December (The Page Sisters Book 1) (11 page)

Fuck.

I’m drunk.

“Can you even hold your head up?” Gray asks.

“She’s smashed,” Jessica laughs. “She drinks for you and me and everyone here. I’ve told her she shouldn’t drink that much.”

“But aren’t you the one who bought the liquor?” January accuses.

Jessica’s face shrivels up in forged shock, which she shouldn’t do. She has a pretty face, an attractive face, a face with hazel eyes and plump lips. But damn her face is pretty ugly when it’s all smashed up like she tasted something sourly gross.

“It’s not my fault that December can’t handle her alcohol. She’s a grown woman. I will not be blamed for her childish behavior.”

“Just shut the hell up,” July shouts. “Why are you even here? I didn’t invite you.”

Did I mention my sisters don’t like her? They know Jessica’s the reason for most of the negative things in my life. She started terrible rumors when we were in high school. She told everyone I slept with
ALL
of the Oliver brothers. But it wasn’t me who slept with them. We live in a small town where your word and reputation is everything, where your character is as valuable as currency. I got shit for that until I graduated. Who am I kidding? I still get shit for it. I’ve since learned to brush off the hate. All the mumbled whores and sluts whispered under breaths of judgment and hateful people does not bother me anymore. My sisters are my super warriors, even when I don’t need them to be. 

“Besides,” Jessica adds with a sly grin and an evil gleam in her eyes, “Josh will take her home and fuck her until she’s sober again. Then in the morning she’ll act like it never happened, right, December?”

I feel Danny appear from a dark corner. His gaze is on me like he knows something is coming. Like he knows the truth is coming. Josh tenses and turns into a statue at my side. I stare at Josh’s lush lips.

And

it

all

comes

back

to

me.

Josh and I didn’t only make out that night. We had sex. We had oral sex. He went down on me on his couch before I completely passed out. The memory is a kaleidoscope of blurry images. Tangled sheets. Limbs holding limbs. Gasping and moaning. We were both out of it. But it was me who began the initiation. It was me who opened my legs. It was me who pushed down hard on his mouth, begging him for more.

It was me who begged for more.

He gave me more.

Damn it.

My blood boils. Jessica definitely knows how to fuck up a party. “Maybe if you weren’t a selfish control freak and a major manipulating bitch, you’d keep a guy for more than a few hours,” I slur between a yell and a shout. “You bought the vodka to get me drunk because you knew I would drink it. But you’re right. I’m a big girl and you’re not to blame for my actions.” I turn to everyone and shrug. “Yeah, that’s right. Josh went down on me and I blew Danny in the shower. So eat up folks.”

There are a few gasps but mostly everyone’s eyes bug out of their skulls. Everyone except Jarvis and Danny. Jarvis smiles at me like he’s proud, like he didn’t know I had that in me. Danny doesn’t smile. Danny is coolly detached and aloof yet aware enough that the heat of his gaze burns me. Piper’s face pales and she forks over her slice of cake like she wishes to be anywhere but here.

I quickly walk up to Jessica and shove my middle finger in her face, then I storm off.

“GO DECEMBER!” July cheers.

Someone follows me into the house of mirrors. That someone is Danny. My steps slow and I halt suddenly, turning to see his brooding expression is every pane of glass. He frowns down at me. I’m stunned for a moment. God this man is beautiful. How can a man be this handsome? It’s like I have to wince every time my eyes land on his exquisite face. “We need to talk.”

“So talk.”

“We should have this talk when you’re sober.”

“Christ, Danny, spit it out already. What? Four years isn’t enough time to figure out what you have to say?”

He walks up to me, looking into my eyes the entire time. I don’t move a muscle, though I want to flee from all his intensity coming at me like a Mack semi truck. He stops in front of me, reaching up to touch my face. “You want to know the truth, December?”

I have to remind myself not to roll my eyes. “Obviously.”

“I hurt you.”

“Shut up, Danny.” I attempt to shake him off me but his hands only tighten.

“No running away,” he says softly. I can’t handle him like this. I can’t deal with the way he’s softly speaking to me and the gentleness and understanding in his eyes. I especially can’t deal with the way he takes my face in his hands, stoking my cheeks with his thumbs. “I hurt you. I scarred you at the age of sixteen. All this is my fault.”

“All of what?” I ask snappily.

“All of your pain, December. You drink like you’re trying to forget something. I traumatized you.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You didn’t traumatize me.”

His thumb traces my bottom lip, his eyes staring deeply into mine. “I did. You know I did. I’m sorry. I’m a fucking broken record with saying how sorry I am, but it’s the truth. I take on the blame of why you have the mentality of a teenager. It’s my fault.”

My brows knit together, fury taking over my features. I push frantically against his chest. “Fuck you. ‘I have the mentality of a teenager’? You don’t have the right, Danny. You don’t know a goddamn thing when it comes to me.”

He holds me in his arms, placing his lips at my ear. “If I’m wrong, December, then why are you upset?”

“Why did you leave me?” I shout, looking at him and trying my best to keep the fragments altogether.

His thick brows furrow as he stares at me. “I did it for you.”

“Right,” I scuff in a snarky tone. I’m too angry to cry and wounded enough to fight. My words are my greatest weapon when it comes to Danny. “Okay, baby, you did it for me,” I say, relaxing my body and giving in. I will my body to as turn soft as butter in his grasp. “Thank you. Thank you for leaving for four years. Thank you for not sending a letter to let me know you were alive. And thank so fucking much for not even saying goodbye. Thank you, Danny.”

His hands gingerly slides down my arms and he circles my wrists with his long fingers. “I did it for you, December. I didn’t want any distractions. I needed to work and finish out my contract. That was the only thing I focused on. After everything was done and over with, I wanted to come back to you, come back home.”

I try to jerk away to no avail. He holds my wrists securely in his grip, pulling me back to him. He looks into my eyes and gives me a sadden laugh. “I couldn’t say goodbye to you, December. Do you not understand what that would mean? I couldn’t go through four years knowing that the last look on your face was a look I put there. I couldn’t tell you because that would have haunted me. Telling you I was leaving would have killed me and I couldn’t do it. I’d rather picture you the way I left you. Remember? I took you here and we rode the horses all night. You were happy and laughing. You had your eyes closed and your hair was blowing in the wind like it was tonight. You were happy, December. I couldn’t take that away from you for anything in the world. So yes, I did it for you. I did it all for you.”

“I hate you, Danny,” I punctuate each word through clenched teeth. My nose is stinging and there’s a distinct ache in my voice.

This man will not see me crack.

This man will not see me break.

“You don’t,” he whispers, lowering his eyelids to my mouth. “You love me, and knowing that is enough for now.” He releases my wrists, moving a palm up my back. It settles at the hair at my nape and his hand twists in it. He pulls it until I moan. Then his warm supple lips cover mine. He takes advantage of my open mouth and thrusts his tongue between my lips, his fingers still twisting in my hair while his free hand is wrapped around my waist. This time when I melt like butter in his arms it’s for real.

“I really don’t like you right now,” I mumble between scorching kisses.

He walks me backwards, cornering me against the sheet of freezing glass. “I don’t like you right now, either. Do you think I like that Josh had his mouth on you? Do you think I enjoy that he knows how good you smell, how wet you can get, and how undeniably sexy you look when you come?” He kisses me hard and takes my bottom lip between his teeth. He stretches it until my breath catches. Danny gives me a dark look before he nips me hard enough to draw blood. “I don’t fucking like it. He shouldn’t have touched you. Ever.”

I gasp and shiver, a sensational warmth fluttering low in my belly at the sharp flicker of pain pulsing through my lip. The bite of pain shoots directly between my legs like an explosion of pleasure. I taste copper on my tongue. The fucker broke skin. Danny sucks my injured lip into his mouth and nurses it with several swipes of his tongue.

He presses his body into mine, rubbing the hard contours of himself against me.

“Danny.” My voice is breathy and aroused.

He shoves a hand down the front of my jeans before I can catch my breath. His palm slides inside the waistband of my panties and begins to vigorously stroke me. I toss my head back, blindsided by the pleasurable sensations. My breath hitches, my shaky legs clamping together.

“Don’t come,” he growls into my ear.

“Please.”

“No,” he murmurs, bending his head to lick up the column of my throat.

A fierce fire blooms in the pit of my stomach and surges through my veins, warming me from the inside out. I break out into a severe sweat and shamelessly grind down on his hand. He shoves his middle finger into me and I groan out in frustration. His fingers are dexterous between my trembling thighs. Danny takes me to brink and pulls me back until I’m shuddering and whispering insane promises.

His hand in my hair tugs as he pulls my face back to look me in my eyes. “I’m still pissed at you. I’m angry that you lied to me. I’m upset that you want me to be the man that’s always taking from you.”

“You don’t know—” I lose my breath when his finger begins to rub a tender spot inside of me that causes my back to spasm.

“Shut up. I do know what I’m talking about. Watch me prove it. Kiss me.”

I yank back, going nowhere due to his hand tangled in my hair.

“See?” he says, removing his hand from my hair to hold my jaw. Danny squishes my cheeks with his hand until my lips are forced to pucker. He leans down to softly press his lips to mine. His dark magnetic eyes intently stare into my mine. “You want me to be the man that constantly takes from you. That’s how you see me. I took your virginity and now I’m taking your kisses. You’ll suck my cock, but you won’t kiss me. You’ll eat takeout with me in private, but you won’t be seen in public with me. You’ll hold Josh’s hand at your surprise party without giving me the merest of glances, but alone in the shadows, you beg me to let you come when you’re riding my fingers. There’s a correlation here. Do you see it?”

Clenching my jaw, I shoot hot daggers at him because he’s right. He knows me too well. I can’t breathe. I can’t lower my eyes. I can’t do anything expect quiver with molten anger.

“Well, look at her shine,” he whispers in a mocking tone, the pad of his thumb grazing the abraded flesh of my bottom lip. “I’m going to embrace your coldness and love your callousness because there isn’t one part of you that I don’t want, December.”

“So where do we go from here?” I pant as his fingers cleverly move between my legs.

“Anywhere as long as I’m with you,” he says. His breath is hot in my ear, sending goose bumps racing across my skin.

He sharply twists his finger deep within me and I convulse and shiver, coming hard on his hand. His mouth seals over mine, collecting my moans. My fingers are tangled in his silky hair, pulling him closer.

We bite. We lick. We devour. The kissing slows, then his lips rest on mine motionless. I open my eyes to his dark brown irises. He’s watching me a little too closely. I feel like I’m translucent and he can see right through me. I feel exposed and vulnerable.

“What?”

He gives me a lazy smile that just about stops my heart. “You’re a problem, bad little kitty.”

I bat my lashes at him, touching his beauty mole on his chin. “What do you mean?”

“You can play with me all you want. I love watching you create a game out of all this. It still isn’t going to change the outcome. But Josh may feel different. It isn’t nice that you play with his head. You’re game may be cruelty to him. This might not be amusing to him. He cares about you and he’s…sensitive.”

“He loves me,” I clarify almost smugly. “And I’m not playing with his head. What do you take me as? Some kind of sadist? I’ve told him that we should keep things where they are. I’ve told him that we are friends. But you don’t understand Josh. He loves a challenge. He likes that I deny him. I think it he takes it as an incentive to try harder. I love him. He’s been there for me when you weren’t. You shouldn’t comment on things you know nothing about.”

“Maybe you should get your priorities straight because you’re here with me,”—he licks and sucks at my neck and I hate myself because I allow it—“when he’s out there. He’s eating cake in the cold while you just came hot and heavy on my hand. How do you think that’ll make him feel? You’re not very considerate.”