Hooked on the Game (The Sterling Shore Series #1) (6 page)

Chapter 5

Playing Games

My room looks like fashion central threw up in it.  I've tried on seven dresses, three pairs of jeans, and fifteen or more shirts.  Nothing looks right.  Nothing even comes close to looking right on me.  I don't look like a pretty girl dressed up and ready to party.  I look like Raya Capperton, daughter of Ray Drivel, the conman's trashy daughter playing dress-up.

Just when I decide it's pointless, the door to my room creaks open.  Butterflies ruffle my stomach as I anxiously wait to see Kade's blue eyes, but I'm met by a different pair of blues instead.  My heart sinks back down from my throat as Ember walks in wearing an excited grin and a killer dress.

Her hair is tossed in perfect ringlets today instead of pigtails.  Her red dress is just short enough to drag the eye down, and her classy cleavage brings the eyes back up.  She looks far less innocent than she did yesterday.  I'm jealous.  I've got Paul Colton's latest line of fashion, and she looks better in her thrift store buy.  Maybe that's the problem.  These clothes are too dazzling for the jaded.

"Hey.  I hope this is okay.  Kade let me in and told me where to find you."

I nod, forcing a tight smile.  I'd fallen asleep while we were watching the movie, and Kade must have carried me back to my room last night.

He'd caught me off guard with the sincerity in his eyes when I asked him about why he was suddenly being nice to me.  The look he gave me... He's different than what I once thought, and now it's even more confusing.  He didn't say anything much after that.

We sat in a comfortable silence, kept our distance, and watched a terrible movie like it was riveting.  I shouldn't have asked that question.  I wish I hadn't.  Today we've barely spoken at all, since he was busy preparing for the party.  I've stayed in my room most of the day.

"Is that what you're wearing?"  Her wide eyes only cement my reservations.  She sees the trashy girl playing dress-up, too.

"It looks terrible, doesn't it?" I groan, glancing down at the tight white, strapless dress that was meant for someone far more impressive than I.

"Hell no," she gushes.  "It's fucking awesome.  That's... I'm so jealous."

I almost bite back a grin.  I'm jealous of her thrift store dress, and she's jealous of the dress I can't actually pull off.  "Maybe we should trade."

She laughs and shakes her head.  "Not happening.  I'd never look that good in white.  There's only one problem... You can't wear that underwear.  It's leaving lines."

I try to glance back at my rear, but I can't twist that way in this tight dress.  I finally give up and look over at her rummaging through my drawers until she finds where I store my panties and bras.  Another boundary.  I need to make a mental note to google what the boundaries are around here.  I was apparently raised very differently.

"Here," she says, handing me a pair of white thongs.

I don't even know how those managed to make it to the counter.  I can only assume Kade tossed them and several other pairs of underwear on the counter that day.  It's not something I need to think about right now.

I slip out of the more comfortable underwear and make the trade for the small stringed thing meant for a goddess.  This should be interesting.  Ember goes to be in front of the mirror as she checks her hair.

"It's crazy down there," she giggles, bubbling over with excitement .

"Already?"

I'd heard the music, but I thought Kade was just setting the mood right for all the partiers on their way.  I guess I've been in here longer than I thought, battling my indecisiveness.

"You seriously look like sex in heels.  I really wish Kade had bulldozed my house."

I let a laugh out, which is something I really needed.  Considering how nervous I am, I'm surprised I'm able to laugh at all.

"Kade didn't bulldoze my house; some frat boys from his party did."

"But he's the one you're living with?"

I shrug and open the door.  "I had to live somewhere, and Mr. Colton volunteered his son's house."

"And Kade is cool with all this?" she asks.

"I... I think he is now," I stammer unsurely.

She gives a goofy grin when she sees the lights flickering below.  It looks almost like a club.

"This is going to be so awesome," she gushes, and then she loops her arm through mine.

These heels make the stairs a little precarious, but I cautiously make my way down.  My long hair isn't balled up on my head or swept back in a ponytail.  Tonight I'm letting it hang free with some loose curls.  Maybe no one will even recognize me.

Ember giggles more once we rich the thick of the party.  It's not too crowded, surprisingly enough.  I don't have to press against sweaty bodies to make my way over to the keg.

My breath almost leaves me when Kade steps in from the dining room.  No.  No. No.  He's not supposed to make it hard to breathe, damn it.  I have to live with him.

"Hey," he says, grinning when he sees me.  His eyes scale up and down my dress, making me flood with a tingle of excitement.  "Need one?" he asks, holding up his cup.

"I need two."

I motion to Ember, and he offers her his best I'm-too-sexy-to-be-real grin.  She shivers beside me, letting her grip tighten on my arm.  I don't like that.  I don't want Ember eye-fucking him right now.

"Here," he says, handing me my cup first.  Then he fills up another and hands it to Ember.

She takes it while twirling her hair like a little girl with a crush.  I tug free from her as she drools, but Kade either doesn't notice or doesn't care.  Thankfully.  Crap.  I shouldn't be thankful.

"Feel like introductions?" Kade asks, sidling up next to me.

I sigh out heavily.  "Yeah, sure.  Ember, this is Kade.  Kade, Ember."

He chuckles beside me and places his hand on the small of my back.  "I've already met Ember when she came in to find you. I was asking if you wanted me to introduce you to everyone.  Let you get a feel for the crowd."

Ember is almost forgotten as I stare into the endless pools of blue that suddenly carry such a meaningful depth instead of a guise of shallowness.  "Not right now.  I think I'll stick to nursing a beer and observing."

I glance over to see Ember has moved on to a preppy polo-shirt-wearing guy.  My eyes return to Kade and his tight black T-shirt and dark denim jeans.  He looks too good.

A guy has fortunately started talking to him, keeping him distracted as I shamelessly ogle him for the first real time.  He doesn't look like a business-suit in training; he looks like forbidden fruit I desperately want to taste.

"You good?" Kade asks, acting as if he's about to leave me stranded.

"Um... yeah.  Go have fun."

"Business," he says, offering me a wink.  "
You
go have fun.  It'll be loud, so call me if you need me for anything.  My number is programmed in your phone."

The speck of silver in his mouth intrigues me again, but I dare not stare at those perfect lips too long.  I can only see a glimpse of the secretive thing when his mouth opens, so it has to be a piercing. 
Gah,
I wish I hadn't thought about it.

He gives me a quick wave before walking away.  I don't have my phone.  I was so busy gawking at him that the words never left my mouth.  I hope I don't need him for anything.

I turn around, seeing Ember still giggling in that guy's arms.  Whew.  At least it's not Kade she's wrapped around.

I groan inwardly.  I can't keep doing that.  Kade is... my roommate?  My friend?  I don't know, but I can't be interested in him.  He's an elite and I'm the girl from the trailer park.

I do well to hide in the back, possibly seeming like the creepy girl just watching everyone.  After observing everyone dance and drink for thirty minutes, I start to relax.  No one at all has said anything rude to me whatsoever.

"Raya, right?" a guy asks, proving I'm not hiding as well as I thought.

"Yes." I force a smile and turn to meet him, drawing in a deep breath to prepare for whatever he might say.

"I'm Brock." He proffers his hand, and I place mine in his for the shake, though I admit I'm wary.

He grins, giving me a shot of his dimples as he props against the wall beside me. He's dressed in a pair of designer jeans, a blue T-shirt, and a sexy gaze. Considering I don't know if he's one of the many who ridiculed me, I don't exactly swoon.

"Nice to meet you," I murmur as sincerely as I can muster, while returning my eyes to the party.

"It's
Get Wet
time!" a girl's shrill voice announces as the music dies down.  "Same rules as always.  When you hear the song, grab someone to lock up with until it stops.  All ladies without a partner, prepare to be tossed in the pool!"

My stomach tilts to the point I'm worried I'll get sick.  She can't be serious.  Surely no one would actually throw me in the pool.  Shit.  Kade has thrown me in the pool before.

"I think I might hang out over here with you," Brock says, grinning as the girl speaks with the DJ behind the traveling booth.

I swallow hard as she continues.  "Tonight, the
Get Wet
song is
Good Man
!"  The DJ plays a sample, and everyone roars in cheers, getting excited.  Then the song changes, and the girl hops down, beaming from the mischief she just delivered.

I don't feel like partying anymore. Now I just want to go crawl in a closet and hide.  The girl who was announcing the bomb-drop sidles up next to Brock, rocking back on her heels as hearts form in her eyes.

Warm hands wrap around my waist seconds before the
Get Wet
song kicks in.  I'm whirled around and pushed into the corner, gasping for air.  My eyes lock with Kade's and he grins as he brings his lips within centimeters from mine, keeping one arm pressed against the wall, blocking our faces somewhat.

"What... w-what are you doing?" I hoarsely release, swallowing hard thereafter.

"Making people think we're doing what we're supposed to be doing.  Otherwise, you'll get tossed in the pool.  Considering you're wearing white, and you don't have... much on back here," his hand trails over my rear, making me tremble as he slides his hand back up to my back and tugs me closer, "you might not need to get caught."

I shiver noticeably, feeling trapped and completely stupid as a crushing wave of unbidden desire unfurls within me.  This just changed... everything for me.  I don't even remember how to hate him in this moment.

"Whenever you see Mel drift toward Brock," he says, motioning toward the game announcer and Brock who are in a tongue-tango lip-lock, "find me, and I'll make it look like we're just as engaged as everyone else enjoying the festivities."

My knees try to buckle, but I steady them, locking them into place like I just shoved steel rods in there.  "So they're a couple?"

I leave out the part where Brock was acting like he wanted to play this game with me.

"No," he chuckles out.  "Brock isn't in the market to settle down, but Mel wants him. So, she plays this game every party.  When the DJ sees her close to Brock, he plays the song.  That's your cue.  Just find me, unless you want some strange guy locked on your lips or tossing you in the pool."

His eyes move down to my lips, and his breath catches for a second.  With his mouth just slightly ajar, I finally see the silver mystery a little better.

"You do have your tongue pierced," I murmur to myself.  "I thought so."

His grin slides up, and I look up to see his eyes intensely focused on mine.  "You've been trying to get a look?"

My face heats, and he leans in closer, making this even more intimate.  He rolls his tongue in his mouth so that he can shove part of the bar between his pearly whites, and then he bites down on the metal so that it's the only thing I can see other than his perfectly straight teeth.

Yep.  I think I just forgot my own name.

The bar slinks back into his mouth, and his grin returns.  "You could have just asked."

The song shifts, and the make-out frenzy ends.  My breaths are erratic and scattered when he finally leans back and returns my personal space.  I waver in my heels, but his arm wraps around my waist to steady me.

"I guess you did more than nurse that beer," he says with a teasing grin, thinking my staggering posture is due to alcohol.  It's not the toxins in the drink that are making me unbalanced; it's him.  This is
so
bad.

"I guess so," I lie, making his smile grow.

"Good.  You need to loosen up."

He pulls my hand in his and takes my empty cup.  I'll just let him think I've had more than one.  If he found out what his touch was doing to me right now, he'd mock me relentlessly.

"That dress looks good on you.  I'm glad I didn't let you bypass the dresses you'd 'never wear.'"

I giggle lightly, silently chastising myself for sounding like an idiot with a crush.  His smile is rewarding though, and it makes me want to giggle more.  I look around nervously as he hands my cup to one of his friends to refill.