Page 11 of Defiant
“Worse,” I spoke, grinning. “It’s actually worse than you think.” I could elaborate, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t. What happened between Archer and me, what happened at that party…if Dante was going to stick around somehow, for whatever stupid reason, I didn’t want him to know.
It was almost like I wanted to impress him by keeping my mistake a secret.
So dumb.
“I take it you don’t want your mom to see you with me,” Dante said after a while. “I don’t mind, because I know how most parents would react to someone like me crowding around their beautiful daughter.” He gave me a smirk that I tried—and failed—to notice. “But I do have to ask, what about your boyfriend? Or, should I say, boyfriends? Though I do assume you broke things off with the prick who brought you to that party, because you didn’t leave it looking too good—”
I was horrified at what he was saying. Truly, absolutely horrified.
First off, boyfriends? Plural? Really? Oh, I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. Like he had any right to judge me or be jealous.
And that party? So, he knew about it. Dante didn’t know specifics, but he knew enough, and that was enough to make me frown to myself. Jacob must’ve been too busy on whatever case he was working on to notice someone else was there, too.
I opened my mouth, about to retort, but then I realized just who he considered my boyfriends to be. Archer and Jacob. Neither could be further from the truth. Archer was a lying ass, and Jacob was…technically my employee. My much older employee, who I might’ve cuddled with and fallen asleep on, but that was beside the point.
I let out a laugh. “I do not have boyfriends, okay?”
“How about just one?”
His eager question only made me laugh more—and miss the fact that the high school had let out, students starting to flood the area near the doors.
“Stop it,” I said. “If you don’t remember, you threatened and kidnapped me this morning. I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, but you’re going to need to grovel a lot more if that’s what you want.” I said it jokingly, but the moment I saw his mischievous expression, I knew I’d said the wrong thing.
“I know exactly what kind of girl you are,” he mused, and I didn’t doubt I knew what he was thinking of when he said that—my actions in the hotel room. Me, practically throwing myself at him like a cat in heat.
Oh, I could kill him.
Instead though, I only chuckled, moving to hide my smile behind my hand as I glanced around the parking lot, once again looking for my mom’s car. She wasn’t here yet, but I did see a familiar blonde head above the cars. A handsome one, one who, though he stood far away, I knew housed beautiful blue eyes.
Archer.
And, the best part, he was staring right at me. Me and Dante.
I locked gazes with him, and something inside of me ached. To say I enjoyed what happened would be the worst lie I could possibly tell. I’d thought…I’d thought, for a little while there, Archer really liked me. That he could be hot and cold, but it wouldn’t matter. Not in the end.
I was so, so wrong, and now my heart hurt because of what he’d done, what had nearly happened at that party on Friday night, all because he’d wanted to trick me.
When I was sure Archer saw me, when our stare locked for a few quick heartbeats, I did something I’d probably regret later: I turned back to Dante, threw my arms around his neck, and kissed him.
I kissed that leather-wearing psycho so hard and so fast it put my faked passion back in that hotel room to shame. I kissed Dante so hard the heat between us would be felt by Archer, who stood over fifty feet away.
Dante didn’t question me, didn’t push me off him; I had no idea whether or not he realized he was being used, but if he did, he clearly didn’t care.
My body leaned into his, and for a moment, just a quick moment, I wondered why it couldn’t be simple for me. Why I had to go and muddle everything up, go after the wrong guy—give myself to literally the worst guy I possibly could here in Midpark.
The kiss didn’t last forever; it was over soon enough, and when I pulled myself off of him, I threw a look around me. Mom still wasn’t here, which I thought odd, but I wasn’t going to question it. Archer had gotten into his car, and I watched him drive off, his posture tense as he left the parking lot.
“I’m always down to make your not-boyfriends jealous,” Dante quipped.
I gave him a look. “I think you should go.”
He quieted, his azure stare looking me up and down, warming certain areas of my body in spite of what he’d done earlier. “All right, if you’re sure.” He gave me a smirk as he got on his bike and started it up. “I’ll see you around, Jaz.”
I didn’t tell him goodbye, knowing it wouldn’t be long before he stumbled back into my life somehow. If my dad sent him, would that change things? Would I…would I want to meet the man whose sperm gave me life? I’d admit, I was curious about him, even more so now that I assumed he and Dante were close.
I took a step back, sighing as he peeled away. It would be better for my mom not to see me near someone like that, anyway. Ever since our fight last weekend, I’d felt kind of bad about it. No need to upset her more.
Folding my arms across my chest, I bundled up as I headed through the parking lot, moving toward the school’s doors, where my mom usually picked me up. It wasn’t but a moment later when my phone rang, and I dug it out of my pocket, grimacing at the wind as I glanced at the caller-id.
