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Thankfully, Jace doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he simply starts up the steps.
I scramble to catch up with him before he changes his mind.
The smell of perfume and spilled alcohol once more fills my lungs as we return to the packed hallway upstairs. Several couples are making out against the walls to our left and right. I glance at them while we make our way back to the carved double doors that lead to the ballroom.
The back of Jace’s hand brushes against mine when we have to squeeze through a gap in the crowd. It sends a jolt through my body, and I try to snatch my hand away. But because of those damn handcuffs, it only makes his hand follow mine and bump into it again. I can practically feel Jace’s smirk even though I’m not even looking at him.
With a scowl on my face, I stalk forward.
We have almost reached the open doors to the ballroom when I’m abruptly jerked to a halt. Throwing out my free hand, I spin it in the air to keep my balance as my other arm remains far behind me. Once I have my balance back, I twist around to see what caused it.
“Give me that,” Jace orders as he snatches a bat out of the hand of some guy who is dressed up as a baseball player.
The guy, who was half turned away from Jace, whirls around. Anger flashes in his pale eyes.
“Hey, what the fuck!” he snaps.
Then he jerks back as he comes face to face with Jace’s menacing presence. Jace expertly spins the bat in his right hand and then places the top of it straight against the guy’s chest. Power and utter dominance pulse from every inch of his muscular body.
“If you don’t know how to properly hold a bat, you shouldn’t bring a fucking bat,” Jace says, sounding surprisingly offended.
I stare at him in bewilderment. It’s just a bat. Is he some sort of baseball aficionado or what?
The Ivy River student shrinks back and holds up his hands in surrender, clearly not interested in picking a fight with the biggest guy at this whole damn party. “Sorry.”
“You should be,” Jace declares.
Then he promptly spins the bat again and rests it against his shoulder before turning around and starting towards the ballroom once more. I stumble after him.
“Bloody amateurs,” Jace mutters under his breath. “Not one of them knows proper bat etiquette.”
“Uhm…” I say, very eloquently.
However, before I can figure out what to even ask, we round the corner and walk into the ballroom.
I’ve been here before, so I know that this massive room is very elegant when the sun falls in through the gleaming windows and illuminates the pale walls and the frescos in the ceiling.
Right now, however, it’s dimly lit, packed with people, and full of strobing lights in neon colors. It might as well have been a night club in a concrete factory for all the attention people spare the beautiful decorations around the room.
“Kayla!” Jenn calls, and waves a hand at me from a short distance away.
We start towards her and the rest of their group. Aurora is dancing with that guy Mitch from the party last weekend. Though dancing is probably not the right word. More like grinding herself against him while he has his hands on her hips. Both of them look like they’re a few minutes away from sneaking into a private room.
I grin at Aurora and give her a nod of approval. Go for it, girl.
Trina and Felicia are dancing together, their blonde hair rippling as they jump to the beat of the music.
Lionel, who was facing Rebecca, immediately snaps his attention to me when Jace and I reach them.
“We were starting to think that you had gotten lost,” Jenn says to me as she laughs, evidence that she is as drunk as the rest of them appear to be.
I wink at her. “We just had some stuff to sort out first.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now.”
Before I can reply, she tilts her head up to the ceiling and starts dancing.
“Me too,” Lionel says from my right before I can start dancing as well. His gray eyes are full of hope as he meets my gaze and smiles. “I was actually wondering if you want to get some air. Just you and me.”
