Between Us: Sex on the Beach by Jen McLaughlin Page B

couldn’t stop staring at the red mark she left behind. “But being good at dirty talk doesn’t make you any less sweet. It just makes you the total package.”
    I blinked at her. She was fucking insane. If she thought I was the total package, she seriously needed to re-evaluate her standards. “Yeah. Not so much.”
    “You don’t see you for what you really are.”
    “I was about to say the same thing to you. You think I’m something I’m not.”
    Something I’d like to be for her.
    “No, I don’t.” She played with her bread, then looked up at me with those gorgeous green eyes of hers. “Austin?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Would you like to maybe keep in touch? You know, after.”
    Hell yeah, I did. But was it for the best? I didn’t do this. And she didn’t know what she was agreeing to. She knew nothing about me. But still…
    Maybe it was time she found out.
    “Mackenzie.” I reached across the table and held her hand, letting myself stop the worrying for a second. “I—”
    I cut myself off when my phone rang. It was lying on the table between us, face up. We both glanced at it, me to see who it was. Her probably out of habit more than anything else. The name on the front couldn’t have been any clearer.
    It was Rachel.
    “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta get this.” I grabbed my phone and didn’t meet her eyes. I got out of my seat, headed for the door, and answered. “What’s up, Rach?”
    “Okay, don’t be too mad, but we left Kaitlyn’s house for a party, and it’s bad, Austin. Drinking. Drugs. Sex.” She took a shuddering breath. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this, and you said to call if I ever needed you to come get me from a bad situation—no questions asked.”
    I closed my eyes, making myself bite back the reprimands I wanted to give her. She was supposed to be having a laid-back sleepover, not going to some crazy party. Hell, I wanted to fucking scream at her. Behind me, I could barely make out the sound of Mac laughing lightly at something the waiter said. “You went to that party I refused to let you go to, didn’t you?”
    She sniffed. “Yeah. And I know I’m grounded. But can you please come get me and then ground me?”
    “Yeah,” I bit out. I was proud of her for calling me for help. I really was. But I was also fucking pissed at her for lying to me. “Where are you?”
    She named the address. It was about five minutes past Mackenzie’s hotel. After promising to be there in ten minutes, I hung up and turned around. Mackenzie still sat at the table, fiddling with her wineglass. When I came back to her side, she looked up at me and stood. She wrapped her arms around herself, watching me without saying a word. I shoved my phone into my pocket and dragged a hand through my hair. “Mac…”
    “Let me guess? You have to go?” she asked, her tone level.
    “Yeah.” I hesitated. “It’s a long story, and I’ll give it to you, but right now? I don’t have time. I have to hurry up.”
    “I figured. I already paid the bill while you were on the phone.”
    I stiffened. “I can pay the damn bill.”
    “I’m sure you can, but I did it already.” She headed for the door, sliding into the dark night without a backward glance.
    I followed her, my hands fisted. I was going to fucking ground Rachel for life after this. No questions asked. I unlocked the car, and she took her seat without a word. I got into the car, too, starting it with an angry jerk of my hand.
    “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked, her voice perfectly steady. “And who’s Rachel?”
    I pulled out of the spot, gripping the wheel tight. “It’s a complicated answer. One I really don’t feel like giving you when I’m so angry I could fucking scream. You’ll have questions. There’s not enough time to cover them.”
    She gripped her thighs. “I see. Is she your girlfriend?”
    “ No .” She was picking a fight when I didn’t have the time to take my part in it. “Do