True North (6 page)

Did he know his eyes ignited every part of me? He didn’t even have to try.

“
Let’s put a spin on it,” Jules chimed in. “If she needs a break she can tag me.”

Laughter ensued. Jules was not known for holding her liquor.

“
Hey she’s not a pansy-ass!” I defended. “She’s my second. I don’t mind the handicap.”

I saw Nate walk over to the DJ, who looked like he was facilitating the game, and said something to him.

Jake hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since I’d sat down.

The DJ announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, since we’re dealing with little sisters we’ll be toning down the questions a notch.”

I groaned as everyone around us laughed. Meanwhile Jake’s expression never changed.

I leaned back into Jules. “Questions?”

“
It’s a truth or dare game,” she whispered in my ear. “I thought you knew.”

Fuck. Me.

Chapter Five

“
Crash and Burn”

Lifehouse

The DJ put on Earshot’s “Wait,” and Drew came up with a bottle of rum and filled each of our shot glasses.

“
First question goes to the lady,” The DJ announced. I panicked. I didn’t even know the rules! “Name three things that make you go weak at the knees.”

Easy, Jake, Jake and Jake.
“Brown eyes, tattoos and muscular arms.”

The crowd whooped and whistled, and I was sure a small smile came through Jake’s tough exterior. He picked up his shot while penetrating me with my favorite warm, deep brown eyes in the world and tossed his head back before adding his glass to his pyramid. He was in nothing but a t-shirt, and I had never seen the tats that now decorated his arms. I wanted to move closer to examine them and ask him what each meant, but the DJ threw me when he said, “Our champion’s question is … Imagine you have two hours left to live. You get to spend those precious hours with the lady of your dreams. What would you do to her?”

Holy hell!

At this, the crowd went wild. I was sure every girl was swooning. If these were the toned down questions, I wondered what the regular questions were like. I was already feeling all hot and bothered and he hadn’t even answered the question yet.

“
I’d touch her so sensually, so artistically, I’d make her forget any man she ever had before me. I’d slide my lips across her ear and bite the flesh there before I trailed the vein of her neck with hot kisses and nips from my teeth, all while I buried my hands in her long, thick raven hair.” He’d just described my hair. I hoped no one noticed the blood rushing into my face as he continued, “I’d follow that path all the way to her most intimate places and do the same there until she begged me for release, but I wouldn’t give it to her just yet.” As Jake went on with his description, his eyes followed along my body until he reached the table—Mr. X-Ray vision was at a loss. Nope—he just kept his eyes on the table in the exact space that hid me from him and used his imagination. All my nerves fired like it was Chinese New Year.

I picked up my shot and saluted him. I was a mess. I downed the shot, flipped over the empty glass and put it on my loser’s pyramid. My face must have been as red as an apple.

“
Ooooo-kay! Very descriptive. Good show.” The DJ put on Black Keys before announcing, “Now, ladies and gents, we have bets rolling on this next question.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Will our girl give up her truth or forfeit and drink her shot?” The crowd clapped and shouted, and terror shot through me.

“
Describe the undergarments you’re wearing right now.”

The guys in the audience whistled and the girls oohed.

This one was kinda easy. “I’m not.”

Jakes eyes closed, and the corners of his mouth tugged up.

Damn, I was embarrassed and knew my face had gone through all kinds of shades of red, but I was still in the game. Jake took the shot and held his gaze away from mine for a moment. I was hoping he had to recuperate just as much as I did.

“
Jake, it falls back to you. What is your favorite sex toy?”

The crowd shouted excitedly and offered a few ideas of their own, but Jake answered, “Handcuffs.”

Handcuffs!?

Drew filled my glass and I promptly emptied it, thinking about Jake having me in handcuffs, doing everything he’d just described. The combined effect of that hot fantasy and the alcohol made the space between my legs start to sizzle. So much so that I had to rearrange the way I was sitting.

When the crowd calmed it was my turn again.

“
We have a fun situation having two opponents of the opposite sex. So to spice it up, this next dare is that Olivia has to act as if she’s having an orgasm and cry out Jake’s name as she does it.”

The level of rowdy went from five to ten faster than a V8 engine can go from 0 to 60.

I’d seen
When Harry Met Sally
, so I knew what to do.
Thanks, Meg.
But before I had a chance to even start, Jake suddenly stood up and broadcast cruelly and loudly, “Game’s over. It’s past the
little girl’s
bedtime.”

“
Excuse me?” I was practically shaking with humiliation. “I am not a little girl.”

“
Yes you are.” He leaned over the table until we shared the same air, poised himself onto his fists and hissed into my face, “You’ve embarrassed yourself enough for one night. Don’t go any further and make a spectacle of yourself.”

The look of anger on his face and his mocking tone hit me almost physically—my chest ached and I felt like I suddenly couldn’t get enough air. How had he flipped out so easily when he’d been playing along just fine moments ago?

“
What the fuck, Jake?” Jules said from behind me.

“
Yeah what the fuck—you go with her,” he retorted.

“
You’re being a drunk asshole,” she said, defending us.

“
Maybe a drunk realist,” he mumbled. Then he abruptly left the table and made his way around the house.

The DJ attempted to fix the situation by asking who else would like to play, but the awkward moment couldn’t be defused that easily.

I stood up. Almost. Luckily, Jules grabbed my arm to steady my footing. I pulled my legs from underneath the table but, in the effort, hit the tabletop just right so that all the shot glasses came tumbling down, scattering over the table then dropping to shatter on the deck.

Shit!

How could a few little words bring me spiraling from elation into shame and confusion? Wasn’t that display—
his display
—all for me? Did I read every cue wrong?

“
Fuck, Jules, I’m so foolish.” The hot tears were coming.

“
No you’re not, he’s a dick.” She quickly pulled me away from all the staring people, into the house, and closed the door behind us.

“
What was I thinking to try so hard? I put my heart on the line in front of everybody!” I cried. “I shouldn’t have come. I should’ve stayed at school.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, and my not-waterproof mascara stung my eyes. I wiped at them with the back of my hand, but that only made the burning worse.

“
What did I ever see in him?” I sobbed.

That’s when he rounded the corner from where the bathroom was and slammed into me.

He quickly caught my arms in his hands to keep me from hitting the floor. I thrashed out of his grasp. “Don’t do me any favors!” I roared.

“
Olivia …”

“
DON’T SAY MY NAME!” I shouted at him. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY MY NAME!” Son of a bitch sings to me one minute then scolds me the next. “I shouldn’t have come. I just needed to see …” I almost said it, but I wasn’t that drunk. I let my words trail away. “I’m going to bed. I’m sure Jessica is out there waiting to serve you pie,” I sneered as Jules took my arm again and we went to her room. Closing the door, I left my hope and heart behind me.

Chapter Six

“
Cold”

Crossfade

If only I could just pass out! I was in that terrible state of limbo or Neverland in my head. I paced back and forth, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably from the agony that ripped at my heart and over my sense of powerlessness. I knew I was overreacting, but this feeling of helplessness brought me back to how small and insignificant I felt when Dad took to beating on Nate after a week’s drunken bender. Nate would make me lock myself in my room while he took on our father, until Dad would finally pass out. Nate put up with it because he was afraid if he didn’t, Dad would start on me. I loved my brother so much. He never deserved to be treated like that, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to protect him back! Why was it that when pain came, it triggered more pain—like it was inviting friends to a party—and it all came raining down at once like hail, pelting you violently?

“
GIVE ME THE FUCKING KEYS, JAKE!” I heard Caleb’s voice shout from outside my guest bedroom window.

I caught my breath and carefully pulled the curtain aside to peer out.

Caleb was standing between Jake and what I assumed was his motorcycle. “YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, LITTLE BROTHER!” Caleb shouted sternly.

“
THE FUCK I’M NOT!” Jake put himself into a defensive stance as if he might actually punch his brother.

I stopped crying and stood frozen, waiting.

“
DON’T YOU GET IT, CALEB?” Jake yelled back. “I’M AN ASSHOLE!” Jake took a step forward toward Caleb, and Caleb pulled his fists up, ready. But Jake lowered his voice a little leaned in and said, “Didn’t you see what I just did to her?”

“
So, you fucked up! Welcome to the club, man. Get over it!” Caleb retorted.

“
I DON’T BELONG HERE!” Jake raged. I had never seen Jake like this. The look of pain and anger on his face made me want to cry all over again. He looked like he wanted to hurt somebody. Like he wanted to hurt himself. He tried to jerk past Caleb, but Caleb stepped in his path again. That was it, Jake threw a fist across Caleb’s jaw.

I felt my eyes widen in shock—Caleb was the biggest North brother.

Before Caleb could recover, Jake wrestled him to the ground. An instant later I saw a shiny glint of something metallic thrown into the front hedges. The two went at it pretty hard, but not for long, Sam, Josh and Nate got Jake restrained. Everything quickly became so quiet, I couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore. But somehow they must have talked Jake down, because they got him to go back into the house.

It was all too much. I’d seen the North brothers scrap and argue, but never fight. Not like that. The realization of this dark, angry change in Jake was like a dagger to my soul. I wondered if my Jake was still even in there.

Exhausted and confused, I flung myself to the bed and cried myself to sleep.

“
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” Jules’ voice sang as she quickly lifted the blinds to the guest room window.

I threw the blanket over my head. “Really, Jules? Are you trying to kill me?”

“
You were such a badass last night!” she said
really loud.

Oh last night …
“Thanks for bringing that up first thing. I’m going to make my dad put the house up for sale now,” I mumbled from under the blanket.

“
Oh no, you’re not!” She bounced the bed as she sat next to me, sending electric shots of pain through my neurons. “Everybody’s talking about you.”

And that was supposed to be a good thing?
“That’s why we’re selling the house, J.”

“
Liv, you won the game!” she shrilled gleefully, sending shocks of pain through my throbbing head.

“
Please go away or kill me faster.”

“
He forfeited because he didn’t let you answer the next question—it was like truth or dare chicken—you didn’t coward out, and now everybody thinks you’re tough shit!”

“
I was a drunk slut who told
everyone
I wasn’t wearing any underwear.”

“
Are you kidding?! You weren’t a crybaby prude who ran off at the first hint of sexuality. Damn, Liv, you rocked!” she cheered. “You may have just pulled us both out of the abyss of little sisterhood.”

I pulled the blanket down just enough to uncover one eye that I squinted open carefully. “Really?”

Jules nodded animatedly.

I thought about it for a minute, but my brain was too weak yet for gymnastics. “Where is everyone now?” By
everyone
I really meant Jake.

“
Designated drivers got pretty much everyone home after we went to bed. Nate’s crashed out on the couch, and Jake got up early this morning and took off on his bike. He was probably still legally drunk too,” she said, twisting the blanket in her fingers nervously. “It’s only me and Sam here now. Josh and Caleb went to work.”

That was good news. Maybe I could sneak out of here before Jake came back. “I think I need to try and sit up and take a shower.”

“
There are clean towels in your bathroom and some really great body wash and shampoo I picked up at Victoria’s Secret.” She wagged her eyebrows at me. “It’ll make you feel better.”

“
Sounds great. Can it cure me of this hangover?” I chimed sarcastically.

“
I’m sure Sam has some hair-of-the-dog prepared.” She bounced back up, and I cheerfully considered first degree murder as she started out the door.

“
No thanks,” I remarked. I sat up slowly to allow my head to adjust and stretched out my arms.

“
Okay, I’ll see you when you get done.”

“
Hey, Jules, you’re on alert, right?”

“
Of course I am, sugar doll. You’re my hero.”

I laughed in spite of myself and the circumstances.

So now everybody thought the little sisters were cool. Good. Guess I’d done something right, even if Jake didn’t think so. I wasn’t going to let it bother me … Anymore.