Cardinal Read Online Free PDF

grab his red party cup and leave the side of the beer pong
table. He stands beside Carter. “What’s up?”
    Carter
gestures toward me. “Did you know Pete had a sister?”
    Felix
looks me over and one side of his mouth quirks up. “No.” He reaches for my hand.
“Mucho gusto.”
    The tone
of his voice makes me blush. Is he really Spanish or is he pretending?  Lucky
for me I remember details – and Ms. Ciccone’s high school class.
    “El gusto
es mio,” I say and bat my eyelashes.   There’s no harm in having a little fun.
    Felix
looks impressed. Still holding my hand, he steps closer. “Quiero hacer el amor
contigo.”
    I burst out laughing. “Maybe another time.”
    “Okay!”  Pete puts both his hands on my
shoulders and steers me away from his friends. He pushes me toward the kitchen
while telling them, “That’s enough.”
    “Hey!” I pout.
    “We’ve been here two minutes,” he grumbles.
    Pete lets go of my shoulders when we make it
into the kitchen. As he reaches for a cup, I ask, “Do your friends always ask
random girls to make love?”
    “Just Felix,” he answers. “And, yes, that line
has worked way too many times.”
    Pete gives me the cup in his hands, then passes
one to Jules. He gestures toward the counter. “Pick your poison.”
    I walk over to scan the selections. Every type
of liquor is here, from high-end to low-brow. Some bottles are unopened and
brand new, while others are half-full or near empty. I decide to make a Kamikaze,
since a bottle of Grey Goose is right in front of me. I eyeball two shots of
vodka, add the triple sec and the lime juice, then take a drink.
    So. Good.
    Juliana tugs my arm. “We have to dance!”
    I look at her over the edge of my cup. “We do?”
    She nods. “Listen.”
    I take another drink. The song is “Kiss” by
Prince. I agree. “We so have to dance.”
    We leave my brother in the kitchen and head to
the makeshift dance floor. Once my feet hit the carpet I’m reminded that my
shoes are too small. I can feel the fabric under my toes because they hang off
the end. Regardless, I toss my purse on a nearby couch and follow Jules to
stand among the other girls dancing. We sing the lyrics in our high-pitched
Prince voices, stand back to back and rub up against one another, then turn
around to drink and dance at the same time. When the song ends, my Kamikaze is
gone.
    “Need another?”
    The voice in my ear sends a shiver down my
spine. The tone is rich and smooth, and my eyes jump to Juliana’s. Judging from
her expression, I know who is standing behind me.
    Slowly, I turn and face Latson. He’s wearing a
plain white tee and dark jeans. The tattoos that run down his right arm I
recognize. It’s the way his shirt pulls across his chest and the pools of
melted chocolate for eyes that I don’t recall. His eyelashes rival my own in
length, and his hair is styled in the front but cut short on the sides.
    Hello.
    Despite his looks, he is still the guy that was
watching me dance in my skivvies. I clip my words. “I can get my own drink. But
thank you.”
    He gives me half a smile, which reveals a
dimple. “Can you now?”
    Holy perfect mouth. “Yes. I’m a bartender.”
    He raises one eyebrow, then holds his hand out
toward the kitchen. “Then, by all means, help yourself.”
    I give him a curt nod and walk away. I can feel
eyes following me, but I’m not sure they’re his. They could be Juliana’s,
wondering where I’m going. I make it to the edge of the living room, to the first
step, when my too-big toes for my too-small shoes catch on the carpet. I stumble.
    Shit!
    I right myself and resist the urge to look back.
I keep walking and pretend like it didn’t happen. Of course I would trip!
    When I make it to the kitchen, I take my time
fixing my drink to shake it off. The lighting in the living room is dim , I rationalize. Chances are no one saw my grace-less exit.
    With my cup full again, I head out to find
Jules. She’s half-dancing,