Page 97 of Defiant
Or both.
My fingers might’ve moved on Jaz’s sides, for they touched the tips of Vaughn’s. I had her back to me right now, her ass grinding against my dick, and I met Vaughn’s dark stare over her head. He was a few inches shorter than me, but still taller than her. When our gazes connected right then, I knew he would never give her up. He was just as addicted to her as I was, just as obsessed, as desperate, as greedy. If I took her away from him, he’d either follow us or kill me.
Yeah, kill.
Because I wasn’t the only killer here.
Staring at Vaughn, I knew. Sometimes you were able to recognize people, even if you didn’t know them. The way they spoke, how they looked back at you with a hollow expression, as if masking what they felt inside. Oh, yeah, Vaughn and I might be different in how we got to our destinations, but the end result was the same.
Order. Chaos. They were both dangerous if used correctly.
Vaughn must’ve been thinking something along those lines, because as our eyes met, he gave me the tiniest, smallest perceptible nod, as if telling me, hey, you’re not too bad after all.
I returned the gesture, though by that time, his attention had returned to the girl between us, the girl we were sharing.
I didn’t know if I could share her forever, but…maybe, for now at least, I could.
Time was a blur to us as we lost ourselves in each other. I had no idea how many songs passed or what we looked like. Probably hungry, ravenous animals wanting to scatter into the darkness and tear off each other’s clothes, but unfortunately for me and my throbbing cock, we couldn’t do any of that until after the finale to this night.
All I knew was that when someone grabbed the microphone from the DJ and said to clear the dance floor, my whole body was sweaty. My dick was as hard as a steel rod, poking at my pants, wanting to be freed. I bet Vaughn’s was much the same. The DJ’s music had ended the moment the principal took the stage, and I wondered if this was it. If this was the big finale, what Jaz and her friend had been waiting for.
Jaz, practically panting, dragged us both back to the table, where Bobbi and her friend were sitting, sipping on drinks. I made no attempt to hide the thick cock pressing against my pants, and the other girls at the table definitely got an eyeful. Ah, well. I guess I still was a bit of a showoff.
“Did she come in?” Jaz said nothing more as she went to grab the cup I’d gotten in the beginning of the dance. Odds were it was warm by now, but she didn’t seem to care, downing the rest of it. “I didn’t see her.”
More like she hadn’t been paying attention to watch for Brittany, since she had her hands full with Vaughn and me.
“I don’t know,” Bobbi said. “I’ve been watching, but…unless she got here before me, and she’s been hiding all night, I don’t know if she’s here.” She glanced to her friend, Grace. “This’ll blow if she’s not even here.”
I could tell Jaz did not like that possibility. “No, she’s here. She has to be. There’s no way she skipped the dance just because of what happened with Archer. No way.” She sounded so sure of herself, and I hoped she was right. I’d hate to see Jaz disappointed.
The principal was a rather awkward-looking man in his fifties. From what I heard, he was new to this, and I wondered if he was under anyone’s thumb. He hardly looked like the type of man to ever take charge unless someone else was pulling the strings. Frankly, he looked like a pushover. I hated pushovers.
“Now, I’ll be quick, since I know you all want to get back to your dance,” he spoke, trying to sound like he was cool and hip, and not the dorkiest man in the room. He wore a suit that was a size too big for him, his hair thinning. Definitely not an impressive sight. I could take him down just by looking at him. He held onto a small envelope in his other hand, and he waved it around, waiting until everyone got to their seats before he opened it.
The DJ had brought up a small podium, where two sparkling crowns sat on a white pillowcase. The king’s crown was nothing too special, although I did bet it cost a pretty penny. The queen’s crown, on the other hand, was three times as big and held ten times the sparkling gems. I knew they weren’t diamonds, but I did bet, since this was Midpark, they were some kind of genuine crystal.
“First, let’s get your Winter King up here.” He opened the envelope, squinting as he read the name on the ballot. His happy-go-lucky demeanor changed instantly as he read the name. “It seems…it seems the King is actually not here today.”
Jaz was confused. She glanced to Bobbi. “He doesn’t mean Archer, does he? I thought—”
“Ryan Bohlen is your Winter King.” The principal paused, letting the announcement sit upon the audience like a heavy weight. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the principal actually got teary-eyed.
What the fuck? For that rapist? What the absolute, ever-loving fuck?
I scowled, taking on a typical Vaughn expression, my mood instantly soured. Who the hell would vote for that bastard?
“Wow,” Jaz whispered. She glanced to Bobbi and Grace. “Why didn’t you say something?”
Bobbi shrugged. “Grace told me, but…” She shot a look at her short-haired, quiet friend. “I didn’t want to say anything and freak you out.” At that moment, I wondered how much of the whole story Bobbi knew.
Up on stage, the principal lifted the king’s crown. “I’ll be sure to let Ryan’s family know what you’ve done for him. I know it might be cheesy, but it’s times like these when I’m reminded that there is still hope for the future, hope that lies in each and every one of you.”
Oh, gag me, old man. Just shut the fuck up and get on with it, please.
The audience loved it, though, as did all of the teachers chaperoning tonight. Everyone erupted into a fit of clapping, the noise drowning out all common sense, apparently. I could not roll my eyes enough. Jaz just looked like she wanted to kill someone. Couldn’t blame her for that.
The principal set down the king’s crown, moving back to the center of the stage to announce the other winner. “Now, your Winter Queen.” He paused, glancing at the envelope again. He could not hide the shock from his face when he read the next name: “Jazmine Smith.”
