evening nudged him. “I don’t know how Jamie will feel about his sister being in your lap, Ryan.”
Ryan shrugged as Lorna whispered something in his ear that made his neck flush.
She pulled back, a wicked smile on her face, and gestured to me with the beer bottle. “Everyone, this is Jane, my best friend and the most beautiful soul you will ever meet.”
I flushed at her praise and threw her an annoyed look.
She knew I hated being the center of attention.
“Jane, this is Ryan, and this”—she pointed to the guy who’d warned Ryan—“is Wex. Wex, make room for Jane.”
Wex was tall with a similar build to Jamie. He had blue eyes that were startling against his dark coloring. Wex was good-looking. I could see that.
But he didn’t give me butterflies.
However, he was looking at me as if I had struck him dumb.
Ryan nudged him, laughter in his voice. “Are you going to speak again, idiot?”
“Uh, yeah.” Wex stood abruptly, not taking his eyes off me. “Here, please, sit.” He gestured to the lounger he was on. I didn’t really want to share the lounger with him, but it felt like the entire team was watching our interaction.
The image of Jamie and the champagne blond filled my head.
Maybe Lorna was right.
Maybe I should just let go for tonight after the hellishness of the last few weeks.
And Wex was cute.
I gave him a small smile, aware that my cheeks were probably sporting two bright spots of embarrassment.
“Remember, she’s seventeen,” Ryan teased under his breath, loud enough for me and Wex to hear.
Lorna giggled. “Uh, what age do you think I am?”
“Nah, you’ve been here before.” Ryan nuzzled her neck. “And you’re the devil.”
“You’re not wrong,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Hey!” Lorna laughed.
I felt Wex chuckle because his body was pressed against mine.
Glancing shyly at him, I pulled on the hem of Lorna’s stupid dress and inadvertently drew his attention to my legs. He swallowed hard and looked away from them. Our eyes met.
“So, you’re on Jamie’s team?”
“Yeah.” He held out his hand to me. “Wex. Pete Wexham. Everyone calls me Wex.”
I shook his hand. “I’m Jane.”
He held on far longer than appropriate and gave me a boyish smile when he released my hand. “Sorry.”
I didn’t know what to say.
I wasn’t exactly great at making small talk with strangers.
It turned out Wex was. He peppered me with questions about school and my interests, and I relaxed into the conversation, returning question for question. He seemed like a nice enough guy.
I didn’t know how much time passed, and I wasn’t aware of anything else going on around me because I was trying to focus on Wex and not on the horrifying thought of Jamie having sex with the champagne blond in his room above us.
That’s why when Wex suddenly leaned in to kiss me, I was completely taken aback.
I’d been kissed before, of course.
My first kiss was in the eighth grade when we played spin the bottle at a party Lorna forced me to go to.
The last few years, I’d even gone on a few dates that involved first-date kisses, but I’d never wanted it to go beyond a first date because I was hung up on Jamie.
Wex’s tongue flicked at my lips and I opened them on instinct, all the while screaming at myself, “What are you doing?!”
He groaned into my mouth as I kissed him back, and then his hand was on my nape, clutching me closer.
It wasn’t a bad kiss.
What it was, though, was a mouth against mine, one that tasted of beer, and a strong hand on my neck.
I didn’t feel the kiss anywhere else.
I never did.
Was there something wrong with me?
I pulled back, pressing a hand to Wex’s chest. “No,” I said. “I can’t.”
“Shit. Sorry if I read you wrong.” He looked genuinely worried he had.
“I have to go.” I pushed up off the lounger and stepped around people who were sitting on the floor of the deck.
I was shaking.
Why was I shaking?
Because there’s something wrong with you. Something missing.
Wex seemed nice. And he was hot.
Why didn’t I want him to kiss me?
There were too many people inside the house. I needed somewhere to be alone. Remembering Jamie’s gift, I spotted it on the pile on the table in the kitchen, grabbed it, and hurried upstairs. I was dismayed to find the main bathroom occupied. Knowing Skye wouldn’t mind, I slipped into her bedroom and fumbled through the dark to her private bathroom.