Page 39 of Jack

“No problem,” I said as I pulled out of her driveway.

We drove in silence, and I could practically hear the gears in her mind spinning as she tried to figure out the meaning behind us going to this party together.

“So, Addison seemed pretty interested in going to this party with you,” Ava said, as she looked down at the dark polish of her fingernails in an attempt to appear casual.

I couldn’t help it; I broke into a full grin.

She was still jealous.

I smirked. “Yeah, I mean, what can I say? I’m in demand.”

Ava head swung around as she shot me a dirty look.

I laughed out loud. It was kind of fun fucking with her.

Ava grinned and smacked me in the arm. “Oh, my god, shut up. Your ego is out of control.”

“Yeah, well, you know they say—big ego, big…” I turned and shot her a knowing look and she burst out laughing. Bright hair swinging as she chuckled, her wide, pale green eyes sparkling with humor. God, she was so cute I felt a lump forming in my throat.

I was trying to get her off the topic of Addison. I didn’t need her to know that our parents had started planning our wedding when we were in pre-school. I’d had one weird encounter with Addison that didn’t really amount to anything, but I was getting frustrated at having to explain these old relationships.

I wasn’t ashamed of my sexual past, well, I was mostly not ashamed, but I didn’t need it parading itself right in front of Ava while I was still trying to figure out what was happening between us.

“I’ve never heard that one, but I know some guys who must have a huge…” She shot me the same look I’d shot her, and I found myself chuckling at her overly theatrical facial expressions.

We pulled up to Rico’s and it looked like there were already a lot of people there. We liked to party here because Rico always had a bonfire going in the backyard.

I was about to open the door, when Ava put her hand on my arm.

“Wait... Jack why did you drive me here tonight? Was it just to avoid Addison?”

I tipped my head back and let out a slow breath. I had hoped to avoid this conversation and thought I’d succeeded. I turned to Ava, prepared to tell her that it had been about dodging Addison’s sudden interest, but when I looked into her beautiful face, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie to her.

Unable to resist touching her, I curled my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to me, my mouth crushing hers as I reacquainted myself with her taste. A taste that I could easily become addicted to. A taste that maybe I was already addicted to.

Ava quickly responded, sinking into the kiss, her body melting against mine. For a moment, there was only us. Unfortunately, we were parked outside a house where a large party was taking place, and I had an easily identifiable car. I continued to plant hungry, biting kisses on her lush mouth until I heard someone banging on my window, causing us to jump apart.

I turned and saw an irate Shelby standing outside my window with her arms crossed.

Jesus Christ.

I turned to Ava. “No, I didn’t drive you here because of Addison.”

She stared at me for a moment, her gaze drifting back to where Shelby was standing outside my car and gave me an uncertain smile. “Okay.”

I hated being forced to reveal feelings I wasn’t even sure how to identify, so I didn’t. “Ava, tonight, you’re here with me. Do you understand?”

Her brows crinkled in an adorable look of confusion. “Well, not exactly.”

I turned my head to look out the front of the windshield, considering how to word what I wanted to say in a way that didn’t make me feel too exposed, and saw Mike fucking Crenshaw. My jaw clenched in irritation, and I turned to Ava again. “Ava, you are mine tonight. Does that make it clearer?”

She gave me a comical smile. “Just tonight?”

I reached up and rubbed her cheek. Seeing that asshole Crenshaw had pushed me, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to tolerate seeing him with her—touching her, kissing her...

Fuck no.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe not.”

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