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“Charlotte—”
I stretched onto my toes and pressed my mouth against his.
His entire body melted against mine as his arms wrapped around me. All of his attention was focused on me now. He walked me backwards and pushed me against the nearby wall. I ran my fingers down his back, feeling the tiny droplets of sweat along his spine.
“Your hands are the only hands I want on me,” I said into his ear. “Nobody else is going to touch me.”
“Good, because you’re the only one I want to touch.” He kissed my neck, causing me to exhale and grip him tighter.
A large hand appeared on Tanner’s shoulder. Chase was standing beside him. Well, technically, he was swaying beside him. I looked around for Merritt and spotted her on the dance floor with her friends.
“Baby brother.” Chase’s eyes were glassy. “Always the ladies man.”
“Fuck off, dick-hole.” Tanner shook free of his brother’s grip.
Chase only laughed. His eyes had the same sparkle as Tanner’s when he smiled, though they were a stunning hazel color.
“Who’s driving your drunk ass home?”
“I came with Merritt,” he slurred. “The love of my life.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Here we go.”
“One day, you’ll understand.” Chase’s eyelids closed. “You’re going to fall in love, and you’re going to understand everything.” He reached out and ruffled Tanner’s hair before he stumbled away.
I bit my lip in a failed attempt to conceal my laughter.
Tanner shook his head. “Drunk bastard.”
“He’s totally in love with Merritt. I think it’s cute.”
“Where is she, anyway? She needs to make sure he gets home safely.” Tanner glanced around the room, and his smile diminished. “Fuck.”
I spun around to see Shawn now attempting to dance with Merritt. He gripped her arm, and judging by the look on her face, he was hurting her. Chase was too drunk to notice.
I held onto Tanner’s arm. “Tanner, you can get her away from Shawn without hurting him.”
“But I want to hurt him,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Promise me you won’t hurt him!” I shouted as he barreled through the crowd.
He looked back at me, and his eyes were already far-away. “I promise I’ll try.”
I searched for Mallory, but she was already coming for me. She grabbed my elbow with Derek in tow. “You know Tanner’s going to kill him. Come on.”
We followed Tanner as he pushed through the people on the dance floor, tossing them aside like ragdolls. When he reached Shawn, he gripped two handfuls of Shawn’s shirt in his fists.
“She doesn’t want to dance, bro,” he shouted over the music as he glared down at Shawn.
Shawn raised his hands to surrender, and I let out the breath I’d been holding. All Tanner had to do was let him go, and then walk away.
“It’s okay, Tanner,” Merritt said, trying to calm him down.
Tanner’s grip on Shawn’s shirt loosened. Then, Shawn leaned in and said something in his ear. In the blink of an eye, Tanner’s huge fist smashed into Shawn’s face. Blood spewed out of his nose and splattered everywhere. Shawn fell to the ground. Everyone circled around them, chanting for a fight. People pushed against me, and Mallory’s hand was slipping out of mine. I squeezed it tighter. There were too many people in here, and we needed to get out.
I lost sight of Tanner. While I was focused on finding him, someone shoved me from behind. Fights were breaking out around us. Drunken frat boys with beer muscles and a mob mentality. I lurched forward and stumbled into someone else. Before I could apologize, the guy I’d knocked into turned around and blindly swung his fist at me.
The last thing I heard was Mallory’s scream.
