From Lies to Promises (2 page)

  “I’ll ha
ve another beer, and it looks like Katrina needs another shot of tequila!” Skeigh exclaimed. I open my mouth to say that I would just wait till we got to the party when Jake looks back over at me. It’s like he is devouring me with his eyes, and has no shame at all that everyone else is watching. He walks to the bar without saying anything else or even asking Lexi if she wanted anything. Dave sits down next to Skeigh, which thank whatever was looking over me, left me against the wall. Then Lexi scoots over a seat so that Cole could sit in front of me, which leaves Rhett to her other side and Jake on the end. Far away from me! There was something off about him, so the further he stays away from me the better! 

 
I look across the table at Cole and he is laughing at something on his phone. He glances up and catches me watching him, “Do you like Star Wars?”  I am a little thrown off for minute, then he shows me what was making him laugh. It’s one of those e-cards people are always posting and sending each other that says ‘Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi!’ I burst out laughing and say, “You know, that is so true!” Was the joke corny? YES. But that’s what was so great about it.

  Just then Jake has returns
with everyone’s drinks. He reaches from behind me to place my shot on the table and leans down to my ear and ask, “What are you two laughing about?” He turns and starts handing out the other drinks. “Can’t be that great if it involved Cole.” 

  “Actually it was hilarious.” I smile widely at Cole and say, “I love Star Wars, and every now and then I put a day away to have a marathon.”

  “She does, drives us crazy! She is a total nerd.” Skeigh says and I shoot her a look and drink my other shot before I snap out of my somewhat good mood.

  Lex
i is giving me that knowing expression that means ‘It’s Skeigh we love her anyways’. I nod then head to get me a margarita. If I keep shooting tequila like it’s going out of style, I will never make it to this party. The party is almost an hour away, in a town so small that if you blink when you drive through it, you’d miss it! 

 
When I sit back down at the table I look around, it seems that Skeigh and Lexi are making quick friends.  Skeigh is turned in her seat facing Dave, giggling and biting her lip. A tale tale sign that she is really into him. Rhett has his arm draped over the back of Lexi’s chair, she is asking him about himself, and he her.  I grab my drink, lick the salt off the rim, take a sip through the straw and sit it back down when I hear Jake speak. “So, Katrina, other than your nerd like activities what else are you into?”

  “Don’t call me that.” I state
bluntly.

  “Why
, that’s your name isn’t it?”

  “It is but she doesn’t let anyone but
us
call her that. It’s kinda like her pet peeve. It’s right up there with the word liar.” Lexi speaks up so I don’t have to.

  “I’m sorry, can’t blame me for something I didn’t know no
w can ya sweetheart?” Jake turned back to me with a devilish grin on his face that promised nothing. I hated that he called me sweetheart almost as much as my name coming out of his mouth.  It wasn’t just him though, I hated any man to say my full name. It was a reminder of the dark I ran from three years ago, and still have buried in me.

  “Happy birthday Kat!” Before I know what is happening
I have arms around my waist picking me up out of the chair for a hug. I look over my shoulder to see TJ’s smiling face. He sits me down on my feet and reaches for a tray that one of his waitresses is holding and grabs two shots of top shelf tequila off it.  “Here is to your night. May it be a safe, but a fucking awesome night!” He hands me one of the shots with a lime wedge and we shoot them back and slam the shot glasses on the table.

  “Thanks, I am kind of hoping this is one of those nig
hts I won’t want to talk about in the morning.” I tell him with a huge grin on my face. TJ is a ruggedly handsome guy. You know the type, old jeans and work boots with a five o’clock shadow that is always there, even if he just shaved. Yeah. I have secretly been wishing to get him in my bed forever, but he dodges all my efforts. Probably for the best, Lexi might not be too happy with me and her brother sleeping together.  I’m not going to lie, I haven’t had a whole lot of sex. Not that I don’t get horny, or I haven’t wanted to. It just seems pointless. I have never reached the fireworks and toe curls everyone talks about. Not that it was awful, sex does feel good, but when it is over there is still nothing but emptiness. 

  “Well let’s hope that you aren’t so far gone that I have to come help the girls get your ass out of the car and get you inside,
again.
” He says. Ok, so he may have done that once or twice, but hey I didn’t call him.

  “We’ll see.” I say smiling.

  I sit back down as TJ goes and tends to the bar. Everyone is still wrapped up into their conversations, except for Cole and Jake. Cole is still playing on his phone and Jake is looking at me again, but this time his expression is anything but happy. I grab my phone and text Lexi and Skeigh about heading out now before it is too late. What? I didn’t want to look like a complete bitch.  Their phones ding but only Lexi looks at hers, she reads it and puts it back in her pocket while nodding at me.

  “Well, boys, it’s been grand but we have plans for the rest of the night, so we got to get going.” She looks over at Skeigh who moans.

  “Hey, you guys want to go? It’s this big party some guy throws in Benton every year. It is supposed to be awesome.” Skeigh looks at Dave with hopeful eyes.

  Dave smil
es, “Actually it’s in Old Fort, close but very different.”

  “
So I take it you know about it?” Skeigh ask.

  “Sugar
, I don’t only know about it I know the guy that throws it. We were planning on heading there ourselves.” Dave winks after he gets up and grabs her hand to help her up.

  “Well then, let’s get going!”

              It’s a little after ten when we pull in the field and park.  The party is already in full swing and the fire is roaring and lighting up everything. There is a truck backed up with the windows rolled down playing music. We get out and walk to the front of the car and wait for the guys. Dave walks up and grabs Skeigh’s hand while Lexi walks up next to Rhett. I start to head over and talk to Cole when Jake throws his arm around my neck and tugs me into him.

  “I don’t remember giving you permission to touch me.” I say while I throw his arm down.

  “You may not have yet but before the night is done you will be begging me to touch you.” He states flatly before he heads to catch up with everyone else.

  “I high
ly doubt that.” I grumble to myself.

  “Ah, hell that’s just Jake. He isn’t used to gorgeous girls turning him down.”
I turn to see who said that and my eyes collide with the most beautifully stunning green eyes I’ve ever seen.  I am too stunned to speak, this man is hot. As I gaze down at his body I come to the conclusion that he must work out daily to look so damn good. I mean the black tee he has on does nothing to hide how ripped his stomach is. And one of his arms is covered in tattoos that must travel up to his shoulder because some of it is sticking out of the top of his shirt too. I find my way back to his face to realize that he is much closer than he was a minute ago and his dark brown hair has fallen into his eyes. I take a step back in order fight the urge of running my hands up his neck and through his dark hair.

 
He extended his hand, “My name is Ryder and you are?” It takes some coaxing from my brain to place my hand in his, and when I do I notice that they are a little rough. Goosebumps shoot up my arm.

  “I
’m Katrina,”
Shit,
“I...I, uh meant Kat.”

  He takes a step closer
still holding my hand firmly in his. “Well Katrina, or Kat, it’s nice to meet you. Did you come here alone?”

  “No, I came here with my friends. They’re around here somewhere.”
I say as I reluctantly take my hand from his. He is still standing close, and looking at me intently.

  “Well let me help you find them.” He stands beside me and places his hand on my lower back gesturing for me to walk with him.
We walk in comfortable silence as we approach the blazing fire and walk around it. I’m getting a little hot, but it’s not from the fire, I am smoldering by his light touch on my back. I look to my right when I hear Lexi’s laugh, she is standing with Skeigh and the guys we met at TJ’s. I head over to them when Dave glances up.

  “There you are little brother. We’ve been looking for you since we got here. I see you found Kat.” He pats
Ryder on the shoulder. “Girls, this is the man that I was telling you about. The one who throws this shin dig every year.”

  “Actually I don’t throw this. Me, you and our friends came out here every summer, built a regular fire and drank till we passed out in the beds of our trucks. The next thing I knew more and more people came. I wouldn’t know why that would be, would you, Dave?”

  “You didn’t mention that he was your brother.” Skeigh jumps in before Dave could come up with something to say back to his brother.

 
“Ah, I didn’t figure that part mattered.” Dave replied. He looked at his brother, “Today is Kat here’s birthday, and her friends heard about your party through the grapevine, so they brought her out to have a good time.”

  “Yes, and we are going to do just that!” Lexi grabs me and Skeigh, and hauls away. “We are going to go find some drinks, and then ‘To dance’.” She explains throwing her hands in the air and shaking her hips. I sneak a chance peak over my shoulder where we left the guys, to find those green eyes watching as we walk away.

  After we get our drinks we decide to look around. I notice all the different things going on. They have a table set up for beer pong, in which a game is being played with two guys against two girls. The guys are complaining about losing due to distractions, which really doesn’t seem to be bothering them too bad, seeing as how the girls are showing off their goodies to do the distracting. There is also an area set up for corn hole and horse shoes.

  I finish my cup the same time as Skeigh and Lexi. “Come on.” We put our cups on a nearby picnic table and walk over to where some other people are dancing. I’m feeling real good at this point with the amount of alcohol that
is pumping through my veins. We dance through three songs before I start to get too hot and sticky from the humidity.

  “I’m going to get
another drink and cool off. I’ll find y’all in a bit.” I say before walking away. I grab another cup of whatever concoction they have in a cooler and go sit on an empty picnic table. I sit watching my friends dance and laugh. On the other side of the fire there is a girl in the back of one of the trucks dancing. She is looking at a guy with those come hither eyes and telling him to come over with her index finger. I laugh because she is having a rough time trying to keep her balance.

  “What’s so amusing?” I jump and turn to realize that Ryder has taken up the spot on top of the picnic table beside me. I bend my neck back to look up at him when he asks, “What are you doing over here alone. I thought you were being shown some fun?”

  “Well I was dancing, but it’s too hot out here next to that fire. So I came over here to cool off for a minute.” I drop my head and look back at the fire, nervously picking at the hem on my dress.

  “With you he
re by yourself I am surprised that Jake hasn’t ambled on over. He’s been watching you since you and your friends went to get a drink.” When I look up at him, he smiles, but it looks forced.

  “He will find someone else to take his mind off me. I’m sure that there are fifty or so girls here that would love for him to get grabby hands with them.”  I’m still looking at him when he leans in
real close and his smell hits me. That smell, raw man and spice, ha my already shaken senses going into overload.

  “Yea, but
there is no one else here is as beautiful as you are.” He states with a smile. I thought this man couldn’t get any more damn sexy, but that smile has me squeezing my thighs together like a vice grip. I am still trying to comprehend if I heard him right, when the girls walk up. “I’m going to make sure Dave is staying out of trouble, maybe I’ll catch up with you again before the night is over.” He walks backwards for a minute then turns and disappears in the crowd.

  “Here, I figured you was getting thirsty again.” Skeigh said as she handed me a plastic shot glass. We a
ll three take ours at the same time, then place them on the table top. “So I was going to ask you if you were having fun, birthday girl, but from the looks of it I’d say I don’t need to ask.”

  I try my best
to keep my voice indifferent, “What? We were just talking. It’s not like he was about ready to jump my bones right here.”

  “
Girl, that man was ravaging you with his eyes like you were his last fucking meal. He wasn’t far from throwing you over his shoulder and taking you to a cave in the woods somewhere.” Lexi says. She looks down at me and smiles like she has a secret. “Did you really not see that?”