Without You (12 page)

He winked and turned to Grace. “So, is Mike here?”

Grace’s smile faded for a quick second. “Um…yeah, he is somewhere.”

I looked around and saw him over on the rope swing with his hands all over that bitch, Claire.

Ugh. What a slut.

“Grace, why do you even bother with him? He’s such an ass. He flirts with everyone and treats you like—”

“Alex, please, not again.” Grace looked at me with pleading eyes.

I knew she didn’t want Will to know how Mike had been treating her.

“Treats you like what? Has that jerk ever laid his hands on you, Grace? I’ll kick his damn ass.”

Grace laughed. “No, Will. He has never touched me. Alex and Libby just don’t like Mike, that’s all.”

Grace looked around. She must have found the bastard because when she turned back around, I swore I saw her eyes filling with tears.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, playing horseshoes, potato-sack races, and tug of war. You named it, and we did it. I was exhausted by the time the sun went down. I looked over and saw Lauren leaning against a tree. She was talking to some guy I’d never seen before. Colt was standing nearby, and I noticed he kept looking over.

I nudged Will. “You need to go tell Colt that he’d better make his move if he’s interested in Lauren. I have no clue who the new guy is.”

Will looked up and nodded. “That’s Claire’s cousin, Brax. He just moved here from Montana or something like that.”

“Huh. Well, Brax sure seems to have his eyes on Lauren.”

“Yeah, he does.” Will leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

He got up and walked over to Colt. He leaned in and said something to him. Colt nodded and pushed off the tree, and then they started making their way over to Lauren and Brax.

“Oh shit,” I whispered.

Libby sat down across from me and asked, “Oh shit what?”

I didn’t look at her as I kept watching Will and Colt. “Colt…I think he likes Lauren. The new guy, Brax, is giving Lauren a lot of one-on-one attention. I told Will to tell Colt that he’d better make his move now if he was interested before this Brax guy gets too much into her head.”

“Oh shit. They’re walking over there, Alex!”

I looked at Libby. “I know, Lib! That’s why I said, oh shit. The overprotective big-brother syndrome is playing out before our eyes.”

“What’s going on?”

Libby closed her eyes at the sound of Luke’s voice. I turned and looked up at Luke staring down at Libby and me.

I smiled at my handsome cousin. “Oh, um…nothing. I think Colt likes Lauren, and some new guy named Brax has been talking to her. Will and Colt are walking up to them. You know how y’all get with each of us, all protective and stuff.”

Luke smiled weakly and then looked over at Lauren. “Yeah, Colt likes Lauren.”

Libby snapped her head to look up at Luke.

Speaking at the same time, we both said, “He does?”

Luke took a drink of his beer and sat down next to me. He was sitting directly across from Libby and staring right at her. “Yep. He got drunk and told us how much he liked her.”

Libby looked away, but Luke kept staring at her.

Libby was watching what was happening with Colt and Lauren as she said, “Why doesn’t he just tell her he likes her instead of playing games?”

Somehow, I didn’t think Libby was talking about Colt and Lauren anymore.

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s afraid.”

Libby turned her head and looked at Luke. “Of what?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. Maybe he’s never felt the way he feels when Lauren’s around him. Maybe it freaks him out.”

Libby just stared at him before she smiled slightly. “Maybe he should stop being such a pussy about it then. Seems to me that Lauren isn’t going to wait around for him, is she?”

I saw the muscles in Luke’s neck tighten, and I knew neither one of them were talking about Colt and Lauren.

“Colt, knock it off!” Lauren shouted.

I looked back at Lauren, and Colt had Brax pushed up against a tree while Will was trying to get him to stop.

“Great,” I said. I jumped up and walked over there. “Colt Mathews, stop it right now.”

Colt looked at me and then gave Brax a good push that caused him to stumble.

Lauren ran over to Brax. “Are you okay?” She looked at Colt with a confused look. “What is wrong with you?”

Just by looking at Colt, I could tell he’d had too much to drink. “Colt, why don’t you go lie down in the back of your truck for a bit?” I tried to pull him away.

Colt laughed. “If you want another guy to treat you like a whore again, then by all means, Lauren, have at it.”

Lauren’s mouth dropped open.

Will and I said, “Colt!”

“You want to be treated like that again?” Colt asked.

Will grabbed Colt and began pulling him away. “You’re just making it worse, you ass. You want to push her to him?”

Colt shook his head. “No.”

“Then, shut the fuck up.”

Lauren was looking at Colt and Will with a confused look. “What is going on?” she asked as she walked up to Colt. “Why are you so angry?”

Colt wouldn’t look at her.

Lauren frowned. “Colt, please talk to me. We’re friends.”

He turned and grabbed Lauren by the shoulders. “That’s just it, Lauren. I don’t want to be friends with you. I want more.”

Lauren sucked in a breath of air. “What?”

“I want more, Lauren. Why can’t you see that?” Colt let go of Lauren. He pushed his hands through his hair and let out a groan before turning and walking toward his truck.

Lauren just stood there and watched him walk away. Why she didn’t go after him I had no clue.

She slowly turned and looked at us and then Brax. “Um…Brax, do you want to head down to the fire?”

“What? Lauren, Colt just—”

Lauren looked at me and smiled. “I know, Alex. Thanks. I’ll take care of it later.”

My mouth dropped open as I looked at Will, and he shrugged his shoulders. I turned and watched as Lauren walked away with Brax.

Libby threw her hands on her hips and said, “Where is she going? She’s going with Brax? What about what Colt just told her?”

“I have no clue,” Lex said as she looked over to me.

Luke let out a gruff laugh. “Stupid bastard shouldn’t have told her how he feels. Look at him now—alone and drunk in the back of his truck.”

Libby spun around and glared at him. “What do you think he should be doing, Luke? Maybe sneaking off with someone and fucking her?”

The left corner of Luke’s mouth raised in a smile. “Maybe. That’s what I’d do.”

Libby swallowed hard and slowly shook her head. “Well, you’re in luck, Luke. With the way Claire is walking around with nothing on, you might just find yourself getting lucky tonight.” Libby looked at me and Will as she squared her shoulders off. “Excuse me, y’all. Jason wanted a dance earlier. I think I’ll go find him.”

Libby started walking away.

Luke grabbed her arm. “Libby, wait. Don’t…”

Libby bit down on her lower lip as she looked at Luke. “Don’t what?”

Luke looked like he was struggling with something before he smirked. “Don’t be sneaking off to fuck Jason.”

Right as I was about to grab Luke and knock the hell out of him for saying that, Libby reached back and punched Luke in the jaw.

Lex let out a small scream as Luke shook his head and looked back at Libby.

Libby quickly wiped a tear away as she said, “You’re right, Luke. There never was an us, and there never will be.”

She turned and walked away as Luke stood there, speechless.

I stepped in front of him. “You ever talk to my sister like that again, and you’re gonna regret it.”

Luke nodded his head and downed the rest of his beer. “I’m sorry, Will. I’ll apologize to her.”

I put my hand on Luke’s chest. “No. You’re gonna leave her alone. Stay away from her, Luke.”

Luke nodded his head and barely said, “Right.”

My heart was racing a mile a minute as I tried to keep my anger down. I hated that he had just said that to my sister, but Libby had handled it. I was pretty sure her hit was far more impactful than mine would have been. I stepped to the side and let Luke walk by. I let out a sigh as Lex wrapped her arms around me.

“Will, what’s happening? It feels like everything is starting to fall apart.”

I placed my finger on her chin and lifted her eyes to mine. “As long as we don’t fall apart, I don’t care. Come on, baby. I have something to show you.”

She smiled that beautiful smile as I began walking her back to my truck.

“Are we leaving?” Lex looked over her shoulder at everyone dancing on the makeshift dance area.

I stopped and looked down at Lex. “Do you want to stay?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind a dance or two.”

I smiled and began leading her over. I pulled her into my arms and gently kissed her lips as “Still Fallin’” by Hunter Hayes began playing. I brought her in closer to me and held her as we danced.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and looked into my eyes. “I love you, Will.”

My heart slammed against my chest as I looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “I love you, too, Lex, more than you will ever know.”

Lex buried her face in my chest as we finished out the song. I looked over and saw Libby dancing with Jason. I quickly looked around, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Luke. He was away from everyone, and he was holding Claire up against a tree as she had her legs wrapped around him. They were going to town, making out. I looked back toward my sister, and she was talking to Jason. I hated what was happening with everyone. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer that Libby wouldn’t look over there.

“What do you think happened between Lib and Luke?” I asked Lex.

She pulled back, and her eyes filled with sadness. “I think two friends fell in love with each other, and one of them is terrified of his feelings.”

Lex looked around and must have seen Luke. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Lex, I want to make love to you so damn bad. Please, can we leave?”

She looked at me and smiled. “Where are we going?”

I grinned and said, “It’s a surprise.”

“Let’s go,” she whispered. She turned and began walking away.

I glanced over toward Libby. She was staring at Luke and Claire.

Shit.

She turned and said something to Jason, and they began walking to his truck.

What in the hell does she think she’s doing?

I followed Lex to my truck, but I never took my eyes off my sister. Libby leaned against Jason’s truck, and he began kissing her.

That motherfucker.

His hands started moving all over her body.

“Lex, hold on.”

Lex turned and glanced over to where I was looking. “Will, no. She is a grown woman, and you can’t keep interfering in what she is doing.”

I looked back at Lex. “He’s got his paws all over my sister.”

Lex put her hands on her hips. “Will, let her be. She knows what she is doing and what she wants. Y’all don’t have to keep jumping in every time. It’s no wonder no one asks Taylor and Lauren out. Other boys are scared to death of you, Luke, and Colt.”

I smiled. “Good. They should be.” I turned back to see my sister was making out with Jason. My fists balled up, and I let out a sigh. “Lex, she’s only doing it because she saw Luke. She doesn’t want this.”

I started to walk over there.

Lex grabbed my arm. “William Hayes, stop right now.”

I turned back to see where Luke was. He was staring at Libby and Jason as he downed a beer. Things were not going to turn out good.

“Lex, I think we should take Luke home.”

Lex stepped in front of me and followed my eyes to where I was looking. “Oh shit. Will, go get him before he goes after Jason.”

I quickly began walking toward Luke. I looked over toward my sister, who was still kissing Jason. I stepped in front of Luke and smiled. “Dude, I think you’ve been drinking way too much. You don’t want to stay here, so let me drive your truck home, and Lex will follow me.”

Luke never took his eyes off Libby. “Claire wanted me to fuck her. I couldn’t do it, Will. I have no desire to be with her—none.”

I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Good. Dude, you don’t need to be with someone like Claire. She’s slept with half the guys in my class. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Luke looked me in the eyes, and I couldn’t believe how sad he looked.

“Yeah. This party sucks.”

He started walking over to his truck, which unfortunately was parked next to Jason’s. As he got closer, I began walking in between Luke and Jason and Libby.

Right before Luke got into his truck, he turned and looked at Libby and Jason. They were now just talking.

“Have fun tonight, Libby,” Luke called out before he got in and slammed the hell out of his truck door.

I turned and looked at Libby and then Jason. As much as I wanted to go over there and threaten that bastard, I followed Lex’s advice. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Lib.”

Libby just stared at me. She stepped away from Jason, said something to him, and began walking over to where Grace and Lauren were sitting.