"I'm not interested in anyone else." He shakes his head, sounding frustrated. "Just you."
"Didn't we already talk about this?" I don't understand his fascination with me. I thought it was a fleeting thing. I also thought he was terrified of Tuttle and that's why he left me alone, but maybe not.
Or maybe the entire football team knows-of course they know-that Tuttle and I are no longer together and Eli is making another attempt.
Seriously, I wish he'd direct his attention toward someone else.
"You haven't even given me a chance."
Now I step away from him. "Actually, I did. Remember? The night you told me I was fine as hell?" Talk about embarrassing. That entire night is a blur to me, and Eli almost ruined everything. Well, he sort of did ruin everything. I appreciate his enthusiasm, but …
"You are fine as hell," he says, his earnest voice interrupting my thoughts. He lets his gaze roam over me, lingering on my legs, which are on full display in the too-short dress. "Tuttle was a total dumbass to let you go."
Anger starts to simmer in my belly and I take another step back. What's with everyone slinging insults Jordan's way? I'm the only one allowed to do that. "Gotta go, Eli. Talk to you later."
"Aw, don't go away mad! Come on, Amanda!" he calls as I hurry away from him.
I don't turn around, don't acknowledge what he's saying. It's pointless. He'll just keep talking, trying to wear me down and I'm not interested. I'll give the kid points for determination, though.
I head to the kitchen in search of something else to drink besides beer when I spot our host Cannon looking like a giant while he sits alone at the tiny table by the window. There is so much going on around him, and his expression is so …
Sad.
He's having a huge party at his house yet he's sitting alone so I decide to go sit with him.
"Hey, Cannon."
He glances up and smiles briefly at me, but his blue eyes are still dim. "Hey, Amanda. I didn't think you'd show up."
"I told you I would." What he didn't believe me? I know he was in a bad mood during our car ride, but I hoped the party would cheer him up. Looks like that didn't work. "And here I am." I nod toward the empty chair across from his. "Can I join you?"
Cannon's expression switches from sad to pleased in an instant. "Yeah, sure. You want something to drink. A beer? If that's not your thing, I might have some vodka stashed in the cabinet above the fridge." He starts to stand, but I wave my hands at him, shaking my head.
"I don't think I want any beer." My stomach churns just thinking about it. Why am I suddenly so nervous?
"Ah, come on Amanda. Loosen up." He points at the empty chair across from him. "Sit down. Let me get you a drink."
"Fine. Okay." I flash him a smile as I sit and he offers a weak one in return. This is a boy who used to be a total player. Now he's sitting around looking like someone kicked his puppy. Maybe I do need a beer to deal with this. "I think I'll take you up on that beer."
"Awesome. Hey, Bennett!" Cannon practically roars, making me flinch.
Of course, Eli Bennett materializes out of nowhere. I'd rather avoid both Bennett brothers tonight, but I don't know if that's going to be possible.
"What's up, boss?" Eli asks, looking-and sounding-like an eager servant.
Weird.
"Get the lady a beer." Cannon nods in my direction and when Eli spots me, he smirks. "And don't say a word to her or I'll kick your ass."
I can tell Eli knows that Cannon means business. The smirk disappears and he practically runs to the fridge, pulling out a Bud Light and running back over to deliver it to Cannon. "Here you go," Eli says before he leaves, never once looking at me.
Well. That was kind of nice.
"What's up with you two?" I ask.
Cannon hands me the beer. "He's a little punk who needed to be put in his place. So I did."
I pop open the can and take a sip. It's nice and cold, better than the warm, foamy crap in the keg. I lucked out. "How?"
"I kicked his ass." He sends me a look when I start to giggle. "For real."
Clamping my lips shut, I nearly choke on the beer still in my mouth. I carefully set the can on the table and gape at Cannon. "What do you mean, you kicked his ass for real? Why?"
"He said some not so nice things about a friend of mine." Cannon shrugs those impossibly wide shoulders of his. They're even wider than Jordan's, and that's saying a lot. "So I wanted to teach him a lesson."
"By kicking his ass."
"Eli's a little fucker. Just like his brother." Cannon sends me an apologetic look. "Sorry. I don't mean to curse in front of you."