Chapter 23

“Stop fiddling with it!” Jade slapped her hand away.

“But it hurts.”

“Such is the price of looking good. Suck it up.”

Tess sulked in disgruntled silence as Jade applied the finishing touches to her hairdo. After hours of washing, blow drying, flat ironing, and sitting still while her friend used her head as pin cushion, Tess wanted to bow out of going to the party.

She was exhausted. Her ass hurt. Her neck was sore.

It had probably been Jade’s evil plan all along. Still testing the waters of their redefined friendship, there was a measure of reserve that kept them from fully bridging the distance. Neither wanted to be hurt again.

“Voila.” She kissed her fingertips. “I am a fucking a genius.”

“More like mad scientist.”

“You say that now. Turn around.” Always one for histrionics, Jade hadn’t let her watch her progress, but suffer in the dark.

Shooting her a look that relayed how much she didn’t appreciate being kept from her reflection, Tess rotated in the vanity stool.

Her mouth parted.

She looked…hot.

Really hot.

Jade had fashioned her hair into a sexed up chignon. Random strands had been loosely twisted and pinned back, her hair a textured, tousled look. It would have smacked of couture had it not been for the wreath of fake money fanned around her low-hanging bun.

“J, this is amazing.”

“I know,” she said smugly, humility be damned. “Who knew greed could look so good.”

Tess stood up, wobbling on gelatinous legs rendered numb from lack of circulation. The dark pinstripe suit fit her body like a second skin. The altered jacket and blouse ensemble cut off just below her navel, its three buttons narrowly keeping her breasts from falling out. Jade wanted to undo the top button, but Tess immediately killed the idea. All that stood between her breasts and freedom was air and opportunity. No need to tempt fate.

She stared dourly at Jade’s outfit. At least hers offered more protection against the elements. Opting to go as pride, Jade wore a sleeveless black midi dress. The stretchy, black knit material clung to the delicate curves of her body. Sheer mesh plunged below her neckline, offering a teasing view of cleavage. A gaudy tiara crowned her head and a beauty pageant sash hung diagonally off one shoulder.

Tess tugged at the pencil skirt and grimaced as it sprung up nearly to her ass cheeks. “I feel like I’m going to pop out of this thing.”

“I’m sure Adonis will be more than happy to tuck everything back in,” she said innocently.

“If he doesn’t maul me first.” Not that she would protest. Tess donned her black-framed eyeglasses and hooked the Bluetooth headset she’d borrowed from a classmate over her right ear. She stepped back and surveyed the finished product. Not bad for a sexy Wall Street yuppie.

Jade picked up the curling iron and bumped the ends of her hair. “He’s changed.”

“How so?”

“I can’t explain it. He’s still a snarky little fuck. But he’s not as,” she cut herself off, frowning. “He’s lost that self-destructive edge, you know what I mean?”

“You figured all that out in one dinner?” Tess grinned, impressed by her percipience.

“It was kind of hard to miss.” Jade caught her gaze in the mirror. “He cares about you a lot.”

“I know,” she said softly.

“You love him.”

The import of the word tweaked a distant memory, but the details were fuzzy, out of focus. “Yeah, I do,” she flushed. “More than I thought possible.”

Jade snatched her up in a bear tight hug. “Bullshit aside, I’m happy for you. Honestly.”

Laughing, Tess returned the hug twofold, grateful that she had her friend back. “Thank you.”

Jade pulled away, her smile shark-like. “Now, let’s go teach these frat boys a few things about deadly sins.”

“After you, Pride.”

_________________

Riley groaned when they walked into the house. “Holy shite, lassies. I might have to bring the baseball bat with us tonight.”

“Hey Mikey, I think he likes it.” Tess kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry papa bear, we’ll be all right.”

“Not looking like that,” he grumbled, as if peeved by the attention they were bound to attract.

Jade wrinkled her nose. “Riley, let me fix your outfit. You looked like you just crawled out of a dumpster. Is that a pizza crust sticking out of your pocket?”

Tess laughed. Food stains and spilled drink patched his ratty sweats. He wore a Burger King crown on top of his head and a Joe’s Crab Shack bib around his neck. A bucket of KFC chicken tucked under his arm completed his gluttonous getup.

“How can guys get away this look and still be attractive.” She tilted his crown so it sat at a swaggering angle. “I’m going to see if Adonis is ready.”

Tess left the kitchen, smiling as Jade adamantly pleaded with Riley to make adjustments to his wardrobe.

Walking up stairs in a pencil skirt definitely wasn’t the easiest of tasks. “To hell with it.” She hiked up the skirt and scaled the steps two-by-two.

The scent of smoldering firewood greeted her as she pushed open Adonis’s door. Bathed in the low, halogen light of his desk lamp, he bent over a slab of ply, his hand steady as the needle moved surely across the wood.

Though she’d seen him work countless times before, it never failed to fascinate her. Hair falling over his forehead, the tip of his tongue peeked cutely from the corner of his mouth. He moved with an economy of motion that made her acutely aware of his control, his intensity.

Biting her lip to fend off a grin, Tess set down her briefcase slash purse and snuck up behind him.

Set in warm flesh-colored tones, a familiar sailboat canted thirty degrees mid-pitch, its tiger-mauled hull cradled by frothy waves.

Warmth funneling through her, Tess waited until he switched his tools off to slide her arms around his neck.

“I was wondering when you were going to announce your presence,” he murmured.

She kissed his nape. “How’d you know?”

“I could smell you.”

Tess released him, scowling. The hell? She’d showered an hour ago. Before she could conduct an armpit sniff-test, he spun in the chair. His pupils dilated as his gaze ingested her outfit from head to toe.

The golden hue of his eyes darkened to burnt amber. “Fuck, Tess.”

She nervously strummed her jacket’s buttons. “Is that a good fuck or bad fuck?”

He shot her a primal look that plainly said, What the fuck do you think?

“Are you ready?”

“Ready to fuck you?” he growled, slowly rising to a stand. “Hell yes.”

Heat dragged its fingers down her belly. “This outfit is staying on until I’ve at least made an appearance at the party.” She backed away.

For every pace she spaced between them, he swallowed it with one of his own. “I’m fine with that. In fact, I insist.”

Her back collided against the wall. “Adonis.” She meant to put up a strong resistance, but watching him stalk toward her like a wolf cornering its prey made her sex ache with anticipation.

Fractured by half-light, his face was a silhouetted composition of raw beauty and dark, ferine shadows. The long-sleeved white Henley conformed to his muscles and set off his bronzed skin.

Her body tightened as he poured himself into the empty gap separating them and almost cried out when he stopped inches from her. He braced a hand above her head. He chose neither to draw her towards him nor to move in for the kill.

His scent deluged her, a dizzying combination of something sulfuric hot, distinctly woodsy, and uncompromisingly masculine. Tess needed him to do something. Anything.

“I didn’t know you owned anything white,” she heard herself say.

“I didn’t know you owned heels,” he purred.

“I don’t. They’re Jade’s.”

“I’m buying them from her.”

“Why?”

“After tonight, I don’t think she’ll want them back.”

“Somebody’s feeling confident,” Tess replied, short of breath.

His mouth answered for him. He controlled the kiss, ignoring her attempts to speed things up. His tongue made maddeningly slow, savoring sweeps, as if they had all the time in the world.

He dodged her attempts to touch him. Reading her confusion, his lips grazed her ear. “If you touch me, neither of us is going to that party.”

Tess smiled coyly. “What party?”

His breath hitched. Just as his hand glided up her skirt, Jade’s voice bellowed from downstairs. “Adonis, don’t you dare put a finger on her! Both of you get down here so we can take shots and go!”

Adonis broke away with a snarl. “What the fuck is she, a psychic cockblock?”

“Only when it comes to her art,” she giggled. “Come on. Jade has spoken.”

He rested his head against her shoulder. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, we do.” She rubbed his nape. “I didn’t almost break my neck in these walking across campus for nothing.”

He fell quiet. “He’ll be there.”

She retreated to peer at him curiously. The additional three inches put them nearly at eye-level. “Is that why you don’t want to go? Because of Cameron?”

He made a noise of disgust.

Tess caressed his face. “The worst that could happen is you two get into a fist fight, in which I will referee but secretly be in your corner.”

His mouth curled. “Oh really?”

“Really. I’ll even rub Vaseline on your face when he isn’t looking.” Tess winked conspiratorially.

He yanked her into his arms, his exhale puffing out against her neck. “What would I do without you?”

She nuzzled his chin. “You’ll never know.”

___________________

Five minutes into the party and Adonis already wanted to leave.

The frat house was a cesspool breeding ground of horny sloths cum frat brothers and lusty, affirmation-seeking chicks in underwear. Or whatever the fuck passed as dresses nowadays. They may as well parade around naked for all the clothing they weren’t wearing.

Crimson light glowing from the wall sconces inundated the frat house in an intimate glow, amplifying the hormone-saturated atmosphere. All it would take was a bold flash of titties to induce a feeding frenzy among the males. He’d seen better mating rituals on the nature channel for fuck’s sake.

“Hey, Jade and I are going to use the bathroom.” Something must have slipped into his expression because she nibbled the crest of his ear. “Don’t worry. Lance is showing us the way. He won’t leave us alone.”

Some of the tension seeped from him. “Fine,” he grouched.

She kissed him. “I’ll be quick.”

Adonis watched her walk way. More specifically the hypnotic sway of her hips. The skirt hugged the round shapeliness of her ass.

She would definitely be keeping that on with the heels later on tonight.

He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed her sensual departure.

Jealousy stabbed through him like a red-hot poker at the perverts panting after his girl.

He balled his fists to prevent himself from doing something stupid. Like tearing out their balls and cramming them down their throats.

Chew on that assholes.

Adonis had never had to deal with this kind of shit before. Normally when he attended parties with girls he was sleeping with, he’d drop their happy asses off and go get baked somewhere. He didn’t believe in keeping leashes on pussy and expected the same courtesy in return.

That was then.

This was now.

And now he wanted to handcuff Tess to him and growl at anyone who so much as looked in her direction. Why the hell did she have to look like a centerfold piece for Maxim magazine? Who was she trying to impress?

She already had him: hook, line, and sinker.

“C’mon Adonis. At least act like you’re having a good time,” Riley smirked.

“This is your idea of a good time?”

Riley shrugged and drank from his can of Nattie. “When in Rome.”

Maybe Adonis should’ve taken those shots before they left.

He couldn’t explain it. Something had him on high alert. And not just because some of these douches looked half ready to tear into Tess.

Adonis popped his knuckles. They could try. They wouldn’t get very far. “Hey, I’m going out for a smoke.”

Riley nodded, his attention lured by a girl bundled in saran wrap. Or a see-through dress. What the fuck ever. “If I bump into Tess, I’ll let her know.”

Grinding his teeth, Adonis shoved through the crowd. There was a reason he didn’t attend these parties. Obnoxious music blasted through his skull. The sickly sweet smell of jungle juice cloyed the air. Dashed with the pungency of a thousand different perfumes and colognes and something that fairly reeked of piss, it was enough to make his stomach revolt.

The things he did for this woman.

Nerves jangling like loose change, he twisted through the corridors until he found a side door.

Crisp, night air chilled his skin and defogged his head. Besides a couple making out near the hedges, the courtyard was empty.

Packing the fresh carton of cigarettes, he stuck one in his mouth and patted himself down for his zippo. Shit. Had he left it at the house?

A flame snapped into existence, illuminating feminine features. He grunted his thanks and accepted the light.

“It’s cold as fuck out here,” she commented faintly.

He responded with something noncommittal.

Another click from the lighter and soon the sweet aroma of ganja floated into range. A joint.

He almost groaned. How long had it been since he last toked up? Almost two months.

She must have noticed him staring because she held it out in offering.

He ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth. A few pulls wouldn’t kill him. Maybe numb out of his brain enough to make the night past quicker.

“’Preciate it.”

They smoked in quiet, companionable silence. Thankfully she wasn’t a talker.

Adonis glanced at her. Eyes having adjusted to the darkness, he became aware of her attractiveness. No. More than that. She was stunning. Waves of dark, glossy hair framed her face. Her skin shone like alabaster under the moon. Her features were fine-boned, the rise of her cheekbones evocative of European aristocracy. He couldn’t make out the color of her eyes, but he imagined them to be deep, fathomless. Unlike the other girls in attendance, she wore jeans and a nondescript tee shirt.

Beautiful as she was, his libido remained unmoved. He admired her as one would a fine painting, an impassioned appreciation.

What the hell had Tess done to him?

“What’s so funny?”

Adonis hadn’t realized he’d been smiling. “It’s nothing.”

“She must be one lucky girl.”

“No, I’m the lucky one.” The words were easier to share with his brain immersed in a nebula of sticky green.

She smiled and stubbed out what was left of the joint before lighting two cigarettes. She handed him one. He accepted without complaint. “Where is she?”

“Inside doing shit knows what.” Head buzzing pleasantly, Adonis checked his phone to make sure she hadn’t texted him.

Not even an emoticon.

What was taking her so long?

“You sound like you’d rather be anywhere else.”

“That goes without saying.” He discharged the smoke from his nostrils. “What’re you doing out here by yourself? Shouldn’t you be fighting off these frat fucks with a stick?”

Her laugh was quiet. “I needed a break. I’m here with a friend for moral support. This isn’t really my scene.”

He raised a brow. “What’s your scene?”

Eyelashes lowering, she covertly glanced around before a retrieving a black eyeglass case from her purse.

She opened it for his perusal.

He forgot to exhale. His lungs heaved with unexpended smoke. His heart began beating so fast it vibrated. It rattled behind the cage of his ribs, shaking the bars like an inmate being taunted with freedom. “What—where did you get that?”

She lifted her shoulder. “Does it matter? I’ve found there aren’t many people here who can handle my type of fun.”

He barely heard her. His world had narrowed to a single point. Phantom sensations stroked the ache he’d kept entombed for months.

Memories bled into his vision.

The sting of the needle.

The burn of liquid euphoria shooting through his veins.

It eclipsed everything.

Pot.

Alcohol.

Food.

Sex.

He shook his head to physically rebuff the urge and struggled to remember why that had been a bad idea.

Fuck, he was too high. His tolerance was practically nil.

A sudden rush made him dizzy. If weed felt like this after a few weeks, how would a nod feel after almost a year?

Why float on a tuft of cloud when he could skim the gate of heaven?

“You want in?” The question reeled him back to the reality. But the tether was threadbare.

That was the million dollar question.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-16