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He’s dressed for war. Thick eyeliner and black warrior stripes on his cheekbones accentuate his light blue eyes. Menacing. Alluring. Bright red shorts with white hibiscus flowers sit on his hips, and a loose, black sleeveless tee is draped over his torso. Kind of. The fashionably ripped armholes extend so low, I could do a playful walk with my fingers to count his ribs without any cloth getting in the way.
I force my eyes up to his hairline. I’ve never seen him dressed in such a…daring way. No. Not tempting. Not drawing me closer at all. I don’t want to run my hands up his arms, lean but strong and showcased by the absence of sleeves—
I’m losing my mind. He asked me a question.
“What did you tell me?”
Jace steps closer and presses his cheek to mine to whisper, “No Vipers.”
I nudge him away. The gesture serves a dual purpose—to chide him and to banish the effect of his subtle yet sultry scent, skin mixing with sunshine and ocean. “Are you my boyfriend or something?”
“I sure hope everyone here will think so and leave you alone.”
“Ah. So you’re all handsy and jealous as a protective measure?”
My question strikes him into flinching. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“You didn’t. You’re just…” I take the sleeve of the hoodie tied around his waist and try to reel him back, but the knot created by the sleeves is weak. The hoodie slips off him and hangs in my hand.
“Don’t wear that,” Jace warns, arms crossed, as I slide the hoodie on.
Why, oh why did I leave my own jacket in the car? It’s nighttime by the beach. The breeze seeps right through my skin, but in Jace’s hoodie, the world is right again.
“It smells clean.” I free my hair from the collar.
Jace responds with that crooked, scheming grin that I’m falling more in love with the more I see it and dance-swaggers toward me. He takes my hand and guides me into a twirl that ends with me in his arms. Just like in the movies. I don’t even try to contain the swooning sigh that slips off my lips.
Jace tugs at the side of his hoodie. “Take it off.”
“Are you cold? How can you be cold? Besides, you weren’t wearing it anyway.” I wrap my arms around him, looking up at him with my dreamiest eyes.
They seem to have no effect. Jace sighs, displaying all signs of enduring me, but the smile lingers. That’s all that matters. And am I happy my arms are covered by sleeves now? Very. Otherwise, I’d be plastered against his skin… I feel under the influence just from imagining it. Jace does this to me—he always steals my common sense.
“Laurel, please listen to—”
“Thanks for coming, everyone!” Briar bellows into a microphone, and the dance music fades away. “I’m happy to announce that dinner is served. Grab a bite, and after that, you know what’s coming!”
Cheers rend the night, and her guests move away from the dance floor like a wave. A big wave. A lot more people joined the dancing in the few short minutes Jace and I were messing around. My feet refuse to move even as Jace threads his arm through mine and tries to take me with him. It’s been like this all day today—I’m brave, I’m dying of fear, I’m fed up with myself, I can’t move a toe. Standing in the middle of an empty dance floor laid out with white laminate, I wait for the bravery to return.
“You could go claim us a blanket,” Jace suggests, nodding in the direction of the quilts with glowing orbs in the middle of them. Their yellow light is more than tempting, but I take a breath, stick my hands into the hoodie pockets, and march past Jace to get in line for food.
We may be behind the crowd, but that doesn’t stop most of the guests from watching us over their shoulders. Hal detaches from somewhere in the middle of the line and joins us.
“You’re making an impression,” he jokes out loud, then whispers just for me, “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m about to be eaten by wolves.”
“I don’t think you’re in any danger,” Hal quips back, shivering in his light jacket. “What’s with this crappy wind tonight? Want me to grab your jacket from the car? Although…” He gives me a meaningful look. “You seem to be okay.”
I am okay. Jace hugs me from behind and, hiding his hands in my pockets, rests his chin on my shoulder. I’m safe from the wind, and he doesn’t blow my mind at all. Not even a bit. I don’t feel like molding myself to him. Too late, of course. I am committing to be his barnacle forever. He may be protective, but he’s also not so subtly territorial, acting like we’re a packaged deal, only we never made any kind of deal.
Other than the rebound one. Right now, more so than before, I feel like it’s growing into something deeper than a need for distraction or a display for his friends.
“Next time I say someone’s perfect for you, just accept it and go with it right away.” Hal bumps me with his elbow, teasing.
“There won’t be a next time,” Jace grumbles.
His rumbling voice and the implication that we’ll stay together stun me with such force, I twist away from him. I long to hope he’s getting invested in me. I’m failing to guard my heart from him. The only way out is to dive all the way in, but what will it cost me?
