Page 78 of Entangled

Fuck. I was such a brat. Why didn’t I just go to the bar tonight like any rational person would’ve done?

I hear the floor creak in the other room and my heart races as I stare at the partially open bedroom door, waiting to see if it moves. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand so that I have some kind of lifeline, I clutch it tightly in hand and flick my eyes between the only two available hiding places in Gram’s room. It’s either the closet or under the bed. Two equally horrible options as hiding places but the only ones I can get to without leaving the room.

Closet. Definitely closet. I’m not getting dragged out from under the bed by my feet, thank you very much. That was a trauma I’d never recover from, even if I survived.

Just when I’ve finally worked up the courage to take a step toward the closet, the door bursts open and a golden-haired form launches through it, quickly snatching my laptop from the bed and opening it. I’m pretty sure my heart stops completely at his abrupt entrance and it takes me a few tries to draw a breath as I watch Jace open my laptop.

“Aha! I knew it!” He turns his head to me, face victorious as he holds the laptop aloft. “You little liar! You watched it without me.”

I take a few measured breaths, watching his expression fall as he notices the look on my face.

“Let me explain something to you, Dawson.” I take a step toward him, tone low and threatening. “If you ever pick my lock again. Not only will I never sleep with you again. I will pepper this town with flyers saying that you have a multitude of venereal diseases and find a way to tattoo Blondie Was Here First on your dick while you sleep as a permanent reminder of me.” I cock a brow and cross my arms. “Capiche?”

Jace cringes and starts to reach down as if to cover himself before dropping his hand lamely to his side. “Call it even?” He holds the laptop out to me with a winning grin.

“Hmm.” I narrow my eyes on him and tap my foot, not feeling the least bit benevolent after he scared the life out of me.

“So.” Keeping his eyes on mine, he slowly places the laptop back on the bed and stands. “I realized tonight that I’ve never actually taken you on a proper date.”

Bringing my foot to a halt, I cock my head at him. “And?”

“And.” His eyes turn playful as he reaches out to tug at my hair. “Go put a dress on. I’m taking you out.”

I give him a confused look before deadpanning. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Exactly.” He grins delightedly. “It’s the perfect time to go.”

“Go where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I open my mouth to retort before closing it and narrowing my eyes on him again. Totally at a loss as to what to do here. I want to go, but… what the hell?

Laughing softly, he tugs on my hair again before turning to walk out of the room. “Go put a dress on, Blondie.”

I give him back a doubtful look and call out as he shuts the door. “Just so you know, this is highly suspicious!”

That damn melodic laughter trickling in through the door is his only response.

I stare at the door for another minute in dubious contemplation before shaking my head and turning toward the closet. Pulling open the doors, I stare at my clothes now hanging there, the multitude of shirts and shorts I packed far outweighing the few dresses. I didn’t exactly think I’d have a lot of reasons to wear them down here and my options reflect that, leaving me with a formal black dress that would be better suited for a court date than adatedate. A sexy gold number that screams LA club life, and a pretty emerald sundress with a mauve and peach floral print that I had wistfully packed at the last minute. It had called to me, telling me it was just too pretty to leave behind, and it had been right.

Sliding the dress off the hanger, I lay it out on the bed and begin to undress, trying to remember the last time I had actually been on a date and coming up empty. It had been a long time, to say the least. I forgo a bra because of the low back and pull the silky green fabric over my head, letting it settle lightly against my skin. Walking to the bureau that sits against the wall, I use the mirror to tie the strap hanging across my back and pull at it nervously. The steady flutter in my stomach ratchets up a bit as I pull a brush through my hair and take a step back to stare in the mirror.

Come on Delacroix, you can do better than that. I did say surprise, didn’t I?

It’s Jace’s playful voice I hear in my head, causing my lips to twitch and prompting me to make a run for the bathroom. I pull my makeup bag from the drawer, quickly applying a light smoky eye before swiping a light pink color across my cheeks and lips. Grabbing my favorite perfume from the bag, I spritz a few puffs into the air and walk through it before shoving all the items back into the bag and zipping it up. Opening the door just a bit, I peek out to make sure Jace can’t see me before darting back into the bedroom and putting on one of my favorite pairs of strappy sandals.

Standing back from the mirror, I cock a brow at myself in inspection and find that I’m pleased with the result despite the rare feeling of flutters filling my stomach.

God. He’s turning me into such a girl.

Shove some steel back into that spine, El.

I take a deep breath and walk to the door, pushing it open and seeing Jace waiting in the entry with an oversized bag in hand. His eyes devour me as I walk toward him, working their way from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and he swallows visibly when I come to a stop before him.

His gaze returns to mine, dimples flashing as he steps in and reaches out to grip my hip. “You’re fucking stunning, Delacroix.” He drops his lips to mine, pulling at them teasingly.

When he ends the kiss, I throw him a bratty smirk to cover up how his words affect me. “Thanks, Dawson.” I look down to the bag at his side. “What’s in the bag?”

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