He tugs me closer. “I need you so fucking bad.”

The alcohol is clearly impacting his comprehension. “You have me. I’m not going any—”

He shoves his fingers through my hair and the next thing I know…his lips are on mine.

What. The. Fuck.

I open my mouth to ask him what he’s doing, but the second I do, his tongue plunges inside.

I freeze, completely caught off guard. I get that he might be confused, but I am so not the right person to test the waters with.

I slap at his shoulders when he deepens the unwanted kiss.

He shifts his hips and groans.

My stomach churns as one thing becomes abundantly clear.

The thing currently poking me in the side. Yuck.

“I’ve heard the term kissing cousins, but I’ve never actually seen it before now,” a voice that sounds a lot like Cole’s says from the door.

I shove Oakley as hard as I can, until finally, he unfastens his mouth.

Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I get off the bed and whirl around.

Of course, it’s not just Cole. Jace is standing there too.

And his gaze is as scrutinizing as ever.

“We’re not…this isn’t.” I glare at the drunk idiot on the bed. “I thought you were gay. I was trying to help you.”

Oakley’s head lolls to the side and he dozes off.

Cole’s lips twitch. “For real?”

“Yes,” I spit. “And I’m not the only one. Sawyer thought so too.” I kick the bedframe. “I was gonna take you shopping, jackass.”

Amusement lightens Jace’s expression.

Cole doubles over in laughter. “This is the best shit I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe he pretended to be gay to get into your pants.”

“What? That’s not what happened.”

His laughter comes to a halt. “But you just said…”

Clearly, Sawyer and I jumped the gun and got carried away. “We saw him in the car with some guy before and assumed—”

“What guy?” Jace questions.

Before I can answer, he brushes past me. “Shit.”

All the blood drains from my face when I turn around.

Oakley’s violently shaking.

Panic spirals through me and I pull out my phone. “I’m gonna call 911?”

“No,” Jace barks. “He has epilepsy.” His features harden as he rolls Oakley onto his side. “He hasn’t had a seizure in a while, but severe stress and drugs are his triggers.”

If that’s the case, Oakley really needs to evaluate his favorite hobby.

“He smokes weed all the time.”

Jace gives me a look. “Weed isn’t the problem. If anything, it helps.” He looks at his watch. “It’s when he messes around with stupid shit that things like this happen.”

Oh. The guy Oakley was with before really was a dealer after all.

Jesus. I feel utterly helpless—but even more than that—mad at myself for not stopping him.

I’m at a loss for what to do or how to make it better. “Maybe I should call my uncle.”

“No,” Cole snaps. “If you tell him, he’ll not only be pissed because of the drugs, they’ll take his car away for a year.”

Probably. “But if he’s doing dr—”

“One minute, ten seconds,” Jace declares.

Oakley blinks up at the ceiling, looking so lost and confused I want to run over and give him a hug.

Jace peers down at him. “You had a seizure, man.”

Oakley tries to speak, but Jace leans over and grips him by the collar. “You fucking promised me.”

His tone is colder than ice, but his eyes are full of so much fear my heart constricts.

Jace pulls on his shirt until their heads are pressed together. “Lose Loki’s number for good and end this bullshit, or I’m fucking done with you for good. Got it, asshole?”

Oakley’s guilt is palpable as he gives Jace a small nod before closing his eyes.

Cole blows out a breath. “Okay, what’s the plan? Am I driving his car back to our house?”

Jace shakes his head. “No. You’ve had a few beers tonight, so I don’t want you driving either. We’ll leave it here and get it in the morning.” He swipes Oakley’s phone off the nightstand. “I’ll text Wayne and let him know he’s spending the night at our house.”

“I can drive. I haven’t had anything to drink.” I narrow my eyes. “Other than soda.”

With a grunt, Jace digs into the pocket of his jeans and tosses a set of keys at me. “Fine. You can drive him to my place, but after that, you need to bounce. You’re not welcome in my home.”

A mixture of hurt and confusion wash over me. “If that’s the case, why don’t I just take Oakley’s car and drive us both home?”

Jace crosses his arms. “No.”

“Gee, I’m sorry, Daddy. I wasn’t aware I needed your permission, to begin with.”

Cole snorts. “Look, either work with us or get out of our way while we handle shit. Wayne thinking his son spent the night at our house because he drank too much at a party is different than shoving the actual evidence in his face and getting Oakley in trouble.”

I guess he has a point. Sort of. “Okay, so how about I drive Oakley’s car home? This way you won’t have to—”

“No,” Jace says tightly.

“Why are you being so freaking difficult?”

“Because I’m looking out for my friend.” Jace advances toward me. “Are you really prepared to face your uncle’s cross-examination? What are you gonna say when he asks why his son’s car is in the driveway but he’s not home? You gonna cave and tell him he seized? Or let it slip that he was so high and drunk out of his mind he kissed you?”

I fight the urge to string him up by his balls. “Of course not.”

His laugh is bitter. “Well, call me crazy, but I don’t trust you. If you really want to help Oak out, you’ll keep your mouth shut and do whatever the fuck I tell you to.” He juts his chin at Cole. “Ride with her. Make sure she doesn’t pull a fast one and take Oak home.”

Christ, he’s unbelievable.

Cole and Jace cart Oakley off the bed then reposition each of his arms around their shoulders.

“If you could walk in front of us and open the front door, that would be swell,” Jace grits through his teeth.

If he wasn’t physically supporting a very groggy Oakley right now, I’d kick him in the junk.

A horrible thought crosses my mind as we head down the stairs.

I fought Oakley the other day. He could have had a seizure.

All because Jace let me believe his friend was the one responsible for all the stuff he did.

My blood boils as we make our way outside.

The second we get Oakley situated and I know he’s okay, I’m going to have a little chat with Jace.

The ride to Jace’s is pretty silent, aside from Oak’s periodic snoring in the back seat.

I peer at him through the rearview. “Will he be okay?”

I don’t know much about epilepsy, but I plan to do my research.

Cole nods. “I’ve only seen him have a few over the years, but he’s always really tired after.” Shifting in his seat, he surveys his friend. “He’s also drunk as a skunk and high as a kite right now, so it’s best we let him sleep it off.”