Page 41 of The Boy I Loved
“Let’s play a game,” the girl in Dom’s lap suggested, her gaze drifting over the small crowd of people surrounding her.
My hand tightened around the plastic cup, causing it to crinkle at the sides. I didn’t want to play any games. I blew out a shaky breath, attempting to will my nerves to calm. This was why I didn’t go to parties. They always made me anxious.
“What kind of game?” Rodney asked, plopping down into one of the chairs parallel to the sofa.
The blonde’s lips stretched into a haughty grin. “Truth or Drink.”
A few groans sounded from around me, giving me a small amount of hope that no one else would want to play it either. I wanted to relax, then go back home to the comfort of my bed.
Unfortunately, the majority ruled, and they wanted to play.
Rodney headed to the kitchen with another guy I didn’t recognize, and they began making a variety of different shots.
A small tug on my hair had a surprised gasp expelling past my lips. Whipping my head around, my eyes narrowed at Mason. His cocky grin told me this was his way of flirting, so why didn’t I find it endearing?
Because he isn’t Dominic.
I officially hated my mind and heart in equal measures. Dominic moved on easily enough. He’d used me to get what he wanted and now, here he was, with another girl.
Mason could be a decent guy—well … helookedlike one, anyway. Unlike Vincent, he had that boyish thing going on. He might have come with a harder edge, but he also knew how to turn it off and on. My parents would probably approve.
“Do you want to play the game?” he asked, his gaze dropping to my lips, giving it a completely different meaning.
No. I didn’t want to play. But I also wasn’t sure I wanted to sneak off with him either.
The alcohol was already seeping through my veins, making me feel a little bit bolder. I wasn’t drunk, or necessarily even tipsy, but it wassomething.
I glanced over at Dominic again. His gray eyes were pinned on me as he kissed along the side of the girl’s neck. At this point, it had become blatantly obvious that he was doing this shit on purpose. He might have been into her, but he was also taking advantage of my feelings for him.
Fuck that.
For years, all I could think about was my best friend—the boy who lived on the other side of the woods. I wanted him to be my first, and then he was. He made promises to me that he couldn’t keep, and now that he was back … he wasn’t the same person I’d fallen for all those years ago.
With a heavy heart, I turned back to Mason. “No. I don’t.”
His blue eyes became heated, igniting with a blazing fire of lust. “Do you want to go upstairs?”
Instead of answering, I rose on shaky legs. His lips twitched in response as he pulled himself up. I could feel Dom’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care, not when he was playing with my emotions the way he was.
Mason placed a hand against the small of my back and gently pushed me forward. My pulse thrummed violently within my neck as my nerves went haywire inside of me. I could do this. It was meaningless, casual sex. Dominic did it all the time. The blonde in his lap was proof enough of that.
The music grew faint when we started up the stairs, and suddenly, it felt like I was walking to my doom. My skin prickled with awareness, each step sending me more and more on edge.
When we made it to the top, Mason gripped my hand in his and pulled me toward the closest door. As soon as we stepped inside, heflicked on the light and closed the door behind us with a soft click. I glanced around, taking note of the room’s interior. A queen-size bed was positioned at the center of the room with a small bedside table on either side. Despite the house being huge, the room was oddly basic.
Mason moved to stand in front of me and didn’t bother wasting any time. If I thought he was going to work his way up slowly, I was poorly mistaken. He gripped the sides of my face between his hands and smashed his lips against mine in a sudden kiss. I gasped against his mouth, giving him the response he’d wanted. His tongue swept along my parted lips, gliding against my own with expert precision.
His fingers tangled through my hair, tugging at the loose strands. My mind whirled, trying to keep up with the events happening around me. I was in a stranger’s bedroom, making out with Mason Byers—the same boy who had always given me the creeps. My stomach twisted with nausea, but I couldn’t pull away. I needed to do this for myself. I needed to sever the tie that connected me to Dominic. After this, he would no longer be my one and only.
Mason’s hand fell to my hip, his fingers biting into the flesh there, sending a spark of pain through my side with each tug. He was growing more frantic and desperate, his teeth grazing over my bottom lip.
“Fuck.” He groaned, tearing his lips away at last and leaving me breathless. His eyes had become three shades darker, searing right through me. “Let’s get this off of you.” He tugged at the hem of my shirt, lifting it in slow movements.
I blew out a nervous breath, leaning over to set my drink on the dresser.
Shaking, I slowly lifted my arms, giving him the access he needed. Once the shirt was pulled from my body, he discarded it on the floor. The cool air feathered over my bare skin, causing my nipples to harden.
Mason released a ragged breath, reaching forward to run his thumb over my pebbled nipple. I shuddered in response, torn between liking the sensation, and wanting to change my mind and bolt.
