Looking around, I noticed how little Wren and Lou had, and yet I still felt the warmth of a home. My parents had filled our house with countless trinkets and antiques, but it had never felt like home.
Wren and Lou had kept their furnishings simple and cozy, and I knew that by the end of the night, I wouldn’t want to leave.
“This way,” Lou directed. “Everyone’s in here.”
Wren took the case of beer from me, and I couldn’t tell if he was being a gentleman or was just that eager for a buzz. It was only a few steps to the living where Ever, Four, Tyra, Vaughn, and… Jamie were all seated on the floor around the long, wooden coffee table. Just like Wren, they all looked more than a little surprised to see me, and I realized then that the only one who’d known I was coming was Lou.
And of course, the only one who actually seemed pissed by my presence was Jamie.
He shot up from his comfortable lounge on the floor, and I tried but failed not to ogle him in his dark gray slacks, matching vest, and white dress shirt adorned by a black and white tie. I had no idea what prompted this change in his style, but my watering mouth told me I hoped it stayed this way. That was, of course, until he opened his mouth.
“What the hell are you getting at, Lou?”
“Sit down, Jamie. The pizza’s getting cold.”
Wren only shook his head as he flopped down on the recliner and got comfortable. He didn’t seem the least bit surprised by his girlfriend’s antics. To make matters worse, she pointed to the only empty spot left—next to Jamie—and told me to have a seat too.
As everyone waited for an explanation, she piled five or six slices of pizza on a plate before sauntering over to Wren and curling up on his lap. He kissed her lips and whispered something that no one could hear before stealing a slice from her plate.
Feeling awkward enough, I slowly sank onto the floor, leaving Jamie standing alone. He could do what he wanted. It had been nearly a week since I’d seen or talked to him. Given how we left things, his reaction to my being here wasn’t a total surprise, but I couldn’t help wishing he would take a break from being such a dick. I needed this.
As I felt him seething next to me, I suddenly realized his problem.
Jamie preferred to be the one doing the preying and pouncing. I’d caught him off guard, and now he felt like he didn’t have the upper hand. Settling in, I grabbed a slice of pizza and decided I’d do my damned hardest to keep it that way. I thought about how much harder he pushed whenever I pushed back and shivered.
Scanning the room, I noticed Ever had his lips tucked as if he was trying not to laugh while Four rolled her eyes at Jamie before winking at me. Her reaction made me secretly like her that much more.
I forced myself to relax a little since neither Four or Ever seemed bothered by my being here. Eventually, Jamie returned to his spot on the floor but not before throwing me a nasty glare. I chose to ignore him as I savored my pizza. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had any.
“So, what’s the occasion for all of this anyway?” Tyra asked after everyone had filled their plates. Ever was the only one to opt for wings only since he steered clear of cheese. “Seems kind of random.”
“What’s life if not a series of random moments?” Lou answered without actually answering at all.
“Is that why you invited Medusa?” Jamie quipped. I knew immediately he was talking about me. “Because you felt like being random?”
“If I were Medusa, I guess you’d be stone since you can’t seem to take your eyes off me.”
“What?” he snarled.
Finishing off my first slice, I reached for another. So good. “It’s not like you’ve looked anywhere else since I’ve sat down.”
“Maybe because I’m still wondering why you’re here.”
“I was invited.”
Looking into his handsome, scowling face, I began to wonder the same thing. Why had I come? I’d been stupid to believe that Jamie might be eager to see me, too. Six days, and I couldn’t get our encounter inside my parents’ kitchen out of my mind. I’d even go so far as to say that he owed me an orgasm, though I would never be so bold or desperate to demand he pay up.
I bet he’d like that too.
“Lou only invited you to piss me off. She doesn’t even like you,” he said, using his words like a whip. Unfortunately, I knew what that truly felt like, yet somehow, Jamie’s words stung more.
“Actually, that’s not true at all,” Lou said. “I don’t know Barbette, which is why she’s here.”
“I’ve told you all about her,” Jamie snapped.
“And now I’d like to get to know her for myself.”
I felt a warmth spread through my veins at the sincerity in her voice. Just as quickly, I tossed the kernel of hope away. In less than a month, I would be leaving Blackwood Keep. Getting close to anyone was out of the question. It would only make running that much harder—and give my father a chance to find me. I had no idea how far he’d be willing to go to get me back, but I knew I couldn’t risk anyone getting hurt because of me.
“Good luck with that,” Jamie said, snorting. “Elliot definitely wouldn’t approve of his precious daughter mingling below her station.” Suddenly our gazes met, blue against brown. “Does your father know where you are? I wonder what you told him so he’d let you out to play.” Turning his head, he regarded his cousin. “That you were on a date with your fiancé, perhaps?” Snickering, his cruel gaze traveled to Four, sitting close by Ever’s side. “You three definitely give new meaning to ‘double date.’”
With a look to kill, Ever started to stand, but Vaughn beat him to his feet. “Did I hear someone mention beer?” he asked.
“Oh… yeah,” Wren said, tilting his chin toward me. “Bee—” we grinned at each other at his use of my nickname—“brought a case. I put it in the fridge to chill.”
“Beer’s beer,” Vaughn replied as he stepped over legs and feet until he reached Jamie. “Come and help me in the kitchen.”
“For what?” Jamie said with a twist of his lips. Vaughn’s only response was to kick his foot hard as hell. With a growl, Jamie shot to his feet and followed Vaughn into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” Tyra apologized with a gentle smile.
I shrugged, knowing they all saw through my indifference. Everyone seemed to think I was the one in need of rescuing, but I wasn’t the princess in this fairy tale. I’m not even the villain. I’m nothing while Jameson is everything.
As much as I wanted to hate him, I knew if Jamie had callously ripped out my heart as I had done to him, there was nothing I wouldn’t do to make him feel that pain tenfold.
So I’d take his lashes and bear the pain with the hope that it lessened his own.
“Music anyone?” Four offered as she stood. “Luckily, I commandeered Jamie’s iPod before school this morning.” Disappearing upstairs, she came back a few minutes later with an iPod and a handheld speaker shaped like a pill. “Any volunteers for deejay?”
“As long as it’s not some old country western, I don’t give a fuck what you play,” Tyra replied. “I’m depressed enough.”