Even though Jameson's house was an exercise in depression, with cold white lights and blinding walls, minimalist to the point of concern, it made for a good party venue. As it turned out, colourful flashing lights and a sea of bodies could even liven up the Miller mausoleum.
I couldn't believe I'd never attended one of these parties. Almost everyone I'd ever met, with a few notable exclusions, were lining the walls of Jamie's mega mansion. It was the kind of party, with the kind of numbers, that weren't often thrown, because no parent in their right mind would invite this many teenagers armed with this much alcohol into their home. The perks of absentee parents were few and far between, but this was certainly one of them. This party made Jack Heath's infamous gathering look like my 10th birthday at Skate World.
Sascha Robson bobbed by the front door on Seb's back and gave us a cheery wave, and Aurora Anderson almost immediately had a shot glass in my hand, and in Kai's. A cacophony of noise spilled from the living room—evidently the centre of the festivities—but there were still people everywhere. Cora took advantage of the bodies to vanish, which meant I was not completely forgiven for earlier. I couldn't even be mad, because by the time I'd thrown my shot back, Cameron Davenport had procured another one for me.
"How does Jameson even know this many people?" I yelled in Aurora's face.
"Because he's hot!" she yelled back.
"I'm hot and I don't know this many people!"
"Because he's hot and single!"
"So am I!"
Aurora cast a sceptical glance behind me, where Kai was standing, his fingertips resting on the curve of my waist. Single until the wedding, perhaps. Single according to Facebook. But not single, not really. And I liked that people assumed that.
I winked at her, because yeah, I was barely single. I had Kai Delaney's arm wrapped around my waist. I was on top of the world.
Aurora and Cameron disappeared into the crowd. Will nudged his head toward one of the crowded doorways, and when he began to shoulder his way toward it, we all followed. It helped that he was massive. It was easy to move through the people in his wake.
But it helped when Will found a couch, somehow unoccupied, and we dropped into it, arranging ourselves in the usual fashion; Kai in the corner, me as close to in-his-lap as was respectable in society, Madeleine in the middle, Will in the other corner, and Izzy perched on the arm next to Will. Kai's fingers came up to rest at the nape of my neck, a warm clasp that I leaned into, enjoying the feel of his fingertips playing with the soft hair there. I bit my lip to stop myself from shivering.
"This is so fun!" Isabelle announced cheerfully. She was swaying a little bit, secured to the couch by Will's steady hands. The bottle she'd been glugging from had done good work on her. She peered into the crowd. "Oh, is that Josh Logan? He looks kinda hot tonight. Did he always look hot?"
"Nope," said Kai definitively. "Sober up a little bit, then decide who is cute."
Always good advice.
"Also, any guy with two first names should be cut from your list," Will added. "They're always douchey."
Maybe slightly less great advice.
Kai pointed at Will. "Truth. Jameson Miller."
I retracted my previous statement. Two first names should be immediately removed from any hook-up list.
Will nodded. "Exactly. Two first names. Guaranteed asshole."
Isabelle sighed, the force of it making her sway again. Will tightened his grip. "I hate going to parties with bodyguards."
"We don't care if you want to make out with some questionably attractive guy," Will said. Kai gave him what I assumed was a dark look from over my head, and Will hastily amended, "Sorry, I don't care if you want to make out with some questionably attractive guy. Kai would like you to refrain from hooking up with anyone in his vicinity, and requests you do it at the little kid parties—"
"I am two years younger than you."
"—but, Josh Logan is not attractive, and you can do better. So, sober up and we'll find you a hottie."
Hearing Will Kennedy say the words we'll find you a hottie was inexplicably funny. Isabelle didn't see to agree. She whacked him over the head—at least, she would have, except her aim was slightly off and she only narrowly missed his eye—and rolled her eyes petulantly. Will grinned up at her and mouthed hottie, tracing abs over his shirt to illustrate just how hot he was aiming for. I think he drew a sixteen-pack, which seemed anatomically impossible. But it did nudge a smile onto the corner of Izzy's lips.
"William, stop trying to set my sister up."
Will turned that grin he'd saved for Isabelle on Kai. "C'mon, man. She can do better than Josh Logan."
Isabelle squinted at the man in question and grimaced. "Oh, you're so right. He's wearing a striped shirt. I hate stripes."
Will clapped her on the back. "See? You're halfway to being in realm of making good decision. Give it half an hour and we'll find you a 9.5 or better."
"I think I want to do more shots, instead."
"Done."
Will helped Isabelle off the couch and they vanished in the general direction of the kitchen. Their relationship was sweet. Izzy thought the world of Will, and she should. And it was nice that Kai wasn't left alone with the burden of trying to raise his firecracker of a sister. Plus, Isabelle was far more likely to listen to Will, on principle. Who wants the guidance from a brother barely older than themselves?
Plus, Will's guidance tonight involved avoiding stripes and downing tequila, so while Kai had to play father-figure, Will was to Izzy was Madi was to me. A fun, degenerate older friend who could offer wisdom about the world at large. Except, Madi knew it.
"I'm too old and cool for this party," Madeleine sighed, watching with disappointment as Alex Beckett retrieved a sharp chopstick and tried to stab it into the base of a 3 litre sack of goon. She shook her head, her one extra year of age affording her the ability to look down on the little, ignorant high schoolers. "I'm going to go bang the host."
I raised an eyebrow at her.
She grinned. "I believe in offering a housewarming gift when someone invites me over, and well—" she grabbed her chest in two admittedly shapely fistfuls to illustrate "—I'm generous with my gifts."
Kai snorted a laugh, and I couldn't help but join in with a giggle. Madeleine and Jameson's friends-with-benefits situation was so long-standing that I shouldn't have been surprised, but knowing Jameson as I did now, I was surprised it was still working. Madeleine was all class, and Jamie was the most annoying person on the planet. Well, second to Cole. Then Madi lifted her boobs up with her hands, again, wiggling her eyebrows, and I got their thing. They were both epic perves.
So, I grinned and smacked her ass as she departed, sailing through the crowd with ease. The crowd almost seemed awed that Madeleine would grace them with her presence, the departed queen of high school. Even though it was absolutely pretentious of her to think so, she probably was too cool for this party. This was only confirmed when Beckett managed to pierce the plastic, and immediately attempting to chug the entire 3 litres in one go to the chorus of encouragement from his skater-bro friends. Most of it splashed onto the floor. The poor clean-up crew.
I turned to Kai with horror. "Oh, God. Am I part of the clean-up crew now?"
Kai shook his head. "This is a party at Jameson's house. The clean-up crew are a collection of about seven professionals paid for with daddy's coin."
Ah. Shitty parents, but party-cleaning benefits. I wouldn't trade, but at least there were some perks.
In that moment, I realised that Kai and I had been left alone on the couch. Will and Isabelle were going to town on shots, Madeleine was going to town on Jamie, and Cora was too mad at me to make an appearance.
By turning to ask him the question about cleaning up, I was now fully on his lap. Half straddling him, really. It was absolutely indecent behaviour for a party. Criminal. And a little bit sexy. We found ourselves in this position an unusual number of times, but I was hardly complaining. A smile that was somehow a question tugged at his lips. His eyes were blue and his pupils were blown wide and he had a little smattering of freckles that I could only see when we were face-to-face, so close I felt his nose brush against mine and he was far, far too hot for me, so, carpe diem.
"This, uh, ruse," Kai mumbled. "Can I?"
Yeah, it would be great for our story. But who cared about that? I had this beautiful boy beneath me and it didn't matter if this was real or fake, he was mine.
"Shut up, yes," I breathed, and moved to cover his lips with mine.
"Nope," came a voice from behind us.
An irrational surge of anger rose within me like a tidal wave. Come on. After the wedding, I was going to drag Kai into a fucking side room and confirm the relationship against the wall. Fake or not, I wanted him more than I'd wanted anything in a very long time. Maybe ever.
"Fuck you, dude," Kai said without any anger. He was a better person than me. I could feel how much he wanted this, and it wasn't a small amount.
Despite my frustration, I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks. My skirt was hiked up to my waist, the fabric bunched around my hips, and when I slid off Kai's lap onto the cushion beside him, glaring at Seb, I hastily pulled the fabric down so that I wasn't exposing myself to the crowd. At least my underwear was cute. Seb watched the process with weariness, tapping his foot against the ground like a disapproving father.
"You're on my shit list," I informed him, even though I was still beet red. I didn't know whether I wanted to jump out of a window, or throw Seb out the window. So many option.
"Sorry." Seb did not sound very apologetic. "But Madeleine and Jameson found each other." He hiked a thumb to the corner of the room; apparently Madeleine hadn't searched very hard, or bothered with privacy, because Jameson was pressing her against a wall in a very leud display. "And Will and Isabelle are playing each other's wingmen." Kai frowned. "Cora is also hooking up in one of the upstairs bedrooms, so, sorry, you two are my company."
Huh. Good for Cora, I guess. She wasn't a prude, exactly, so it shouldn't have surprised me. She just never had much time for raunchy party hook-ups, because babysitting Sydney was usually her agenda. Maybe that's why she hadn't fought for us to be invited to Jameson's parties. Because it was the only time she could let loose. It made me a little bit sad, to think of all the ways I'd failed Cora Hart. She was right to yell at me.
Kai adjusted in his seat and grimaced a welcoming smile. "Sure, Sebastian. Sit. Chat."
"If you want to make out with Valerie, stop being a bitch and just ask her out so that you can do it in her bedroom instead of being touchy in public." Seb collapsed onto the couch next to me. "We would all prefer it."
"How do you know we aren't doing it?" I couldn't help but find Seb's grumpiness amusing.
"Because Kai basically pops a stiffy every time he sees you," Seb said inelegantly. "Jamie says the sexual frustration makes him horny. But that's because he's gross. So, please, do us all a favour and make it official."
Wedding night, I thought at Seb. Not long now.
"I'll keep it in mind," said Kai.
Seb drained the rest of his beer. "Do that. Because seriously, if I have to hear one more comment about Jamie's dic— oh, shit."
"What?"
I followed Seb's eyes. Oh, shit indeed.