Hoax in One

| 16 |

We made it back to his house after two a.m.

When we stumbled into the living room, Seth was playing video games with Louis and two other guys I didn't recognize.

Seth and the other two just nodded in our direction, but Louis did a double take when we walked through the door and smiled wide.

"What's up, Devin?" He looked me up and down before he slid his gleeful eyes to Tate. "You treat my girl right, Thacker."

I laughed and sweetly said, "Hey, Louis," as Tate ran his hand up my back like he had an instinct to protect me.

"If Devin didn't like you so much, that would've been the second time I would have punched you in the mouth."

Louis' eyes twinkled, and he looked back at Mario Kart. "Please do. Then Devin would tend to me and kiss it all better." He glanced at me and winked.

I winked back. He was one of those guys who could say anything and the way it came out only made you laugh and love him more. "You are seriously the cutest. I wish I had a little sister to set you up with."

"Devin 2.0 wouldn't be as good as the original," he replied as he quickly pressed every button on his controller in a fast pattern and lifted his arms in victory.

"I swear," Tate laughed sarcastically under his breath and started to steer me toward the stairs.

"Aw, stay and play with us," Louis said to our backs.

"You don't want me to stay and beat your ass at Mario Kart too," Tate called over his shoulder.

"Right," Louis continued suggestively. "You have more important things to do. You can't be the best at everything, Thacker."

I heard Seth tell Louis, "You have a death wish."

"What did Louis say the first time to make you want to punch him?" I asked Tate as he opened his door.

"That little shit told me that if he had any say, I couldn't win all the trophies and your heart, so he'd gladly take you off my hands. In front of the entire team."

I grinned. "He's such a lovable little shit though."

"I know." Tate pointed at my shoes. "Take those off."

Tate turned around, crossed the room to his dresser, and came back with a black T-shirt while I was still struggling with my buckle in the dark. I used Tate's torso to steady myself as I slipped the strap around my heel instead.

"Why are you the best at everything?" I teased him.

He smirked. "I don't know. I can accept losing, but then I'll figure out a way to win the next time. I've always been like that. Too disciplined. Too competitive. Too selfish. Just too... much."

I lowered myself three inches to the ground when I finally had both of my sandals off.

Tate felt so much taller as he loomed over me. His raw masculinity was doing things to me. He combined this no-bullshit, take-everything attitude perfectly with this deep, emotional side of him I'd never seen.

"Hi," he smiled.

I would have melted if it was humanly possible.

"Hi," I smiled back.

He gathered the bottom of my dress in his hands and tugged it over my head and arms as I raised them. He let it fall to the ground on top of my shoes. He groaned almost inaudibly when he realized I didn't have a bra on. His free hand traced the side of my rib cage and down my waist to my hip.