Page 16 of Doing It for Love

He nudges me past the bouncer. I can hear the people in the line throw out some choice words when Landon opens the door.

A steady drumbeat thumps through my chest, my eyes adjust to the contrast of dark mixed with bright neon, and my nervous butterflies fly out behind me as I take in all our friends covered head-to-toe in bright paint. Cheers vibrate the walls and scare me back into Landon with a laugh.

He catches me and leans down to my ear. “You have Theresa to thank for this.”

I turn, my nose grazing the scruff on his cheek. “What exactly is ‘this’?”

“Engagement party.” He taps a kiss to my lips. I want to kiss him longer, but a hand curls around my wrist and yanks me away from my sexy-ass fiancé.

Sexy-ass. He does have a sexy ass. If only I could grab a handful while he’s pressing me against a wall.

“Freaking gorgeous!” Penny, Landon’s old roommate’s girlfriend, yells. I push away my naughty ass-grabbing fantasy and she pulls the diamond on my hand up to her face. She’s covered in bright yellow paint spatters, dotting her cheeks and down her neck. I sneak my hand away as politely as possible so she doesn’t get paint on my ring. But Theresa snags it next, and she’s painted in blue and pink. Suddenly I’m surrounded by all my girlfriends, laughing and showing off the rock.

“Oh!” Theresa says over the music and the high-pitched squealing. “You need to get painted.” She grabs my arm, and I wave bye to everyone. My white dress glows as bright as all the neon paint under the black lights, and even though there are about 150-plus people in here, I can spot Landon across the room, glowing like the Bat-Signal. So much for staying next to him all night.

“You are crazy, you know?” I tell her as she drags me through the crowd. “How did you get everyone here inoneday?”

She tosses her brown curls over her shoulder. “We’ve been waiting for Landon to ask you formonths. He finally got the balls to do it.”

Damn, I love my friends. Most people would tell me I’m crazy or we’re crazy or whatnot because of my age, but my friends go and throw a black-light paint party.

Probably going to get a different reaction from my parents.

Wait…

“Theresa?” I ask, stopping on the steps to the paint drums. “You didn’t post this on Facebook, did you?”

Her head tilts to the side, and she blinks but doesn’t answer.

“Because I haven’t told my mom yet,” I continue, “and shecannotfind out fromFacebook.”

She blinks again, eyes growing wider and wider, making my stomach more and more uneasy.

“O-of course not.” She fake smiles. “That would be a horrible thing.”

I go to smack her, but she dodges my swing and hops down the steps to the larger crowds, pulling her phone from her pocket.

“Be right back!” she shouts with a wave. I crumple a napkin at a nearby table and chuck it in her direction. The feeble thing lands about two feet in front of me.

“Nice throw, Beth Ann,” I hear over my shoulder. I turn around with a gut punch, knowing who it is because he’s theonlyone who calls me by my middle name. But Jace totally expects it, catching my wrist before it connects with his stomach. A wide grin splits on his bright-red painted face, his teeth glowing white like my dress, and globs of green in his brown hair. He pulls me in for a bear hug, lifting me off my feet and making me squeal over his shoulder.

“Don’t squeeze too tight,” I croak. “I’ll break in half.”

He sets me down. “I’d say congratulations, but you’re so stupid,” he says, and this time I get a good hook to his shoulder. He rocks back on his heels and chuckles. “Just saying, you could’ve had this…” He gestures to himself. “But you chose that.” His hand waves out behind me. Warm arms find my waist, jolting me on the spot.

“I’m funnier than you, bro,” Landon says to Jace, tucking his chin in the crook of my neck. Jace gasps as if that’s the worst insult ever. I laugh and kiss my fiancé’s cheek.

Fiancé. I love that word.

“You guys are doing that cute shit, so I’m gonna get a drink.” Jace slaps his hand across Landon’s. “Congrats.”

“Sure, you say it to him,” I call out to his retreating figure. Jace turns around with a grin.

“He’s not the stupid one!”

I go to flip him off, but Landon catches my hand and twines our fingers together.

“He’ll only take it as an invitation,” he says. I roll my eyes, but nod. Jace not-so-subtly hits oneveryone.I don’t know how Landon lived with him for so long.

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