“If you say so,” I said and signaled to Jess with my eyes to drop the subject.
My phone beeped, and I opened Hayden’s new message.
“I miss you already.”
My smile stretched across my whole face.
“I miss you too, Hayden.”
“I bet you’ll be the sexiest at the party.”
I giggled, blushing.
“We’ll be there in thirty.”
“Waiting.”
The door of Mel’s room burst open, and Steven barged in. “You’ve been taking forever to get ready! You know the party is this year?”
Mel put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Get out, punk! How many times have I told you not to come in here without knocking? Are you that stupid?”
He didn’t even pay attention to her; his eyes lasciviously roamed over Jess and me. He wolf-whistled at us. “You two are sexy. Damn, Hayden is a lucky guy.”
I blushed furiously as I lowered my head, pretending there was something extremely interesting in my purse. I was sure Jess had the same embarrassed look on her face.
“Get out of here!” Melissa pushed him outside. “Don’t give me a reason to make your eye purple before we even get to the party. I prefer to save my punches for later.”
“Thanks, sis. Your love warms my poor, tortured heart,” he said right before Mel shut the door in his face.
Mel grimaced. “Can I sell him? There has to be someone who looks for dumb assholes like him. Hell, I’d even give him away for free.” Jess and I burst into giggles. “Or hire an assassin to take him out. Even better.”
Our giggles turned into laughter, and I finally relaxed, starting to look forward to tonight’s party.
“SO MANY CARS,” JESS muttered when we reached Chris’s house. “This is one big party.”
My eyes switched from the grandiose manor to the massive line of cars that filled both driveways. A sizeable fountain in front of the house was currently turned off, and a few people sat on its edge despite the cold weather, drinking beer. The most of the snow had thawed, leaving wetness all around.
“What is this Chris? A duke?” Mel said from the passenger seat. Jess giggled beside me.
“His parents are the major players in oil industry,” Steven replied.
“So why does he fight if he doesn’t need money?”
“’Cause he’s bored,” he answered in a tone that suggested Mel had asked a stupid question.
Melissa blew her gum until it popped. “He’s spoiled, let me tell ya that.”
“Nobody asked for your opinion, sis.”
Steven parked at the end of a long row of cars almost five hundred yards from the front door, and I looked around for any sight of Hayden.
“How do you feel?” Jess asked Kevin, who twiddled his thumbs on his lap beside her.
He looked older and more rugged with his styled hair and no glasses, wearing his contacts instead. I was sure he could find a girl at the party if he managed to relax. He looked pretty anxious.
“A bit nervous,” he replied in a slightly higher voice. “I don’t usually go to p-p-parties.”
“You don’t usually go to parties? What are you? A nun?” Steven said before he opened the door and got out. I was pretty sure he added “Loser” before he shut his door.
Mel turned to look at Kevin. “Don’t pay attention to that prick. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about ninety nine percent of the time. He needs a brain transplant.”
Kevin smiled sheepishly at her, and even in the semi-darkness, I could discern the redness on his cheeks. “Thanks, Mel.”
Mel clapped her hands. “Okay, children. Let’s go.”
We got outside, and I whimpered when the cold rush of wind enveloped me. I might as well be naked because this dress didn’t keep me warm, and my stockings did nothing against the cold that bit at my legs. I wrapped my arms around my waist and glanced around looking for Hayden again.
I found him leaning against Blake’s red Dodge Challenger in the distance, right next to Masen, who was kissing some redhead in a leather skirt with his hands all over her. Hayden’s eyes locked with mine as I approached him before they slid down my body slowly and lingered on my legs. I halted mid-step, my body flushing hot under his sensual gaze. I was barely aware of Mel, Jess, and Kevin stopping close to us, watching Hayden cross the distance that separated us.
By the time he reached me, his eyes burned with intensity that swallowed me whole. “Sarah, you... You’re gorgeous.”
He grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss. Our lips clashed together, and warmth soared in me, quelling the cold from the outside. His restless hands roamed all over my back, until they stopped on my bottom and pulled me flush against him. I grew dizzy from his kisses and closeness.
“Horny kids! You have an audience,” Mel called at the top of her voice. Hayden and I broke our kiss to look at her. “It’s good to see you’ve recovered and are ready for some action, Hayden.”
Her smile was too sweet, and I felt Hayden tense. I sent him a pleading gaze to not pay attention to her goading. Even though Mel was supporting us now, I hadn’t expected her to act one hundred percent friendly with him yet.
“Remember what I told you?” I whispered into his ear. “She promised me she wouldn’t goad you anymore, especially now that she knows about your disorder. This is just the way she jokes, but she has no intention of hurting you.”
Hayden nodded and cast her an emotionless gaze. “Nice to see you, Melissa.”
We all gaped at him, astonished by his unexpectedly polite answer despite the monotone voice. I felt immensely grateful that he was trying this hard for me.
Mel looked away and scratched the side of her neck. “Yeah. Nice to see you too,” she muttered.
Jess smiled at Hayden. “We were worried about you. It’s amazing how quickly you’ve recovered.”
Hayden’s lips curled slightly. “It’s good to be back. You look nice,” he said in approval and snaked his arm around my waist. My smile grew big when Jess blushed and grinned at him.
“Thank you.”
“And this is Kevin Burks,” I told Hayden, motioning at Kevin. “He’s the transfer student I told you about.” My smile wavered a little when I remembered how awkward it felt telling him Blake and Masen had bullied Kevin.
Kevin gave Hayden the once-over, red as a radish. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” He stared at the ground as he extended his hand for a hand shake.
Wearing an amused expression, Hayden accepted his hand. “You can look me in the eyes, Burks. I won’t bite you.” His voice was light, but Kevin blushed even harder and barely glanced at Hayden before he snatched his hand away.
“Are we, we, we going inside now?” Kevin asked Mel, his face pinched.
“Sure. We don’t want to catch STDs,” she answered with a sneer. Her eyes were on Masen, who was still kissing the redhead without paying any attention to us. “Let’s go.” She made a beeline for the front door, and Kevin and Jess followed her.
I met Hayden’s gaze. There was a mixture of amusement and discomfort on his face. “What?” I asked.
“He was checking me out. It felt weird.”