Free Destroy Me (Crystal Gulf Book 1) by Shana Vanterpool Page B

feet. Trip again. A leggy redhead walking with her friends stops to steady me. I want her ass, but this is where it gets strange. She doesn’t smile when she looks into my eyes like every other girl before her. She doesn’t bite her lip and touch her hair. She actually looks sad. Is she sad for me or sad for herself? I’m fucking great. What does she know? What does anyone know?
    I don’t know for sure when I get home. I just know I’m there when I fall into my bed and everything fades to black.
     
     

     
     
    “Arg,” I groan in the morning. Rolling over is way too hard.
    “We really need to stop meeting like this,” I flirt, patting the toilet bowl a few minutes later. My stomach rolls and my sides scream in pain, effectively dismantling me. I sag against the toilet and take deep measured breaths, staring at the upturned bathroom rug like it’s got answers I wasn’t aware I wanted until Dylan left.
    As I crawl from the bathroom to the living room I pause in front of his room. I miss his square ass. “Get your shit together, Bach,” I pretend he says. I give him the finger and lift my body onto the couch.
    Just as I’m reaching for the remote someone pounds on the door. “Come in!” I call, since it’d probably take me a week to crawl over and open it.
    Jona and Justine come in. Jona doesn’t say anything, he just sits in the gaming chair with his bag of food. Justine pauses when our eyes meet and frowns. I don’t like that frown.
    “What?” I bark.
    “Nothing, Bach.” She sits on the edge of the couch and touches my face with her hand, rubbing her palm against my cheek. “You look so bad right now. What’d you do last night?”
    I knock her hand away. “That for me?” I eye the fast food bag in her hands.
    “Here.” She bitchily shoves it at my face. Then she slides down to sit on the floor instead of sitting next to me. “Dick.”
    I am a dick. She already knows that.
    I peel back the paper on my burger and take a huge bite, moaning in pleasure at the taste. I don’t normally eat like this. This shit won’t give me abs, but I don’t care right now. I don’t think I ate at all yesterday. As Jona flips through the channels and Justine stews, I down my meal. The burger and fries hit my stomach like bricks, giving it something to hold on to.
    I reach over Justine’s shoulder and grab some of her fries. “Forgive me,” I whisper, kissing her cheek. Then her neck. Her jaw. She gives in like I knew she would. “Thanks for bringing me lunch.”
    She turns her head to kiss me. The salt from my fingers smears on her face when I hold her. When she pulls back she smiles. “Guess what?”
    “You’re pregnant?”
    Jona guffaws, spitting burger all over my living room. “Could you imagine her being a mom?”
    Hurt fills Justine’s eyes. “Never mind,” she says, turning forward.
    “Jona? Apologize.”
    “What?” He looks at me weird. “Why should I?”
    “Because if you don’t I’m going to kick your ass. Tell Justine you’re sorry. Tell her it’s not her fault you’re mom dropped you on your head when you missed her tit. Now.”
    Jona shakes his head like I’ve lost it. I probably have. “Sorry, Jus.”
    She glares at him, sexy brown eyes burning.
    “What were you going to say?” I then ask her.
    “I’m going to sing tonight at Flutes. I thought you might want to come and watch me. You know, after our conversation the other day.”
    Was that the other day? It feels like ten years ago. Justine’s just a girl I hook up with. She knows it. Yet I feel guilty even considering telling her no for some reason. “I’d love to, Jus. What time?”
    “My slot’s at seven. You don’t have to go,” she says, shrugging. “I thought I’d ask.” But she gives me a hopeful look anyway.
    I reach over and wipe the salt off her face. “I’ll go.”
    “I’m not. I’m hosting a party for one of the frat houses.” He rubs his fingers together. “Good money, bro. You want in?”
    I