“We had parties like this back home,” Blake said, handing me a red plastic cup. “In beach houses, though, and everyone smelled of sea and suntan lotion.”
“You sound like you miss it.”
“I do sometimes, but hey, change isn’t too bad. It makes life interesting.” He took a sip and coughed. “What did they put in this? Moonshine?”
I laughed. “God only knows around here.”
Wild giggles came from the kitchen. We turned just in time to see Carissa rush from the room, an annoyed look on her face as she bolted to where Dee was in the doorway. “Dee, your friends are crazy.”
“They’re your friends, too,” Lesa commented dryly, coming up behind Dee. She saw Blake and me and came to a stop. Then she bumped me with her hip. “Yay.”
Carissa folded her arms over her chest. “My friends would not do that with whipped cream.”
I busted into laughter at the horrified look on Dee’s face and the curious one that crossed Lesa’s. Blake smiled at me, as if he liked the sound of my laugh.
“What?” Dee screeched and took off toward the kitchen.
“I have to see this,” muttered Lesa, following quickly behind the flurry of white.
I glanced over at Carissa, whose cheeks were as red as my sweater. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head emphatically. “You have no idea what Donnie and Becca are doing in there.”
“Aren’t they the two who planned to get married after graduation?”
“Yep. And I can tell you they have not waited for marriage for most things.”
I giggled. “Awesome.”
Carissa shuddered. “I’m not trying to be a prude, but who acts like that in public or at a friend’s house? I mean, come on. It’s disgusting.” She took a deep breath, her dark eyes flicking up. “Hi, Blake, sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. Whipped cream should only be used on pies.”
I had to look away to stop from laughing. It was kind of gross, but I still found it entertaining. Not sure what that said about me. And who was I kidding? Last Friday I’d been getting all hot and heavy in a library.
At the reminder, my stomach knotted again and my gaze darted around the room.
We were briefly interrupted by a group who wanted to talk to Carissa about her older brother, who was away at college. I’d forgotten that she had older siblings. Mental note number two: pull head out of ass.
Blake must’ve made a lot of friends quickly, because most of the kids were talking him up. And a lot of girls kept stealing looks at him. This filled me with an obscene amount of glee. I leaned into Blake’s arm, mostly for show, and then I stayed there, liking the way the bulge of muscles in his upper arms felt against my chest.
He didn’t seem to mind. The hand on my back bunched into the silk of my dress, and he stopped mid-sentence to lean down and whisper, “I really wish I were staying,”
I turned my head, smiling. “Me, too.”
His hand slid across my back, curving around my waist. I liked this—whatever this was. It seemed natural to be close to a guy, to be flirting, having fun. Kissing. It all felt easy. We stayed like that after Carissa drifted away, and then it was time for him to leave.
I walked him to the door, his arm still around my waist. “We still on for dinner?” he asked.
“You bet. I’m actually—” My back was to the stairs, but I still knew the second he came down. The air changed, grew heavier and warm. The nape of my neck tingled.
Blake frowned. “You’re actually…what?”
My heart sped up. “I’m…I’m looking forward to it.”
He started to smile, and then he glanced up. His eyes widened slightly, and I knew Daemon was there. I didn’t want to turn around, but it seemed unnatural not to.
And it was like being struck by lightning. I hated his effect on me, but at the same time it thrilled me. Nothing was easy about it.
Daemon was dressed casually compared to the rest of us but still looked better than any guy in the room. He had on a pair of old, distressed blue jeans and a shirt that bore some long-forgotten band name. He absently tucked a strand of dark hair behind his left ear and flashed a wolfish grin at something someone said. Those magnetic eyes shimmered under the dim light of the candles. This was the first time I’d really seen Daemon around anyone other than his family or a friend or two outside of school.
Daemon had this effect on others, no matter their gender. It was obvious that people wanted to be around him, but at the same time, it seemed like they were afraid to come too close. They were drawn to him, like I was, whether they liked it or not. People approached but stopped just a few feet from him. But the whole time, he had his eyes fixed on me.
In that second, I completely forgot the boy with his hand on my waist.
Daemon stopped in front of us. “Hey there…”
Blake’s hand pressed into me as he leaned around. “I don’t think we got the chance to introduce ourselves the other night at the diner. My name is Blake Saunders.” He offered his free hand.
Daemon glanced at Blake’s hand before returning his gaze to me. “I know who you are.”
Oh, geez. I twisted toward Blake. “This is Daemon Black.”
His smile faltered. “Yeah, I know who he is, too.”
Laughing under his breath, Daemon straightened. At his full height, he was a good head taller than Blake. “It’s always nice to meet another fan.”
Yeah, Blake had no idea what to say to that. He shook his head slightly and faced me. “Well, I need to get going.”