Deviant (Boys of Winter #3) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,138

night and none of us would have any idea.

With my head so far up my ass, I don’t even realize when we reach Cruz’s driveway. I keep walking and Carver curls his arm through mine and yanks me aside, facing me in the right direction. Otherwise, I would have ended up God knows where.

By the time we reach the front door, my feet are already aching and my excitement for the night is quickly plummeting. Cruz opens the door and welcomes us all in and I instantly look around. His mom really has gone all out. There are decorations, soft music, and champagne waiting for new guests. Though, what else would be expected of a wife who belongs to one of the sexiest organizations I’ve ever come across. It is her job to please, host, and succeed, and luckily for her, I think she truly loves this aspect of her life.

“Whoa,” I breathe, taking it all in.

“You haven’t seen nothing yet,” Cruz murmurs, taking my hand and leading me deeper into his home.

The further we walk, the louder the chatter becomes, and as we round the corner to see the room completely packed with bodies, I realize that this is so much more than just a dinner party. This is a fucking party.

People are everywhere, dressed in their formal attire and I quickly glance down at my ripped shirt and thigh-high boots. I’m definitely underdressed, but a part of me just doesn’t care. At the end of the night, I’ll be the one prancing around in comfort while all the other women look as though they’re strapped into corsets from the twentieth century.

“What the ever-loving fuck?”

Cruz laughs. “My mom knows how to throw a party, right?”

“She sure as hell does.”

I find Cruz’s mom a moment later, barging her way through the crowded bodies with at least six wine bottles piled up in her arms, looking nothing short of flustered, and without giving it a second thought, I grab the tray off the closest waitress and start helping.

The boys scatter behind me, each going their own way to talk to people they know or try to find a window to throw themselves out of, either way, tonight I’m free to mingle knowing that they will always be close.

I make my way around the party, helping guests with whatever they need before emptying my tray and hurrying back into the kitchen for more. I pass Cruz’s mom a few times and she gives me a grateful smile that breaks my heart. Something must have gone wrong in her planning or someone canceled last minute, because any other time, she would have chastised me for helping and demanded that I go and enjoy the party.

My next tray is filled with a mixed array of drinks and as I take my first few steps back into the chaos of the party, I realize that in order to not have this whole thing tipped all over me, I’m going to have to concentrate.

I make my way around, passing King who stops me to discreetly grab my ass. I look up at him, more than ready to drop kick him when he nods into the crowd.

I follow his gaze and my night instantly comes crashing down around me. “I should have known she’d be here,” I mutter, taking in Ember who stands around all the Stepford Wives acting like she truly belongs here and playing the ‘woe is me’ card. I can only imagine what kind of bullshit is coming out of her mouth right now.

King grumbles something before glancing down at the tray. “See if you can get closer without anyone realizing. We need to know if she’s talking shit.”

“I can already guarantee that she’s talking shit.”

King rolls his eyes and smacks his hand down against my ass. “Just go.”

I grin up at him, narrowing my eyes and letting him know that the second we’re out of here, he’s going to be getting hell for that, but nonetheless, I put my head down and start weaving my way through the bodies, stopping to help guests with a fresh glass of champagne.

As I creep my way closer and closer to Ember, her high-pitched squeaky voice begins to stand out louder and louder. Perhaps after months of listening to her rambling on about stupid shit, I’ve become attuned to it.

“My mom had a hard life,” she sighs, bringing out the puppy dog eyes. “She didn’t mean to have an affair. They started seeing each other before my