“He can eat his heart out,” I responded, then took a sip from my drink. When I turned away from Reece and back to where he stood, Jonas was gone.
My hackles went up, and it didn’t take me long to find where he’d gone because moments later, one of his strong arms wrapped around me. I tried to move out of his grasp, but it was too firm for me to do so without having to fight him off. If I did that, it’d draw unwanted attention toward me. I accepted that I was essentially trapped, and as my nose sniffed appreciatively at his cologne, I secretly didn’t mind it for a few seconds.
“I was wondering if you planned to make an appearance,” he murmured as his mouth moved close to my ear.
His warm breath tickled my sensitive skin, and I shivered. “Free drinks and hot men. Who’d miss that?”
He chuckled, and I had to admit that the deep timbre of it still did things to me. “I’m all the man you’ll need.”
I did pull away at that point, then turned in his arms. When our eyes met, I smiled. “That’s cute, but you’re no longer my type.”
He chuckled, and pulled me close enough to feel his hard erection against my belly. It was a difficult task to stay unaffected, but I managed to do so even as he leaned in and nipped at my ear. “Liar.”
Of course, Jonas would know he was the only one I was looking at in this entire ballroom, but I would be damned if I’d ever openly admit that to him. Thinking back to high school, I would’ve gladly shouted about him from the rooftops, but seeing as...
“I don’t care whether you believe me or not. If you’d like proof, maybe I could borrow your video camera so I could sh—”
Jonas’s growl stopped me in my tracks. I still had a smile on my face, and gathering the rest of my bravado, I leaned in and brushed my lips softly against his. It was a kiss off, and we both knew it. I let my mouth linger for a few seconds before pulling away from him. The events of the last few seconds had caught him enough off guard that I was able to fully break free of him. I set my glass down on the nearby tray and scampered away.
It wasn’t long before I made my way to the stage. There were many songs I could sing for him, and most would be from the same artist. I could go with one of my favorites and I almost did until I thought about the lyrics. Like the singer would say about knowing where things would lead, I did as well. It was for that reason that I ignored Jonas’s “James Dean” vibes and chose something else from the pop star instead.
I took the stage and I didn’t even have to scan the crowd to see if he was watching me because I arrogantly knew he would be. Jonas would also know that these lyrics held meaning if he listened to them close enough. I didn’t worry about that as I started to sing about how I knew he’d been trouble, yet I allowed him to pull me in deeper. Deeper. For a moment, my thoughts took a detour as I remembered him on prom night.
“I want to sink so deep inside of you,” he’d told me as he held me close against him on the dance floor. I hadn’t known exactly what he’d meant until later when we were all alone. He’d been so big and had stretched me so wide, but the pleasure each powerful thrust brought me made the physical pain fade. “I can’t get deep enough,” he’d rasped against my ear at one point before he’d shifted his angle of penetration.
My eyes then found his from the stage, and I continued to sing about how I’d been nothing more than a notch on his bed and something else filled me. I’d never really gotten to tell him how much he’d hurt me with what he’d done because after I’d been taken off of the roof that day at school, I’d never seen or heard from him again. And as the words about the singer’s saddest fears slipped from my mouth, I realized that like she was singing about her man, mine had never loved me either.
I finished the song, and felt a desperate need for a drink. I usually kept any alcohol consumption to a minimum because of different medicines I had to take for my manic depression, but having so many memories of my painful past with him still lingering in my head, I grabbed the glass of vodka and slammed it back.
I moved over to an empty bench and sat down. Reece was nowhere to be found, but I knew she’d find me when she was ready, so I planned to sit there all night until someone sat down beside me. I looked up and into a pair of intense hazel eyes. Grumpily, I asked, “What do you want?”
I didn’t know why Jonas even tried. He had to know I’d never do anything with him, and if he didn’t, I’d have to make sure to tell him as much. “Nice song choice. I’m not a fan of hers, but I’d listen to anything you sing.”
“Uh-huh,” I told him, my voice a combination of boredom and annoyance. I even played the role as I craned my neck to look around the ballroom as if I was actually looking for someone in particular.
“Your friend is talking to a local designer here. She—” he started to say until I cut him off.
“I’m not looking for her.” I turned quick enough to see his eyes narrow slightly. Quite proud of that, I smiled sweetly. “There are a lot of hot men here tonight. You might have better luck shooting whatever game you plan to shoot elsewhere.”
I knew he was very flirtatious and seductive as well. I had never been allowed to date before I’d met him, and I had to hide our true relationship from my family for those few short months. I should’ve known then when I had to lie to those I loved that any path including Jonas Courtland had to be paved with bad intentions.
He then set his hand on my thigh and I hadn’t realized how much the dress rode up until he did. The touch of his hand to my bare skin sent a jolt of electricity that seemed to detonate deep in my core. My body still wanted him. That seemed to piss me off more than his fingers as he worked them higher. Right before he could slide them beneath my dress, I slapped his hand away.
“Don’t touch me,” I told him.
Surprisingly, he did remove his hand. Jonas stayed there beside me though, and I knew he was plotting his next move. I should’ve used that as my cue to leave, but a part of me was a glutton for punishment. That part of me was also curious, and it overruled the logical part of my head.
“You tease me, then push me away. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you still believe the two of us to be in high school.”
His words nearly made me seethe.
“No, I don’t think so,” I answered honestly. “Back then, I foolishly hung off of your every word, but not now. Not ever again.”
He returned his hand to my thigh, and I hadn’t anticipated it, so I jumped slightly. He smirked, the same panty-melting kind that also spoke of his arrogance. I wanted to wipe it right off of his smug face.
“We’re both adults now. There’s so much I’ve learned since prom night.” He then lowered his head to my bare shoulder. I didn’t shiver this time, and instead sat up straight and tried to remain completely unaffected. “All I need is for you to give me the word, Kenzie.”
Hearing my name fall from his lips only increased my anger. Of course, he wanted me to beg him to fuck me again. I wasn’t some virgin anymore that had rose-colored glasses on. I was much wiser, and a hell of a lot more jaded, too. “I’ll give you two.”