Crossing the lawn between the lecture halls and the restaurant, Jase says, “I’m itching for a night out. We should go to Studio 9 and get wasted.”
“Why?” I let my eyes scan over his face, searching for any sign that he might be stressed. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He gives me a playful grin. “Do I need an excuse to get drunk?”
“I guess not,” I chuckle. My eyes drift over my surroundings until I spot Jade. She’s just come out of the dorm and heading towards the road. Staring at her phone, she seems oblivious to the world around her. From the tightfitting outfit she has on, I guess she’s either on her way to the gym or going for a run down one of the trails.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her at the gym during my morning workouts. She must’ve changed her time so she won’t bump into me.
Jase lets out a low whistle, and hollers, “Looking hot, Jade.”
She doesn’t respond, her eyes still glued to her phone and it’s then I notice the earphones. “She can’t hear you.”
Without looking up, she begins to cross the road, and the blaring noise from an oncoming car doesn’t even get her attention. My heart explodes in my chest, and I rush toward her. My eyes dart between the vehicle that’s hitting breaks, and Jade, who just stepped in front of it. Grabbing hold of her arm, I yank her against me and wrapping my arms tightly around her, I swing us to the side of the curb, while my heart races into overdrive.
With Jade’s back pinned to my chest, I can’t make my arms loosen their grip on her trembling body.
Fuck, that was close.
My breaths explode over my lips from the sudden fright.
“Holy shit,” Jade whispers. With a trembling hand, she reaches up and removes the earphones, then says, “Thank you. Shit. I didn’t see the car.”
Holding her body close to mine wakes my protective streak, and mixing with the fright I just had, it bleeds into anger.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I snap. Part of me wants to scoop her up and carry her back to the suite where she’ll be safe, but my rage wins out, and I finally manage to loosen my grip on her. Grabbing hold of her shoulders, I spin her around and pin her with a glare. “Do you have a death wish?”
Her eyes are wide on my face as she whispers, “I’m sorry, Hunter.”
Letting out a chuckle, I shake my head at her. “Those words come easy for you, don’t they?” Shoving past her, I bark, “Watch where you’re fucking walking. Your so-called accidents are annoying as fuck.”
Jase jogs to catch up to me, and I can feel he wants to say something, but he’s trying to hold it back. “Spit it out, Jase.”
“You don’t think that was a little harsh?”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I lock eyes with him, “No, if I hadn’t pulled her out of the way, she’d be in an ambulance right now.”
“I get you’re upset, but she didn’t do it on purpose, Hunter,” he defends Jade.
I let out a frustrated huff because I know Jase is right. It’s just… for a moment back there, I was scared out of my fucking mind, and it let me forget everything Jade has done to me. It reminded me of how much I care about her.
And… for a split-second, having her body pressed against mine made me remember what it felt like when I kissed her.
“Sorry,” I apologize to Jase. “I just need a drink.”
“See,” Jase begins to grin, “we need a night out.”
“Yeah, fine,” I agree. Getting hammered might help me relax a little.
Jase wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to get wasted. Sitting at our regular table at Studio 9, I’m struggling to keep up with him as he downs one whiskey after the other.
“What’s the rush?” I ask when he orders two more tumblers.
“I want to get to the fun part as quick as possible,” he grins, finishing the last of the whiskey in front of him.
“At this rate, we’ll either pass out or puke. Slow down.”
His eyes dart past me, and the grin on his face widens. “Finally, the girls are here.”
I glance over my shoulder and smile at Fallon and Hana, but then my expression freezes when I see the dress Jade’s wearing. The piece of silver fabric hardly covers her ass. My eyes drop to the black knee-high boots that complete her revealing outfit.
“What the hell are you wearing, Jade?” Jase asks the question I’ve been thinking.
“A dress Fallon dared me to wear. I’m already self-conscious about my butt hanging out for everyone to see. Please, don’t make me feel worse,” Jade complains as she comes to stand by the table. She drops her little bag, which can’t store much more than her phone and a credit card, and says, “I’m going to go dance.”
Without looking at me, she makes her way back to the stairs to head down to the dance floor.
Turning my gaze to Fallon, I give her a what-the-hell look. “Why did you let her dress like that?”
Fallon picks up my tumbler and sniffs at it. Pulling a disgusted face, she puts it back down. “God only knows how you drink that stuff.” She signals for a waiter and orders a coke before she tilts her head at me, giving me a knowing smile. “Jade has a killer pair of legs and a butt I’d kill for. She should show off her goods with pride. Why do you have a problem with it?”
Letting out a chuckle, I smirk at Fallon, not falling for her bait. “I couldn’t care less.”
“Why aren’t you wearing a sexy number?” Jase asks Mila even though his eyes are roving hungrily over her tight jeans.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asks, glancing down at her outfit.
“It’s covering too much,” Jase teases her.
“Pervert.” Mila walks away to join Jade, and I quickly move two chairs up, so I have a clear view of the floor below.
I just want to make sure the girls are okay while they’re on the dance floor.
I let out a huff of air and shake my head at myself. Who the fuck am I trying to kid? I’m sitting here like an ass because I know Jade looks fucking hot, and every guy with a working dick is going to notice her.
I might still be angry at her, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t care.
I down the whiskey a waiter just brought, and feeling lightheaded from the alcohol, I know I should slow down. Still, it doesn’t stop me from ordering another glass.
My eyes are glued to Jade as one song blends into another. Another two drinks later, there’s a bitter taste in my mouth from all the whiskey, and I’m grinding my teeth.
Carefree, Jade thrusts her hands in the air, and she begins to jump up and down when a fresh beat pulses through the club. Lifting her eyes to the top floor, our gazes collide.
I swear I can feel a spark even though there’s a distance between us.
Then Mila throws her head back and laughs as she turns in a circle before swaying to the beat, and it draws Jade’s attention away from me.
“Jase, you’re missing one hell of a show from Mila,” I manage to say without taking my eyes off the girls.
He bumps into me as he comes to sit closer and then lets out a groan. “Damn, she’s going to kill me one of these days. Death by blue balls.”