Every Kiss (5 page)

Knowing that I’m in my favorite kind of oblivion, I succumb
to the peace of it. I listen to the evocative emotion in the lyrics, allowing
the singer to pull me into his own deeply profound thoughts. Pain. Desire.
Undying love. The search for something unknown. Every song is different, yet
they each leave you with the same underlying current of passion for life. The
good and the bad. This is the reason I use music as my escape.

I have no idea how long I’ve been out here in my own little
world, but I’m sure Makenna will come looking for me any second, so I force my
eyes open and yank out my earbuds. The combination of the sudden light and
nearly perfect silence is a shock to my senses, and it takes me a second to
fully adjust. The first thing I notice is the setting sun, casting a warm,
golden glow over the trees swaying in the gentle breeze. The scene before me is
calmingly beautiful, causing a smile to creep onto my lips.

Still stuck in my temporary state of euphoria, I pull my
now-stiff legs off the railing and stand, stretching and smiling uninhibitedly.
But as I turn to go back inside, my moment of pure soaring ecstasy crashes and
burns. “Jeez, Wes! You scared me to death! Do you always stare at people who
are blissfully unaware of your presence?”

“You’re kinda cute when you think no one is watching you.”
He leans against the outside of the door frame and folds his arms over his
chest.

“Happy to entertain you, but you’re off babysitting duty
now, so there’s no need to check up on me.” I try to get past him, but he steps
right in my path. Being so short without my heels on, I smack my face right
into his chest. “I need to get back downstairs. Will you
please
move?”

He gently places his hands on my shoulders and looks down at
me. For the first time since I met him today, I see sincerity in his gaze. “I
owe you an apology.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I don’t even know you.”

“You know me enough to think I’m an asshole.”

I shrug. “You’re having a bad day. Happens to the best of
us.”

“But I took it out on the wrong person. I’m sorry for that.”

I look up into his kind, aquamarine eyes. For just a second,
I can see a glimmer of the person that Makenna described. I take a deep breath
and sigh audibly. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry your birthday has sucked.”

“I owe you another apology, too. You just don’t realize it
yet.”

Cryptic much? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He releases my shoulders and walks to the edge of the
balcony, pointing down at the ground. “I was down there, on a private phone
call with my dad, and I just happened to look up here and saw your feet
dangling over the edge. I went around the other side of the house to finish my
conversation and then came up here to ream you out.”

“Why? Did I break a house rule or something?”

He smirks. “No. Nothing like that. I thought you were
listening in on my conversation. I said some pretty mean things to you before I
realized you were listening to music and couldn’t hear me. So even though you
didn’t hear it, I still said it. And I’m sorry.”

This must be the Wes that Makenna was telling me about. I’m
still not ruling out his bipolar tendencies though. There’s something endearing
about him admitting something he said to me that I’d never know about
otherwise. Honesty is a rarity these days. “Well, since you’re being honest, I
should tell you that I did hear part of your conversation. You told your dad not
to patronize you and then something about him telling her where you live. At
that point, I cranked the music up. I know that wasn’t meant for anyone to
hear, so I’m sorry, too.”

His phone rings, so he pulls it out of his pocket to check
the screen. Whoever the caller is, he relaxes after seeing their name. “I have
to take this.” I nod at him, and he walks to the other side of the balcony
toward his room. “Hey, Allie. What time will you be here tonight? I really need
to see you.”

I step back in my room, guessing Allie must be his
girlfriend, but before I can shut the door, a hand slaps against it to keep it
from closing. I jerk it back open to find Wes standing outside, still holding
the phone to his ear.

“Hang on a sec, okay?” He lowers the phone and surprises me
by reaching for me, pulling me into an awkward hug. “I’m sorry and thank you.”

“Mmmhmm.” My response is muffled by his chest.

He looks into my eyes for a split second before he puts the
phone back to his ear. “Okay, I’m back.” Just before I shut my door, I hear him
say one last thing. “Oh, I was just talking to one of Shane’s little friends.”

He may not have meant some of the ugly things he said to me,
but it’s clear to me that he wholeheartedly believes the babysitter statement. Something
about that makes me want to prove to him that I’m not a child.

“SEE, I TOLD you I’d end up alone.
I’m so glad you came with me.” Makenna nibbles on a chip and nudges a bowl of
car keys under the bed with the toe of her shoe. “Help me keep an eye on the
stairs. Most people know they aren’t allowed up here, but that may not stop a
drunk from trying. We have to make sure no one finds the keys.”

“If I have to sit at the bottom of the stairs, no one will
be getting up here.” Just another reason I adore Shane. Everyone knows his
party rules. You either a) have a predetermined sober driver or b) bring your
sleeping bag to sleep over. If you plan to sleep over, your car keys go in the
bowl when you walk in the door. The bowl is then hidden until the next morning.
After losing a friend to drunk driving, he takes it very seriously.

I follow her back down and help her put the doggie gate up
at the bottom step. An adult can easily step over it, but we’re hoping it sends
a message that it’s off limits. Deep bass echoes throughout the house along
with the mixture of voices, laughter, and clinking glasses. Bodies are crushed
together in the living area, which has been transformed into a dance floor. The
dining area has become the bar, so quite a crowd is gathered there, waiting
their turn for a drink of their choice. The kitchen island has a few gifts and
a large sheet cake, still in the box. This is a birthday party unlike anything
I’ve seen before. Who knew Tall, Dark, and Moody could have so many friends?

Well, speak of the devil. He appears through the back door,
and I’m just about to walk over to officially give him my birthday wishes, but
he drags a tall brunette in the door with him. I’m assuming this is the girl he
was on the phone with earlier. She’s not the kind of person I’d imagine him
with. Her wiry, curly hair could use some styling product to control the frizz,
and she dresses like a slut. Okay, maybe it’s just a little tinge of jealousy
talking, but she’s definitely not what I’d expect.

Hmm. Jealousy? Is that what that is? Maybe I’m just still
aggravated that he considers me a child, but let me tell you, I look like more
of a real woman than she does.

“I don’t think we’ve met before. Name’s Jake. You?”

I turn to the mountain of man approaching me. Whoa. Talk
about sex on a stick. With a face, body, and voice like that, this guy isn’t
melting hearts when he walks into a room . . . he’s melting panties. “Pleased
to meet you, Jake.” I hold out my hand to shake his. “I’m Callie.”

He lifts my hand to brush his lips across my knuckles before
releasing my hand. “The pleasure is all mine, gorgeous.” Yep. Definitely
panty-melting. “Wes and I have been best friends since we were playing Kiss
Chase in first grade. We’d take turns helping each other corner the girl we
wanted to kiss. How do you know him?”

“Really, I don’t. I just met him this afternoon. His brother
is dating my best friend, Makenna.”

“Oh, yeah? I saw him with her earlier. Cute girl. So, which
lucky guy are you here with?”

I open my mouth to answer, but I’m silenced by the
appearance of Wes at my side.

“She’s here with me,” he says with a slight chill in his
voice. His words stun me, and I can’t figure out what the hell to say to that.

Jake belly laughs and punches Wes’ shoulder. “Oh, man. Does
Allison know that? Because I have a feeling she doesn’t like to share. She
certainly doesn’t look too pleased with you right now.”

I whip my head in the direction of Jake’s gaze and see
Allison perched on a bar stool, glaring in our direction. Her too-pink lips are
tightly pursed, and she’s shooting daggers at him. At me. I’m not sure which.

“I don’t mean ‘
with
me’ in that way,” Wes says,
shaking his head. “I mean she’s off limits to you. She’s off limits to all of
the assholes here. You make sure and remember that.” He points his finger at
his chest.

I clamp my hand around his wrist. “Excuse me. Can I talk to
you for a second? In private?”

He jerks his head toward the stairs and stalks over to
Allison. “Be right back,” I hear him grumble. He follows me across the room,
occasionally grabbing my shoulders to steer me around the crush of bodies or a
staggering drunk. I hear his footsteps following mine up the stairs, and I’m
thrown into the sudden realization of what this looks like to everyone
watching. If the cat calls and whistles are any indication, I’d almost bet the
rumor mill is already circulating. Great.

I turn down the corridor toward my room, but he grabs my
elbow and pulls me into his instead. Shutting the door behind us, he sits at
the edge of his bed and looks up at me, waiting.

“What the hell was that down there, Wes? I’m with
you
?
I appreciate your help and all, but I don’t need you cock-blocking for me.” I
feel my pulse firing rapidly in my chest, but I can’t figure out if it’s
because I’m angry at him or if it’s because I’m alone with him. In his bedroom.

“You may not know those people down there, but I do, Callie.
I’ve been watching them looking at you, and I can promise that every single one
of them is going to try to get you out of those tight ass jeans tonight. And
Jake is probably the worst one. I’m just trying to protect you.”

I place my fists on my hips. “Protect me? Are you freaking
serious? Jake was being nice to me after you’ve been an ass to me all
afternoon. Why don’t you start by protecting me from you? I’ll handle the
rest.” I turn to the door and jerk it open, but his hand appears beside my
head, slamming it shut again.

“Callie, I’m serious. Not with him. Jake may be a good
friend of mine, but there’s no way in hell I’d let any girl I know have
anything to do with him. He’s a player. I’ve seen the way he treats women, and
I don’t want to see you treated that way. And Shane would kill me if I allowed
that to happen. I know I treated you like shit today, and I’m trying to make up
for it. Please, just promise me that you’ll stay away from him.”

I turn around to face him, and he presses his other hand to
the door, effectively pinning me to it without physically holding me there.
“I’m not going to promise you anything of the sort. Who are you to tell me who
I can or can’t talk to? If you want to protect somebody, why don’t you go
protect the girlfriend you left alone down there? She’s the only woman here
that you need to be worried about.”

“Callie.” He stares at me for a long moment and finally
groans a sigh. “Fine. Suit yourself.”

I spend the next hour dodging the accusing stares of the
other partygoers. I don’t want to know what’s being said about my little trip
up to Wes’ room. I busy myself with refilling appetizer trays and picking up
empty cups and beer bottles from every flat surface in the house. Only an hour
in, and the place looks—and smells—like a seedy Vegas strip club, so somebody
needs to try and maintain a little order and cleanliness.

“There you are! I guess I lost you when we came downstairs
earlier. Where have you been?” Makenna grabs the rest of the empty cups on the
table I’m clearing. “I just heard that you and some guy went upstairs earlier.
Please tell me you didn’t already hook up with somebody.”

“Jeez, Mak! Do you even know me at all?” I drop everything
in the trash except for a cocktail napkin, which I wad up and toss at her.

She bats it away with a look of horror. “Eww. You don’t know
where that napkin has been. And yes, I do know you. That’s why I’m asking.”

“I do have some standards. Pretty sure I need to know
someone for more than a minute or two first.”

“Who was it?” She backs into the pantry, crooking her finger
for me to follow. “I saw you talking to that Jake guy earlier. Was it him? Ooh,
what about Tucker? Wren? Come on, Cal. No one can hear us in here. Give me the
details.”

“Wes.” I never realize quite how big of a mouth she has
until I watch it practically hit the floor. I know what must be going through
her mind, and there’s some part of me really deep down that is disappointed that
I’m going to have to set her straight.

“You and Wes? Oh my goodness.” She squeals and jumps up and
down. “Upstairs? Omigod . . . where? Wait a minute. How did that even get
started? So many questions, not enough answers. Spill!”

“First of all,” I begin, clamping my hands on her shoulders
to stop her bouncing, “sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing happened. When
Jake came up and talked to me, Wes got all ‘protective’ and told him that I’m
off-limits to all the guys here. I had to set him straight, so we went upstairs
to talk.”

Her face falls and her shoulders slump. “I was hoping for a
little juicier story than that. But why would Wes intervene? I would think his
girlfriend or whatever she is would keep him busy enough. I’m telling you, he’s
just not himself today.”

I open the pantry door and shrug my shoulders. “Don’t know.
Don’t care.”

“Well,” she says, twisting her mouth, “I have to get back to
Shane. I just told him I needed to check on you. Want to come with?”

I scan the crowd for Jake and see him leaned up against the
wall by the kegs. Wes is no more than ten feet away,
kissing
Allison.
Hmm . . . I don’t know what his angle is, but I’m feeling a little rebellious
tonight. “No, I think I need a drink. I’ll catch up with you in a little
while.”

“Okay, I have my cell phone with me, so just call if you
can’t find me.”

I stroll toward the table of booze, pretending to
contemplate my choices. I try to seem as nonchalant as I can be, waiting for
Jake to notice me and waiting for Wes to come up for air to see me. Oh, but the
stars do align oh-so-perfectly. I’m just walking past Wes and Allison’s
tangling tongues when Jake approaches me.

“I see the troll finally stopped blocking the bridge,” Jake
jokes, perhaps a little too loudly. On purpose. “I think we just might need to
drink to that.”

“We sure do.” I wink at him. In my peripheral vision, I see
Wes whip his head toward me, but I don’t acknowledge him at all. Jake takes my
drink order, and I watch him carefully as he mixes my drink—a cola with a
little whipped cream vodka. Well, he pours a
lot
of whipped cream vodka,
but I’m not complaining.

I follow him to a remotely quiet corner of the living room,
and we talk for a while. I talk to him about college and my family, and he
talks about himself and . . . himself. He sure is nice to look at, but I can
only listen to how much he can bench for so long. He must be one of the dullest
people on the planet. Wes made it out like he’s a womanizer; however, I think
the bigger threat is that he just might bore someone to a very painful death.
But as long as he keeps the drinks coming, he gets a little easier to listen
to. A
little
.

Even half-drunk, I still think I’d rather talk to a tree.

“Why don’t we go outside and get some air? It’s getting
awfully loud and stuffy in here.”

“Sure,” I say, swaying a little after standing too quickly.

Jake hugs me against his side and chuckles. “Hang on,
gorgeous. I won’t let you fall.”

Once we make it to the back door, I let go of him,
determined to walk on my own. If the damn ground would just be still long
enough for me to step on it, I’d be just fine. I finally make my way to a soft
spot in the grass and sit down. Okay, no, I didn’t exactly choose to sit here.
The ground chose that spot for me on its own, and my stupid body went down without
even asking my permission first.

Damn, I’ve had too much to drink. And tomorrow is going to
hurt. Bad.

“You okay?” Jake laughs at my less than graceful landing.
“Told you to hang on.”

I lie down in the cool grass and stretch out. “I’m all good
now. It’s so quiet out here.” A gentle hand caresses my stomach, and I look
down at Jake’s fingertips circling my belly button. “That feels kinda nice.”

“Yeah? How about this?” His hot mouth finds my neck, and the
gentle sucking under my earlobe gives me chills.

“Mmm.”

“And this?” His face appears in front of mine, and the soft
whisper of his lips trail along my cheek until they find my mouth, delivering a
toe-curling kiss.

At least, I think it is. Once I have a second to process it,
all I can really register is the nauseating taste of beer coming from his
mouth. It’s truly vile and disgusting. I hate both the taste and smell of it. I
shove at him, trying to push him away, but he only kisses me more deeply, no
matter how much I bang on his chest with my fists. Then, when I grab onto his
shirt, he somehow takes it as an invitation for more.

The sobering moment for me, though, is when his hand shoves
into the front of my pants. Without even thinking about it, I shove him back
with everything I have and rear back and pop him right in the eye with my tiny,
but effective fist.

He flinches and falls over on his back, covering his eye
with one hand. “What the hell?!”

“If you’re smart, you’ll leave before Shane or Wes comes
looking for you.” I start to walk away, but I can’t help but feeling a little
vindictive. I step over one leg and bend to face him, trying to maintain my
balance while my equilibrium plays on a merry-go-round. “Listen to me very
carefully . . .”