Everett Holden had sworn to live the rest of his life a single man, but his plans are disrupted when he finds himself sharing an apartment with his best friend's ex - the one woman he detests with every fiber of his being yet simultaneously desires...
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EVERETT HAS LOST his damn mind. That's my only explanation for why he's accompanying me to this party. A party I didn't even want to go to. I was about to bail until I saw the closet full of luxury clothes he purchased for me, and since the only way to get to Everett is when I seem to put myself in danger, I dressed like this mainly out of defiance, but my plan didn't necessarily work. I didn't expect him to come with me.
And how the hell did he even know my clothing sizes, anyway? The thought of him sneaking into my room to check tags bothers the hell out of me. I'm not a size two. Ordering sizes in a sixteen certainly isn't what he's used to.
Lana's boyfriend is part of a fraternity a few blocks from campus. It's not hard to figure out which house it is from all the plastic cups littered across the lawn and groups of people laundering about.
Music echoes into Everett's fancy car from the large white house beside us, and just for a second, I start to panic. What if the cops get called? I'll lose everything I've ever worked for. It'll be gone in an instant.
Everett's brow quirks up, a smile tugging on his lips. "Changed your mind?" he asks.
It pisses me off that he doesn't even have to try and be sexy. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up, but the way his lips are glistening from his tongue wetting them seconds ago makes me grow weak in the knees. Those damn piercings of his that make him look like the ultimate bad boy. The ones that match his attitude perfectly.
No way in hell will I let him be right about this. I intend to push his buttons tonight, so I fling the door open and stride toward the house without looking behind me.
Even though I can't see him, I can feel his presence. It'd be impossible not to feel it at this point.
The inside of the house is crowded, and I can hardly hear the music from the boisterous laughter of drunk people. A game of beer pong is happening in the living room, and another girl is crying in the corner, sobbing into her phone about her boyfriend hooking up with someone else.
I squeeze my way between another group of guys, but Everett grasps my wrist before I can disappear from him. Normally, I'd accept the gesture. I've always disliked big crowds. It's mainly been just me for most of my life, so I can get extremely overwhelmed in situations like these. But tonight is about pissing him off, so I yank my wrist free and make a beeline for the kitchen, where countless bottles of liquor line the countertop.
"Emery!" Sam wraps me into his arms to hug me, laughing uncontrollably. He's already been drinking. "I can't believe you're here. Is this a mirage? You came!"
I roll my eyes and point a finger to a cup. "Make me something to drink," I tell him. "I'm planning on getting very intoxicated tonight." I make sure to shout it, ensuring Everett will hear, and as soon as Sam picks up a plastic cup, Everett snatches it from his hands and grabs a bottle of vodka, pouring the liquid into it before passing it my way.
