“Want another beer?” I pull my eyes from Ben to look at Austin, who’s standing in the doorway of the back deck, with his hands on either side of the frame, causing his shirt to pull tight across his broad chest.
“Nah, man. I’m good,” Ben says, and then Austin’s gaze comes to me, so I sit up a little taller, just in case he delivers another blow like the one the other night.
“You want some more wine?” he asks, dipping his head towards the table, where my wine glass sits empty.
“Um…” I blink, because he’s talking to me and there is no anger, no emotion in his eyes.
“Babe,” he calls, and I blink again.
“No.” I clear my throat. “Thank you, but I have to drive mom home later.”
“I can give you a ride,” he offers and I feel my jaw drop open.
“Pardon?” I finally get out when I find my voice.
“If you want to have another glass, I can give you a ride.”
“No, but thank you.” I smile and his eyes drop to my mouth, and that’s when I see anger, only I’m confused by what caused it.
“Rhonda wants to open gifts. You two should come in.” He pushes off the doorjamb then turns, disappearing from sight, leaving me confused by what just happened.
“This should be interesting,” Ben mutters from my side, and I swing my eyes from the door to him.
“What should be interesting?” I ask as a sinking feeling settles in my gut.
“Stick around long enough and I’m sure you’ll find out.” He tilts back his beer, finishing it off, then stands, and without giving me a choice, he pulls me up from the chair I was sitting on and drags me inside to sit on the couch with Austin, where I attempt to watch Rhonda open her gifts. I fail miserably, because Austin is close enough that his scent seeps into my pores and his warmth radiates into my side.
“Your cheeks look a little flushed,” my mom says, tilting her head to look at me as she hands me a piece of cake, then takes a seat next to me.
“It’s hot in here,” I explain, ignoring Austin, who’s still sitting next to me, but now he’s closer because I had to make room for my mom to sit.
“Are you feeling okay?” Austin asks, and I turn my head to look at him, then my lips part as his hand comes up to press against my forehead, causing tingles to shoot through me.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, leaning away from his touch.
“You’re burning up.” He frowns, causing a crease to form between his brows that my fingers itch to smooth out.
“I’m not.” I place a hand on my cheek, feeling heat warm my palm. “Okay, maybe I’m a little warm.”
“You need to leave,” He growls, and tears sting my nose at his harsh tone. I didn’t know I was sick when I came here today, and I sure as hell didn’t come here sick on purpose.
“Come on.” He takes my hand and pulls me up from the couch. I want to kick him in the shin, but I don’t, because there are people watching us. So I allow him to tug me towards the front of the house, jerking from his hold when we reach the front door. “Josie, you can stay if you like, but Lea needs to leave.” Austin tells my mom as she walks out of the kitchen,
Oh, my God, he is such a fricking asshole! I’m sick, but it’s not like I have Ebola! I swear, if there weren’t people around, I would lay him out.
“Do you want me to come with you, honey?”
My mom’s softly spoken question cuts through some of the anger in me, and I shake my head before saying, “No, stay. I know you’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Are you sure?” She asks searching my face like I’m lying, which is almost comical because she is the one with months to live and yet here she is worried about me when all I probably have is a cold.
“Will you be okay here?” I ask ignoring her question.
“I’ll be fine don’t worry about me just get some sleep, I’ll get a ride home with Margret.”
“You’re sure.”
“Get my baby home safe.” She glares at Austin making me cringe.
“See you later.” I lean in then stop myself from kissing her cheek. Her immune system is weak already, and catching whatever I have would do her no good.
“See you in a bit.”
I pull my keys out of my pocket and elbow Austin in the ribs hard, causing him to inhale sharply. “Oh, sorry,” I say like I didn’t do it on purpose, but his eyes narrow, telling me he isn’t buying it. Whatever. I move past him to the front door, swing it open, and then step outside and down the three steps onto the driveway.
“My truck’s over here,” Austin says, grabbing my hand and startling me.
“I’m driving myself.” I frown, wondering what he’s up to. He’s been nice—well, except for making me leave the party. Then again, the more time that passes, the worse I feel. I probably would have realized I was sick if I hadn’t been so caught up in being next to Austin again.
“I’m not letting you drive, babe.” He shakes his head.
“Stop calling me babe.” I clench my fist. He didn’t call me that before, and I’m not sure how I feel about him calling me that now. It feels impersonal, yet every time the word leaves his mouth, my body reacts involuntary.
A smirk lifts the corner of his lips and his hand shoots out, wrapping around my wrist, stopping me from going to my car. “Little Lamb, please stop being difficult and let me take you home.”