Page 24 of Tempt Me

I gnaw on my bottom lip. What she says makes a lot of sense, but what would my parents say? Lord. I groan and wave at the waitress to bring another drink. When will I ever get the balls to do what I want without worrying about what everyone thinks?

“Bella,” Sam barks, grabbing my attention as he stops beside our table.

“What?”

“Who was that guy talking to you?” He crosses his arms over his chest as Dominic glares at me from behind my brother’s back. “Are you seeing him?”

“I’ve got to go.” I slide out of the booth and grab the glass from the waitress. I’m tired of people telling me what to do. I dodge a couple making out on their way to the dance floor.

“Bella.” Dominic grabs my free arm and spins me around to face him. “Why didn’t you answer Sam? Are you seeing that guy?”

“Yep.” I say the ‘p’ with a loud pop. “I’m going outside right now to blow him, so get out of my way. I don’t want to leave him hanging.” Hanging. Shit. Two drinks, and I’m buzzed. I should’ve eaten something today.

“Absolutely not. Not when you’re drunk. Where did you even meet the guy? Here? You don’t know anything about him.”

I straighten my shoulders. “I met him in school. He’s the quarterback on the football team.” Fine, he’s the backup quarterback, but that doesn’t matter at this moment. Not when I’m shoving the guy in Dominic’s face. His eyes flash with anger as his fingertips grip tighter on my arm. “We sit in the back row together in Principles of Auditing. He puts his jacket over my lap and feels me up in class.”

“Over my dead body.” He straightens to his full height, and if I wasn’t so pissed, I’d pretend he was mad because he’s in love with me. But I’m mad. Not stupid.

“Too bad. My brothers are going to miss you.” I brush past him. That’s when I see Rick. I reach him, dropping my drink on the closest table while grabbing his arm, and drag him to the dance floor. “Wanna dance?”

“Sure.” He beams at me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I’d love to.”

“Perfect.” I lace my arms around his neck and close my eyes. The room spins. I snap my eyes back open. Rookie move. Do not close your eyes when you’ve been drinking. Dominic lurks at the edge of the dance floor–curling and uncurling his hands.

Shit. He’s going to beat Rick up. I step back, putting distance between us. I don’t want him hurt because I’m acting like a bitch. Especially when I have no desire to date him.

Rick tips his head toward Dominic. “Your boyfriend seems a little ticked.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” My shoulders sag. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He leans down. “Would you introduce me to your friend? She’s cute.” He gives me a weak smile.

Thank God he’s not upset. I sigh as the tension in my body eases, “Sure.”

When I look back to where Dominic was standing, he’s gone. The crowd parts as he stomps toward the door, smashes his hand against it, and disappears into the darkness.

Chapter Twelve

The Next Day

Bella

“How was class today?” My mom asks as she adjusts a pot on the dishwasher’s bottom rack.

“It was fine. We’re having a test on Monday, so I need to study over the weekend.”

She stands and straightens her back. “Will you be ready?”

“Yes, Mom,” I groan as I exit the kitchen to retrieve more dishes from the dining room table. It doesn’t matter how old I am. I’ll still get grilled about what I’m doing. I love my parents, but they smother me.

“Hey, Sis.” Sam throws his arm over my shoulders. “How’s life?”

“Great.”

“Why didn’t you tell me Brock was giving you a hard time?”

“I–”

---