Page 84 of Wild & Worthy

Yeah. Definitely worth it.

I tighten my arm around Addie’s waist instead of letting her go. Eli only makes it a few more steps before Hazel catches him by the arm with both hands and digs her heels into the floor.

“You big oaf, would you stop?” I hear her hiss as he tries to keep moving. “Can’t you see they’re having a moment?”

Eli looks at her like she’s lost her damn mind. “A moment? I don’t give a fuck what kind of moment they’re having. His tongue was halfway down her throat, Hazel!”

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from hollering across the room that I’ve had a hell of a lot more than that down her throat. In any other situation, I probably would. Hell, if she were anybody else’s sister, I definitely would. But I enjoy my own face way too much to piss Eli off any more than he already is.

Addie apparently knows exactly where my mind was going, because she pinches my side hard enough to make me flinch. “Don’t,” she warns under her breath.

“I didn’t say a thing.”

“Your face said enough.”

I grin down at her. “You know me too well, Sunshine.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Shae laughing her ass off. The woman looks like she’s been waiting all summer for this exact moment and is enjoying every damn second of it.

Eli is still arguing with Hazel, pointing in our direction while she keeps one hand locked around his arm and starts dragging him toward the door. “You can’t seriously be okay with this,” he says

“It's not our business, Eli,” she tells him, while still dragging him towards the door

“She’s my sister!” he insists, trying one more time to wiggle out of her hold. Whatever Hazel says next doesn’t work, because Eli twists out of her grip and keeps coming.

Well, shit. I knew when I pulled Addie onto the dance floor that I was ready for everyone to know what we are to each other, but somehow that doesn’t make this moment any easier. I’d convinced myself Eli would be fine, that whatever happened, I could handle it. But standing here now, watching my best friend come toward me, the thought of actually losing him scares the shit out of me.

“Eli, cut it out,” Addie warns, stepping forward.

But I snake one arm around her and push her behind me. This is between Eli and me, and I’m prepared to take whatever he dishes out, because she’s worth it.

He ignores her words as his hands fist the front of my shirt and he yanks me away from her. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my sister?”

And because I apparently have some kind of death wish, I shoot him a cocky grin and spout off, “What does it look like I’m doing?”

His eyes go impossibly round, and it’s the last thing I see before his fist connects with my jaw. My head snaps sideways as pain radiates through the side of my face. I stumble back a step before catching myself. I can hear Addie shout Eli’s name, and Hazel swears somewhere behind him. I can taste blood on my tongue where my teeth caught the inside of my cheek. Rubbing my jaw, I stare back at him. “You only get that one.”

Eli’s chest is heaving, barely able to control himself as Hazel grabs at his arm again.

The thing is, I’m not even remotely afraid of Eli, and this is definitely not the first time we’ve come to blows. There was one time in junior high that we got into a scuffle over some girl whose name I don’t even remember. It was then that we decided to never fight over a girl again. Turns out, I really suck at keeping promises. “I’m serious.” I wipe my thumb across the corner of my mouth. “I had that one coming, but that’s the only fucking one you get.”

“Don’t fucking play with me, Chace.” He steps closer again. “How long has this been going on?”

“Eli, enough!” Addie moves between us, planting herself directly in front of her brother. “You don’t get a say in who I’m with.”

His eyes snap to her. “It’s Chace! You can’t be fucking serious right now.”

Addie laughs, but there’s no amusement in her tone. “Okay, And?”

Eli completely ignores her, pointing at me over her shoulder. “I trusted you to take care of her.”

From somewhere behind us, Shae pipes up, “Oh, he took care of her all right.”

Jesus Christ. I don’t want to get hit again. “You’re not helping, Shae.”

Eli takes another step toward me, and Addie throws a hand against his chest before he can get any closer. “Are you fucking her?”

There’s something about the way he says it that finally gets under my skin. “We just spent two months alone on the road; what the fuck do you think we did to pass the time?” I’m fully aware that is the wrong thing to say, but I’m done with his bullshit.