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Jason trailed me for a few steps before reaching for me, loosely holding on to my wrist. “Is it the party? The wedding?”
Back in fight mode, I rolled my eyes. “No. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
He stopped me when I tried to walk away. “You don’t have to do this, you know. The party, the wedding, the whole tough girl thing…” He gestured his arm in a circle as if he could encompass my aura. “You don’t have to argue with me. We could get along, if you want to.”
Standing in front of this man, an actual gentleman who showed no signs of bad behavior—besides the pseudo-cocky thing which I hated myself for being into—I thought about the roadblocks I’d put up about certain guys. If they looked likehimor had any kind of resemblance, I immediately wrote them off. Even though Jason and his stupidly arrogant grin did have some physical similarities with my real-life nightmare, he was also concerned for my well-being and treated those around him, especially my mom, like gold.
I didn’t want to hold on to my trauma any longer. I had to release it, stop letting it get in my way. So, I did the only logical thing. I poked Jason in his hard chest. “Then let’s get along.”
He licked his lips and pulled himself up to his full height. I hadn’t noticed he’d bent his knees to sink down, closer to me, but now that I did, my heart stumbled over itself as I followed him into the party in Frank’s backyard.
The place was brimming with noise. Guests sat at tables with umbrellas, eating hot dogs and potato salad. Jason knew most of them as he waved and said hello. A DJ, set up next to a kidney-bean-shaped pool where a few inflatable dolphins and noodles floated, played classics from the 70s and 80s.
I took it all in. “What a tremendous waste of resources.”
Jason tipped his chin to the water. “But since it’s already wasted, you might as well get some use out of it.”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “For the first time, I think I agree with you.”
We made our way to Frank, who manned the grill in an apron with the body of a busty, half-naked lady on it.
“There you are.” He threw his arm around me. “I was waiting for this pretty girl to take a dip in the pool with me.”
“You got it, but I’m a little hungry. Got anything on there for me?”
“Go grab a plate from your mother. I have a veggie burger with your name on it.”
I headed toward the house, not even out of earshot as Frank said to Jason, “They’re disgusting. I don’t know how she eats them.”
Then Jason laughed. He had a great laugh, the bastard.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Jason
By the time everyone had finished eating, the sky had turned pink, the heat of the day burned off, and an easy summer breeze took its place. Some guests lounged around playing cards, while others danced to disco music.
I’d spent most of the day watching Gem. Like some lovesick dope.
She wasn’t as surly as she would like people to believe. Gem dutifully stood by her mother when Caroline called, always smiling demurely, if not a little embarrassed, when Caroline bragged about her. But she played the part of a prickly cactus well. A good-looking cactus, but a cactus none the less.
Now, she floated on an inner tube, her head back toward the sky, eyes closed so I could admire her all I wanted. I soaked up the sun-kissed freckles on her shoulders, the miles of creamy golden skin along her toned legs, and that itty bitty thing she called a bathing suit. Gem was pocket-sized, and yet the hot pink print triangles barely covered her breasts.
Jesus. Those breast, small but perky, I’d be able to cover them completely with my hands like they were mine to own and to do with what I pleased. To kiss, suck, lick,bite.
Curling my fingers into fists at my side, I stalked over to the side of the pool and crouched down. “Hey, you.”
When she didn’t pick her head up, I flicked water onto the side of her face.
She gasped and paddled around, her face morphing from annoyance to what looked like desire and back to annoyance.
“Hey.”
“You’re looking a little red,” I teased, flicking more water in her direction. “Let me guess, you don’t believe in sunscreen either.”
“There is a wedding coming up, remember?” She held up her arm, studying her skin. “I can’t look like the abominable snowman walking down the aisle.”
I hummed, raking my gaze over her, taking my time at the dip of her belly button and the slight swell of her hips, the hidden place between her thighs. When I brought my eyes back up to her face, caught openly ogling her, the corner of her mouth ticked with a sardonic smile.
