Page 14 of Without Bound
“C’mon you two party poopers. I need a dance partner,” Cat says, walking up to us.
“Then Hayes should go. I don’t think my old man body can move that way,” I joke.
Cat reaches out and squeezes one of mine and Hayes’ hands in each of hers, and begins tugging us while shuffling backwards.
“Nope. That’s a lame excuse and untrue. I’ve seen your moves, Bish. Old men don’t move the way you do. Now let’s dance.”
We begrudgingly drag our feet, walking behind her, and Hayes immediately takes her hand in his and yanks her so that they are chest to chest. She smiles and begins swaying to the music.
The beat is fast and fun and everyone is smiling. Everyone but me. I stand stiff between them all with a scowl on my face and tension in my shoulder. I spin on my heels to return to my seat, but my hand is grabbed from someone behind me.
“Nuh uh. You’re not getting out of this. Dagen and I need a partner.” Anais looks at me with bright eyes, the effect of one too many margaritas.
“Yeah, Uncle Bishop. Me and Anais want to dance with you.” Of course Dagen asks and I can’t deny that girl a damn thing.
She knows I’d give her the moon if she wanted it badly enough.
“You’re a stinker, Dagen Rayne,” I joke, and pull her up into my arms.
She’s getting bigger every day, and I may not be able to do this for much longer. She wraps an arm around my neck then holds out her other for Anais who steps into her hold.
“Okay, Uncle Bish. You hold on to one side of Anais and I’ll hold the other and we can all dance together.”
I close my eyes in so much pain, because the thought of having to touch her skin brings physical agony to my body. Anais doesn’t wait for a second invitations and slides her arms around my waist then takes Dagen’s hand.
They begin laughing and swinging their arms.
“You gotta move those hips, Bishop. I know you can.” Anais issues a challenge with an arched brow and cheeky smile.
Left without any other choice, I dance with the girls and pray for the song to be over.
Fuck. I pray for this entire night to be over because I need to be alone when I fuck my hand with thoughts of Anais on my mind and her vision in my eyes. Then afterwards I can punish myself for being a goddamn sick bastard.
6
Anais
Move in day came quickly, putting an end to my summer and kicking off my official life as an adult. I mean, I’m nineteen, so technically I became an adult last year. But stepping onto Rice University campus really makes it all seem official.
Uncle Nix and the guys heft box after box of my things up the three flights of stairs to my room, sweat dripping down their faces. It’s hot as hell today, and I keep waiting for Bishop to just rip off his shirt. The glimpse I got at Dagen’s pool party was hardly enough. He was in the water for only moments before he was out and slipping his t-shirt back into place.
That night, I Jill-ed off to thoughts of him in the water, no shirt and water rippling over his stomach and large arms. Uncle Nix is a big guy, but Bishop isbig. His arms are thick and look as if they could squeeze the life out of a man. His legs are ridiculously delicious, and god do I love a man with thick quads.
He isn’t flabby by any means, but this man is more than just sculpted in the gym. The term teddy bear was coined for men likehim. Large, sweet and caring, but you just know an animal hides underneath those layers.
“Fuck, Ana. Why’d you have to get a dorm on the third floor?” Uncle Nix asks after his third trip up.
“If I remember correctly, I told you that I could just get movers to help. Butyouwanted to check things out and make sure the guys knew to stay away from me. So you really have no one to blame but yourself,” I quip, opening another box to inspect its contents.
“She’s got you there, brotha. They have a Rice move-in crew, but you needed to growl at all the poor underclassmen as you pass each door.” Bishop grins a crooked smile and plops a bag that contains my pillows in it on the floor.
Vaughan and Hayes pull up the rear, walking in with the last of my boxes that I know hold my shoes and various knick knacks that I just couldn’t part with.
Hayes drops the heavy box to the ground with a thud. “I think that one holds a dead body ‘cause it’s heavy as fuck,” he complains.
“Well where else was I supposed to hide it? If Uncle Nix found out some guy flirted with me, he’d end up in jail for sure, and there goes his baseball career.” I joke and it makes the guys laugh and Nix growl.
“Someone flirted with you? Then he better hope he’s good and gone, or I’ll dig him back up just to choke that little fucker out.”
