Gold - Linde K. A. - Страница 36
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She would recognize the voice of the next person who walked through the door anywhere.
Eric was standing there with Andrew and a few other guys from the team. They were all in swim trunks. Andrew had already stripped out of his shirt—or maybe he had never worn one—but Eric had on a tight-fitting LV State shirt.
“Hollywood!” he cried when he saw her.
Then, he was barreling into her stomach and hoisting her over his shoulder.
She screamed and sloshed some of her margarita on the hardwood floor, “Eric! Put me down!”
He laughed even harder and twirled her in a circle. A bunch of people were laughing at them as she was being held helplessly in his arms.
“Anyone want a take?” he asked, offering her ass for everyone’s view.
“Oh my God! I will kill you! I will murder you and cut you up into little pieces!” she yelled.
“All right, all right,” Eric said. “No spankings for you tonight.”
“She clearly deserves it though,” Trihn joked.
Bryna was placed back on her feet, and she smacked Eric on the arm. “You ass!”
“At least I didn’t throw you in the pool.”
“Again!” she snapped.
“Right. Again,” he said, heading toward the back door with a big smirk on his face.
He was out the door with the team a minute later, and she was left there, shaking her head at him.
“And you think he’s gay?” Stacia asked quietly next to her.
Bryna gave her a fierce look. “Shh!”
“Sorry! Sorry!”
“And yes, I know he is.”
Trihn intervened, “Let’s go dance! Neal is already in a bad mood about coming to another party.”
“Why?” Bryna asked.
She shrugged. “No idea. He would rather be at home, sketching or something. We need to loosen him up with some liquor, and he’ll be fine.”
Bryna started drinking again when the girls disappeared to go dance. She had hired the DJ from the radio station for the party. Apparently, he did that kind of stuff on the side. So far, so good.
She was about to go join them when the last person she’d wanted to see breezed through the doorway.
Pace.
“Excuse me!” she snapped. “Who said you were invited?”
Pace smirked. “Hey, sis.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Your boyfriend invited the whole team. Last I checked, I’m on the team.”
He seemed pretty pleased with himself.
Bryna looked around. “Who here has a boyfriend?”
“You, of course. Think you can hide that you’re dating Eric?”
“We’re not dating.”
“Sure,” he said disbelievingly. “How is it going though, really?”
“We’re not together, but it’s so cute that you’re clearly jealous.”
“I mean, at least you picked the complete opposite of the last one,” he said.
She knew he was referencing Jude, and she shuddered.
He leaned closer toward her. “Speaking of, does the new man know all of your deep, dark secrets?”
He looked like he had her there, and she stood her ground.
“Actually, he does. Not that it’s any of your business”—she pushed him away from her—“but we’re not together, creep.”
Pace looked genuinely surprise. She was glad she had thrown him off.
“He knows about Jude?”
“What? Like it’s a big secret? Yes, he knows. Now that the interrogation is over, you can leave.”
“But I’m just getting started,” he said. “How exactly did you get this house?”
“What does it matter? I’m away from you, and that’s all that’s important to me.”
Realization seemed to dawn on his face as he took in the luxury so many others had missed. “Slipping into old bad habits, are we?”
“Fuck off!”
She knew he loved riling her up, but she couldn’t help from getting upset. His very presence angered her. It made her think about her father marrying that whore who was now fucking pregnant. She hadn’t seen them since they moved Pace in, and she didn’t want to hear shit about the new baby they were having.
“You know I’m not leaving.”
“Then, stay the fuck away from me.”
Pace laughed and walked away. “I’ll find someone else to take home tonight,” he threw over his shoulder.
Bryna shuddered. Poor girl. Pace was awful. She hated that he was here at LV State. She had been avoiding him at all extremes, spending so little time in her condo, but still, he was around. The whole thing put her in a sour mood.
She needed a drink. She definitely needed a drink. She wished she could bleach the thought of Pace with a girl out of her brain. Actually, the thought of Pace at all made her feel like she had bugs crawling under her skin.
She wandered into the kitchen and poured herself another margarita when a conversation drifted up to her from the open window. She glanced outside and saw Eric was talking to a bunch of the football players he had arrived with.
“So, you’re banging Bryna,” Greg said as if it were a fact. He hadn’t even questioned it. He’d just assumed it. Greg punched Andrew in the arm and laughed hysterically. “Dude, you guys are pussy brothers now.”
Andrew looked sullen and made some snide remark that Bryna couldn’t discern.
Hmm. So, the guys were going to have the same conversation with Eric that her girls had recently had with her. Too bad he couldn’t use the real reason they weren’t fucking rather than having to hedge around the issue.
Eric chuckled. “Nah, man. We’re just friends.”
Greg snorted and made some crude pelvic thrust. “With benefits.”
Ugh! Why does Beth like him?
“Nope,” Eric responded. He tipped back his beer and seemed totally relaxed.
“I’ve seen the way you two are together,” Greg said. “Picking her up and offering to spank her ass. I’d be all over that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not you.”
Andrew rolled his neck, clearly agitated. “I’ve smacked that ass.”
Eric and Greg both turned their attention to him.
“Yeah, before she started making out with everyone in Posse instead of you,” Greg said, laughing maniacally. “I’ve heard she’s fucked half the team since you, dude.”
Andrew glared at him.
But it was Eric who spoke up, “I don’t think so. Bryna is pretty picky. She wouldn’t settle for any dipshit.”
“Picky?” Andrew asked. Even he sounded disbelieving. “I think you have the wrong girl.”
Eric shrugged. “She has expensive taste. I don’t think she’d slum it with anyone.”
Greg still looked doubtful. “Either way, dude, you can’t just be friends with a chick like that.”
“Especially not Bri,” Andrew said.
Bryna swallowed hard. She knew what people thought about her. She had always known. Honestly, it had only gotten worse since she came to college. But knowing what people thought was different than hearing it. It made her blood boil. It made her want to go down there and demand to know all the people they thought she had slept with. Because the total since last summer was a big whopping two—Andrew and Hugh. That was it.
Assholes.
At least Eric had stood up for her.
“Well, I don’t think that’s true. Bryna and I aren’t dating, and we’re not fucking, so I guess we’re friends,” Eric said.
“So then, who are you fucking?” Greg asked. “Can’t spend all this time with that hot ass and not get your dick wet.”
How pleasant!
She couldn’t help but be interested in Eric’s answer though. Not like he was going to tell them the truth.
Eric hesitated for a few seconds. “No one. I’m too busy with school and coaching. It’s like having two full-time jobs.”
“No one is that busy,” Greg said.
Eric shrugged and brushed it off. “I guess I am.”
The conversation shifted to football talk, and Bryna figured she had eavesdropped enough. She took her margarita outside and migrated toward where Eric was standing with the guys. Greg punched Andrew and then tipped his hat in the opposite direction. They were both long gone before she reached Eric, who was now standing all alone.
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