Running from His Claim (Beauty and the Beast #2)

Chapter 31

I followed Josh into the backyard and giggled. There were a couple of people passed out on the grass, and a bunch of guys were fighting. Or maybe they were playing some kind of sport? I shrugged and decided not to look too closely.

"Sit," he ordered and I obligingly sat on a stone table, looking around me with interest.

"Okay, what?" I asked, accepting my cup from him.

He sat next to me and sipped on his concoction. "Damn, that's sweet! Well, look around you. Isn't this better than being cooped up in a house full of sweaty people? Besides, now the music is at the perfect volume. We can appreciate how horrible it is."

I laughed with him. "You're right, it's atrocious."

He laughed lightly and sipped again. "So, Belle. Belle right?" When I nodded he asked, "Long distance boyfriend, or you're trying to make him jealous by coming to this party without him?"

I took a gulp of my juice this time. "Try again."

He raised both brows and scoffed. "You're not... You can't be single!"

"Why not?" I asked indignantly. I could too be single!

"Well first 'cause it means there's an ex, but then that would just mean there's a jackass who actually let you go, which means he's too stupid to function. Second, it would mean there's a lot of guys tripping over their feet trying to get your attention right now."

I laughed at the image he painted then waved it away. "Don't wanna talk about it." I drained my cup. "I need more of this."

"Okay, don't go anywhere," he said, grabbing my cup, then looked at his own with a frown. "That actually did nothing for me. Maybe double the dose?" he muttered, walking off.

Josh finally came back with our drinks. I instantly sipped mine and hummed in appreciation. This was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

"So since you don't wanna talk about you, let's move on to my favorite subject - me. So what does a girl mean when she says she needs you to talk more?"

I raised a brow. "What?"

"Cammy, my girlfriend," he explained. "She says I don't talk to her enough. I mean, I'm a pretty talkative guy, ask anyone."

"Maybe you don't tell her what she wants to hear," I suggested.

He snorted and gulped his drink. "Of course I do. I tell her she looks beautiful whenever I remember to, I tell her I love her every once in a while, and I have never said she looks fat in anything. See? Perfect boyfriend."

I laughed and turned to sit facing him. "That's not what I mean. Like, do you answer her when she asks how your day was?"

"I tell her it was great or it sucked," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but details."

He rolled his eyes. "Christ!"

"Language!"

He raised a brow then laughed. "Sorry, precious. Okay, so what kind of details are we talking?"

We spent the next couple of hours happily drinking like fish and discussing his love life. The longer we talked the happier I got. When he finally left, I sat alone on the table, lifting my face up to the cool breeze. You know, parties were awesome...

"Hey, beautiful."

I looked up at that lazy drawl but didn't recognise the big blond guy next to me. Still, I smiled at him. I was in a really good mood after all. "Oh, hey! Are you Derek's friend's friend's friend too?"