My jaw is clenched too tight to answer.
When I reach Alyssa, I stand between her and the guy she’s talking to. Her smile drops and her eyes widen. “Hayden, can I help you with something?”
“Yeah, we need to talk.”
“I’m speaking with Michael at the moment. Can it wait?”
“No. It’s important.” Getting her away from this asshole is urgent.
“Oh, okay. Excuse me for a moment, Michael. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Like fuck she will. I have no right to feel this possessive rage, yet it’s blistering under my skin. I lead her to a quiet spot by the pool. The flickering candles floating in the water are competing with the afternoon sun.
“Hayden, what’s wrong?”
“Who’s Michael?” That’s not what I meant to ask. When I stormed over to her, I didn’t know what I was going to say, yet the words fly from my mouth.
Alyssa turns her head back to Michael.Don’t look at him. Look at me.
With a frown on her face, she says, “Why do you want to know?”
“Who is he?” I demand.
She slams her hands on her hips. “Why do you want to know?”
I lean forward, our noses almost touching. “Are you going home with him?”
Sucking in a startled gasp, her eyes narrow, her face darkens. “What did you say?”
“Or are you throwing him in my face to make me jealous?” Because if so, it’s fucking working.
Stepping closer, she digs her finger into my chest. “Who do you think you are? What business is it of yours who I’m talking to or who I’m taking home?”
Another hard jab to the chest. The force pushes me back a step.
“You don’t want me. You’ve made that perfectly clear. So I can talk to and fuck whomever the hell I want. You have no right to pull me away like some jealous lover. I told you to sort your shitout or never talk to me again. Clearly you haven’t, so leave me alone.”
Her finger pokes harder. I take another step back and find air. I tilt backward, my arms flap like a bird, and a second later, I fall into the cold pool.
Splashing and sputtering to the surface, I shake the water from my hair and pull in deep breaths. The guests gather around the edge of the pool with shocked expressions. Alyssa folds her arms over her chest, a huge smile spreading across her face.
I rake my fingers through my hair and grin back. Nothing like cold water to smack some sense into you to cool off. Fuck, what was I thinking acting like what Alyssa had accused me of being—a jealous lover? This has never happened to me before. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Everything I’m feeling is foreign. It’s making me nuts and has me doing things I don’t normally do.
“Have you cooled off?” Alyssa looks down at me and giggles.
“Yeah. I’m good,” I reply, embarrassed that I’ve caused a scene at Avery’s party.
Alyssa reaches out her arm. “Need help getting out?”
Not really, but I take her hand anyway. As she tries to pull me up, I grip on tighter and tug her toward me. She squeals before she hits the water. A second later, she pops her head out of the water, coughing and sputtering. The guests laugh at our watery display.
“What the hell was that for? I was trying to help you?” Her drenched hair is plastered to her face and mascara is running down her cheeks. She looks fucking adorable.
“You pushed me in,” I accuse.
Her mouth falls open with exasperation. “I did not.”
“You kept poking me in the chest. That made me fall in.”
