Page 83 of Dirty Little Mistake

"Whatever you say, little sis." I tapped her glass with my bottle, watching her gaze drift back to Owen. "I'm getting out of here and headed to the house for the night. You want to come?"

"I can't." She frowned. "Syn and I are Jax's designated babysitters for the night." Her gaze shifted back to Owen. "And I guess someone should keep him from doing something stupid, too.

"Do me a favor." The beer bottle dangled loose between my fingers as I watched Owen laugh at something across the room. "Let him dig his own hole."

Harlow stepped into my line of sight, forcing my attention down to her face. "Is that really what you want?" Her eyes narrowed, reading something in mine that made her voice sharpen. "You want me to let him hurt her?"

The bottle creaked in my grip, tendons standing out along my forearm. "If he does—" The words scraped out like broken glass. "I'll kill him."

Her palm settled on my shoulder, warm through my shirt. "Go home." A gentle pressure turned me toward the door. "I'm going to get a drink and make sure Jax is behaving."

I shrugged off her hand, gaze drifting to Jax sitting at the bar beside Owen. "He won't do anything to fuck up what he has."

"I know." She was already melting into the crowd, voice trailing behind her. "Good night, Trystan."

I paused at the door, glancing back over my shoulder. "Call me if you need me."

She smiled before disappearing into the crowd, and I jerked the door open.

Stepping outside, I sucked in a deep breath of the cool night air as I pulled my phone out of my pocket again.

Still nothing...

I wanted to see Cam, but she wouldn't even talk to me, much less willingly tell me where she was. I clicked on the location app and watched the screen as I waited for it to find Cam's location.

My house.

She was at my house. Well, that made this a hell of a lot easier. I threw my leg over my bike, pulled my helmet over my head, and sped off.

The five-minute ride home felt like an eternity, the cool night air whipping past me, carrying the scent of freshly mowed grass mixed with rain. I killed my bike's engine in the driveway, the sudden silence deafening. I stood there, heart pounding, gathering the courage to go inside.

I pushed open the door, wincing at the slight creak of the hinges. The house was dark, the only light coming from the soft blue glow of the TV in the living room. My footsteps echoed softly on the hardwood floors as I moved through the entryway, the faint scent of Cam's perfume lingering in the air.

Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped into the living room to find Kaia sleeping on the couch alone.

That meant Cam was probably already upstairs asleep. My shoulders sank with disappointment. Part of me wanted to go up the stairs, slide into bed with her, snuggle up to her, and hold her as long as she'd let me, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't go down like that, and I'd end up with a black eye.

As I padded through the living room, I fished the joint from my pocket; the muffled sound of late-night infomercials followed me to the patio door. I slid it open, stepped out into the cool air, and froze.

Cam sat on the pool's edge. Her dark hair shined in the moonlight, and her feet made soft splashing sounds as they moved lazily through the water.

She flicked a glance over her shoulder. "Oh shit," she groaned, her entire body language changing.

My gaze dropped to the blunt in my hand, my posture stiff and uncomfortable. "I was just coming out to smoke." The words came out flat, betraying my attempt at nonchalance. "I can go..."

Cam's eyes flicked to the joint in my hand, a hint of interest breaking through her guarded expression. "Whatcha smoking?"

I took a step closer, extending the joint toward her. "You want some?" My eyebrow arched in a silent challenge.

She nodded, and my brain danced happily.

Dragging a patio chair beside her, I dropped into the chair, pulled the blunt to my lips, and lit the tip before inhaling deeply.

We sat silently for a long moment, passing the blunt back and forth, yet it didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward.

"Trystan." Cam's voice floated across the water.

I exhaled a long stream of smoke toward the stars. "Yeah?"

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