Tangled (24 page)

“Just
know I’ve always got your back.”

Tess
hugged her. “I heart you.”

“I
heart you more.”

Several
minutes later, they trampled into the boys’ house. Though not quite as flashy
or packed as their usual soirees, the party was far from dead.

Her
stomach dropped when she saw Adonis across the den. What was he doing here?

Arms
latched around her waist. “Tess, you made it!”

“Lydia,
you’re here,” she tried to mimic her enthusiasm.

“Of
course I am. Wouldn’t be a successful weekend without a party. Who’s your
friend?”

“Jade,
this is Lydia.” She hesitated. “Adonis’s sister. Lydia, my friend and roommate,
Jade.”

Jade
gave her a one-over. “God, you’re all beautiful. You wouldn’t happen to have
another brother, would you?”

If
Tess hadn’t known what to look for, she would’ve missed the minutest of
flinches from the girl.
 

“Are
you really that desperate?” Lance cut in for the unsuspecting rescue.

Jade
tossed her hair over her shoulder. “What’s it to you?”

A
red Solo cup materialized in front of Tess. “Um, thanks.” She accepted the cup
from Lydia.

Like
the cat that got the cream, she smiled slyly. “No
problemo
.
Consider it a favor amongst friends.”

Something
told her it was one she would pay for dearly later. “Have you seen Cam?”

“He’ll
be in later,” she brushed off. “Come smoke with me.”

“I
don’t smoke.”

“Good
for you. Come with me.” Wielding more strength than someone her size should’ve
been capable of, Lydia shepherded her out.

Shivering,
Tess wrapped her arms around herself as they stepped onto the deck. “Aren’t you
cold?” she asked the shorter woman, whose only protection from the freezing
clutches of winter was a thin camisole.

“Don’t
worry. I run hot.” Lydia lit her cigarette. “So, what’s the deal with you and
my baby bro?”

And
there was her angle. “Deal? There is no deal.”

“You
know, it’s never a good thing to base a relationship off of lies.”

Tess
could drink to that. “We messed around a few times. It wasn’t anything serious.”

The
other girl took a contemplative drink. “Even so, my brother needs someone like you
in his life.”

“What
makes you say that?”

Lydia
dropped the flashy pretenses and polished glamor. The transformation was
startling. Aged pain and exhaustion reflected mutely in her eyes. Faint worry
lines wrinkled the otherwise smooth skin of her forehead. And suddenly her
emotions seemed more authentic. “Because of the way he looks at you. You may
not see it, but I do. Believe it or not, he trusts you. And that’s more than I
can say about most of the people in his life.”

Tess
shifted, uncomfortable with the conversation’s deviation.

“Just
hear me out,” Lydia pressed on urgently. “He needs someone who can put him in
his place and see through his shit. I’ll sleep better at night knowing that he
has someone who actually cares about him instead his fly-by-night hoes. And
before you say it, I know you’re with Cameron, who I love like a brother. All
I’m asking is that you watch his back. He’s more vulnerable than he lets
on.”
 

Before
Tess could say her piece, a large figure blocked her line of sight. “What the
hell do you think you’re doing?” Adonis growled at his sister, looking a great
deal harassed and markedly
sober
.

Lydia
brightened. “Oh, there you are. We were just looking for you.”

“Bullshit
you were. Didn’t I tell you to leave her alone?”

Lydia
adapted an expression of bewilderment. “Did you? No matter. I need another
drink. Tootles darlings.” She flounced back inside.

“What’d
she say?” he asked, eyes narrowed.

“Nothing
bad.” Tess smiled. “Your sister really cares about you.”

“Half-sister,”
he corrected automatically. “And she’s a nosey busybody.”

A
pregnant pause infiltrated the conversation. Even with Cam’s
dubstep
playlist grinding disjointedly in the background
and the drunken rambling of other smokers, she felt the acute awkwardness of
the moment.

“Sorry
about the other night,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean to put what happened out
there like that in front of Lydia.”

His
mouth flattened. “It’s fine. I’m sure she would’ve found out anyway.”

Cue
another awkward silence.

“Did
you decide what you’re doing? Medically,” she said for lack of anything better
to say.

He
spared her an indecipherable look. “I set up an appointment. To see a shrink,”
he muttered, digging out his Marlboros and unloading one with his teeth.

“That’s
good.” Tess downed more of her drink. “Why didn’t you mention you had a
sister?”

“Half-sister.
And it’s complicated.” Smoke billowed in front of him. “Her mother is my
father’s side piece.”

That
didn’t sound so complex. “How much older is she than you?”

“Four
years. She’s in grad school.”

Tess
frowned as she mulled over their ages. “So was he with Lydia’s mother before he
met yours?”

The
cigarette sailed over the deck’s balustrade as he headed back in. Guilt
rolling, Tess grabbed the tail of his shirt. “Adonis, wait. How about for
tonight we forget everything for once and enjoy ourselves?”

His
wolfish grin unfurled slowly. “You know what I’d really enjoy.”

Tess
knew he was deflecting. She’d take it over being frozen out. “Feel free to hold
your breath on that one.”

__________________

Sometimes
Riley hated that he attended such a small school. He huddled over the counter as
one of his former one night stands sauntered past unhurriedly, not so subtly
studying the lay of the land.
Probably in search of him.

He
extinguished a breath as she moved on.

Crisis
averted, for the time being.

Cameron
fell next to him. “Hey.”

“Where’ve
you been?”

“Don’t
ask. I just spent the past hour listening to my lab partner nitpick through one
of our papers.”

“The
bird you turned down?”

“Yeah.
And apparently she won’t ever let me live it down. I miss anything?”
 

“Not
if you discount Hurricane Lydia,” Riley groused.

“She’s
not bad. A little pushy.”

“Then
you and I have completely different definitions of little.
Y’know
she demanded I scrub down the shower until I could see my reflection.”

Cameron
laughed as he poured himself a drink. “She’s used to a different standard of
living.”

“Then
next time tell her to bring her handmaid.”

“You’ll
survive until tomorrow.”

Before
Riley could further lament the infuriating presence that was Lydia, a flash of
coppery curls outside the sliding glass door held him up.
 

Although
embroiled in a heated argument with her companion, their usual acid-spitting hostility
was missing. His stomach revolted as Adonis grabbed the hand she’d been waving
in front of his face and angled his body closer to whisper something in her ear.
Riley didn’t miss the intimacy of the action. Any person with half a brain
could see the sexual tension thrumming between the two.

“How’re
you and Tess
gettin
’ along?” he couldn’t help but
ask.

Cameron
grimaced. “Good enough, I guess.”

“You
guess, eh? Wouldn’t have to do with the guy she slept with?” Riley rinsed the
distaste from his mouth with more beer.

“No.
We already talked about it. As far as we’re both concerned, we’re starting on a
clean slate.”

His
brow jumped. “So you’re ok with it?”
 

“It’d
be a little hypocritical if I wasn’t.”

Riley
was impressed. “I just don’t get how those two got mixed up together. Out of
all the guys on this campus she had to pick Adonis. The lass could’ve done
better. I know he’s your friend but…” He cut himself off as the blood drained
from the other man’s face.

Aw, fuck
.

Chapter 14

“Fuck?
Fuck is definitely the right word for it because that’s definitely what I am
right now.”

“I’m
sorry sweetheart,” Riley said, leaning against the house’s side paneling. “When
he said you told him, I assumed you told him it was Adonis.”

Tess
gripped his arm. “How did he take it?”

“He
was a little shocked, but then he laughed it off and said something about
makin
’ snow angels in hell.”

“What
kind of laugh was it? Strained? Forced?”

“Funny?”

“Riley!”

“What?
Tis the truth.
And then we took a few shots because I
felt bad for
spillin
’ the beans.”

Although
the prognosis looked favorable, she still felt sick. Even before Riley had absconded
with her outside for a powwow, Tess had known something was wrong.
 

“Is
he still in there?”

“Aye,
he is. And probably
lookin
’ for you by now.”

She
knew this day would come, but not so soon. Not before she could come up with a
suitable excuse. Not that she needed one, right?

Whatever.
She’d own up to her mistake.

Tess
remained on lookout for changes in his behavior for the rest of the night. She gauged
Cameron’s greeting, from his relaxed posture to the pressure of his lips as he
kissed her. It almost seemed as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

To
reduce the chances of an awkward encounter with Adonis, she corralled Cameron and
a few others to his room for a private game of asshole. The tactic worked and
by a quarter past one, Tess was well and truly drunk.

The
night had been a success in her book. She managed to keep Cam and Adonis away
from one another, she was drunk, she and Jade were back on amiable terms, and
she was drunk.

After
plugging Lydia’s number into her phone and repeatedly reassuring the girl
they’d hang out over winter break, Cameron escorted her back to her dorm.
 
“Why’re you taking me home?” she asked,
struggling valiantly to keep her words separate.

“Because
you’re drunk.”

“So
are you.” She squinted up at him. “I think.”

“Some
of us can handle a few drinks.”

“I
can handle my drinks,” she declared boldly. “I can’t believe we just spent the
entire night listening to your stupid music.”

“What’s
wrong with
dubstep
?”

“What’s
right with it?” she sulked.

“Because
the howling, screaming crap you listen to is a better alternative.”

Tess
would’ve let the comment slide if it wasn’t for his odd, almost brusque tone.
So it was bothering him. Even after consuming enough alcohol to fill a knee-length
vat, butterflies eddied within her. “I slept with Adonis.”

His
smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know.”

“Aren’t
you mad?”

“Should
I be?” He tucked her beneath his arm and started walking again.

Tess
tried to interpret his mood. “You’re confusing me.”

“Then
that makes two of us.” She wasn’t bombed enough to miss his sarcasm.

Tess
shrugged off his arm. “If you’re not upset, why are you being weird?”

He
stopped abruptly. “Ok, so maybe I am.” Frustration threaded his words. At least
they were getting somewhere. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him?”

“Because
you said it didn’t matter!” Cameron plowed an aggravated hand through his hair.
“He doesn’t mean anything.” The lie fell from her lips before she could stop it.
“It was only a one night stand.”
Sort of.

“And
that was it?”

At
least he’d presented her with the opportunity to come semi-clean. “We may have
fooled around once after that. But that was it. He’s still a dick.”

He
laughed, but it was a hard, mechanized sound.
 

“Cam.”
Tess went for his hand but he recoiled. Pain arced through her heart.

“Just
give me a minute to process this.”

“What’s
to process?” she returned, impatience working into her tone. “We had sex. It
happens. You should know all about it considering it was you being a man tramp
that made me hook up with him in the first place.” Buzzing off of fury instead
of booze, Tess whipped out her purse and clawed around for her checkpoint.

“You’re
right.” He wheeled her around and pulled her into a loose hug. “I’m sorry.”

The
fight left her. She sagged into his embrace both for balance and warmth. “Just
for the record, I’m glad this is out in the open. I hate keeping secrets from
you.”

His
mouth pulled into a shadow of a smile. “Then let’s make a promise. From now on,
no more secrets.”

There
was just the small matter of Adonis’s trip to the ER.

God, maybe another day.
She’d had enough judgment for one night.

_____________________

Lydia
poked his jaw. “Hey, why’ve you been so quiet?”

“You
just made me walk two miles to Waffle House.”

“But
it was so quaint,” she cooed. “And delicious. I don’t know why they don’t have
them in the city.” Lydia stared at him when he didn’t answer. “But I think
there’s something else on your mind.”
 

“You’re
wrong.”

“And
you’re lying.”

Adonis
didn’t deny it.

The
night had started off well enough for him being sober. For one, he was sick of
Lydia fussing over the state of his liver. Two, he wanted to prove to himself
that he could do it; that he didn’t need to be smashed in order to have a
decent time. And he hadn’t minded it.

That
was before he found himself face to face with Tess.

The
instant they were alone, all his senses honed in on her. He didn’t know if it
was clarity of mind, but he became almost too aware of her: the brilliance of
her hazel-green eyes, the shallow dimples that flanked her cheeks, the seam of her
lush mouth.

Fucking
hell, the girl was turning him inside out.

He
didn’t even mind that she possessed the condensed factoids of his life. In
fact, he could almost imagine them as friends and not acquaintances bound by
guilt and secrecy. After their confessional, Adonis had actually been looking
forward to hanging out with her.

But
once she caught sight of Cameron, they both disappeared.

He
didn’t want to know what they were doing.

He
didn’t care. Or that was what he told tell himself.

“I
need to pee.”

“What
the hell are you doing?” he spluttered as she wedged herself in the narrow gap between
two parked cars.

“Copping
a squat. What does it look like?”

Apparently
she’d forgotten the lessons she’d learned at finishing school about public
urination. “That looks like my fucking car! The house is ten feet away!”

Wobbling,
she rotated. “Yay! There’s Cam! Help me up.”

Before
he could offer a hand, she sprung to her feet and dashed to the porch in her
four-inch stilettos. He watched as she took a knee. She clasped a hand to her
heart and extended the other. “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo.”

Adonis
rolled his eyes. As a forensics science major, drama minor, and all around
alcoholic, his half-sister was a disorganized medley of everything. As such, he
never knew when she was serious, showcasing her thespian talents, or just
intoxicated.

Amused,
Cameron leaned over the railing, the neck of his beer bottle rolling between
his index and middle finger. “The lavatory ‘tis inside, Lydia.”

Bowing
her thanks, she scuttled up the steps and into the house.

“Where’ve
you been?” Adonis asked.

An
eerie smile spread across his face. “Around.”

“I
bet.” On the surface, everything appeared as normal. Adonis knew better. The
tension was thick enough to break skulls. “Everything ok?”

“Why
wouldn’t it be?” He took a swig from the beer.

Adonis
stared at him warily. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”

“That’s
a first, coming from you.”

True
as it was, the jab stung. “Shows how much you really know about me.”

“Perhaps.”
Cameron pitched the empty bottle into the recycling bin at the curb. The sound
of shattering glass pierced the night.

“What
the hell is your problem?”

“I
don’t have a problem.”

Adonis
didn’t believe him. Although there was amicability in his voice and a smile on
his face, his eyes were ice blue, appraising, calculating. There was only one
reason why. Foreboding trawled through him. “She told you.”

His
smile thinned to a razor’s edge. “Not in so many words.”

“Look,
it was a one time thing. A mistake.”

“Was
it?” He rubbed his jaw. “I guess this is the part where I’d say
what-if-I-slept-with-so-and-so, but you don’t give a shit about anyone. And no
one gives a shit about you.”

The
comment skinned him. “Why are you getting your panties in a twist about this?
You two weren’t even going out.”

“Oh
fuck off. You knew exactly how I felt and you still went after what was mine.”

Adonis
refused to let the guilt stick. “I guess I couldn’t read the handwriting on the
package. Write in a bolder marker next time. What’s your fucking deal? She’s just
some chick.” The words rang hollow even to his ears.
 

Expression
infuriatingly placid, Cameron’s gaze bored through him. “You know she’s more
than that.”

“Whatever.
I said it was a mistake. What else do you want from me? Grow a pair and get the
fuck over it.” He climbed the porch steps.

“Adonis.”

Hand resting on the screen door’s rusted
handle
,
he paused
.

“Stay
away from her.”

Rage
piped hot through his veins. Adonis counted backwards from ten and reminded
himself that this was his friend. That he was drunk and hurting and it would be
very bad if his fist accidently broke all of the bones in his face. Adonis
swiveled around slowly. “Or what?”

“Why
are you fighting me on this?” His pupils thinned to slits. “Don’t tell me you
feel something for her.”

Adonis
allowed anger to raze the seed of panic. “Hardly. But I think someone is feeling
a little insecure. Can’t say I blame you,” he sneered. “I am a tough act to
follow.”