Don’t get Tate pregnant. Yeah, thanks. I got it!
Her eyes peered up at mine, threatening. “You’ve been over there almost every night—well, every night, actually—and if you make me a thirty-six year old grandmother, I’m going to kill you.”
She was joking.
I think.
Anyway, my mother had nothing to worry about. Tate and I were careful, and she’d been keeping me off of her all week anyway. She didn’t want to get distracted from classes, and I hadn’t been pushing it.
Tonight, though? Yeah, she was in for it.
Letting out a sigh, I gave my mother a quick peck on the cheek and slid out the front door.
Tate was standing on her front porch, looking gorgeous as hell, talking to Madoc like they were friends.
I shook my head, not believing the turn of events. She’d broken his nose, kicked him in the junk, and traded words more than once with him.
But she was like her dad. Solve the problem and move on.
And Madoc was more than ready to move on. He had been excited for the dance, and was dressed to impress. We looked almost exactly the same, but whereas I wore all black, he changed his suit up with a purple tie.
Tate still looked the same—beautiful and glowing—but a little more dangerous. I half-expected to get in a fight over someone flirting with her tonight. She was wearing a tight, nude-colored, strapless dress that fell mid-thigh. I could see so much of her skin that it was pretty clear what she looked like naked.
Walking up to Tate, I kissed the soft spot under her ear. “Sorry that took so long. My mom was giving me a talk.”
“About?” she pressed, as Madoc came over and took her other arm.
“About not getting you pregnant,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth but kept my eyes forward.
Even though I wasn’t looking at her, though, I could see her stiffen, and I heard her clear her throat.
And I shouldn’t have told her that.
I really needed to put a halt to my honesty streak, but there was still something I needed to tell her, and I’d been on too much of a high the last week to face it.
Later, I told myself.
“Are we ready?” Madoc asked from her other side.
Her clutch on my arm relaxed, and I felt her exhale a breath.
“Totally,” she nodded at Madoc. “This is the start of a great friendship.”
“It could be the start of a great porno, too,” Madoc shot back, and I clenched my fists.
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled, half-annoyed and half-joking. “You’re going to get it tonight,” I warned, but they both just laughed.
Chapter 34
The Homecoming dance was exactly what I thought it would be. Pictures, punch, and poor-ass music. The gym had been decorated in a New York theme, which Tate loved, and I was extremely fucking delighted that Madoc had joined us, after all.
He filled in where I failed.
Dancing in public? Check.
Cutsie pictures with loving poses? Check.
Polite, futile, nonsensical chatter? Check.
I played along, but situations like this were like eating a mouthful of lemons. Madoc made it more fun for Tate at least.
And her?
She read me like a book.
She was light on the public displays of affection and heavy on the eye fucking.
I couldn’t wait to get her home.
But we had another appearance to put in first.
“Are you sure you want to go?” I asked her as we walked hand-in-hand up the Beckman’s driveway.
Tori and Bryan Beckman, twins and our classmates, were having an after party, and Madoc insisted that we get our thumbs out of our asses and get crazy.
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Not tired at all.”
I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. I wasn’t worried about her being tired, but I didn’t want to bring up last year’s incident, either. That’s what I was really worried about.
A year ago, before Tate had left for France, I’d let Madoc dump her car keys in the pool here and watched as she dived in to fish them out.
She’d been humiliated, and I figured this was the last place she’d want to be.
In fact, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be here myself.
Not only did I have our own after-party planned, but the longer I waited to come clean about the rest of the story, the more it was the only thing I thought about. I’d been sitting on it all week, and it was time to bite the fucking bullet.
I needed to tell her about Jax.
Walking through the ceramic-tiled foyer, we followed Madoc down the carpeted stairs into the huge dipped living room.
The big room already bustled with at least sixty or seventy of our classmates, and the music pounded so hard, I could feel it through my shoes.
My arm stretched behind me, and I looked back, noticing that Tate had come to a complete halt.
I let out a sigh. Shit.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, and she swallowed, clearly nervous. Like a deer in headlights.
My stomach tightened, and I just wanted to take her out of there now. This was a bad idea.
“Tate, are you okay?” I kept my voice soft, but I was afraid she’d haul off and break my nose this time instead of Madoc’s like she did here a year ago.
She narrowed her eyes as she looked around, and then she just shook her head. “Yeah, I need a drink.”
I didn’t believe her, but the corners of my mouth turned up anyway.
Tough girl.
We squeezed through a throng of people coming out of the kitchen as Adrenalize by In This Moment blasted throughout the house. Madoc was already making drinks, and I watched as Tate took the one he offered.
I was the designated driver tonight—well, pretty much any night, since I barely drank in public—and I definitely didn’t plan on staying here long anyway. I just stood there, trying not to laugh as she choked down the dark liquid.
Madoc grinned from ear to ear as she tipped her chin up, swallowed the last of her drink and then threw the cup into the sink.
She coughed into her hand, and all I could do was hold her waist, letting her get comfortable.
She should have fun. I didn’t want her nervous or scared that a prank was going to go down.
And that’s why she was drinking, so I just let it be.
“Aw, she’s as red as a tomato,” Madoc joked.
“Piss off,” Tate scowled at him, but he just winked at her.
K.C. and Liam sauntered in, looking like yin and yang. She was bright-eyed and smiling, while he looked constipated with his bored expression and pursed lips.
“Hey, guys,” she greeted, pulling Liam behind her.
He pushed the hair out of his eyes and nodded at Madoc and me but said nothing.
I knew it was me making him uncomfortable, and I had to force a straight face.
He probably still thought I’d gotten in his girlfriend’s pants, and I couldn’t help being impressed with K.C. for not telling him the truth. She was playing with him, making him suffer, no doubt. And why shouldn’t she?
She and Tate still weren’t back to square one, but they’d get there, and Liam could go fuck himself.
Madoc finished off his drink and immediately started making two more until I shook my head at him. Tate didn’t notice it as she talked with K.C., but Madoc got my warning.
I needed her awake for a while.
Leaning in, I whispered in her ear. “Come with me.”
I didn’t wait for her to even look at me before I grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. We squeezed through the crowd of partygoers, all in little clusters, and tried not to get slammed with drinks in the process.
Once we made it to the stairs, I hurriedly led Tate to the second floor. I had no plans to make use of the rooms here with her, but people saw us go up and would draw their own conclusions when we came back down.