She scoffs. “What’s so surprising about it?”

I open my mouth, but before I can find the words, I’m interrupted by the sound of doors closing, footsteps, and laughter booming from downstairs.

The party’s moved inside. That means Shay’s five brothers are downstairs while I’m standing here so close to her, thinking about what it would be like to be the first man to kiss those lips. “Do you . . .” I swallow. Her lips part, and I swear there’s some invisible cord between us that goes taut, draws me forward. “Do you want to?”

Her brow wrinkles as she cranes her neck to look into my eyes. “Want to what?”

I dip my head, lean my forehead against hers. “Be kissed.”

She presses her hand to my chest, and my breath catches as I wait for her to close the distance—those final inches between our lips.

Instead, she shoves me hard. “Out!”

I stumble before catching my balance. “What the hell?”

“I don’t want your pity kiss, East.” She’s avoiding my eyes, but I don’t miss the hurt that flashes across her face.

“It wouldn’t be—”

She squeezes her eyes shut. “Just go.”

“Easton? You up here?” Jake’s voice. Fuuuuuck. Not now.

Shay steps around me and opens the door.

“What’s he doing up there?” Carter calls from the stairs. “Shay? That rich asshole with you?”

Jake pokes his head around the doorframe. “You two decent?”

Shay rolls her eyes. “Come in, Jake.”

Jake’s all smiles with a side of drunken stumble as he comes into the room. “There’s the guest of honor. What are you two doing up here?”

“Telling secrets and braiding each other’s hair.” Shay’s smile is tight. “What else?”

Jake chuckles. Unlike Carter, he’s completely clueless about my attraction to Shay. He grabs the empty beer from my hand. “You need more!”

Carter rushes into the room. “What’s going on in here?”

“I found him,” Jake says, slinging his arm around my shoulders and leading me out of the room.

I look back at Shay, but she’s busy scanning the books on her bookshelf. Could she truly not feel this thing between us? Pity kiss? The fuck? How could she even think that was what I was offering?

“You okay?” Carter asks her. “What were you two doing?”

Jake and I are already at the stairs when I hear her say, “We were fucking, Carter. Doing the dirty with the door open and my brothers downstairs. Can’t you tell? I’m going to turn up pregnant with Easton’s love child any day now.”

“You’re not funny,” Carter says, but I can hear the tension leave his voice. The typical Shay smartass response was possibly the only one that would put his mind at ease.