Page 22 of Cruel Promise
“Knock, knock,” Deacon calls out, pushing my bedroom door wide before stepping into the room.
I freeze, momentarily thrown by his unexpected appearance.
“Hey.” Snapping out of my stupor, I offer him a small wave. “I thought you’d left.”
Deacon shakes his head and closes the door behind him before leaning against it. “That eager to be rid of me?” he asks with a quirk of his brow.
Rolling my eyes, I go back to my bed and begin putting away my books, tucking my scribbled notes between the pages so I don’t lose my place.
“No, but I abandoned you with Dominique and my brother,” I remind him. “If you were smart, you’d have found an excuse to bail. Did they only just leave?”
Damn. That means he was stuck hanging out with them for over an hour. A shiver of guilt trickles down my spine.Way to look out, Kasey. Just throw Deacon to the wolves, why don’t you?
Is he pissed with me now? Is that why he stopped by my room?
“Nah. Dom hung around for maybe five minutes after you left. But Aaron stuck it out. Your brother’s a cool dude. We played a few rounds before he had to bounce to meet up with some friends for food. He invited me to tag along, but I figured Dom would be there and—” he shrugs, “—you know how he is.”
Okay. Phew. At least he wasn’t with Dominique this entire time. I can only imagine the disaster that would have led to.
But if Dom didn’t stick around to mess with Deacon, why didn’t he follow me inside?
It was risky, I suppose. But he could have gone around to the front. Or slipped inside when Aaron wasn't looking.
My throat tightens.
Oh, my god. What is wrong with me? I don’t care that he didn’t bother to say bye. He’s said he’s coming back tonight. It’s not a big deal.
“Thank you,” I tell Deacon. Getting my mind back to where it needs to be. “You didn’t have to do that—hangout with my brother—but… well, thanks.” I’m sure Aaron appreciated the distraction as much as I did.
Deacon waves me off. “Don’t sweat it. It’s not like it was some hardship. He’s a cool dude. Needs better taste in friends.” He smirks. “But aside from that, he’s an alright guy.”
I throw my pillow at him. Deacon ducks to avoid it and throws an arm out at the same time, catching it in the air.
“Hey! What was that for?” he asks, but the twinkle in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what it was for.
“We have the same friends,” I remind him.
“Your point?” He smirks, giving me a knowing look.
“Oh, yeah?” I chuck another pillow at his head. Knowing I’ll miss, I follow it up with a third pillow, one that hits its mark, smacking him square in the face.
“Umpf.”
He tosses the offending pillow back with a laugh, narrowly missing me before calling out, “Foul.”
“You can’t call a foul in a pillow fight.” What kind of shit is that?
“Hell yes, I can.”
Deacon has two pillows to my one and holds one in each hand, a silent warning in his gaze. “Surrender?” he says, but judging by the grin on his face, he doesn’t want me to.
A wry smile curls the corners of my mouth. I can’t remember the last time I played around like this, let alone had an actual pillow fight. “Never.”
Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I wait for his next move, but he surprises me.
Instead of throwing a pillow my way, Deacon charges across my room, holding the pillows out in front of his chest as he barrels into me like a sumo wrestler and shoves me back onto my bed. An unladylike squeal slips past my lips as I fly backwards, the soft mattress cushioning my fall.
Before I can catch my breath to retaliate, Deacon whacks me in the face with both pillows, one after the other, laughing the whole time.
