Entangled (Evolve Series Novella 2.5) (10 page)

I bury my face in my pillow, laughing hysterically
at her. “Baby,” I come up for air, “
humping?
We make love, we fuck, but
we don’t hump.”

She pushes on my chest. “You know what I mean.
Before we started doing that, we had really cool conversations.”

I lay my arm out and she moves to lay her head on
it. “We talk all day, every day. What are
you
talking about right now?”

She says nothing, fascinating with my necklace. Ah,
here we go. Girl time. I get it, she needs the mental more than the physical,
unlike myself.

Okay, I can do this.

“Would you rather…lose your sight or your hearing?”

There’s her smile that I love, the one that comes
from the bottom of her heart and takes over the whole room. With one question,
we’re back to us. See what I did there? Two gold stars in one—conversation AND
a game, and Laney girl loves her games.

“Hearing, definitely. We could learn sign language,
but I couldn’t stand not being able to look at you. Would
you
rather,”
she taps her chin, “only sing the songs or only play them?”

“Play them. You could sing. What, where’re you
going?” I grab her, saving her from falling off the side of the bed, and soon
we’re both rolling in laughing fits. Laney can’t carry a tune for shit.
Seriously, it sounds like someone’s torturing already dying cats. It’s a shame
too, because she knows every word and really
feels
music. Seems only
right she be able to sing them in at least some semblance of the tune.

We lie together, limbs tangled, and play another
ten or so rounds, trying to think of things we don’t already know about each
other, which isn’t a whole lot, since we never talk and all. I’m not pointing
that out, though. Finally, on Laney’s turn, she rolls on top of me and sits up,
my eyes taking in her naked form above me. Her eyes turn to slits and she
circles one of my nipples with her finger. “Would you rather be on top or
bottom?”

I answer by flipping her over and showing her now
with my body what she just reconfirmed in the girly half of her mind.

I love her.

Chapter 12

~Laney~

S
chool starts in three days, so tonight, the
Crew is all back together and The K is getting turned up! Evan, Whit and Zach
are all back from the farm, Sawyer’s promised to be in attendance and Dane’s
already got cars on standby for everyone to get home safely. We’re doing it big—one
last hoorah before going back to the grind.

Bennett, Whitley and I are getting ready together
at my place. I’ve already made up my mind—I’m letting loose tonight and plan to
have as much fun as I can stand, so naturally the ladies think I need to look
as good as I feel. We kicked the boys out, planning to meet them there, and we’ve
got “Roar” on full blast and repeat while we primp.

Bennett’s in a blue, short party dress, her red
mane up in a twist and silver heels on her feet that should seriously come with
a manual. At least, I would need a manual if I tried to wear them. Not only are
they hella tall, but they have a whole bunch of straps and I’m not completely
sure which buckles attach to what.

Whitley’s rocking a black mini skirt and sparkly
silver top with, wait for it… Black cowboy boots! Her blonde hair is in a
French braid and she makes a perfect city-girl-got-a-taste-of-country.

And me? Frick and Frack have had way too much fun
dressing me in skintight dark jeans, knee high black boots and a shiny red top
that hangs loose and low in the front and is held together with one strap
across the open back. I’ve already warned them that when Dane’s head blows off
and spins into orbit, they’re to blame. My hair is down, eyes smoky and lips
shiny. I’m ready to roll.

I’d say I was ready to party like it’s 1999, but
Whitley made me swear I’d never say that out loud again.

Dane sent a car for us, and we may or may not have
had a pre-game toast in the back on our way over. I mean, if you send a car
with a bottle chillin’ in the back, it’s kinda like a note on it that says
“Drink Me!”

The K is on full blast when we walk in, and even I
feel excited butterflies in my stomach at the electric atmosphere. Dane’s
tapping the door at one-hundred heads tonight; we want the club feel, but not
overcrowding. He’s got amateurs behind the bar, too, so Tate and Sawyer can
enjoy themselves, so there’s no sense overwhelming the newbies.

“Work Out” by J Cole is playing, my jam, and with
the bubbly I downed on the ride over, I’m ready to dance like nobody’s
watching. I should probably find Dane first, but something tells me he’ll find
me, so I pull Whit and Bennett onto the floor.

One song blends into another, the three of us
waving our hands in the air exactly like we just don’t care.  I’m all about
tonight, and being out on the floor with everyone dancing and having fun is
great, but when random hands grab my hips from behind and pull me into a body I
know by instinct isn’t Dane’s, I panic. I turn my head and am met with the
watery, drunken eyes of a stranger and my heart starts to race uncontrollably.

I look around, but Bennett and Whitley are in their
own little dancing world, paying me no attention. I try to pull away, but Handsy
thinks I’m just dancing, or he doesn’t care, and pushes himself into me harder,
firming up his grip on my hips. I turn my whole body now, fighting against his
grip and slapping his arm. “Let go!” I say sternly, not wanting to completely
cause a scene. “I have a boyfriend!”

“Huh?”

“Back off!” I try again, but he just smirks and
grinds into my side now that I’ve pivoted. “Seriously,” I yell, trying to
escape his hold again, tears of adrenaline rather than sadness burning in the
backs of my eyes.

“Chill, girl,” he slurs way too close to my face,
beer breath in full effect.

I lift my knee, fight response kicking in when my
knight speaketh.

“I heard her say ‘let go’ loud and clear. How’d you
miss it, asshole?”

“Fuck off,” McGrabberson smarts off, finally
releasing his hold of me.

I turn just in time to see Dane rear back and punch
the guy smoothly in the face, barreling over the top of him when he goes down.
Dane pulls him off the floor by his collar, jaw clenched as he speaks inches
from his face.

“If a lady says ‘let go,’ you let the fuck go. Get
the hell out of my bar and don’t let me see you back in here.”

He drops him flat again and sticks out his hand for
me, no room for hesitation in his scowl. I place my shaking hand in his and
struggle to keep up as he pulls me off the floor. I turn back to check on the
girls, seeing that Tate and Evan are now by their sides and Zach is escorting
the now-bleeding dirty dancer out the door.

“All right, all right,” Sawyer says through the mic.
“Sorry for that, folks! Next round is on the house! And the gorgeous blonde in
the red—hands off, guys. Now have some fun!”

“Would you slow down?” I plead with Dane’s back as
I trip on the stairs he’s literally dragging me up. “Dane, stop! I’m gonna
fall!”

No preamble, I’m now flying through the air, tossed
over the shoulder of one severely pissed off Dane Kendrick. Now I can’t see
where we’re going, hanging upside down and staring at his ass, but we’re going
there in big, fast stomps. He digs in his pocket and I hear a lock click, a
light comes on, then I’m placed on my feet.

“Where are we?” I ask, looking around while I
attempt to get my hair out of my face.

“My office,” he snarls, locking the door and
keeping his back to me, forehead pressed against the wood. He’s taking deep,
slow breaths in and out; I can see every muscle of his back and shoulders
heaving under his white dress shirt.

“Hey.” I touch his shoulder, shocked that he
flinches at my touch.

“Hang on.” He holds up a finger and sighs. “Please just
give me a minute.”

I back away, letting him calm down and take in my
surroundings. Not that I come here a lot, but how have I never seen his office?
I scan again, more closely this time. It’s very “Danesque,” with large, bold
furniture, minimal color and perfect order. On his desk is a picture of me.
It’s in black and white, a close up of my face in profile. I don’t remember him
taking it, but there it is—the thing he chooses to have right next to him—me.

When I turn back around to see if he’s settled a
bit, he’s staring back at me. “It was the day we went fishing with your dad.
You were lost in thought. The wind blew your hair in your face and you didn’t
even notice. I tell myself, every time I look at it, that you were thinking of
me.”

“I probably was.” I walk towards him now, seeing
he’s back to himself.

He reaches a hand out to me, gently this time, and
I take it, letting him pull me into his chest. “Are you okay?” His voice is
strained, a mix between caged anger and fear.

I shake my head, rubbing a palm over his heart that
I can feel pounding erratically. “I’m fine, babe, it’s over now.”

“I was watching you dance, smiling, having fun. I
saw him move in and I got to you as soon as I could. Not soon enough. Were you
scared?” He kisses the top of my head and squeezes me tighter. “Did he hurt
you?” His voice cracks now, as though he’s afraid to hear the answer.

“No. I mean yes, I was a little scared, maybe just
surprised. And no, he didn’t hurt me.” I lift my head from his chest and grab
his chin, forcing him to look at me. “Hey, I’m fine. He was a little grabby and
forward, but nothing crazy bad. I’m fine, I promise.”

“I wanted to kill him. I still do.” His jaw ticks
and I lift my hand to cup it, running my thumb back and forth slowly.

“Babe, it’s okay, calm down. Some guys are jerks
and think all girls on a dance floor are up for that sort of thing. But he
didn’t hurt me, and I don’t feel overly violated or anything. You got there in
plenty of time. Thank you.” I lift up and kiss him softly. “I love you and I
really am fine. Are
you
okay?”

He scoffs, kissing my forehead. “Worried about me.”
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry I lost it, but no one’s allowed to touch you
like that.” He holds me tighter, inhaling a big breath. “Can you meet up with
me
before
you dance next time?”

I know he wanted so badly to make that a demand
instead of a request. I’m a firm believer in reinforcing good behavior.
“Absolutely.  Good idea, babe. Now,” I look up at him and smile flirtatiously,
trying to lighten the mood, “can you kiss me senseless then come dance
with
me?”

He groans, taking my mouth in a feverish kiss, unleashing
his frustration in it. His hands roam greedily, grabbing my ass and pulling me fiercely
against his hardening groin. “We could just stay in here, have our own party,”
he suggested, his voice hoarse.

As tempting as that sounds, all our friends are
waiting for us, and he
is
kinda the host. And we do that all the time,
but rarely do I agree to “tie one on.” It pains me to say it, but I do it
anyway. “Babe, we need to go be with our friends. We’ll be alone later.”

“You’re my friend.” He sinks his teeth into my
neck, teasing every part of me at once. “Just for a little while?” he pleads.

“If I have to hang and be all shits and giggles, so
do you!”

Impeccably timed as always, Sawyer’s yell comes
through the door as he beats on it. “Pull your panties up! You too, Laney, and
get your asses out here!”

“Why in the hell are we friends with him again?”
Dane grumbles as he adjust himself, then scans over me with somber eyes, reassuring
himself one last time that I am, in fact, all right.

“Because he’s wonderful and we love him.” I kiss
him then grab his hand. “Now come on and have fun, dammit, or no nookie for you
later.”

“Hi!” I greet Sawyer when I open the door. “We were
just coming to find you.”

“Uh huh,” he smirks, “now listen. Zach doesn’t want
a scene, so stay cool, but Avery just walked in.”

“She can’t stay. I want Zach to have fun.” I start
walking, feeling them both hot on my heels. No scene, huh? I might have
actually considered it, but it appears that ship has sailed—first Dane’s fight
and now this. When I spot Avery, she’s hanging on the front of Zach’s shirt,
pleading with him. Zach is trying to remove her hands and looks very much inconvenienced.
Enter another scene.

“Hey, Avery!” I bust up on them unnoticed. “Can I
talk to you a minute?”

“It’s fine, Laney,” Zach assures me.

“Yeah, Laney, butt out,” Avery sneers.

See, now I have a real dilemma. I haven’t had words
with Avery and I’ve been nothing but cordial at all the practices I’ve seen her
at since she cheated on my friend publicly... And I wasn’t rude just now, I simply
asked if I could talk to her. But now, she’s changed things up a bit.

“Not gonna happen, Ave,” I say. “Now, let’s keep
things cool. We have to play ball together, after all. How about you just leave
and go have fun somewhere else? That’s all I’m asking, and nicely.” That’s
swing two, she only gets three.

“Avery, why don’t you head out, okay? I can have a
car take you anywhere you want to go,” Dane suggests politely from beside me.

“Oh, Mr. High and Mighty, you can fuck right off.
Zach,” she looks up at him, “tell them this is between me and you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I answer for him, my blood
pressure rising to alarming heights. Why’s she attacking Dane? “We’re a Crew.
You screw with one of us, you screw with all of us. You had that, but what you
did to Zach, well, we don’t take that kind in, so just leave.
Now
. I’m
no longer asking. And watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to him.” I
point at Dane. “He didn’t do shit to you.”

Dane puts a hand on my arm now, as if to hold me
back. It’s funny, I’ve never put my hands on anyone, just talked. My dad had a
golden rule of his own: “you best make sure they hit you first. Never start it,
always finish it.” So until someone hits me, that’s all we’ll ever do—talk.

“Zach, please come with me. Don’t choose them over
me. I love you, just talk to me,” Avery begs, and we all wait silently. This
part is totally Zach’s call.

“Can you make sure she gets to her car safely?” he turns
and asks Sawyer, almost looking sad, but really just seeming over it.

“No prob.” Saw salutes him. “Let’s go, twin.”

“I’ll see you,” she jabs her finger in my chest,
“on the field.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” I smile, killing her with
kindness. Besides, all she can do is hit me with a pitch, and that’s a free
base, bitch, so bring it. Otherwise, pitch it and I’ll go yard on your ass all
day. You show the hold in your glove, dumbass.

We watch Avery slap at Sawyer as he walks her and
two girls I don’t know out.

Zach turns to the bar and slaps his hand down on
it. “Shots!” he yells, shocking us all.

Of course, we’re waited on immediately and I get my
first intro to something called a Buttery Nipple. Delicious.

Another one and I’m ready to get busy on the floor.
There’s a slow song playing, so I have time to coax the boys out there with me.
We make it just in time for “We Going Home” by Drake and I turn my back to Dane
and pull his hands around me. My man can move, and our bodies find their rhythm
with each other on their own.

Though I’m usually not much of a dancer, I can
definitely see the appeal. A few shots to loosen you up, the right song and the
man you trust behind you, and it becomes more an erotic act than dancing.

“You’re so fucking hot, baby,” he croons in my ear,
his hands teasing just under the bottom of my shirt, finding the bare skin of
my stomach. “I love you like this, so untamed. You dance like you fuck, smooth
and sexy.”

His words intoxicate me more than the alcohol. I
can feel his hard-on pressed against my ass as he grinds his hips into me,
swirling our lower halves in time to the beat. I throw one hand around his
neck, arching my ass out and into him roughly, then really shake it, loving the
sound of his groan over the beat.