Young Love (Bloomfield #4) by Janelle Stalder Read Free Book Online Page B

a tight hug.
    I really needed to learn to say no to people.
     
    ***
     
    The bar was crammed. Cat and I pushed our way through the sea of bodies, her hand gripping mine so we wouldn’t lose each other.
    “I think I see Kelly,” she yelled at me over her shoulder. I just nodded. Talking was pointless in this place. We made our way toward the back wall where a few pool tables were set up.
    I didn’t know Kelly very well, but I’d seen her a couple of times on campus with Cat, because they had a few classes together. She seemed like a nice enough girl. As soon as her eyes found us, she broke out into a wide smile, waving her hand high over her head at us.
    “Hey, girlies,” she said as we finally reached her. She hugged Cat quickly before doing the same to me. “I’m so glad you could make it,” she yelled.
    Why would anyone want to come to a place where you had to yell just to be heard? I decided just to smile.
    “Honor took some convincing,” Cat said. “But my persuasive ways won out.”
    “I bet,” Kelly said with a laugh. I gave her a knowing grin. “Do you girls want a drink? I’ll get the big guy to grab us some.”
    “Absolutely,” Cat said. “I’ll have a martini.”
    “I’ll just have a Coke,” I said.
    They both shook their heads at me.
    “I have to work in the morning,” I defended.
    Cat pursed her lips at me.
    “What? You should be happy I’m here.”
    She rolled her eyes, turning away from me. Kelly just laughed.
    “Okay, a martini and a Coke, coming up. Now I just have to find my boyfriend.” She went up on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd. I followed her look, having no idea who her boyfriend was.
    Then he walked away from a couple of guys, heading our way.
    Grey.
    He stood out, even in a crowd of this size. He was just so much bigger than everyone else. And mean looking.
    If college guys were a pack of horny dogs, Grey was a wolf. An alpha that made every other guy seem small and insignificant next to him.
    “There he is,” I heard Kelly say. “Babe! Come over here.”
    Grey’s head turned in the direction of her voice. A strange feeling of disappointment slithered through the pit of my stomach. The ‘big guy’ comment suddenly made a lot of sense.
    His eyes trailed over to me, locking in. We stayed that way the entire time he approached. Even if I had wanted to look away, I doubt I could have. Grey was Kelly’s boyfriend. Why did that irk me so much?
    Because you two kissed, and it was the best kiss you’ve ever had , my traitorous mind helpfully pointed out.
    It was just a kiss. What was the big deal? So what if it made my entire body feel more than any other guy I’d been with.
    He finally reached us, and I had to swallow the distaste in my mouth as Kelly wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing those lips I’d just been thinking about.
    Finally I looked away, resolved to not get upset over this. I knew I should have stayed home instead. Why didn’t I ever listen to my gut?
    I heard Kelly giving him our order, and suddenly I thought, maybe Coke wasn’t strong enough after all. If I was going to get through this night, I might need more than sugar and caffeine.

Chapter 8
     
    Grey
     
    Kelly was speaking to me, and I was half aware of Cat also saying something to me, but all I could do was look over at Honor. I was trying my best not to be obvious about it, especially since my girlfriend was currently snuggled up to my side.
    Why did I have such a hard time around this girl?
    She was the last person I had expected to see standing with Kelly when I’d walked over. Even dressed down compared to the other girls here, Honor stood out. Maybe that was because you could tell she hadn’t spent hours trying to look sexy. That in itself made her more appealing. She didn’t need all the fancy clothes and make-up to look sexy, she had a natural beauty that caught your eye.
    Caught a lot of eyes, actually. I stood against the wall, nursing my beer, as Kelly and Cat talked