“Thanks for the flowers,” she said as she took them and slapped them against Vicky’s chest.
She didn’t bother to notice the grumble in her best friend’s voice. Instead, she grabbed Frank’s hand and led him to the other side of the pool where many of her friends danced in front of the band.
Frank’s arms draped around her waist, and they began swaying nice and slow. The first slow song of the night allowed Peyton to fall right into Frank’s body as his hands rubbed over her lower back.
She’d lost the casual wear as soon as she realized she had party guests waiting and now she wore a fitted short skirt and sleeveless turtleneck, the fall air still humid enough to allow for it. The cotton material cropped at her waistline and she felt Frank’s hands on her bare skin within seconds.
“You’re daring, tonight.”
She smiled before she snuggled into his arms.
“You’re not their kid sister and they did invite me,” he whispered into her ear before nipping at her earlobe.
“Oh God, you can’t do that here.” She shuddered and closed her eyes. Right then and there, she imagined Kane touching her, swaying across the patio with her in his arms.
“Then, I’ll do this.” He lifted her chin and kissed her.
And she kissed him back. Poor Frank would never know how much she used him, but in the moment, she had opportunity. Since her classmate gave her the chance, she wanted to take it. Leap at it. Seize it.
Her hands cupped his face, and she kissed him like a woman kisses a man. She wanted to be sure the Cartwells watched and understood one thing if nothing else. She didn’t smooch a boy like a teenage girl. She kissed like a woman.
It wasn’t a sweet innocent kiss, the kind of dead-end kiss leading nowhere. Instead, she clutched him closer and pretended her lips meshed against Kane’s daring mouth. Once the act started, the hunger pulsed through her veins, and it proved easy enough to make believers out of the onlookers.
A few of the kids behind her clapped and several of the boys congratulated Frank for landing a babe like her. Another one or two whistled.
“Wow! Get a hot kiss, Frankie boy!” One of the other jocks drew more attention with crude remarks and comments about his hands. She imagined her private Peyton-posse hurried around the pool with well meaning intentions.
Frank’s wrists crossed behind her, and his hands cupped her bottom. Even if it promised a quick ending, and she knew time ticked away now, she decided to ride this thing out.
She pressed closer until she felt the ridge of Frank’s cock pressing against her skirt. She kissed him deeper. She closed her eyes and counted the seconds, felt their eyes on her body, her mouth, her ass. Oh yeah, they were cringing, debating on when and how to stop it.
“All right love birds, enough.” Braden broke them up with a firm hand on Frank’s shoulders. “I thought Evan here taught you a lesson last time you stopped in. We don’t want you pawing all over Peyton. You might give her a bad reputation, and we wouldn’t want something to happen between the two of you, if you know what I mean.”
Evan glanced down at Frank’s pockets, and Peyton laughed. Frank had told her about the rubber incident after the fact. They found condoms on him, and Evan wanted to kick his ass. Now, it looked like Kane and Braden wanted to clobber him too.
“We’re just dancing,” she purred as she watched Evan motion for the lead singer of the band. “What’s he doing?
Kane smirked. “He’s telling him he’s fired if he plays another slow song tonight.”
Peyton’s lips formed a tight line. She refused to pout but by golly she could set her jaw and cross her arms. “Frank, can you give us a second?”
“Sure.”
He walked away without a second glance. Who could blame him?
“Why are you doing this?” She glared at all three of them. “You throw a party for me and then you don’t want anyone to dance with me. You’re making me look like a nun.”
“Darlin’, I hardly think the skirt you have on tonight is something anyone would expect to find in a convent.”
“Shut up, Evan,” she said before she returned her focus to Braden. “Please let me have fun at my own party.” Her plea was deliberately intended for Braden, and no one else.
“We want you to have a good time,” he told her.
“But not with him,” Kane interjected as he pointed at Frank.
“Why not?”
Evan snickered, “For starters he wants to fuck you.”
“Language,” Braden reminded. “We just want to keep you safe, and Peyton, boys like him aren’t going to care if they leave a gal knocked up and pregnant before they go away to college.”
Her mouth dropped, and then she closed it. She lowered her voice. “Must we discuss the pretty little birds and dripping horny bees right now?”
Kane laughed. “I like the sound of dripping horny bees,” he almost growled. “And I bet that honey is oh so sweet.”
Braden glared at him. “Drink much?”
Peyton studied Kane. Sure enough, his eyes looked glassy.
“Come on, let’s get a beer and sit out on the upper deck. We’ll see everything better from up there anyway.” Braden encouraged the other two to leave her alone. If she understood Braden, and she did, he wanted to move Kane and Evan as far away from temptation as possible. He wouldn’t allow them to use alcohol for an excuse if their hands found some form of entertainment.
With a lopsided smile, Evan warned, “Tell Frank if he puts his paws on your ass again, I’ll kick his.”
“I’ll make sure I tell him.”
She moved between them then and deliberately pressed her chest against Kane as she made her way back through the crowd. She couldn’t wait to use Frank more. By the end of the night, three tough talking cowboys would know what it felt like to want a woman.
Chapter 5
Braden held her hair away from her neck as she hugged the porcelain princess. He shot Vicky a condescending stare. “You knew how sick she is, and you waited until four in the morning to wake me up?”
“She didn’t want you to get mad at her.”
“How much did you two drink?”
“I don’t know. She drank more than I did.”
“What did she drink?”
Peyton was sick again, and Braden turned his head away from her and bunched her hair tighter, making sure it didn’t fall into her face. Vicky stared in disbelief before she handed him another washcloth.
Evan came into the bathroom and shook his head. “They’ve cleaned us out.”
“Damn it! What did she drink?” Kane walked in behind Evan. The veins in his neck strained against the skin.
Vicky pointed at Kane. “I didn’t wake you for this very reason. Peyton told me you treasure your sleep and I knew if I woke up one of you, this whole house would come alive with fury.”
It did.
“What did they drink?” Braden demanded answers again.
“Pretty much everything from vodka to scotch from the looks of our bar,” Evan said.
Peyton moaned and then fell over to the side, curling into a ball at the base of the throne. Evan knelt beside of her. “Vicky, hand me some more washcloths.”
Kane stared from one brother to the next trying to shake off sleep. “Is she going to be all right?” Concern laced his voice. “I want to take her to the hospital.”
“No, we’re going to keep her awake and feed her. Go fix her something to eat.”
“Food?” She sat up and looked at them blankly before dipping her head once more. She flushed and then fell over again, this time in Evan’s lap.
“Yuk,” he commented.
“At least she’s talking.” Vicky slurred her words. “She couldn’t say very much earlier.”
Braden didn’t want to hear one more word from Vicky now, and he made it crystal clear. He raised his voice. “You mean to tell me she was sick and unable to speak and you refused to wake us up?”
Braden never raised his voice, especially to Peyton but he liked Vicky too and rarely shot her a cross word. Often, Peyton and Vicky deserved a few of them. Right now qualified.