“I'msorry,” she said. “I-I figured you wouldn’t like me to drink around you, but Ihad to. This party is ...” She shook her head, casting her gaze toward thelarge gathering only feet from where we stood. “It's a freakin' chore.”
“Then,”I took a step forward to stand beside her, “why are we here?”
Shelaughed, raising her glass and gesturing with it toward the party. “They're myfamily! I have to be here!”
“Whatdoes family have to do with it?” I challenged, narrowing my eyes. “My momwalked out when I was five years old and never came back. You think she gave ashit about family?”
Andy'sglass lowered, hovering over her heart, as her eyes filled with sympathy.“Vinnie, you know—”
“Sweetheart,”I said, pulling the pack of Marlboros from a pocket along with my lighter.“Don't look at me like that. I want nothin' to do with your pity.”
“I'mnot saying I pity you,” she insisted. “I'm saying, you know it's not the samething. You can't compare. I have a good relationship with my family. We getalong and I love being with them.”
Holdinga cigarette between my teeth, I lit it with a flick of the lighter, then said,“You don't gotta justify anything to me.”
“Iknow,” she said, nodding and wrapping an arm around herself. “I know that.”
“Then,what's wrong?”
“Nothing,”she insisted, sipping on her wine.
Iimagined the way it washed over her mouth, sliding down her throat and divingdeep to warm her belly. That one sip relaxed her, I saw it in the sag of hershoulders and the drop of her chest. Every drink she took left her a littlemore unraveled as it stained her tongue with its flavor, and I craved itstaste.
“Nothin',huh?” I inhaled the tobacco and nicotine and exhaled a plume of smoke into theair. “You know I know when you're lying to me, right?”
Shereleased her lip from between her teeth. “I'm not lying.”
“No?”I turned to step in front her, blocking her view of the party. “Tell me whyyou're really over here.”
Aflame ignited in her eyes as she stepped backward and pressed her body againsta tree. She lured me with her eyes, daring me to acknowledge the line she hadcast. Daring me to bite.
“Itold you, to have a drink.”
“Youcould've had a drink inside with your sisters,” I pointed out, taking anotherpuff from the cigarette as I stepped forward, assuring her that I'd taken thebait.
“Idon't want to be with my sisters right now,” she admitted, speaking lower andhuskier, as my body pressed against hers.
“Oh,no? And why is that?”
Oneof her dress straps had slid down, leaving her shoulder bare. I couldn't resistthe sight of her skin, tempting me with memories of having her naked, and I bowedmy head, sinking my teeth into her flesh and smiling wickedly at her moanwrapped in a gasp.
“They... God,” she groaned, moving her hips against mine. “They can't keep theirmouths shut and I'm sick of it.”
Ilicked my way from her collarbone to behind her ear. “Keep their mouths shutabout what?”
Andytipped her head involuntarily, exposing more of her neck to my wandering mouth.“Just ... everything.”
“Yougotta be more specific, sweetheart. I can't make you feel better if you don'ttell me.”
Sheraised her glass and downed the rest of its contents before dropping it to theground at our feet. Her hands reached out, tangling her fingers in my hair andpulling, maneuvering my head until my lips hovered over hers.
“You'remaking me feel pretty good right now,” she said, and I dove in. Sucking thewine from her tongue and relishing in the taste of her mouth.
Wemade out like two misbehaving teenagers, mere feet from her family and theongoing party. I heard someone announcing that it was time for cake, as my handinched its way up Andy's dress, and then someone else, one of her sisters,asked where she was just as my fingers disappeared beneath her underwear.
“Oh,God, this is so bad,” she groaned.
“Then,tell me to stop,” I said, both a request and a dare.
