Out of Mind (Out of Line #3)(36)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

“Who says I haven’t been happy?” I called out to Riley. “I’m good. Excellent. Wonderful.”

And a horrible liar.

He pulled me in his arms and moved to the music without hesitation. Turned out, he was a pretty amazing dancer. Was there anything this guy wasn’t good at? His hips swung to the music, mimicking sex, almost, and it was hot. Damn, the boy moved like Bruno Mars. The urge to fan my cheeks hit me strongly. “Since when do you dance like that?”

“Since forever. You just didn’t notice before because you weren’t looking.” I stared at him in surprise, and he grabbed me and pulled me closer. “You going to dance, or stand there moping about Finn?”

I gave him my back, moving my body to the music. He brushed up against me, all hard muscle and hot skin. “Stop talking about him,” I called over my shoulder. The tempo picked up, and we matched it effortlessly. Grinning, I moved closer, feeling so freaking alive. “He’s not here, but you are.”

“About time you noticed.”

I looked back at him, ready to make some sarcastic remark, but he was watching me with a weird look in his eye. As soon as he saw me looking, though, it faded away and he grinned. I swallowed hard, realizing he’d been looking at me as if he wanted me. How often had he done that, and I missed it? Was I really that blind?

The song ended, and a slow one took its place. We both stood there awkwardly, staring at each other. I might be able to break it down with him, sexy style, but I couldn’t be that close to him. I fanned my face with my hand. “I’m going to head outside for some fresh air. Want to get some more drinks and meet me out there?”

He nodded. “Don’t wander off far.”

“I won’t. Besides, Hernandez is out there.” I shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

I walked away without waiting for an answer, needing to get away from him and all the possibilities that look he’d given me represented. It made me nervous and anxious at the same time. My stomach fisted into a knot, making me wonder if I was about to puke up all the wine I’d just drank. That would be a fitting end to this night, wouldn’t it?

I stumbled out into the cool night, taking a big gulp of air. I could still hear the music, so I moved away from the doorway, wanting some peace and quiet. Someone stepped out of the shadows and I jumped, my hand to my chest. For a second, a split second, I thought it was going to be Finn.

It’s how we met, after all. Outside a party.

But I was wrong. It was Cory. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. I needed some fresh air.” I dropped my hand back to my side. “You scared me.”

He laughed. “Sorry. Where’s Riley?”

“Getting us some more drinks.” I wrapped my arms around myself, eyeing him. I could tell with only one glance that he was drunk. Last time he’d gotten drunk at a party with me, it hadn’t been pretty. “He’ll be out any second.”

“I’ll only take a second.” He walked right up to me, his jaw hard. “You’re single again, and you’re with a guy who looks like me. He’s basically me, but not. Is he a senator’s kid, too?”

I laughed, unable to stop myself. I’d been caught off guard by the cocky statement. “Um, I’m not with him. And he doesn’t look like you at all.”

“Yeah, he does. He comes from money, like us.” He stumbled a little bit. “Answer my question, Carrie.”

I backed up a step, stalling for time. Riley would come out soon, I was sure. “Which one?”

“Is he a senator’s kid, too?”

I blinked. Why did he care? “Uh, yeah. He is.”

“Of course.” He smirked. “You had enough of playing on the wrong side of the tracks, huh? I don’t blame you. Finn was a huge mistake.”

I frowned at him and backed up. “Someone should really lock up the alcohol so you can’t get a hold of it. When you drink, you don’t play nice.”

“I’m not drunk.” He stumbled again, totally ruining the denial. “I’m just telling the truth. Finn was horrible for you. Stay on this side of the tracks,” he slurred.

“Finn wasn’t from the wrong side of the tracks. He was a good guy.” I curled my hands into fists, taking another step back from him. He was pissing me off now, talking badly about Finn. He had no right. No right at all. It was deja vu. “Better than you’ve ever been.”

Cory laughed and followed me, backing me up to the beach. “Doubtful. He’s gutter trash.”

My heart sped up, and I finally saw what Riley and Finn saw. For the first time ever, Cory creeped me out. “You’re scaring me. Stop following me like that.”

“Why? Because your big bad ex isn’t here to beat me up? You don’t have him here guarding you anymore. I could kidnap you now,” he whispered, grinning evilly. “You’re used to that, I bet. Being stolen away by ruffians. I bet you like it, too. You like it rough, don’t you?”

“God. You’re such an idiot,” I snapped. “Leave me alone.”

He grabbed my hand and jerked me closer. His breath reeked of cheap beer and even cheaper vodka. “You know, you should be nicer to me. I know things about you that no one else knows. And I’ve kept all your secrets…for now.”

I tried to pull free, but he tightened his grip. “Let go of me.”

“Fine.” He released me and ran his hands down his face. “You treat me like I’m the enemy.”

“You were mean to Finn,” I said, rubbing my wrist. “And you’re being mean right now, too.” Where the hell was Hernandez, anyway? Shouldn’t he have come out, even though I’d warned him only to show himself if it was life or death?

I scanned the shadows. Nothing.

“Well, he’s not here anymore, is he?” He shrugged. “So why hold it against me? I was obviously right about him, or you’d still be with him.”

“Just because he’s gone doesn’t make it okay to talk crap about him,” I said, frowning at him. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

He stepped closer and ran a finger over my jaw. “I never got what you saw in him, no. You should be with someone like me.”

Over my dead body. “Stop it.”

“You deserve so much better. Someone like me.”

He lowered his face and kissed me before I could even remotely guess what he was going to do. His tongue probed my lips, making me gag. I gasped and shoved him back, swiping my hand over my mouth while trembling. “Don’t do that again. We’re not together, and we will never be together.”