Crazy Stupid Obsession Part 4

Harlee I have knots in the pit of my stomach as we approach the long line that has formed outside of Deviants. Residing in the heart of Portland, the establishment is almost always hopping but tonight it's off the charts. There has to be at least a hundred people or more waiting to get inside.

I can't help but wonder how long these people will wait before finally giving up and going elsewhere. Considering it's New Year's Eve, I would think they wouldn't want to spend their opening moments of the new year standing outside in the freezing cold.

"Well, this just sucks," Trenton, Angel's date, chimes in from behind me. "We'll never get in."

"Relax." Angel nudges her shoulder against his. "We got connections." She winks before taking off toward the entrance, Trenton fast on her heels.

I watch as she saunters up to one of the bouncers, placing her hand on his shoulder as she leans in and speaks directly into his ear. A slow smile spreads across his round face and he nods. She's clearly telling him more than just our names. I can't help but shake my head on a laugh.

f.u.c.king Angel. That girl can make any man eat out of the palm of her hand. Especially tonight. She looks incredible. Not that she doesn't always, but tonight she really looks killer. The normal blue highlights that streak her shoulder length dark hair have been traded in for purple ones. The color accents the deep shade of her dress perfectly giving the almost black material a plum appearance.

I'm actually pretty surprised she brought Trenton with her. Usually on nights like tonight she likes to play the field. I know this means she must actually like this guy. I wish I could say that doesn't surprise me, but it kind of does. I mean, he's an attractive enough guy. Short dark hair, kind of bulky, eyes so dark they are almost black. Of course, his southern drawl doesn't hurt matters. I swear every time he calls her darlin' I melt a little. I'm just surprised when any man can hold my crazy best friend's attention longer than five minutes.

"Come on." I entwine my hand in Bryan's and drag him toward Angel and Trenton.

By the time we reach the two bouncers manning the door, Angel has already managed to get us inside. Of course, I knew that wouldn't be an issue. Kimber said she had us on the very short list of spots reserved for friends.

"Wow." Bryan sighs next to me the moment we step inside.

Per usual, the boys have gone all out. The gla.s.s top bar that extends the entire left side of the room is lined with bright green and purple lights giving it a glowing effect. A large ball made to look like the one in Times Square, only on a much smaller scale, hangs over the center of the dance floor, casting shadows of light across the large crowd of people gathered there.

I recognize the man standing on the stage almost instantly. Paxton, I think. I've only met him once, but I know he's a friend of Decklan and Gavin's. He strums his guitar effortlessly as he sings out over the crowd, his voice so seductive and raspy that within seconds goose b.u.mps erupt across my skin.

It should be illegal to be that attractive and that talented all at the same time. His brown hair is short and perfectly styled, his facial hair well-kept with just enough scruff to make him even s.e.xier than he would be otherwise. His clearly toned body is clad in dark jeans and a tight fitted V-neck white s.h.i.+rt that puts every one of his rippling ab muscles on full display. And while normally I would be melting on the spot watching this man perform, it's another man entirely that captures my attention and immediately causes my heart to gallop inside my chest...

Gavin.

He's standing off to the side of the stage, two women draped on either side of him. He's swaying back and forth, laughing like he doesn't have a care in the world. I wish it didn't bother me to see him like this but honestly, it sends an anger through me that I have trouble wiping off my face before anyone notices it's there.

"We should find Kimber," Angel hollers over the noise, pulling my attention to where she is standing next to me.

"Okay," I agree, tightening my grip on Bryan's hand as I finally look in his direction.

He's wearing that sweet carefree smile, scoping the room out like it's the coolest thing he's ever seen. The sight instantly calms the rage I felt only moments ago. Bryan is such a laid back, fun loving person. His laughter and smile are so infectious it's almost impossible to feel anything but happiness in his presence.

I need to focus on that. My fun, attractive, beach b.u.m of a date and not the s.e.xy as sin, bad boy, bar owner that seems to evoke so many different emotions from me that just one look has me feeling like my head is going to explode.

"Harlee," I hear Kimber's voice wash over the noise from the crowd, and I look to my right just in time to see her push through a group of people before stepping up next to me. "I'm so glad you could make it." She gives me a brief hug before turning to Angel who pulls Kimber directly into her chest.

"Hey s.e.xy," Angel purrs playfully. "You look HOT!" She trails her eyes down Kimber's pet.i.te frame just seconds after releasing her. "I dare say I've rubbed off on you." She gestures to the red lace dress that makes Kimber look like she just stepped out of a fas.h.i.+on magazine. The material clings to her small frame, accenting her chest and hips before coming to a stop just inches above her knee. The fact that she has no idea how pretty she is makes her even more so.

"Oh G.o.d." Kimber fakes disgust. "Please say I don't look like, Angel." She turns toward me, a smile playing on her lips.

"Well." I shrug, laughing when her mouth forms an O of surprise. "You don't look as s.l.u.tty if that helps," I add playfully.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Angel tacks on, not the least bit offended by me and Kimber's obvious teasing. "Take pride in the fact that you can have any man in this entire room." She grins, ignoring the look of confusion that has taken over Trenton's face. "Don't worry. I've got my man," She rea.s.sures him, pus.h.i.+ng up on her tiptoes to kiss his jaw.

"Yeah, so do I." Kimber smiles over my shoulder, her attention drawn to something approaching behind me.

I know it's Decklan before he even reaches us. I can tell by the way Kimber's skin flushes pink and her eyes take on an almost fogged expression. When he steps up next to her and pulls her into his arms, I try to ignore the ping of jealousy that coils in my stomach.

I'm not jealous because I want Decklan. Though he, like his friends, is impossibly attractive, he's always been Kimber's. That's what makes me jealous. The love, the pa.s.sion, and the claim they seem to have on each other. It's like no one else exists when they're together. It's something I never really knew I wanted until I saw it up close.

They are such the perfect contradiction. Kimber's short and slender, reserved and proper. Always the good girl. Decklan is a tall drink of muscles and s.e.xy hair. He's the drinker and the smoker. The ultimate bad boy. She's soft where he's hard. She's sweet where he's bitter. They make no sense and yet, they are perfect together.

"So glad you guys could make it." He finally turns his attention to our little group, his intense gray eyes bouncing between the four of us. "You must be Bryan." He extends his hand to the man standing next to me, using his other hand to push his hair out of his face.

"It's nice to meet you." Bryan takes his hand and gives it a brief shake.

"Trenton." Angel's date introduces himself next.

"Kimber has bracelets for everyone. You're on my tab for the night so enjoy yourselves." He gives us one last glance before leaning down and whispering something in Kimber's ear. She nods and gives him a sweet smile before he disappears back into the crowd.

"Come on," Kimber announces, c.o.c.king her head toward the bar before, setting off in that direction.

Moments later we are all supplied with bracelets that allow us to drink for the night. Despite the fact that Angel, Kimber, and myself are all under the age of twenty-one, Decklan has always allowed us to drink here which is definitely a perk because right now I could really use a shot. I feel so high strung and nervous. I wish I could say I didn't know why, but I know the exact cause for my feelings.

Kimber disappears a few minutes after showing us to a table she reserved for us along the far back wall. It's the perfect spot. It's far enough away from the dance floor that we can hear ourselves think but still in the heart of it all at the same time.

By the time the headlining act Technolights. .h.i.ts the stage several minutes later, I've managed to suck down two martinis. As soon as the catchy upbeat music thumps through the speakers, the four of us waste no time hitting the dance floor.

I spend the next hour and a half taking shots and dancing like a lunatic with Bryan who is even more fun with a couple of drinks in him. He slides across the dance floor like he owns the place, his moves putting everyone else's to shame.

When I excuse myself to run to the ladies room just ten minutes before midnight, I've almost forgotten all about Gavin Porter...

Almost.

It takes me several moments to push my way through the crowd as I make my way toward the back hallway that houses the bathrooms, my steps faltering the moment I see the line coming out of the small two-stall room.

Knowing there's no way I will be able to hold it that long, I cut back toward the bar where Kimber and Decklan are helping the three bartenders behind the counter pour and distribute gla.s.ses of champagne to the entire room to toast the new year.

"I need to use the bathroom." I mouth to Kimber who catches sight of me the moment I step up next to the bar.

Her eyes flick behind me to the bathroom line that is visible from where she's standing and then back to me. She nods, nudging Decklan in the ribs to get his attention. She turns toward him, no doubt asking him if I can use the restroom in his upstairs apartment. He too looks behind me at the line and then nods.

Seconds later Kimber grabs a set of keys from a hook next to the register and crosses toward me.

"Just make sure you lock it when you come down," she yells over the music, dropping the keys into my hand before spinning back toward the bar.

Knowing there isn't much time before the countdown, I quickly push my way inside the stairwell, locking the door behind me before climbing the stairs that lead up to Decklan's apartment two at a time.

I don't take any time to look around as I quickly push my way inside and cross to the far wall where I know the bathroom is. Disappearing inside, I empty my bladder and wash my hands as quick as my extremely buzzed state will allow.

It isn't until I exit the bathroom moments later that I realize I'm not alone. I jump and scream when a voice washes over me, the sound instantly startling me.

"Having fun?" I recognize Gavin's deep voice the moment he speaks, even though his body is hidden in the shadows.

"Why are you up here and not downstairs enjoying your party?" I try to keep my tone even as I stare back at the silhouette of him on the couch.

"Why are you?" I can see the bottle as he lifts it to his lips but can't make out what exactly he's drinking.

The only light in the apartment is being provided by a street lamp that sits just a few feet from one of the windows along the back wall of the living room-bedroom combo. It offers enough light that we aren't blanketed in darkness but is still not enough to offer any real visibility into the small s.p.a.ce.

I expect him to say something else, but he remains silent for several beats before finally pus.h.i.+ng to his feet. He steps directly into the light filtering into the room, his blue eyes immediately locking on mine.

"I had to use the restroom," I stutter out, answering his previous question in an attempt to mask the sound of my heart beating against my ribcage.

"I gathered that much." His voice is laced with a hint of humor.

"Well, I should get back downstairs," I say, turning toward the door.

I get all of three steps in before Gavin's broad frame steps directly in front of me, effectively blocking my ability to exit.

"Or you could stay." He leans in so close I can feel his breath against my face.

"I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much," I bite, finally meeting his intense gaze.

"Boyfriend." It's not a question, it's a statement. One that he ponders for a long moment before a wide smile spreads across his impossibly handsome face.

My breath catches in my throat as he takes a commanding step toward me and then another. His steps forward match my steps backward until my back becomes flush with a wall and I can move no further.

"You got the boy part right." He runs his nose up my neck, inhaling deeply as he does.

A soft moan escapes my throat in spite of myself. No matter how much I want to hold it together, I can't seem to muster the strength to do so. My head is swimming with alcohol and the effects of the man pinning me between the wall and his hard muscular body.

"Mmm." He lets out a light chuckle at my reaction.

"He's more of a man than you are," I finally manage to choke out.

"Is that so?" His lips hover just inches from mine. "Tell me. Does your skin tingle under his touch like it does mine?" He trails the back of his hand down my arm, causing my skin to p.r.i.c.kle beneath his touch.

"Does your body come to life for him like it does for me?" He trails his lips down my jaw causing heat to warm my body. "Does just the sound of his voice make you wet?" He slides his hand up the short length of my dress, his fingers grazing the now soaked material of my thong.

"Stop." The word is breathy and barely breaks the surface.

"You want me to stop?" he teases.

To my relief and disappointment, his hand immediately falls away, reappearing moments later when it clamps down on my hip.

"When you're ready for a real man, you know where to find me." The last word is barely off his tongue before his mouth crashes down on mine.

His kiss is hard and punis.h.i.+ng. He's claiming me. He's making sure that I feel the effects of this kiss long after his lips leave mine. And I'm powerless to stop it. I melt into him, having no choice but to let him do with me what he will.

When he finally pulls back, I'm a disheveled mess of flushed skin and panting breaths. I hate that he has such an effect on me, and I hate even more that I let him see that effect.

"Happy New Year, Harlee," he breathes against my mouth before pus.h.i.+ng away from me.

He spins, disappearing from the apartment before I can even muster the strength to speak. I stare at the back of the door for several long moments before Bryan's face flashes in front of my eyes.

f.u.c.k.

I rush through the apartment and down the stairs, my weak legs protesting with each step I take. When I finally push my way into the bar, the entire crowd is humming with life. Champagne gla.s.ses are being lifted in toast and clanked together. Multicolored confetti floats through the air as couples embrace and friends hug.

I drop Decklan's keys onto the back of the bar and immediately start to scan the crowd trying to find Bryan, panic rising in my chest. What I find instead is Gavin, surrounded by at least four different women, all of which seem to be waiting to kiss him. I fight the shudder that runs through me when a tall, lengthy brunette steps up and shoves her tongue down his throat. His hand immediately skirts across her a.s.s which is practically hanging out of the bottom of her too short skirt.

I swallow down the bile that rises in my throat, quickly spinning and setting off in the direction of our table. When I finally reach it, no one is there. I twist back around just in time to see Bryan making his way toward me, a wide smile across his cute face.

"Happy New Year." He pulls me into his chest the moment he reaches me.

"Happy New Year," I respond weakly, trying to act completely normal as he lowers his mouth to mine and lays a gentle kiss to my lips.

I try to ignore the lack of heat in that kiss. The lack of intensity or the pa.s.sion that burns me from the inside out like Gavin's kiss does. I try to push all of that from my mind and try to focus on the man in front of me. The man who doesn't purposely toy with me or drape other women in my face. The sweet man who just wants to be with me.

"Boy." Gavin's voice corrects me in my head.

Guilt washes through me when Bryan pulls back and hits me with another sweet smile. I'm forced to accept the reality of my actions and the repercussions those actions are likely to have. The last thing I want to do is hurt Bryan. I also don't want to lose him. Not for a man who has made it so very clear that this is just a game to him.

What a great way to start the new year. I let Gavin see that he has the upper hand with me. A position I never wanted to give away. I let him kiss me. I let him touch me. h.e.l.l, I wanted him to. And now I have to live with that choice.

Chapter Six.

Harlee "What's up with you?" My Aunt Joy asks, causing me to look up from the half-eaten sandwich on the plate in front of me.

Usually eating at my favorite deli always makes my day better, but today I am in no mood. Even my favorite Rueben on rye can't seem to shake the dark cloud hanging over me.

"What?" I question, trying to play if off like I have no idea what she's talking about.

"Harlee Rose Travers, I have known you for far too long to not know when something is up. And something is most certainly up. Spill." Her thin lips spread into a flat line as she gazes back at me.

Joy is the closest thing I have to a mother. h.e.l.l, she's really the only family I have left. The last piece of a family that was ripped apart by infidelity, theft, and drugs. My real mother was too busy popping pills and f.u.c.king random strangers to have any time to raise me. I had to learn to take care of myself at a very young age.

She died when I was ten. She left me alone with my criminal of a father that was no better of a parent than she had been. Of course, none of that mattered when he was sentenced to ten years in prison for armed robbery just two weeks after my fifteenth birthday.

I thought that was it. I thought for sure I was going to end up living on the streets or at best, in a group home. But then Joy came along. My father's only sibling, I didn't even know she existed until she showed up one day and told me that I was coming home with her.

Joy was six years younger than my dad. She had moved away at eighteen and married a wealthy man thirty years her senior. He died three years before she adopted me, leaving her with more money than she's likely to spend in her lifetime.

"Oh G.o.d, you're pregnant." She covers her mouth with her hand when I don't respond.

"I'm not pregnant." I shake my head adamantly.