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Furrowing my brow, I narrowed my eyes. “You remember telling Denny earlier tonight that I don’t hang out ‘down there’?” Kellan’s eyes widened as he remembered that horribly embarrassing conversation that he’d drunkenly had earlier. Biting his lip as he backed away from me, looking for all the world that he was worried that I’d slap him again, he mumbled, “Oh, right…yeah, I’ll get those keys to you.” I smiled knowingly and nodded. Yes, letting me drive his buzzed butt was the least he could do for me after that little comment.
Kellan ended up chatting with some of the longtime regulars instead of actually helping me, but that was all right; he was still with me, throwing me smiles whenever he looked my way. That was preferable to him at a party with a bunch of women who’d love to give him a farewell present, a very intimate farewell present. And they’d probably have no qualms about hanging out “down there.”
When every customer had finally gone and the place was clean enough that the day crew wouldn’t cuss us out too bad, Kellan and I finally headed out to his car. Kate, Jenny and even Rita, all followed us as I led the way to Matt and Griffin’s place. Sulking the entire time I drove, Kellan told me to head to the outskirts of the city. Oddly enough, Matt and Griffin shared a townhouse in suburbia. It was an odd thought in conjunction with Griffin. Honestly, I’d always pictured him living above a brothel or something. I suppose he would, if they were legal here.
Parking about a half mile away from the house, our group walked up to the bustling home. As Kate and Jenny relayed funnier memories to Rita, making her laugh, I looked around the cramped neighborhood and wondered how much longer it was going to be before one of the homeowners called the cops on the noisy rock stars in their midst.
Kellan opened the front door and walked through when we approached it; another home-away-from-home for him. The noise of the stereo hit me first, the bass deep and thumping, then the rustle and hiss of dozens and dozens of bodies filled my ears. The sound only amplified when Rita shut the door behind her. Kellan smiled back at me and nodded his head in a direction he wanted us to go. Taking a second to put 153
my bag and jacket in the already crammed full coat closet, I grabbed his hand.
He started leading us directly through the mass of people in the living room. Matt and Griffin’s place was much bigger than Kellan’s, the living room being a wide-open design that left ample space for dancing in the center of it. A group of clearly drunk partygoers were already doing that.
Some big, beer-belly man was even doing some sort of supposed-to-be-seductive shimmy, shaking his belly fat to a group of giggling girls. Kellan chuckled at him as we passed, patting his shoulder to give us space.
The girls instantly locked onto Kellan, ignoring the dancing joker in their midst.
Clutching Kellan’s hand tight, we finally made it through the gyrating swarm to the dining room, where a group of people were set up at a six-foot-long dining table. The table had seen much better days, the hard wood scraped and dented everywhere, but the sloppily drunk people playing drinking games didn’t seem to care. Kellan paused at the table, watching the chaos for a few seconds with an amused grin on his face.
As some perky blonde pouted that she had to finish her nearly full beer, Matt came up to our side and clapped Kellan’s shoulder. “Hey, you made it. People have been asking for you.”
I smiled over at Matt’s cutely flushed face. His eyes were slightly unfocused. I figured he’d been indulging at his going away party. Rachel behind him placed her chin on his shoulder and smiled over at me. Her eyes were clear and bright. If Matt was caving in, she was not. I smiled and waved at her, instantly grateful that at least one person at this party was being sober and responsible.
Smiling over at me, Matt raised his eyebrows. “Hey, Kiera. We got everything…what’s your poison?”
Glancing behind him into the kitchen, I noticed the long counters were filled with just about every beer and liquor on the planet. They seemed better stocked than Pete’s. Laughing at Rita, who’d slipped into the room the other way and was now doling out drinks, just like back at the bar, I shook my head at Matt. “I’m good, really, thanks.” 154
Matt nodded and let it go. Kellan twisted around and frowned at me.
“Uh-uh, you need a drink.”
Twisting my lip at him, I raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to peer pressure me to drink?”
He smiled and rolled his eyes. Leaning into me, he placed his lips on my ear. I had to stop breathing for a second as his breath washed over my neck, igniting my body. “I don’t want you spending the entire evening thinking about me leaving.”
His words washed my brief desire away and I pulled back to look at him. Frowning, he added, “I don’t want you spending our last night thinking about it…and you will, right?” Sighing, I reluctantly nodded.
Yeah, he’s approaching departure was about all I was thinking about.
Even the many distractions here couldn’t really keep my mind from that path for long.
Sighing himself, he slung his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. “I want you to loosen up and have a little fun with me.” Sinking down to my eye level, he raised a brow. “Can you do that?” Exhaling, I took a moment to memorize his features. Twisting back to Matt, who’d spent our brief discussion sucking on Rachel’s neck while she tried to get him to stop, I tapped his shoulder. When he blinkingly looked at me, I pointed to the alcohol flowing freely around the room.
“I’ll take something…sweet.”
Matt brightened and leaned in to hug me. It was way more affection than I was used to from him and I giggled as I patted his back. “I’ll hook you up, Kiera!” he exclaimed, leaping to his assignment like I was a royal debutante that he had to please.
Kellan laughed at his friend as he kissed my neck. “Thank you,” he murmured in my ear.
I was about to tell him that he’d be thanking me later if I got tipsy and threw up in his car, but just at that moment a scream sounded over the music in the living room. Kellan and I stepped back so we could peek in-to the large room. I started laughing instantly. Evan had found Jenny 155
and had picked the tiny woman up and slung her over his shoulder. Jostling her a little bit, he was playfully smacking her bottom while she squealed.
While Kate tried to help her down, Jenny laughed and clung to her teddy bear of a boyfriend. Spotting me, she lifted her hand up. “Kiera, help me!”
Evan twisted around to look at us, also twisting Jenny around in the process. She kicked her feet but Evan had her tight. Smiling at Kellan and me, he waved a quick greeting. Kellan waved back and chuckled.
Smiling down at me, Kellan got a playful glint in his eye.
Mine widened as I took a step back. “Don’t even think about it, Kyle.” Putting my finger in his chest as his playful grin turned devilish, I backed up into a dining room chair. The girl sitting there drunkenly stood up and grabbed my shoulders.
“Here, I’m done…you play.” She forcefully plopped me down and I sat in a whoosh.
No sooner had I finished my descent to a seat, than Matt was beside me, handing me a large glass filled with something an orangey-pink color. “Here you are, Kiera. Something sweet,” he laughed as he straightened, “like you.”
I smiled at Matt and thanked him just as a pair of dice were placed in front of me. Frowning at the brunette who’d handed them to me, I started shaking my head. I really hadn’t intended to play. Rolling her eyes, she put them in my palm and made my palm drop them.
The entire table mockingly groaned as I looked at a pair of ones. They all seemed to know what that meant…I had no clue. Kellan started laughing and I glanced up at him, irritated. As Matt consolingly patted my shoulder, muttering something that sounded like, “I’ll make you another one, Kiera,” Kellan pointed to my glass.
“Snake eyes means you have to pound your drink.” My mouth dropped open as I stared at him. Rita handed him a beer, her hand 156
resting a little too casually on his shoulder. Kellan raised his beer to me.
“Bottom’s up, babe.”
I smirked and shook my head. “I wasn’t really playing…” The entire table started booing and groaning; someone even threw a bottle cap at me. Kellan laughed and shrugged as I took a hold of my drink. Knowing that he wanted me to loosen up and have a little fun, and figuring this was as good a way as any, I tipped the drink down and forced myself to swallow it as fast as I could.
It freaking burned.
Whatever the hell Matt had made me was strong. By the end of the glass I was coughing and my eyes were stinging. My belly also had a pleasant warmth to it and my head swam a little. I grinned up at Kellan as the table burst into cheers. God, by the approval level, you’d think drinking was a sport, and I’d just scored the winning point.
As Matt handed me another beautifully peachy drink, someone commented to Kellan, “Dude, your girlfriend can really suck ‘em down…lucky bastard.”
Kellan started laughing but immediately stopped when he met my icy glare. Grabbing the commenter’s jacket, Kellan hauled him from his seat.
“My turn,” he told him, sitting in his spot. I smiled as the dice made their way around to him. Jerk. I hope he got snake eyes too.
As the evening progressed, my luck with this game didn’t improve. I swear to God every time anyone did anything, I was the one that had to drink. My glass never strayed from my lips long, and my head got fuzzier and fuzzier the longer I sat at the table. The drink, however, got smoother and smoother. It was practically candy at one point.
The brunette bitch to the right of me, that had made me start this little fiasco in the first place, giggled and gave me five drinks…just because.
As I cursed and then started taking them, she adorably peeked her head up at Kellan. “Sorry, Kellan, I’m really not trying to get your girlfriend drunk.”