Page 76 of Heartless Devil

“Stop, it’s not a big deal. The guy offered,” she says, wrapping her arms around me. “I’ll call you first thing in the morning,” she says.

“So, you’ll call me around two tomorrow afternoon?” I joke.

She shrugs, climbing back into Jax’s lap. “Depends on how the night goes.” She laughs.

Mason gets up from the couch, grabbing my hand.

“Thanks for the ride,” I tell him as he drags me outside.

“Oh, no problem. Sometimes I need a break from the whole party scene,” he admits, surprising me.

“Yeah, me too,” I find myself saying.

He opens his car door for me, and I watch him walk around to the other side.

“Are you really sick?” he asks when he climbs inside.

His question catches me off guard.

“I’m not feeling well,” I tell him.

“I didn’t know if this was one of those cop outs so you could go home instead of hanging out with a crowd of strangers. I’ve used that line many times myself,” he says, pulling out of the driveway.

I don’t respond. I don’t know him at all and I’m not going to admit to him that I just bailed on my friend.

“Where are you from?” I ask.

“I go to Drake University,” he says, referring to the college two towns over.

“What are ya’ll doing at a party down here?” I ask.

“Some girl that Jax knows invited us.” He shrugs.

“Ahh, so Jax is a player?” I ask.

“Umm. I wouldn’t say that.” He fumbles over his words.

“Don’t worry, Cam is a player too,” I say, laughing.

He looks relieved.

“Would it be too forward to ask for your number?” he asks, glancing in my direction.

I let my eyes wander over him. He seems like a really nice guy. He’s obviously attractive. I’d be crazy not to give him my number, but all I can think about is Cole. Cole and what’s in store for me once graduation comes. If I were any other person, in any other life, I’d be handing it out willingly.

“Sorry,” I say.

“I get it. I figured you’d say that. I would have kicked myself if I didn’t take the opportunity though,” he says, taking the rejection in his stride.

I give him directions to my house, and he takes a left turn, pulling into the driveway.

Once he’s parked, I turn to face him in the car.

He leans closer to me in the car, his hand brushing some hair from my face. I allow myself a couple of seconds, wondering what it might be like to fall for a normal guy, before pulling away.

“Thanks for the ride,” I tell him, grabbing my purse and getting out of the car.

I walk up to the porch, turning around to wave goodbye before unlocking the door.