Page 94 of Falling For Temptation

“I need a drink. Be back in a sec,” I mumble into Kenna’s ear as she giggles with a gorgeous, tall redhead.

She latches on to my elbow. “Okay. I know the DJ, so meet me in the booth, okay?” She smiles widely.

I nod, not surprised at all, and go searching for a bar. The line is longer than the exit off the highway you need on Friday afternoon, so I pull out my phone while I wait.

Nothing.

He’s so done. He met a new girl. She’s perfect, a virgin. I bet she knows how to make mouthwatering homemade rolls and has already changed a thousand diapers. He’ll teach her how to have sex, and she’ll fucking love it because he’s a natural. He’ll do that delicious thing that he must’ve just wanted to do, and I shiver at the memory.

“You cold, babe?” a disgusting familiar voice asks me.

I look up at a smirking face, boring brown eyes eating me up.

“Nope,” I say coldly.

I take a step forward in the line, and Kyle falls in beside me.

“Wow, I had no idea you owned clothes that could cover so much.” He laughs.

“What do you want?” I hope he can smell the disdain.

“Same ole, same ole. I thought I made it clear before.” He leers at me again, and I roll my eyes with the boring ritual.

“Blah, blah, you want me to stroke your tiny, hairy balls, and you’ll tear me down eventually—got it. Can we skip to the part where you run off and find someone easy?” I fold my arms over my chest, not at all in the mood to be polite to the jerk who groped me. “Why are you here anyways?”

“My dad runs this place. I get to pick the opener for shows when they don’t have one already,” he boasts.

I imagine that line works with way too many girls.

He continues with one-liners all the way to the bar. He attempts every ploy in the book, but I ignore him with ease. He’s just another Chihuahua barking at me on the street. I’ll only respond to the soft, sweet lion with a quiet roar.

When I get to the bartender—a girl with more tattoos than me—I order my usual lemon vodka and club soda with lime. She nods, mechanically making the drink.

“Bourbon, on the rocks, Jade,” Kyle orders with a wink. “Put ours on the tab,” he says.

I’m poor enough that turning down a free drink isn’t in my wheelhouse, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to thank Kyle’s dad for it.

He follows me as I search for Kenna.

“So, did it ever go down with you and that farmer?” he asks as we weave through warm bodies.

I’m not in any mood to discuss my relationship, so I don’t answer. He interprets my silence as an opportunity.

“Ahh, well, that’s too bad. You know I’ll make it better for you than he ever could.” He smiles, leaning into my ear as he says it.

He smells like Marlboro Reds. He looks like the sleazy version of Adam with longer blond hair and darker eyes. I guess he’d be sexy if he was someone else and not a total prick. My blood turns to ice as I realize that he’s a type I would’ve eventually settled for—before I experienced what it felt like to be cherished.

I want to back away, but the crowd is pushing me in. We finally reach a small clearing, and I step a safe distance from him. A man with long hair and a beard is on the stage now, beginning to strum on an acoustic guitar as the crowd cheers.

“I don’t want you. Leave me alone,” I say without remorse, setting my jaw.

He throws his head back in a laugh, running a hand through his conditioned waves. “They all say that at first.” He steps closer, his hand reaching for my waist. His smoker breath is in my ear as he whispers, “You’ll come around. I’ll make you scream.”

I jerk back from him, raising my hand to slap his face again.

A tan, muscled arm splits us apart, grabbing Kyle’s wrist. We both start, and I look to my right into a stern, handsome face.

“She said she wants you to leave her alone.” Adam’s voice is fierce, a no-nonsense tone I wish he’d use when I’m naked.

---