Out of Line (Out of Line #1)(52)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

He stumbled across the room, looking way too close to passing out, and I followed him. As soon as we stepped out into the night air, I took a deep breath. All of the colognes and booze had mixed into an unpleasant odor inside, and the fresh ocean breeze was a welcome change. I looked out toward the ocean and wrapped my arms around myself, reminded of another night just like this one.

The night I met Finn…

God, I missed him.

I gritted my teeth and turned to Cory, forcing a smile. I wasn’t going to think about Finn anymore tonight. I refused. “It’s been fun tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you came.”

He wrapped his arms around me. It felt nice to be held by him. Secure, even. But I didn’t itch to jump his bones. Didn’t want to climb into his bed and lick him from head to toe. Maybe I was doing something wrong. Or maybe there was something wrong with me. Either way, I was done for the night. I wanted to go home.

I looked up at him, intending to tell him goodbye. I opened my mouth…and he was on me. His lips met mine, and it felt…nice. There might have been the slightest stirrings of desire, but it was so quiet a tiny breeze would have put out the fires. Cory groaned and crushed me against his chest, his tongue sliding in between my lips. I tried to feel something…anything…but it didn’t work. There was nothing there, just like the other time he’d kissed me. Yeah, I was broken.

Why was it that only Finn could make me want him?

Just as I was about to pull back and make my excuses to go home, something crashed behind us. Cory jerked back from me and looked around. I, of course, knew who was out there. How could I have forgotten about Finn following me, for even a second? He’d seen us and probably thought I was moving on. I wasn’t.

Probably never would be.

“Who’s out there?” Cory asked, stalking toward the noise. “Show yourself.”

I grabbed Cory’s elbow, trying to bring him back. I didn’t want them to see each other. “Don’t worry about it. It was no one.”

“Someone’s watching you,” Cory said, his jaw squared. “And I bet I know who it is.”

“No!” I cried, trying to pull him back toward me. “There’s no one out there. Let’s go.”

“I can see him.” Cory pointed at where he supposedly saw Finn. “Come out here, surfer boy.”

Finn stepped out of the shadows, his eyes hard and mouth pressed tight. His gaze skimmed over me, then slid back to Cory. “Don’t call me that, Cody.”

“I knew it was you. Why are you following her around?” He pushed Finn’s shoulders and Finn stumbled backward. “Are you some kind of sicko who can’t take no for an answer?”

Finn curled his hands into fists and stepped forward, his eyes narrow slits. “Push me again, and I’ll be the sicko who breaks your f**king face.”

Cory pushed him. Finn snarled and hauled back his fist, ready to do some damage. Cory, the fool, didn’t even back off. He was either too drunk to see the immediate danger he was in, or he seriously underestimated Finn’s strength. This wasn’t going to end well.

I couldn’t sit by and let Cory get hurt because I’d kissed him in front of Finn. Couldn’t let either of them get hurt. I threw myself in front of Cory, arms akimbo. “Finn, no! Don’t hurt him. I’m fine.”

Finn’s fist remained raised and something in his jaw ticked. “Get out of the way, Carrie.”

Cory shoved me aside roughly, and I fumbled to regain my balance. “Yeah, let the freak stalker take his punch. I’ll slam his white trash ass in jail so fast, he won’t have time to say lawyer up.”

“Stop being such a jerk, Cory. He’s not a stalker,” I said, tugging Cory back. My anonymity would have to come to an end. If I didn’t tell Cory who Finn really was, he’d never shut up about this. Never back off. “He’s my bod—”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Finn interjected. “And I can’t stop following her because I want her back.”

I blinked at him. “We don’t have to do this, Finn. Just tell him—”

“Good luck?” Finn slammed me with a look that clearly told me to play along. He didn’t want me telling Cory who I really was. Why not? “I can’t. I can’t let another man have you.”

Cory laughed. “Well, too late. She’s already mine.”

The hell I was. We would have a talk about Cory claiming me like that, but not now. Not in front of Finn. I shot a cautious look Finn’s way. He still looked like he was ready to kill Cory, but at least he’d lowered his fist. “Let’s go, Cory.”

“Not until he tells me that he’ll stop following you around all the time.” Cory pulled free of my hold and stumbled back into the reach of Finn. “Did she tell you she wants to be with me instead? Are you mad she’s mine instead of yours?”

Finn’s fingers flexed. “Keep talking. Give me a reason to take a swing.”

“It was only a matter of time until she came to her senses, you know.” Cory smirked. “You might be fun for a while, but that’s all you’ll ever be to her—a fling.”

I stiffened. I didn’t like this side of Cory. Not one little bit. “Cory, stop it. You’re being nasty. It’s gross.”

“Oh, excuse me. Should I bow at your feet?” Finn snorted. “Yeah. Keep dreaming, ass**le.”

“Go back to whatever trailer park you crawled out of, and leave us alone.”

“Cory. Stop it!” I snapped. Finn’s face revealed nothing, but I could feel how Cory’s words affected him as if we were attached to one another. As if when Finn hurt, so did I. “Stop being this way. I don’t like it.”

“You’d best listen to her.” Finn’s nostrils flared and he advanced on Cory. “I suggest you leave before I forget that Carrie asked me not to kick your pasty white ass, Cody.”

Cory took a swing at Finn, connecting with his eye. Finn could’ve avoided it easily, I’d seen him do so. But he let Cory hit him. Why? Finn rubbed the spot where Cory had hit him, but not before I saw the blood and the bruise already forming. And then he grinned. Grinned.

“Game on,” Finn said as he stalked toward Cory.

Cory paled, but stood his ground. He held up his fists. “Bring it.”

That’s it. I was leaving now, before I killed them both. Other girls might like being fought over, but I wasn’t one of them. “Finn, no.”