probably a line to the bathroom at each one of these.”

     Shaw shook her head in disbelief, exhibiting yet again her
cluelessness of her own sexiness.

    Dipping my finger under her dog collar I tugged her lips to mine,
suckling her lower lip. This was why she’d left off the lipstick. “This look is
the ultimate in spank bank material.” I was in a quandary of loving how she
looked and hating that other guys had enjoyed this without me there to kick
their asses. “Why would you dress like this when I’m sure all it did was make
guys hotter for you?” It confused me because Shaw despised unwanted male
attention.

     She sighed and her green eyes clouded. “I liked not being me for a
little while, and the outfit had the extra advantage of people not knowing who
I was. I might have gotten some attention from it, but it was different…not as
malicious and disgusting. I own it pretty good after all these years now, don’t
you think?” She smirked.

     That familiar rage gripped me…that she’d had to don a costume just
to get a reprieve from assholes. I gently gripped her chin to rumble against
her lips. “You own it like no ones fucking business.” Hungrily, I devoured her
mouth.

     Someone’s bellow, “Let’s get this gamer party started,” had us
separating reluctantly.

     “You ready to get your ass kicked.” Shaw grinned. 

     I chuckled, loving her…attitude. “Bring it on, Purple.”

     Her smile was eagerly huge.

    For the next few hours’ shouts resonated throughout the house from
multiple games being played. Surprisingly, one that had a line to it was an
older Nintendo game; one of the first Mario Brothers video games. David was a
collector of vintage video games. He even had the old Mortal Combat and all of
us guys had to try that out.    

     Shaw and the other professional gamers trounced the rest of us no
matter what game we played. Their only competition was each other, and while
Shaw wasn’t the best…that title went to Trick…she definitely held her own with
them. Moreover, her verbal heckling beat all of them hands down. It was
tremendously entertaining and amusing observing her lose herself in a frenzied
battle to be victor.

     The woman was enormously competitive.

     It was towards the end of the night and I was sitting on the couch
with Shaw between my legs watching her and Trick play Destiny, and of course
her guardian on the game had purple hair.

     “I hope you have your will written, Trick, because you’re going
down.” Shaw declared tipsily, thumbing her controller.

     I was at about that same level of intoxication, but it had taken
more drinks to get me there.

     “In your dreams, Purp. I may be three sheets to the wind, but I
can still run tactics around you.” Trick drunkenly retorted.

     Purp was Shaw’s moniker at these gatherings. She didn’t even use
her own name. When I’d called her Purple earlier it had been completely
coincidental. Learning this reminded me about how she’d felt the need to change
her name because some douche-nozzle had named her after a fast food joint.
Idiot
.
 

     I bet Shaw had felt pressured her whole life to be something else;
different, better, quieter, nicer, prettier. In the beginning she’d caved to
the pressure, but at some point she’d said ‘no more’. She might have renamed
herself, but that had been for herself and no one else. Adopting this gamer
personality was another way she’d taken control. It may have seemed like she
was hiding so she wasn’t harassed, but anyone who knew her could see she didn’t
hide. She was a fighter.    

     “Your tactics resemble a drunken chicken with its head cut off.”
Shaw snorted.

     “And even headless I can kick your tight purple patootie.” Trick
chuckled.

     Trick’s sole focus was the game so he didn’t witness the scowl I
threw in his direction about his comment on Shaw’s ass. Her ass was mine.

     Smacking the back of his head I growled. “Erase all thoughts about
my woman’s patootie from your head.”       

     Trick’s gaze didn’t even waver from the screen as he chuckled. “I’m
sorry…I don’t have a delete button for that function.” 

     Shaw chortled between my legs. She didn’t get bent out of shape
when these guys made sexual comments towards her. I knew it was because there
was a level of trust between them, but it was also because their remarks were
delivered with humor and not with the purpose of getting in her pants.

     But I wasn’t stupid or blind; these guys would have been all over
her if she’d have given any indication that she was interested…except maybe Tim
who I certain wanted all over David…and for that reason I had to knock it into
their skulls that all of Shaw’s body parts were no longer up for discussion.

     “I’ve got a delete button for you.” I grumbled.

     “And it has more functions than its capacity to delete.” Blake
snickered from behind us. He, Seth, Nadia and Luka were sitting on a couch that
was back to back to ours playing Black Ops. “Right Shaw?”

     “You brought it up, Blake. Maybe you know more about that than me.
You guys did share a locker room for four years.” Shaw lobbied with a snigger.

     Cackling and without taking his gaze from the television Trick
raised his hand for a high five. Shaw slapped it.

     Grinning, I rubbed Shaw’s thigh. “Hey Red, don’t throw me under
the bus with him.”

     Pausing her fingers on her remote for a moment Shaw stroked down
my leg and leaned back to kiss my jaw. “Sorry cupcake, collateral damage and
all that.” She then straightened and went back to the game. “And I wouldn’t
hold it against you if you two did any…experimenting.” 

     I stared at the back of Shaw’s head in slight shock; not because
of the homosexual reference, but from the tenderly offered kiss and endearment.
She’d meant the endearment humorously, but that she’d combined it with an
affectionate kiss made it special. I know the alcohol was playing a part, but I
still soaked it up like it was gold.  

     “Blake, she’s kidding…right?” Blake’s date, Hillary, mumbled from
the arm of the couch.

     I hadn’t been paying all that much attention to Blake’s date, but
I did notice that she wasn’t into video games, and she seemed kind of
uptight…and now humorless.

     “Yes, Hill’s, she’s kidding.” Blake sighed.

     Nadia gave a coincidental cough, and for the first time Trick tore
his eyes from the screen to frown at the offender of stupidity.

     “Like I told Evan, Blake; it’s okay to experiment. What happens in
college, stays in college. This is a no-judge zone.” Shaw said gravely while
outlining a square in the air.

     I kept my laughter bottled but my chest shook with it.

     “That was before the creation of Facebook, Shaw.” Blake returned.

     “That’s why I don’t have Facebook.” Shaw shivered.

     For someone who lived on the computer Shaw had an aversion to many
of the social network sites.

     “Yeah, but everybody else has it.” Blake countered.

     “Just make sure to keep all your perversions behind closed doors
then.” Shaw quipped.

     “Thanks for looking out for me.”

     “I’m overflowing with generosity tonight.”

     Blake chuckled. “No, that’s alcohol.”

     Shaw sucked in an offended breath, eyes fixed on the screen. “And
here I was giving you a pass after finding out about your and Evan’s past
relationship. Well, now your dead to me…dead I say.” 

     “What the hell, Blake.” His date jumped to her feet. “Is there
something going on between you and Evan’s girlfriend?”

     Stillness swept over the living room and everyone’s attention was
no longer on their television screen.

     “Hillary, what the hell are you talking about?” Blake pulled his
six-four frame up from the couch slowly with a frown.   

     Shaw had gone all stiff in front of me and was staring opened-mouthed
at Blake’s date. I wanted to add my own ‘
what the hell’
, but I was going
to give Blake first crack at getting his date in hand. Wrapping my arms around Shaw’s
waist I drew her flush to my front giving her nonverbal affirmation that I had
her back.

     “You’ve barely paid any attention to me tonight and now you’re
flirting with this girl.” Hillary threw a glare and her hand toward Shaw.

     My muscles jerked in anger at the glare. Normally I found female
jealousy comical or exasperating, but not this time, and not directed at Shaw.  

     Blake frowned. “Maybe if you had played any of the games with me
we would have talked more.”

     “I don’t like video games that much.” She whined.

     “I told you this was a gamer party. Why would you say you wanted
to come if you don’t like video games?” Blake tossed his arms up in irritation.

     “I wanted to spend time with you,” she pouted. “But I didn’t think
you would completely ignore me, and then flirt with someone else.” She narrowed
her eyes at Shaw.

     “It’s called clever chitchat. It’s not my fault you don’t know the
concept of it.” Shaw snapped angrily.

     I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold her tongue for long.  

     The girl’s mouth pursed and Blake sighed. “Let me take you home,
Hillary. Obviously this party wasn’t your cup of tea.”

     “No, my cup of tea is a boyfriend who pays attention to me and not
some other girl.” Hillary huffed, continuing to scowl at Shaw.

     Okay, that was enough; no one looked at Shaw that way, not even Blake’s
brainless twit of a date. “Keep looking at my girlfriend like that and I’ll let
her go and sick her on you, and I’ll have Seth’s girl have a go at you too.”

     Out of the corner of my eye I watched Nadia heed my hint by
pulling out her knife and twirling it around her fingers. Hillary’s eyes
rounded in fear and she grabbed Blake’s arm pulling him in front of her.

     “Oh my, god, Blake. She’s going to stab me.”

     Rolling his eyes Blake expelled a deep breath and gave Nadia a
glower. “For the love of…she’s not going to stab you. She’s just messing with
you because you’re being completely ridiculous.”

     “She’s waving a knife around and
I’m
being ridiculous.”
Hillary pointed at herself in what appeared to be livid disbelief.

     Blake’s jaw was tense as he grasped her arm and pulled her after
him out of the room. “You’re being ridiculous because of Shaw. You actually do
have something to be scared about with Nadia.”

     “Hey, thanks Blake, for saying I’m ridiculous…Cherry on top of my
night.” Shaw yelled after them.

     “That’s not what I meant, Shaw. You’re hot fudge sundae great.”
Blake bellowed back.

     There was a high angry screech from the hallway.

     Caressing Shaw’s stomach I kissed her neck. “That’s not what he
meant, Red. Blake would never make any kind of move on you because you’re with
me. He has the bad luck of picking girls who have this sickly sweet façade
hiding an inner bitch.” I pulled on her ear lobe. “And don’t worry, because I’m
the cherry on top of your night.”

     Her rigid muscles slowly relaxed.

     “Should we grab you guys some whipped crème?” Nadia set her
grinning chin on the back of the couch, her strawberry blonde hair covered with
a green Farah wig.   

     Trick leaned back dipping his head towards hers. “I’ll take
some…if you’re offering.” He wiggled his brows.

     Seth treated him to the same head smack I’d given him earlier.

     Unfazed, Trick smirked and turned back to his game. “What…I’m
hungry with all this talk of cherries, hot fudge, and whip crème.”