Free Deep Blue (Blue Series) by Jules Barnard

I can even hop on one foot and attempt recovery, I’m knocked to the side by a bony hip as the wielder of the heel, wearing a cellophaned-on dress, latches on to Jaeger.
    “We’re taking shots. Join us,” says the girl with … crap, I’m not even sure what color her hair is. It’s sort of striped—brown? blond?—it’s nearly impossible to tell. She yanks Jaeger away.
    Jaeger hesitantly follows, glancing back without making eye contact.
    I sip my beer, fighting the urge to throw my cup at her head. She’s all over him, and I hate it.
    I hate it that I hate it.
    Breanna and I talk for at least an hour, and I’m so proud of myself. I don’t look for Jaeger once. This is a massive accomplishment, because I’m obsessively glancing every few minutes at my iPhone to keep my subconscious occupied. However, in my colossal effort to keep from looking for Jaeger, I’ve lost Gen.
    I remove my visual blinders in order to make sure my best friend hasn’t been roofied. I spot her a few feet away in a corner, loomed over by a medium-sized guy with a lightweight black jacket and hair product sculpted for the bedhead look. Gen in platforms is over six feet tall, so she must seriously be leaning away from him for her to be hidden by this guy.
    The place is crowded. I try to determine the most efficient way to reach her when I spot Mason. He’s facing my direction and I wave for his attention. Amazingly, in all this chaos, he sees me and smiles. I gesture to Gen with a distressed look on my face.
    Mason glances over and frowns. He immediately navigates his way through the crowd, slapping a large palm on the guy’s back. He pulls Gen out of the corner to his side. Casual words are exchanged between Mason and the unnamed male, then Gen and Mason walk off.
    I catch Mason’s eye and give him a thumbs up. He nods in recognition, but instead of bringing her over, he walks across the room and up a flight of stairs. Gen doesn’t seem distressed. She’s grinning, so I assume this is okay with her.
    Several more minutes pass as I listen to Breanna complain about Adam’s flirting with other women before I decide it’s time to check on Gen. “Breanna, watch my cup?” I hand her the beer I’ve barely touched. “I want to find out where Gen went.”
    “Yeah, no problem.” She looks around, confused. “I didn’t see her leave.”
    “I think she’s with Mason, but I want to make sure.”
    Breanna’s mouth twists. “And interrupt? If she’s with Mason, they might be …”
    Gen is the last person to have sex with a guy at a party. I’m 100 percent certain I won’t interrupt anything like that, but there’s a wide range in between. I hate to ruin Mason’s moves, but I’m not in the mood to trust anyone right now.
    “I’ll cover my eyes before I walk through any doors.”
    Breanna laughs. As we part, she turns to say something to Adam a couple of feet away, but he’s talking to a different girl this time. Breanna spins in the opposite direction and slams back her drink.
    I do not see that relationship lasting. And I wouldn’t blame Breanna if she were the one to end it.
    I round a corner at the top of the stairs and a hand reaches out and pulls me inside one of the bedrooms. “ Gahhh! ”
    “It’s me,” Jaeger chuckles in my ear.
    Nice. He thinks this is funny. He almost stopped my heart with that maneuver.
    “ What are you doing?” I punch him in the stomach, which only bruises my knuckles.
    He looks down and shrugs it off, as if I patted him on the belly like a good boy. He guides me into the room by the shoulders. It’s small—a second bedroom that seems to serve as an office, with a couch against the wall.
    Before I know what’s happening, Jaeger plasters me to his chest and falls backward onto the couch.
    I’m sprawled on top of him, legs sliding off his waist in an inelegant partial straddle. He lies there with a goofy grin on his face, his arms loosely draped over my back.
    I could get up if I wanted to,