Page 33 of Protected By My Playboy Billionaire

Lilly chuckles as she starts the car, pulling away from the curb. “I can’t believe you live in this ritzy area now. I bet the view from his penthouse is breathtaking.”

“It is.” I nod in agreement.

As we drive towards the frat house, I catch sight of the bustling scene on the front porch. There’s people chatting, laughing, drinking, and somehow finding time to make out. My nerves start to creep up on me, feeling more and more hesitant with each passing second. I’ve never been one for these kinds of parties, yet that’s always made me feel like I’m missing out.

But before I can voice my doubts, Lilly parks the car and grabs my hand, pulling me out onto the sidewalk. “Come on, El. Let’s go have some fun!”

As we make our way inside the frat house, I can feel the energy of the party pulsing around me. I take adeep breath, trying to steel myself, the music already booming through my ears.

“So, who’s Jason?” I shout at Lilly, trying to distract myself from my nerves.

Lilly shrugs nonchalantly. “No idea, and honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Let’s go grab a drink.”

She leads me through the crowded house into the kitchen, where an array of alcohol and plastic cups is spread across the counter. I scan the counter for any clean cups, and Lilly reappears beside me with two plastic shot glasses in hand.

“Welcome drinks.” She giggles and hands me one.

“What is this?” I ask as I take it from her.

“Don’t ask, just drink.” She brings the little plastic cup to mine in a cheer and throws her head back, spilling the liquid in her mouth. “Come on!” She pushes my hand with the little cup towards my lips. I drain the cup, coating my tongue in bitterness, and force myself to swallow it. Disgusting.

“I never want to taste that ever again.” I shake my head, squeezing my eyes in disgust.

Lilly laughs beside me. “I’ll go find some Sprite or something. Stay here.” My eyes widen in asilent plea for her not to leave me. She places a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Talk to people, make some friends.” With a wink, she turns and walks away. Fantastic.

I stand in the kitchen, watching as people walk in and out. They’re grabbing drinks, pouring more, spilling some, and giggling away. I hadn’t noticed the boy behind me until he leans against the counter and eyes me up and down. He looks around my age, with tousled dirty blond hair and piercing blue eyes that seem to sparkle with mischief.

“Hey there, beautiful. What are you drinking?” he asks, flashing a charming smile.

I shrug, feeling a little awkward. “I just got here, so nothing yet.”

He leans in so close that I can catch a whiff of his cologne. “Time to fix that.”

Without missing a beat, he stands and starts concocting a drink for me, his hands moving as he pours and mixes all kinds of alcohol together. I look around, scanning my surroundings for Lilly, but there’s no sign of her. I can’t see exactly what he’s doing, but I watch as he reaches into a cabinet and pulls out acan of Red Bull, pouring it into the two drinks he’s prepared.

He hands me one with a grin, and I raise an eyebrow in a silent question.

He laughs before answering, “Long Island Ice Tea. Red Bull instead of Coke, though. My recipe.”

“Thank you.” We clink our cups together in a toast before I take a tentative sip. Surprisingly, it’s not bad at all, and I take another sip, feeling the liquid warm my throat.

“So, what’s your name?” he asks and swirls the liquid in his cup.

“Elana,” I shout over a group of girls screaming nearby. “What’s yours?”

“Jason.” He smirks, taking a sip of his drink.

“Ah, so you’re Jason.” I chuckle, raising my glass to my lips again.

“In the flesh. Heard of me?” He raises an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Maybe.” I laugh, feeling a bitmore at ease.

As Jason hands me the second cocktail more than an hour later, I can already feel the effects of the first one taking hold, but I take the cup anyway. I should have eaten more than a bowl of yogurt. Memories of Adrian’s lips around the spoon, the smirk playing on them, and the look he gave me flood my mind. As if on cue, my phone buzzes in my hand, and I glance down to see a text message from the wolf himself.

Are you alright?

I quickly dismiss the message and shove my phone in my denim jacket. If he can ignore me all day, I can ignore him for a few hours.