Blind Spot - Katana Collins Page 0,91

raucously dancing crowd, I glanced back to see Tate stiffen, his eyes following me through the club. On a deep breath, I looked away, and when I finally broke away from the dance floor, I looked once more and found his spot against the wall empty.

Part of me was sad to see he had left. Was seeing me here too hard on him? Was the thought of me dancing with another guy too much?

The room spun, and people bumped into me as I rushed for the bathroom door. Though I was pretty sure the floor wasn’t uneven, it felt like I was walking on cobblestone streets and I just couldn’t get my footing. I just needed to splash a little water on my face, and then I’d be fine.

“What are you doing, Shelby?” Tate was suddenly right in front of me, and he caught my arm.

I lost my balance as the room seemed to pitch to the right. Even through his dark glare, he was still so beautiful.

In a moment of false clarity, I yanked my elbow from his grasp. “Dancing. Drinking. You don’t recognize a good time?”

“No,” he growled. “I recognize reckless behavior.”

My laugh cracked in my throat. “Oh? So, when you do it, you’re letting loose. When I do it, I’m reckless? Welcome to the world of hypocrites, Tate. Then again, you were fucking born into that world, weren’t you?”

Turning, I stumbled, doing my best to make it through the bathroom door, but Tate was in front of me in seconds, bracing my arms and stopping me. “Shelby, you need to go home. Sleep this off.”

“Fuck you, Tate.” I tried to shove him away, but it came across more as a fumble, and my hands clumsily landed on his chest. God, his chest. I must have been drunk because I found myself tracing his muscles with my fingertips. Even though I was fuming mad, I was mesmerized by him, unable to tear my hands away from his body.

“Shelby, stop.”

His pecs heaved with each breath, and he wet his lips. He still wanted me. Even with Chrissy waiting for him on the dance floor—he wanted me. I stepped toward him, and he backed up, putting the same space between us.

Liquid courage roared through my veins and a smile tipped my lips as I took another step. “Shelby, think,” he said quietly. “You’re going to regret this in the morning.”

I raised a brow. “Probably. But my mom said there’s no shame in regretting action. Regret not acting.”

I pushed onto my toes and pressed my lips to Tate’s. The muscles beneath my palms tightened, and even though he gasped, within seconds, he plunged his tongue into my mouth. I moaned, and I didn’t know if the room was spinning as a result of his kiss, the whiskey, or both.

After another moment, Tate’s hands pressed into my shoulders, and he pushed me back. Gently at first, but he finally held me at arm’s length.

“Oh God,” I whispered, brushing my fingers to my wet lips. Heat burned in my cheeks and down to the pit of my stomach as a moment of dizziness passed in my foggy head.

Tate didn’t respond immediately, but his eyes traveled over my face. He looked—sad. Or something. He thrust a hand into his hair, the ends standing up between his fingers. “Shelby…we should talk, but not here—”

I squirmed and stepped back from him. “I know we should talk. That’s what I said last week. It’s what I’ve been saying all week.” Liquor sloshed in my stomach, and a rapid wave of sickness rushed over me. Oh God. I can’t get sick in front of him. It would just prove how right he was. This? Tonight? It wasn’t me.

“I’ll come over tonight after—”

“No,” I said quickly, and for the first time in a week, I got it.

“It’s over,” I whispered.

I said it more for myself than for Tate. And once the words left my mouth, I knew it was true. We were over. “I never lied to you. But you wouldn’t let me explain that. I don’t think the truth matters anymore. I get it. You were burned before. But I can’t be with someone who doesn’t believe in me. We’re done.” Pain twisted and coiled in my chest, and my heart stuttered as I said the words. We’re done. It was true. I sensed the finality in those words and my heart dropped, empty and hollow.

And there was no way Tate’s parents would let their only son end