Agony(Entangled Hearts Duet #1) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,47
who I’ve never met before. “Yeah.”
“I’m Hunter. It’s nice to meet you.” He holds his hand out for me to shake. He offers me his left, and well, my beer is in my right, so I offer him my left as well. A giggle escapes me when I realize what I’ve done.
“Sorry about that,” I say, barely managing to get the words out without slurring.
He smiles. “I’ve seen you around. This is the first time you’ve ever been without a group of guys around. That’s pretty intimidating, considering it’s usually the entire CU football team.”
“Meh.” I wave my hand in the air. “They’re all harmless.”
“So, which one is your boyfriend?” he asks, taking a drink from his own red cup.
“None of them. We’re all just friends. Well, Cooper is my best friend. We grew up together, but nope, none of them is my boyfriend, you know, like sexually,” I ramble. I have a feeling sober me is going to be embarrassed about this conversation in the morning. That is if I can even remember it.
“Good to know. It’s hard to tell sometimes.”
“Really?”
He nods. “It’s kept me away from you all year,” he confesses.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.”
“I transferred last year. We’ve had a few classes together, but like I said, you’re always with a pretty big group of guys. I just assumed one of them was yours. It’s not until now I decided to take a chance and say hello.”
“I’m glad you did.” I smile up at him. He’s tall but not as tall as Cooper. Then again, I’m short, so everyone is tall to me.
“You want to dance?” he asks.
It might be the alcohol, but I swear I see a slight blush on his handsome face. “Yes.” Tilting my cup to my lips, I drain it and toss it into one of the many trash cans we set around the house. No way am I drinking out of it again after leaving it unattended. Nope. I’m not that drunk.
Hunter takes my hand and leads me to the middle of the living room floor, and wraps his arms around me. We sway to the music, and I rest my head on his chest. He’s not as muscular as Cooper, but he still feels sturdy and in good shape. Don’t ask me what that means, because I’m not really sure either. What I do know is that this is nice. Dancing with a guy who’s not one of my close friends. It’s been way too long since I’ve let that happen.
When the music changes to a fast song, we begin to groove, rocking our hips. Our arms are swaying right along to the beat. I’m lost in the music, dancing my heart out when I feel a shove from behind me. I stumble into Hunter, at the same time that he’s shoved as well. I feel my legs fall out from under me as I land on the floor. I curl into myself to keep from getting trampled. Looking around, I search for Hunter, for anyone that can help me up, because from the alcohol and the fall, I’m not sure I can do it on my own.
I scream when two large hands slide under my arms and lift me to my feet. His scent captures me before my eyes can focus on him.
Cooper.
“My hero,” I slur, batting my eyelashes. At least that’s what I meant to do. In reality, I probably looked like one of those creepy baby dolls that blinks every time you move it. I shudder at the thought.
“Thanks, man.” Hunter approaches us. His eyes are wide, and his breathing is accelerated. “I was trying to get to her.”
“You should have tried harder. No, you should have held onto her and made sure she was safe.” Cooper growls the words.
“Coop.” I reach up, placing my hand on his cheek. His eyes instantly drop to me. “I’m okay.”
He gives me a stiff nod. “You’re not to leave my side the rest of the night.”
I should argue with him. I should tell him that he’s not the boss of me. I should tell him that it kills me to see all those women hanging off him when in my heart, I know it should be me. I don’t say any of those things. Instead, I nod, then turn my attention to Hunter. “Thank you for the dance,” I say politely.
He gives me a stiff nod, and I’ll never know if he was going to say anything because