Page 11 of My Sweet Cherry
“The girl from the other night that choked on your dick?” Anthony’s excitement annoyed me, but it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t my fault either, but I couldn’t stop the low growl that rolled from my chest. “Nice!”
“She just walked away with Ethan.” I sounded about as frustrated as I had no right to be feeling.
Anthony’s eyes widened, and he turned to look down the hall, staring over the rim of his cup while he took an unbothered drink. “I mean, good for him, huh?” He shrugged, and I clenched my hand into a fist at my side.
“I need another drink,” I said gruffly before throwing the rest of my beer back.
I was walking away before I heard Anthony behind me. “What’s his deal?”
“He probably needs to get laid.” I could nearly hear Benny’s shoulders shrug but instead of turning back around, I kept walking.
I slammed the cup down on a table I walked past on the way to the hallway. I didn’t need to get anything, I just didn’t like the idea of someone taking advantage of a girl that may not realize it was happening. She had said she could take care of herself, but I wasn’t willing to wait for her to prove it. Not when I had seen more than one girl leave Ethan’s room looking like she shouldn’t have ever gone in there in the first place.
The dimly lit hall was packed with people trying to find escape from the music or dancing by making out against the wall. Itwasn’t an unusual thing to see at these parties, and normally I walked by them without a second glance. Normally I walked by them without looking for curly, brown hair that was tied back in too-innocent-to-be-handlebars braids.
When I didn’t see her in the hall, I knew she was behind one of the doors. “This is ridiculous, Carter.” Now I was talking to myself. Why did I care who Ethan hooked up with at a party? Normally I didn’t.Normally it isn’t with her.
I paused in front of the door, trying to listen beyond the hollow wood to hear what was happening. The nosy feeling of guilt dried my mouth out. Shuffling could’ve been need, and anticipation can sound like whimpering. Her panicked, high-pitch grunt didn’t sound like she was begging for more, though. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the knob. What if I opened this door and she was on her knees? What if she was exactly what Benny had said, and I had misread her innocence? I considered walking back to the party and not finding out until I heard her grunt again.
“Please don’t do this.” When Beth’s voice cracked, so did my composure.
The door wasn’t locked when I turned the knob and threw it open, and nothing stopped it from crashing against Ethan’s desk. He whipped around, holding Beth against the bed while he looked to see what had interrupted him. Her eyes widened and when she saw me, they filled with shame that shimmered like about-to-be-shed tears. I ground my teeth together when I grabbed the back of Ethan’s shirt with both hands. When I pulled hard enough, he tumbled backward, falling from his position hovering over her on the bed to a brief ball on the floor. Then he jumped back up.
“What the fuck is your problem, Carter?” Ethan snarled at me, stepping toward me while Beth sat up and scooted back on the bed. She tucked her knees to her chest when Ethan shoved me.
“I believe she wants you to stop.” Even though my heart was pounding and my jaw was clenched, my voice was calm.
Ethan shoved me again, and I took a step back. “She was perfectly fine before you barged in here!” His body was braced for a fight.
I looked at Beth. Nothing about the look on her face said that she had been fine. The creases next to her eyes and the uncomfortable frown etched onto her lips told me she had regretted talking to Ethan at all. “Are you alright?”
“I think so.” She nodded.
I ignored Ethan’s grumbling when I held my hand out to her. “I’ll take you home.” When Beth climbed off the side of the bed, Ethan grabbed her arm. She gasped before narrowing her eyes and pulling her arm away. If his grip had hurt her, you wouldn’t be able to tell by her face.
“You can’t just leave.” Ethan stood in front of the door. He clearly didn’t realize that I would have no problem physically removing him. “We were in the middle of something. Now you’re all talk?” Beth cringed.
“She can, and she is.” I strongarmed him to the side, allowing for Beth to open the door to the stares inevitably waiting in the hallway.
Ethan stood behind us when she took the first step. The staring I had expected was doubled. People had gathered in the hall when I threw the door open—a commotion always draws a drunk audience. I put my hand protectively on her shoulder, guiding her through the judgment and toward the exit. Even though the music was still playing just as loudly, it sounded muted behind the looks.
“She’s not going to fuck you, you know,” Ethan shouted, and I felt the words ripple through Beth’s muscles. I shrugged.
“Doesn’t look like she’s going to fuck you either.”
Chapter 12
Beth
“How did you know?” I asked when the silence in the car got too loud to handle any longer. My cheeks were still warm with either embarrassment or regret—I still wasn’t completely sure which, but my stomach ached with relief. Every time Carter glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, I became aware of the warmth again, sure that he could see me blushing in the dark.
“Know what?” He turned and looked at me, and the streetlight reflected off his dark-brown eyes, illuminating the depth of his stare. I swore he could see through every nervous wall I had up.
I swallowed the reminder that made a lump start forming in my throat. “That I needed help.”
“I don’t know.” Carter shrugged, but his hands flexed around the steering wheel, making the frustration ripple into his forearms. He knew more than he was going to let on. I remembered his warning in the library and the look he gave me when I first approached Ethan. It was kind of like concern—maybe some judgment. “I just had a feeling.” He clenched his jaw.
“Well, I’m glad you did.” I looked down, picking at the skin at the side of my thumbnail. It had been stupid of me to think that situation was going to go any other way. I knew exactly what vibe I had been giving off, and all of it just to make a point to a man who didn’t seem to care either way that I had disappeared down the hallway. Carter did though.
