Coastal Runaway (Coast to Coast #1)

Fourteen

fourteen

Luke

“You cheated and we all know it.”

Nolan stood with his arms crossed in front of the table scowling at Maggie. She looked down at her nails, acting like she was completely unmoved by his outburst.

“Anyone ever told you that you’re a sore loser, Nolan?”

“I am not and I also don’t stand for injustice.” He folded his arms tighter and stared across the table at her.

“Guys it is literally a game about colors. Maggie, stop antagonizing him, and Nolan, you literally can’t cheat at this game get over it,” Keegan argued, trying to break up the sparring match.

We were gathered around the dining room table at the Malibu house. Nolan rounded everyone up to play Hues and Cues , the party game where you have to describe a color using a word that relates to it. Maggie won with her uncanny ability to relate any color to a popular mixed drink.

“I’m just not over how she managed to pick the perfect color for a cosmo,” Maeve gasped, she was doubled over in laughter at this entire interaction.

“Let’s just play something else so the kids stop fighting,” Aiden chimed in, a smirk on his face.

“Chameleon!” Maeve shouted as she stood with her hand up, “I never get to pick and I wanna see who can lie their ass off.”

We all murmured in agreement and she skipped off to get the game.

“Keegan always wins this game. The girl has the best poker face in the family.”

“Damn straight.” Keegan winked at Nolan who was still throwing a fit.

I was mostly silent during this entire interaction, just taking in the chaos. Keegan has the best poker face? Yeah, we’ll see. I bet no one else noticed the way her eyes track left when she’s lying or the way she nibbles on her bottom lip when she’s deep in thought. I saw right through her.

“Okay,” Maeve plopped down at the table when she returned with the green and yellow box and started passing out cards, “the game is simple. Everyone but one person knows the place, object, or category that we are describing. You can only use one word to describe it and the object of the game is for the chameleon to blend in. We vote for who we think the chameleon is at the end of the round.”

We all nodded our heads and I glanced down at my card. Not the chameleon. I looked around to see if anyone gave any obvious signs that they’re the traitor, but everyone looked pretty calm.

I looked at the answer key after the dice were rolled. The card category was sports with balls, and the word in question was Soccer.

“I’ll go first.” Maeve said, “Green.”

“Shorts.” Nolan went after her.

Aiden followed, “Net.”

There was no hesitation from Keegan when she said, “Cleats.”

Well damn.

I looked around the table and then said, “Kick.”

“Goal” Maggie chimed in after me.

“Okay, timer starts now. Debate.” Maeve smiled, pointing around the table.

I looked at Keegan, who was staring right back at me with an eyebrow raised. As if she knew I was about to challenge her. She was right.

“It’s Keegan.” I crossed my arms and raised a brow in answer.

“But her answer fit, I think it’s Nolan. His word choice was so vague. It could’ve been any sport.” Maggie claimed.

“It’s supposed to be vague, Mags, that way the chameleon doesn’t catch on.” Nolan rolled his eyes and she tried to reach across the table to slap his arm.

“Nope. It’s Keegan.” I maintained.

“Why is it me?” She fluttered her lashes to try to act innocent. Oh yeah, I’ve got her. She couldn’t flirt her way out of this one.

“Because when everyone else was thinking about what to choose, you were tracking where on the card they were looking, and when you guessed the word you looked to the left and down. You’re lying.”

“I can tell you what the word is.” She countered .

“I have no doubt, Tig, doesn’t mean you’re not the chameleon.”

The others made comments about who it was, but I was locked in on the blonde across from me. The timer went off and Maeve announced that it’s time to vote. One by one we cast our votes.

“Nolan.”

“Nolan.”

“Nolan.”

“Keegan.”

“Maggie.”

Nolan flipped his card and slammed it down, clearly showing that he was not the chameleon, “You’re all so mean to me.”

I looked at Keegan who wore a satisfied smile as she twirled her card around to reveal that she was the chameleon, “The word is Soccer.” She winked at me.

Everyone around the table groaned.

“Everytime!” Maeve laughed.

”I told you but no one listens!” I stood and threw my hands up, “I’m getting a drink.”

I walked into the kitchen to make a new drink, but mostly to get away from the prying eyes. I knew Keegan better than I had ever known anyone, even Nolan. Sometimes that reminder stung. The more time I spent around her, the more I felt my self control slipping.

A throat cleared behind me, “So, how’d you know?”

Keegan walked into the kitchen and propped herself up on the counter. She leaned back on her hands, not breaking eye contact with me.

“Why would I reveal that?” I asked, walking up to her slowly. Her eyes trailed down my body briefly, looking unsure and filled with something.

Desire?

“I think it was a lucky guess.” She shrugged casually.

I glanced in the direction of the dining room, knowing it was risky to be this close while out in the open but I could hear an animated conversation still going on about the game. While the kitchen was open concept to the living room, the dining room was tucked down a hallway, giving us some privacy from the rest of the group.

I walked up between her legs and her breath caught quietly in her throat, “I just know all of your tells, Tig.” I whispered.

“What are they then?” Her voice was hoarse and quiet.

I ran my palms up her legs gently until they rested on her outer thighs. I tugged lightly until her center was right up against my body. I knew she could feel how she affected me.

“When you lie, you look to the left.”

As if drawn to me, Keegan sat up. I could see her pulse picking up along with her breathing. Like we didn’t want this to happen, but couldn’t control it at all.

“I don’t do that.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and wound her arms around my neck.

“And, when you get nervous, you chew on your lip, right here.” I ran my thumb along her lip and tugged it free from her teeth.

I ran my hand from her jaw to the back of her head and gripped my fingers in her hair, pulling it slightly. Her breathing was rapid and she moaned as I inched closer.

I was playing with fire. I knew I was. This could end so poorly and ruin the small amount of friendship that we had. But at this moment, I didn’t care. I had a craving for Keegan Kelly that was burning me up inside.

“What are you nervous about, Tig?” My mouth was so close to hers that I could feel her lips brush against mine when I spoke.

“I’m not,” she whispered so low that I could barely hear her.

“Sure.” I placed a featherlight kiss on her mouth before I pushed off the counter and left her sitting on top of the island with a shocked look on her face. If I didn’t leave then I was going to make a mistake and fuck her on the kitchen counter. I walked into the hallway towards the dining room and I paused right outside of the kitchen, taking a moment to calm my rapid breathing.

A second later I heard her murmur, “what the fuck?”

She rounded the corner out of the kitchen and paused when she saw me standing in the hall, anger was painted all over her face, as if she couldn’t believe that I wound her up and left her sitting there.

As if working her up wasn’t what I lived for. She approached me, presumably to tell me off, but before she could, my self-control snapped.

I grabbed her elbow with some force, and turned her so her back was against the wall. I had her pinned in an eerily similar position to when we first sparred in this same hallway just a few weeks ago, but with different intentions.

One hand moved to the back of her head and the other gripped her ass as I pulled her into me. My mouth crashed into hers and she moaned loud enough that I was concerned that someone could hear us.

She fisted my shirt with both hands and held me closer, opening her mouth and allowing my tongue to sweep inside. My skin was on fire with the feeling of her in my arms.

We were devouring each other, unable to get close enough.

Suddenly, she pushed her palms into my chest separating us. The kiss ended as abruptly as it started.

“No. We can’t do this. Not again.” She looked panicked as she darted down the hall and up the stairs.

I touched my mouth, still feeling the charge of electricity that flowed between us. Now that I had another taste of her, I knew it’s only a matter of time until I needed more. Keegan felt it too, she just needed a way to ignore her fears and take the risk.