10. Restless + Retribution

"Ow, fuck," I come to consciousness from a massive fucking headache. I peel my eyes open, too-bright sunlight streaming onto my face through the windshield. My throat is scratchy and my mouth feels dryer then the fucking Sahara desert.

I sit up next to Leo in the back of his Subaru with the hatchback still open and the empty bottle of Jack Daniels at our feet.

The events of last night come flooding back into my head, hitting me like a fucking freight train. Drinking with Leo, making out with him, Jayce seeing, then feeling a ridiculous and unreasonable amount of guilt, ending the kiss and quickly falling asleep next to Leo in the back of his car.

I immediately open my bag to see if anything is missing, considering we just spent the entire night sleeping in a wide open car. Thankfully, everything is accounted for. Honestly, what had I expected? This is Goldcrest. Nothing bad happens here.

It's 7:00am on Saturday morning and I softly shake Leo awake. He jolts up so fast that his head smashes into the roof, which causes him to howl in pain and me to laugh, even though it hurts my excruciatingly dry throat.

He smiles at me tiredly and sweetly after he recovers from the painful blunder, then checks his phone.

"Oh shit," he chuckles. "I guess Sarah went back to Lakeshore with her girl last night. And I was supposed to be home about seven hours ago, so I better get the fuck outta here." He climbs out of the car and stretches, his tee shirt lifting up as he reaches toward the sky.

I follow suit, wishing more than anything for some water.

"Bye, Fal," Leo pulls me into a tight hug, resting his chin on top of my head. "It was really nice to see you again." He kisses the top of my head before waving goodbye and climbing into his car, speeding off through the town square.

As I make my way back to where I chained up my bike last night, I dash into a corner store and buy a bottle of water and Asprin.

Stepping out of the shop, I immediately begin guzzling down the cold, quenching liquid, thinking that this is probably the most pleasurable moment of my life to date.

I feel like I'm being revitalized with every droplet that washes down my arid throat. I feel like a new fucking woman. Drink your water, people.

I make it back to my bike and begin slowly gliding through town. I lean into the curve that will take me around Pepper's diner, and the next thing I know, I'm flying off my bike and landing on my side with an awful smack.

Fuck.

I just crashed into someone.

I quickly stand up, wiping the blood and loose gravel off the palms of my hands and ignoring the sharp pain in my right hip and rib.

I'm embarrassed and flustered as I turn to help my victim.

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice asks with intense concern before I can register who I just smashed into.

I look up into Jayce's face and my breath hitches in my throat. He's only wearing black basketball shorts and tennis shoes. He's clearly been running, as his shirtless, muscular, tanned torso is glistening with sweat and he's breathing heavily.

My head is spinning thanks to the fall and his chiseled, shining body and I'm unable to get words out to answer his question before me grabs my hands in his own. The effect his touch has on me is instant and extreme. Flames seem to erupt in my palms and trail down my arms, causing my heart to lurch and a knot to form in my stomach.

He closely inspects my hands and after a few moments of trying to keep my breathing normal, he gently drops them.

"Does anywhere else hurt?" He looks into my eyes seriously. "How's your head?"

Unable to process your irrational amount of sex appeal.

"I'm fine, Jayce, thank you," I say breathlessly, no longer registering the pain in my hip and rib. "Are you okay?" I glance him over, realizing afterwards that it was stupid to let my eyes look upon his perfect, golden body any more than absolutely necessary. My insides tighten as I imagine running my hands over his smooth, solid chest. Fuck.

"I'm fine, too," he replies, his breathing still a bit labored from the exercise he's clearly been doing. It's hot.

God, what is wrong with me? This dude literally yelled at me for saying "thank you" yesterday and here I am, goggling at him.

"Have fun last night?" Jayce asks in a voice so casual, it seems to be masking another emotion.

"Nothing else happened," I say quickly, unsure why I felt the need to clarify that to him.

He doesn't respond as he looks at me with an emotion I'm entirely unable to read, his intense eyes flitting across my face.

"You can't go around kissing guys like that," he says finally after several moments of tense silence. The words come out of his mouth harshly, like they're an order.

"Excuse me?" My chest tightens as anger and disbelief begins to boil up inside me.

"You heard me," his voice is low and slow and his eyes are locked onto mine.

"I'll kiss whoever the fuck I want, however the fuck I want, thank you very much," I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at him, still amazed by the fact that he honestly seems to think he can tell me what to do.

He glares at me for a moment before his arrogant, uncaring mask returns to its usual place on his features. "Whatever, Rhodes."

"What is your problem?" I screech at him, unable to contain my annoyance. "You're the most infuriating person on the planet! Why do you give a damn about who I kiss, anyway?"

"You never know what a guy's intentions are, okay?" He practically shouts, a pained expression crossing his face for a moment and he breathes deeply in an attempt to regain control after his outburst. He shakes his head slowly, looking at the ground.

After a short pause, he raises his head and runs his fingers through his hair. Yet again, the vulnerable emotions are quickly masked by his smirk, which slips back into place as he looks at me with that signature, arrogant glow in his dark brown eyes. "You could do better, that's all."

"Leo is an amazing guy and a phenomenal kisser," I say defensively, even though less than 12 hours ago I was literally using Leo as a stand-in Jayce. "And I'm sure he's 1,000 times better in bed than you are," I add, hoping to land a verbal blow.

Jayce studies me with an amused expression. He raises an eyebrow and smiles, "Care to let me prove that theory wrong?"

My lips part in disbelief. He's absolutely impossible. "Fuck you," I grumble, wishing I had a better comeback.

"Only in your dreams, Tink," he flashes me a cocky smile before leaning over to pick up my bike.

He passes me the handlebars and I hope he can't hear my heart beating out of my chest. "I'd say thank you, but I wouldn't want you to scream at me in the middle of the square," I cut at him.

His eyes look at me questioningly and I'm shocked at how quickly he can move from arrogant to innocent, even sweet. Realization washes over his handsome features as he becomes aware that I'm referring to our scene in his garage.

"I didn't–" He sighs, his brows furrowing in frustration. "I didn't mean to yell at you, I'm sorry." He shakes his head, his eyes genuine and full of sorrow. "I was so pissed about what they were saying, then I felt guilty for choking Deion almost to the point of unconsciousness, and then I was upset that you had to hear the whole thing, so by the time you tried to say thank you, I was just..." His eyes drop to the ground. "It doesn't matter, there's no excuse. I'm sorry. I was wrong."

It catches me completely off guard that he actually seems willing to be vulnerable with me. His honesty has me totally taken aback, as I hadn't been looking for an apology. But right about now, my heart is thumping so strongly and all I want to do is wrap my limbs around his body and tell him that I forgive him.

"Thanks for explaining that," I say, putting all my energy into not reaching out and caressing his arm. "And thank you, again. For putting those guys in their place."

He nods and looks up, past me. "There's a party at my house later tonight," he says, his voice flat. "Starts at 10. Come if you want."

And with that, he moves around me and starts jogging away. Watching his muscles flex with every movement, I feel myself catch my breath. His presence alone is beyond intoxicating and when he looks at me, all logical thoughts cease to exist. When I'm around him, it's like we're the only two people in the world.

I love it, but I also hate it.

I love it because it's so damn exhilarating to be around him, even just think about him. He's everything I could ever crave.

I hate it because I know that acting on any of it would only end in heartbreak, especially considering his reputation and the fact that he's graduating in eight months.

Suddenly, a devastating realization hits me, and it hurts like a knife in the gut.

This guy that I can't seem to keep a level head around, the guy who gets under my skin one minute and the next minute has me wanting to have my hands all over him...

He and his family very well may be, somehow, connected to my father's death.

Instantly, I know what I'm wearing to the ball tonight.

~

You know that scene in the movie "Easy A," when Emma Stone's character purposefully chooses to dress provocatively and slap a red "A" on everything she owns, purely because she knows it will piss off Marianne and the people who've been harassing her?

That's me right now. I'm Emma Stone. The Solis family is Marianne. And the dress their son bought for me is my red "A".

Call me crazy, but it feels like the ultimate power play to wear the shimmering gold dress Jayce gave to me on the first day of school. In the same retributive way that Emma fully embodied what everyone wanted her to change, I will wear the clothing provided to me by the family that may have ruined mine. And yes, I will rock the fuck out of it.

"Fucking hell, Fal!" Presley screeches with pride when I lay the dress out on her bed around 4pm that afternoon. "Isn't that the dress Jayce bought you?"

I nod in confirmation.

"Babygirl," she breathes, slowly stroking the dress with her fingertips, her eyes glued to its shimmer. "When a man buys a woman a dress, it's because he wants to see her in it. Maybe you should save this for homecoming, where you know he'll see you wearing it?"

"I'm not going to homecoming," I scoff and shake my head, determination filling every cell in my body. "No, I'm wearing this. Tonight."

Her eyes snap to me, filled with concern. "What's got you so intense about this?"

Tears inadvertently well up in my eyes and she pulls me into a tight hug.

"I'll tell you another time," I sniffle, the rosy scent of her hair filling my nostrils. "I don't want to ruin our evening with my drama. Let's just have fun tonight," I muster my strength as I pull away and give her the most convincing smile that I can manage.

"Fal, I'm not going to have any fun when I know you're miserable," she gently brushes my hair behind my ear, plops down on her bed and rubs the space next to her, gesturing for me to sit. "Spill."

Thirty minutes later, I've told her about the letter and cried my eyes out, yet again. She's honestly the greatest listener and comforter ever. I don't deserve her.

"Have you heard anything from Haven about who Tom Jeffers is?" She asks, stroking my hand with her thumb.

I shake my head no and wipe the snot from my nose. "Pres, I don't know if I'm going to be much use tonight. Maybe you should just go without me."

Her face twists up in disgust. "Excuse me? No, sweetie. You're coming with me. I don't give a fuck what you say, I will drag you there if I have to. I'll be damned if my best friend is going to spend her evening drowning in her tears. Hell no. There's going to be a lot of influential people at this ball, and I'd bet one of them knows something about Jeffers. Not only are you coming with me, but we're getting some fucking answers."

I love this girl. I smile, tears of gratitude welling up in my already puffy eyes. "Thanks, Pres," I say as I exhale. For the first time in days, a small beam of hope pricks at my consciousness at the thought of doing something about the letter instead of just letting it consume me. "You're the best."

"Not yet, I'm not," she wiggles her eyebrows and drops on her hands and knees, reaching under her bed. She emerges seconds later with a nearly-empty bottle of whiskey, which she opens and places in my hands. "There, now I'm the best." She smiles proudly. "Drink up!"

~

An hour and a half later, Presley and I are walking up the steps of Goldcrest's convention center. She looks smoking fucking hot in her floor-length red dress, I feel confident and powerful in Jayce's dress and I've got that extra pep in my step that being tipsy provides.

Before heading inside, we stop at the top of the steps and snap a couple photos in our dresses.

Stepping inside, the convention center looks incredible. The lobby is decorated to look like a forest with lush greenery covering the walls, while stunning flower arrangements, small babbling fountains and thousands of candles and string lights complete the vibe.

It's absolutely stunning, but in the back of my head I wonder how much of the money spent on decorating everything could've just, you know, gone to the charity. But that's none of my business.

Which reminds me, I have no clue what the fuck this is for, anyway.

"What's the point of all of this again?" I lean over and whisper to Presley as we wind our way through the trees. "Like, what's the charity?"

"Oh!" She giggles. "The Police Station is sponsoring the Goldcrest Conservation Initiative this year. It's an organization all about helping our town be more environment-aware, hence the trees," she points to the foliage above our heads.

"Nice," We make it to a door guarded by a tall man in a tuxedo who's holding a clip board.

"Names?" He asks gruffly, eyeing us suspiciously, clearly thinking we're crashers.

"Presley Castillo and Fallon Rhodes," Presley tells him as he scans the list and nods.

"Welcome to An Evening Under The Stars," he says, suddenly much more hospitable as he waves us through the doors. "You'll find the seating assignments just inside."

We step through the doors and my jaw drops. The dimly lit room seems to have no ceiling, it just looks like there are thousands of stars above our heads. All around us, the grandiose ballroom is outfitted with pristine decor and is filled with the town's A-listers - mainly members of the government and Founder's Council, along with several business owners and other rich, well-connected people. Jazz and laughter float through the air as bow-tied servers whiz around, offering glasses of champagne and fancy hors d'oevres. On the stage at the front of the room, there's an easel holding a stunning framed photo of a buck standing perfectly centered between two redwood trees.

Taking in our surroundings, I can't help but gawk at the opulence of the whole set up. I scan the guests, when suddenly—"Fuck," I hiss under my breath as my betraying heart pumps faster just at the sight of him.

"What?" Presley's voice is distant as she stares up at the starry ceiling.

"Jayce is here," my voice is barely above a whisper as I grab Presley by the wrist and yank her behind the closest fake tree. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Her face lights up and she claps her hands together. "Fucking good! I'm glad he's here, because now you can have your Emma Stone moment in front of his arrogant ass!" She peers around the tree, trying to find him. "As to why he's here, I'm sure it's because his parents are rich."

I feel my stomach tightening at the thought of Jayce actually seeing me in this dress, in person.

Peering back out around the fake tree, I estimate that there are about 300 people here. Maybe our paths won't even cross. I'd be so okay with that.

"You'll be fine," Presley reassures me with her stunning smile. "You look sexy as hell. Own it! Let's just find our table, yeah?"

She's right, I need to get over myself and just not give a fuck if Jayce sees me or not. She leads me back out from behind the tree and over to the seating chart. I scan the list, my gaze coming to a halt when I see our names.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Assigned to sit at Table 8 are myself, Presley, Alexei Solis, Celeste Solis, Jayce Solis, Layla Wright and two other names I didn't recognize.

Presley turns to me with a nervous look. "Are you going to be okay?"

Hell fucking no. I'm assigned to sit at a table with a man who clearly had forced my father to do something he didn't want to do, mere days before he left this earth.

I swallow hard, my jaw locked tight. I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. I can either tuck my tail and run home, cowering in fear of the Solises and their potentially deadly connection to my father... Or I can walk straight into the heart of the beast, and possibly gain some sort of information about this feud.

When I open my eyes again, I feel like a fucking warrioress, but instead of being covered in the blood of my enemies, I'm wearing the wealth of my adversary, Mr. Alexei Solis, himself.

"Let's fucking do this," I smile, my voice practically a growl.

"That's my girl!" Presley claps excitedly.

Static pops over the speakers as a short, white-haired man takes the stage. "Thank you all so much for coming out tonight!" His voice is excited and squeaky. "Please go ahead and take your seats so that we can begin!"

Here we go.

Presley and I link arms and make our way to the front of the ballroom, in search of Table 8.

I see Jayce take a seat at a nearby table and start walking towards him, knowing we're at the same table. My heart thumps uncontrollably but I refuse to look away from him as we approach, intent on seeing his reaction.

His eyes look up to meet mine and his face is instantly overtaken by awe. He slowly looks me over with parted lips and wide, hungry eyes. I tip my head slightly to the side and smirk, hoping to look like I know something he doesn't.

By the time we reach the table, he's managed to replace his emotions with his staple bored expression.

"Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Solis," I say in a slow, posh voice. Celeste looks like a queen in a royal blue dress, and Alexei and Jayce both have ties in the same color.

"Oh, Fallon!" Celeste's accent flows out in greeting while Alexei glares at me and Jayce picks at the tablecloth. "How wonderful to see you here! Who is this with you?"

"This is my best friend, Presley. Presley, this is Mr. and Mrs. Solis," normally, I would feel incredible out of place introducing Presley to Jayce's parents. But I have a righteous indignation in my stomach that seems to give me an uncharacteristic boldness, not that I'm complaining.

"It's nice to meet you both," Presley's voice is slightly higher-pitched than normal. I can tell she's intimidated. "Are you all donors, as well?"

Alexei deadass rolls his eyes at her as we take our seats across the circular table from them. What the fuck is his problem?

"Obviously," Alexei drawls in a bored tone. "Normally we don't have time to come to such meager, drab events," he flicks a piece of lint off the tablecloth and looks toward the stage, clearly uninterested in speaking with us further.

"Your life must be so exciting," I sneer before turning to Jayce, who hasn't said a word this entire fucking time. From his hard-to-read expression, I'd guess that he's either pissed about something or he's trying really really hard to act uninterested and uncaring. "I didn't know you'd be here," I tell him.

"Y-yeah," he meets my eyes and clears his throat, suddenly looking very nervous and like he doesn't want to be here at all.

Just then, Layla Wright struts over in a very revealing, very tight, very red cocktail dress paired black Louboutins. She sits down in the seat in between Jayce and Presley as frustration clutches at my throat and my stomach twists into an annoyed knot.

"Hey you," she purrs, running her hands across Jayce's shoulders and planting a kiss on his cheek.

What the fuck? The knot in my stomach tightens so violently, I feel like I'm going to barf.

Jayce wipes the bright red lipstick off his face and glances up at me as his the color in his cheeks deepens. His eyes look almost pleading, as if he's trying to communicate something that I'm just not understanding. I'm way too fucking annoyed for his mind games right now.

"Oh, hey Fallon. Presley," she acknowledges us with cool indifference, her blue eyes barely looking at us. "How did you two plebeians get so close to the front?"

Alexei makes a muffled sound reminiscent of a laugh.

I swear to God, I'm about ready to beat his head in with a plate. And Layla's. Shit, and Jayce's, for that matter. Fuck all of them, honestly.

"We didn't have to buy our way in like you did, if that's what you're suggesting," Presley growls, her brown eyes narrow slits glaring at Layla.

"Oh, trust me, sweetie," Layla says lightly with a condescending grin as she glances Presley over. "I can tell."

"Muchachas," Celeste interrupts with a stern look, bringing all her fingers together in a sharp 'shut it' gesture. "Can we play nicely?"

Presley continues glaring at Layla, whose hands seem to be wandering all over Jayce's front. Jayce's expression is completely detached and unreadable as the final two guests assigned to our table arrive.

I'm surprised I can even register their faces, considering how ready I am to burn this entire building to the ground. But something about them seems familiar enough to draw my attention away from the psychopaths sitting across from me (except Celeste, of course. She's a damn angel.)

"Arthur and Madeline Rutherford?!" Alexei suddenly rises from his chair and holds his arms out in a warm welcome, a large smile spreading across his lips. It's unsettling seeing such a warm expression on him.

"Hello, old friend!" The man called Arthur says as the pair embrace. He's clearly an older man, I would say in his 70s. He has a head of salt and pepper hair, skin the color of dark chocolate, brown eyes and a prominent gut that's pushing against the buttons of his incredibly nice, silky suit.

An equally dark, timelessly elegant woman stands next to him, giving Celeste a friendly shoulder rub with one hand and ruffling Jayce's hair with the other.

They both look so damn familiar.

The woman, who I'm pretty sure would be Arthur's wife, the one Alexei called Madeline, has gloriously long, curly white hair, vibrant blue eyes and a cheeky, fearless smile that I'm sure could've gotten her out of a lot of trouble when she was younger.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you two around town," Madeline says to Alexei as they kiss cheeks in greeting.

"It's been a busy year," Alexei nods, his voice a strange mix of solemn yet hopeful. "Between myself and Celeste, we've been home for a total of two months since January."

Madeline lets out a tiny gasp and covers her mouth with her hand. Arthur's eyes widen as he pulls the chair out for his wife, "At that point, is the money even worth it, when you're barely with your family?" He studies Alexei knowingly.

"It would seem so," Celeste mutters with a hint of resentment in her voice as she circles the top of her champagne glass with her dainty manicured finger.

Alexei seems to hang his head slightly, but I'm sure I'm seeing things. There's no way that man has a single shred of understanding anywhere in his entire body.

I can feel Jayce's eyes burning a hole in my face with his intense stare but I don't care. I'm too enraptured with Arthur and Madeline to think about Jayce right now.

"I'm so sorry, I'm being rude," Arthur chuckles to himself as he takes his seat. It's a hearty, deep laugh, one that makes you smile just from hearing it. "Who are the rest of you?" He asks with a handsome smile and sparkling, friendly eyes.

For some reason, I trust him immediately.

Layla introduces herself quickly without even looking up from her nails, clearly not giving a shit about Arthur or Madeline. Bitch.

Presley introduces herself with a wave.

"And I'm Fallon Rhodes," I smile, still avoiding Jayce's endless stare.

Madeline's eyes widen and Arthur's lips part in what appears to be shock.

"D-did you say 'Rhodes'?" Arthur asks slowly. "As in, Benjamin and Angelina's daughter?"

I nod my head slowly, unsure of what's going on. How the hell do they know my parents and why are they acting so damn weird about it? "Yeah, I'm their daughter. Do you know them?"

"Ha!" Madeline laughs, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. "Know them? Hun, we watched your parents grow up. In fact, we were among the first people they told when they got pregnant with you. I remember feeling you kicking in your mother's stomach, playing soccer in her womb, no doubt," She smiles fondly as a single tears slips down her cheek, which she wipes away with her husband's handkerchief.

Arthur looks like he could begin blubbering with happy tears at any moment.

I, for one, am fucking stunned. I probably look like a deer in headlights right now. They knew my parents?

"Wait, have we met before?" I ask stupidly, unable to grasp the situation.

Arthur nods with a big, proud smile. "We've known you from the day you were born. We actually watched you and your brother at our house every week so your parents could have time together."

"Why don't I remember you, then?" I'm still in shock and honestly super fucking unsure what to think right now. My stomach keeps flipping over and back again.

Madeline reaches across her husband and grabs my hand. "After your father passed away, Angelina, your mother, shut us out completely. She wouldn't let us see you, or Haven. I'm so sorry," she sniffles, dabbing her eyes with the lavender handkerchief. "I just can't believe I'm looking at you, all grown up and simply stunning." Her smile is so genuine, it actually makes my nose prickle with a threat of tears.

She and Arthur are both beaming at me, their eyes full of love and care. My heart warms me from the inside out and somehow, I know they're telling the truth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to An Evening Under The Stars!" The short emcee says from the stage, interrupting our moment.

Alexei is staring at us intently and Celeste has tears in her eyes, as well.

As the event begins and the little man on stage brings up important people to talk about the organization and fundraising, my mind tunes everything out.

I rack my brain, trying to remember Arthur and Madeline from when I was young. I definitely remember another house that Haven and I went to a lot, perhaps it was theirs? I keep recalling flashes of daisies, knit blankets and apple cider.

A thought crosses my mind; maybe Arthur and Madeline know something about my father's death that I don't. If they knew him since he was a kid, and were around up until he died, perhaps they had some information that I needed to know.

My heart jumps and my stomach jolts at the possibility. I'm excited that Presley was right about coming and that I could get information, but I'm also scared of what I might find out. These people knew my dad for a long time. What if I'm not ready to hear what they have to say? I mean, there must be a reason mom cut them off after he died, right?

I float out of my thoughts for long enough to glance at Jayce and see Layla whispering in his ear, their hands intertwined on her lap. His eyes meet mine and he smirks as he looks me over.

There's that playboy, coming right out. Again. Still, a fire ignites in my belly and it pisses me off. I desperately wish I could remain unaffected by him.

Soon the man on stage is announcing dinner and Presley is elbowing me in the ribs.

"There he is!" She whispers excitedly in my ear. "Cole!" She discreetly points a few tables over from us, to a very handsome man with cropped blonde hair.

He has a strong jawline and is clearly built like someone who goes to the gym every day. He's sitting next to a pretty redhead, who I'm guessing is the date he's bringing for appearance purposes, or whatever.

All I know is, Presley looks way hotter than her.

Servers begin bustling around the tables, placing divine looking plates of food in front of us.

Between Presley and Cole's eye-sex, Layla's fondling of Jayce, and the adults' sharing their opinions on the speeches, I'm able to sneak away from the table unnoticed.

I all but run out of the ballroom and dash outside, leaning against the chilly stone walls of the convention center. The night sky is clear, the air is cool on my skin and crisp in my lungs.

My heart feels like it's beating a thousand beats per minute and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. I don't know how to process that I was face to face with two people who knew my father. And not just knew him, but had known him for practically his entire life.

I had to learn more.

Tears well up in my eyes as I think on the possibility of hearing stories about my father. Mom always shut me down whenever I'd brought him up. All I had to go on was me and Haven's own memories of him, and I barely had any. After all this time, I might finally be able to get some answers.

I hear the convention center door open and look up to see Jayce bursting outside.

"Tink! Are you okay?" He jogs up to me, looking way too fucking good in his suit. Damn his broad shoulders and flawless features.

I let out a little laugh. "I'm not sure what I am at the moment."

"I know what you are," his smirk reappears and he bites his lower lip as he looks me slowly from top to bottom, his eyes leaving a trail of fire on my body. "You're hot as hell in that dress."

"Just when I thought you had the capacity to not be a fuckboy for thirty seconds," I roll my eyes and sigh, half of me wanting to slap him and half of me wanting to wrap myself around him.

"I resent that," his brown eyes glint as he smiles cheekily and runs his hand through his hair. God, what I would give to wrap my fingers in his chocolatey locks.

Speaking of Jayce's hair, I remember Madeline ruffling it and ask, "You seemed to know Arthur and Madeline?"

"Totally, I've known them for as long as I can remember. They've been friends with my parents for a long ass time. They seemed to know you, too?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly wondering what had happened during the odd exchange at our table.

Same, Jayce. Same.

"Yeah, I guess so..." I trail off, not sure what to say.

"Might be cool to learn some stuff from them about your dad, yeah?" He asks genuinely and I'm surprised by his level of understanding. It's pretty fucking attractive, not gonna lie.

"Uh, yeah. For sure," I have to consciously remind myself that this man's father might be part of the reason my dad isn't around anymore.

I swear, Jayce fucking blinks and I'm mush. No matter how hard my mind works to convince myself that he's trouble and that I do NOT want him... it's like my body has a mind of its own, and all it wants is Jayce. It's fucking annoying. Get your shit together, body.

"Is that guy your boyfriend?" Jayce blurts suddenly, his brown eyes staring intently into mine.

"What?"

"That guy you were with last night... is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh god, no!" I vigorously shake my head back and forth. "No, that was my friend, Leo."

A teasing smile spreads across Jayce's face. "Ohh, he's one of your fuck buddies, huh?"

I let out an exasperated groan as heat rises to my cheeks. "I guess so." This is so awkward. "At least, he used to be."

"So, then, here's my question," Jayce's voice drops as he steps closer to me and presses his hand against the wall on the side of my head. "What would I have to do to get a kiss like the one you gave him?"

I catch my breath as he moves closer, his body heat radiating on me. "What happened to never knowing a guy's intentions?" My voice is small and breathless. His cologne, that familiar combination of clove and perique, is muddling my brain completely. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"My intentions would be simple," he says with a deep, heated gaze, his warm breath fanning across my face.

He slowly moves himself even closer to me so that our bodies are mere millimeters away from touching, causing breathing to become a chore. "My intentions would be a kiss."

"You know once we went there, we wouldn't be able to come back," I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper as my heart pounds out of my chest, adrenaline mixed with desire coursing through every cell of my being. "There are other things going on that would make even just a kiss way too dangerous."

"Dangerous? Explain that to me," his eyes are like tractor beams, pulling me deeper and deeper into him.

"I don't understand them," I want to badly to touch any part of him, to feel his skin, to come undone beneath his fingertips and it's taking every ounce of self-control to remind myself of the reality of this entire situation. "And besides, Jayce, you're here with a date who seems very eager to kiss you. Shouldn't you go get your smooching fix with her?"

"You just don't get it," his eyebrows crush together as his eyes dart between my eyes and lips.

"Get what?"

He studies me for a moment, his eyes filled with longing. He slowly brings his hand up and gently wraps a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I think my heart skips about a hundred beats. He leaves his hand cupping my face, his thumb slowly stroking my cheek. My eyes dart to his plump, inviting lips, which would feel incredible pressed against mine.

"You don't get the effect you have on me," is all he fucking says as he reads my mind and brings his lips down towards mine.

I literally want to kiss him so fucking bad. All I want is to let him crush his lips on mine, give him permission to slam me against the side of this building and have his way with me for as long as he'd like.

But as I said, there's too much going on. Adding a secret rendezvous with Jayce would not help lessen the drama, which is reaching a level that's way too high for my liking.

At the last second, my hand darts in front of his lips, covering his mouth. "I can't," I breathe, registering the confusion in his eyes. "We can't, Jayce."

Just as he opens his mouth to reply, my phone starts ringing from inside my bra, playing Haven's ring tone.

I'm immediately ripped from the moment as I realize that he must have found out who Tom Jeffers is.

"I have to answer this," I whisper, hating that I couldn't have just given in to the man in front of me.

Jayce pushes himself off the wall and quickly walks away without giving me a second glance.

I fish my phone from my cleavage and head inside, intent on finding a private place to hear whatever Haven has to say.

~~~

I'M SORRY OMG PLS DON'T HATE ME. 😭 It was almost got a Jaylon kiss, but if you want more like that, just you wait for what's about to happen... 😏

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What are you liking about it?

Now here's some personal talk because I'm still obsessing 😋

So last night I went to an Ed Sheeran concert and legit cried 4 different times. 15-year-old me never could've imagined that I would be hearing his music live. It was one of the most incredible nights of my lifeeeee. His music helped me through so many hard ass times, and then, a year ago, his song "Perfect" was me and my husband's first dance song at our wedding.

The concert was seriously so incredible tho AHH. I was dyin. It was phenomenal. On top of being a remarkable, amazingly skilled artist and musician, he's a top-notch performer. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I soooo recommend it!

Anyway, I still managed to get this chapter bc ily.

Who are some of your fave musicians?? What are some good concerts you've been to or that you want to go to?

More coming soon. Ilysm. xx

♥️