Chapter 15

Carissa’s phone buzzed in her pocket, one annoying vibration after another with no reprieve. Which meant Danny was either trying to call her, or he was blowing up her phone with messages. She guessed he was probably doing both—and getting angrier with each unanswered call and text. But what was she supposed to do? He knew she needed to help at the bonfire, and the S’mores table was almost as busy as the drink table. She hadn’t been able to stop for even a second since she arrived.

“How many?” she asked the next person in line.

“Five.” He held up five fingers, then a twenty-dollar bill.

She handed him five pre-made baggies in exchange for the money. “Let me get you some change,” she shouted over all the noise.

He waved his hand. “Nah. Keep it.” With a wink, he walked away.

Carissa shoved the money into the cashbox, then greeted the next customer. And that was how she spent the first two hours of the bonfire—the sales were non-stop. Not that she was complaining. She certainly wasn’t bored, and the money would go to a great cause.

Regardless of how well they were doing, disappointment hung like a cloak around her shoulders. She wanted to be standing around the massive bonfire, watching the flames dance and flicker, chasing the sparks with her gaze, enjoying the music and laughter. Maybe Danny had a valid point that this sorority was taking too much of her time. She shook the thought away as soon as it entered her mind. The benefits of becoming a Theta Omega Pi sister vastly outweighed the minor inconveniences she had to suffer through during pledging.

“Looks like the S’mores are a hit.” Bradley stood in front of her, grinning.

At the game, he’d been in jeans, sneakers, and a team jersey. Now, he still wore the jeans and sneakers, but he’d changed from the jersey to a HFU hoodie. He looked completely relaxed and like he was having fun. Another wave of disappointment crashed over her. If she weren’t stuck selling S’mores, she could be hanging out with him and her other friends.

Bradley leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “Did you lace them with something?” His tone was conspiratorial.

Carissa laughed. “No. Drunk people just happen to like to eat, and well, we’ve got the only food here.”

He waved his finger at her, his grin broadening. “Smart marketing.”

She rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t contain her smile. Something about the way he spoke to her—easygoing yet laced with heat—had her heart fluttering.

She laid her palms flat on the table and leaned forward, too. “Do you want some, or are you just here to harass me?”

He shrugged. “Why can’t I be here for both?”

A thrill shot down her back. Thankfully, the line had died down, and Georgia Rose and Amber were able to help the last few lingering customers while Carissa dealt with Bradley.

“Well, by all means…” She straightened, waved her hand for him to continue, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Let the harassment begin. If you’re really good at it, I might give you a S’mores for free.”

Bradley laughed and shifted on his feet. “It’s hardly harassment when you want it to happen.”

“I never said I wanted it to happen.” She shook her head. “But you’re clearly on a mission, and who am I to stand in your way?”

He held her gaze, his mesmerizing gray eyes holding her captive. She wanted to break whatever connection they had in that moment, to run away and hide, pretend she’d never met him because the emotions bombarding her were confusing and overwhelming, and if she were being honest—terrifying.

“I’ll take two S’mores,” he said after a moment. Digging his wallet from his back pocket, he retrieved a hundred-dollar bill and held it out to her. “You can keep the change. Consider it a donation.”

Her eyes widened. Based on the way he dressed and the car he drove, she’d been able to easily figure out that he was wealthy, but paying a hundred dollars for something that cost less than five bucks?

She blinked and tried to regain her wits. Then, she reached out to take the money. “Thanks.” Her voice gave out slightly, and she cleared her throat.

He nodded and took the two baggies she offered him. “So, you think you can sneak away for a few minutes and go have some of this crack you’ve been peddling all night?”

Carissa’s face heated, and she let out a surprised laugh. “So now it’s crack?”

He gave a lazy one-shoulder shrug, same as he’d done before, but tonight the gesture was much sexier and a hell of a lot more confident.

“Go.” Amber gave Carissa a gentle shove. “We’ve got things covered for a few minutes.”

“Are you sure?” Carissa asked.

Amber smiled. “Yes. Go have some of that sinful goodness, or else I will.” She giggled.

Carissa had no idea if Amber was talking about the S’mores or Bradley, but Carissa didn’t care. She had a few free minutes to wander the bonfire and enjoy the night, and she was going to take full advantage.

“Thanks. I won’t be long.” She waved to Amber and Georgia Rose, then stepped out from behind the table.

Bradley handed her one of the baggies, and they walked in relative silence toward the bonfire. Intense heat blasted her as she got closer, and she was almost positive her makeup had melted and was now streaking down her face. Talk about an inferno.

A large, rectangular table had been set up beneath a nearby tree. Sticks for roasting marshmallows were piled atop the table. Bradley grabbed two and handed her one. Standing far enough away from the flames so she wouldn’t catch on fire, she opened the baggie and speared both marshmallows onto the stick.

“Wow. A double marshmallow kind of girl, huh?” Bradley asked, brow raised in a teasing manner.

“Two marshmallows is the only right way to eat a S’mores.” She inched closer to the fire and lowered her stick toward the flames. “Watch and learn.” She slowly twisted the stick, turning the marshmallows over and over to get an even brown crisp on the outside.

When she was satisfied with the color of the marshmallows, she pulled them from the fire. Using the graham crackers, she carefully slid a marshmallow onto each cracker, placed the chocolate in the center, and then made a perfectly toasted S’mores.

“See?” She held up her creation proudly. Then she took a large bite. The marshmallow oozed out the sides and clung to her fingers. Another glob fell out the opposite end and landed on her TOP shirt.

Bradley didn’t laugh at her like she’d expected. Instead, he moved closer, swiped the marshmallow from her shirt, and then put his finger in his mouth. “Mmm,” he hummed, the sound more sinful than the dessert she was currently shoveling into her mouth.

“Good, right?” she asked, desperately needing to distract herself from the way his lips had closed around his fingertip, and the way his long, dark lashes had fluttered with pleasure, and the way his throaty hum had caused her to shiver.

“The best,” he said, his gaze dropping to her mouth.

She swallowed hard, her heart thundering. Would he kiss her, right here and now in front of all these people? She wanted him to, which was a terrible thought, especially when she was supposed to be here with Danny.

Shit. Danny. She’d totally forgotten he’d been calling and texting. If she didn’t respond soon, he’d only get angrier, and she did not want to have yet another argument with him. She’d already had one earlier that left her in tears and caused him to storm off to God knew where.

“Uh, I…” She licked the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. “I should probably get back to the table.”

“You’ve only been gone five minutes,” he said, head tilted.

“I know, but I made a commitment to help, and I don’t want them to think I don’t follow through.” She wiped her fingers on her jeans. “I’m still just a pledge, you know, and everything I do…”

“Right. Of course.” Bradley took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and took a few steps backward. “And thanks for the S’mores.”

He gave a small nod, and then she turned and walked away, grateful the place was so busy that she could get lost in the crowd. Not looking back at him was next to impossible, but she forced herself to keep moving forward. Her heart pounded a little harder with each step.

What happened just now? He’d absolutely been thinking about kissing her. She’d seen the desire in his eyes, felt it in the space between them, but less than a week ago, he’d rejected her, told her he wouldn’t kiss her while she was in a relationship. So, what had changed? Why was he suddenly willing to cross that line?

Shaking her head, she veered off toward the portable toilets. Not that she had any intention of using those disgusting things, but portable sinks had been set up nearby, and she needed to splash some cool water on her face.

Her phone buzzed again. Moving out of the way, she stood off to the side and yanked her phone from her pocket. She swiped her thumb across the screen to accept Danny’s call.

“Hey, I—”

“Where are you?” he demanded.

“At the bonfire,” she said, confused. “Where are you?”

“Standing at the S’mores table. Y’know, the place you told me you had to be.” His tone was venomous.

Carissa sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I legit just walked away to use the bathroom,” she lied.

“Don’t move. I’m coming to you.” And then Danny disconnected the call without another word.

Great. He was obviously in a bad mood. Carissa remained near the toilets, and a moment later, Danny approached. His face wasn’t red, and his body seemed relaxed. Maybe he wasn’t as mad as she thought.

“Hi,” she said with a big smile.

“Hey, babe.” He grabbed her in a bear hug and spun her around.

She clutched his biceps and laughed with shock. Well, that wasn’t the greeting she’d expected, but this Danny was the guy she loved, the one she could see having a future with. Being with this Danny was easy and fun.

When he set her on her feet and lowered his mouth to hers, the stench of alcohol and cheap liquor hit her. She shoved him away. “Are you drunk?” she asked.

He laughed. “Look around, Carissa. Everyone here is drunk.” He reached for her again, but she moved before he could touch her.

“Yeah, and everyone here has been here drinking. Where have you been?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

The night she’d lost the baby, the same night he’d cheated on her, he’d been drinking, too. That was his excuse for doing what he’d done—he’d been drunk and hadn’t really known what he was doing, but she was supposed to give him credit and forgive him because he’d stopped things before they’d gone too far.

“With some guys from the basketball team.” Danny shrugged. “We were celebrating winning homecoming.”

She gritted her teeth. “Let me guess, the cheerleaders were there, too?”

The girl Danny had cheated with—Lily—was a cheerleader, and Lily was constantly hanging out with the athletes. Seeing a basketball player on campus without Lily close by was a rarity.

“So what? Nothing happened. I swear.” He once again reached for her, and this time, she didn’t stop him. He tugged her closer. “You’re the only woman I want.” He nuzzled her neck, his breath hot and sticky.

She scrunched up her face, her stomach twisting. Carissa gently pushed him away again. “Danny, stop. This isn’t the time or place. Besides, we need to talk about what happened at the game.”

“You mean that stupid fight we had?” He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” she said incredulously. “You told me if I kept pledging TOP, you’d break up with me. That may not be a big deal to you, but it is to me.” She pointed at her chest, her finger shaking with anger. Tears burned the back of her throat, and she swallowed against them.

“It’s only a big deal if you choose them over me,” he said, his words slurred. He swayed on his feet but steadied himself.

“I shouldn’t have to choose,” she said and blinked away the tears pooling in her eyes. “If you loved me like you say you do, you wouldn’t want to make me choose.” Her bottom lip trembled, and she drew in a shaky breath. “You should trust me, Danny. I’m not the one who cheated, remember?”

He scowled. “When the hell are you going to let that go?” His face turned an angry shade of red, and he clenched his jaw. “Or do you get off on throwing it my face every chance you get?”

“I’m not doing this with you again.” She gave a hard shake of her head and attempted to go around him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. His hold was tight, and no matter how hard she tried to get out of his grip, she couldn’t, so she stopped struggling.

“What? Now that you’re in some stupid sorority, you think you’re better than me?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Of course not,” she said as calmly as possible.

“Bullshit.” He released her with a shove, and she stumbled back a step. “Spoiled rotten little princess is too good for someone like me. Is that it?”

“Go home, Danny. You’re drunk.” She rubbed her arm where he’d been holding her. She was more than likely going to have a bruise.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” he shouted, garnering looks from everyone around them.

Carissa wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, but she straightened her shoulders and jutted her chin. She was tired of him yelling at her and pushing her around.

“I’m not. But if you still want me to spend the night, you need to calm down and sober up,” she said.

At that, Danny’s posture softened, and he dragged a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry,” he said with an apologetic frown. “I just hate that we don’t see each other much anymore. I mean, you’re the center of my life, Carissa, and sometimes you make me feel like I’m second to everyone else in yours.”

As badly as she wanted to tell him that wasn’t true, the words wouldn’t form. While he wasn’t second to everyone, he also wasn’t her top priority. Not anymore, anyway. But she could never tell him that. He wouldn’t understand, and despite everything, she didn’t want to be mean and hurt his feelings.

Carissa glanced around, noticing for the first time that people were leaving in droves. The fire was now nothing more than a pile of smoldering ash. The tables set up to serve drinks and snacks were gone. How long had she been standing here arguing with Danny? She massaged her aching temples.

“That’s what I thought.” Danny huffed. “When you get your priorities straight, call me.” And then he stormed off, leaving her there alone.