Page 132 of Fighting the Forbidden

It’s only then I take in his dark green bow tie and cummerbund. Yikes. I enjoy some odd color combos myself but that green clashes with Kyla’s pretty dress something awful.

Wesley holds the sides of his jacket open. “Yeah, but that’s a girly color. My college’s colors are green and white.”

“What a skunk fucker,” I say under my breath.

Griff chokes and laughs. “What’d you say?”

“Nothing.” I press my lips tight.

Kyla’s eyes are wide and shiny when she joins all of us for pictures. I slip my arm over her shoulders. “It’s okay,” I say against her ear. “You guys’ll look like a freshly picked peach together. He’s the leafy stem and you’re the fruit.” I add a silly grin to my ridiculous lemons-into-lemonade observation, and she finally smiles.

“Thanks, Molly.”

The sun’s almost set by the time we leave for the country club that’s hosting our prom. Thankfully, this time, Griff and I ride together alone. Hayden’s so eager to get to prom, you’d think she was head of the committee. We end up falling in behind her BMW.

“Isn’t Wesley that douche canoe who bothered you at work?” Griff gestures to the white Lexus behind us. “How’d he end up with Kyla?”

I shrug and relay what Kyla shared earlier, leaving out the part where Kyla thought I ever liked Wesley.

We finally make the turnoff for the country club and travel slowly over the wide, gravel road.

Reluctantly, Griff hands the keys to the valet and accepts the slip. Music’s already pouring out of the ballroom designated for our school. I spot Hayden at the top of the wide staircase leading into the building and wave.

“Aw, look! She and Wade are holding hands,” I whisper to Griff.

A faint smile ghosts Griff’s lips, and he curls his hand around mine.

“Darcy and Jenn went in to get us a table,” Hayden explains when we reach her.

“Where’s my brother?” Wade asks me.

I’m not his keeper. I shrug. “They were right behind us until we made the turnoff.”

Hayden turns her head and giggles. “Let’s go in.”

I know I’m biased but Griff’s easily the best-looking guy in the room. His tux fits his muscled frame perfectly and he has the sexy kind of confidence none of the boys in my class have mastered yet.

Unfortunately, that seems to put him on my teachers’ radar as soon as we arrive. Ms. Johnson follows us around like I invited the neighborhood drug dealer to be my date instead of the love of my life.

Ignoring her, I walk closer to Griff. He nudges me slightly ahead of him as we work our way through the crowd but keeps his hand on either my hip or at the small of my back, a constant reassurance.

Our big round table’s in the corner, and I hurry to slap my purse down on the chair closest to the wall. Griff chuckles and pulls out the chair next to it for me.

He leans down, his warm breath coasting over my shoulder. “You know me well.”

“I do.”

He hands me my purse and sits in the chair I claimed for him as the rest of my friends take their seats. Hayden drapes a shawl over the seat next to me to save it for Kyla.

Remy was wrong; dinner’s served almost immediately. Rubbery chicken and some sort of fancy rice. I only try a forkful of the rice, knowing I’ll end up dropping more of it in my cleavage than in my mouth.

Halfway through dinner, Kyla totters in and plops into her chair. Wesley’s still nowhere to be seen.

Good.

“Griffffff,” Kyla slurs, leaning forward to rest her boobs and elbows on the table. “You’re old enough to buy us alcohol, riiiight?”

Seems like she’s already had a few drinks.

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