Page 3 of Depraved Favors

My boyfriend laughs. His hand slides around my waist as he pulls me into his chest. If I wasn’t looking for it, I would have missed the flash of jealousy and anger in her eyes. “What do you say, babe? Want us to switch to Big Bear with you guys?”

I try to smile, but fail. So I roll my shoulders, lightly brushing out of his hold. “I mean everyone already paid for Vail. It would look bad on you to switch. Plus…” I trail off, glancing at my best friend watching me curiously. “Some space would be good for us.”

Usually I spend winter break with my parents, but when I found out Jacob is going to Colorado to ski with his football buddies and Brit is visiting her father in Big Bear, I took the opportunity to spend some alone time with my best friend. Originally, it was going to be the last trip of college to have fun just us girls.

Now I’m turning it into a recon mission. If I could get into either of their phones, it would be hers. I know everything about her and her life, other than she might be fucking my boyfriend. I just feel more confident in hacking her passwords before his. Jacob and I have never been a couple that looks at each other’s phone, and the nights we sleep over at each other’s place, his is never just lying about for anyone to grab.

Brit frowns, her gaze connecting with his over my shoulder. I step away from him and scrunch my nose at my best friend. “Ready to go? You know I like to be at the airport early.”

“Sure, yeah. Let’s go,” she says, the uncertainty rising in her tone.

Jacob grabs my elbow and I sigh, facing him with an annoyed expression. His gaze roams over me as his eyebrows pinch in confusion.

“We okay?”

I shrug. “Are we?”

His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why are you asking that? Is there something making us not okay?” I tilt my head, letting the question linger as I watch him.

He blows out a long breath, shaking his head gently. Stepping forward, he kisses my forehead. “I feel like we’re always fighting lately.”

“No, I just stopped giving you my full attention, and you pout about it,” I scoff, pulling away from him.

Jacob runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, okay? I know there were times I was…when you were spending time with your mom. But it’s hard to go from being with your girlfriend every day to barely seeing her for weeks.”

“It’s hard to have a mom with cancer,” I bite back.

He groans, dropping his head back. My lips twitch with the urge to smirk. I know I shouldn’t pull that card as often as I do with him, but he’s been getting on my last nerve.

“That’s not fair, Pey. We’ve both just missed you,” Brit says, trying to defuse the situation. My gaze cuts to her, as I try to bury the fury that’s threatening to surface. Whatever she sees causes her to flinch, and she walks toward the driver’s seat.

“Well, text me when you guys are taking off and when you land.”

My heart thaws a little at the request, and I hate myself for it. I’ve never questioned that Jacob cares about me, but it hurts to see him still act like the perfect boyfriend. “Same with you. Don’t break anything while skiing.”

He smiles, cupping my face, and some of the old flutters come back. His lips brush against mine lightly, and when I don’t pull away, Jacob takes it as a sign to deepen our kiss. My fingers twist his t-shirt and his hand slips to my ass, squeezing it before pinning me against the car. I gasp, letting out a small moan when his mouth trails down my neck and sucks on my collarbone. I push at his chest, hating how he knows the exact point to make me want him.

Jacob chuckles, pulling away from me and kissing my forehead one more time. “You should have spent the night last night, and we could have had a proper goodbye.”

We both jump when the car horn goes off, and Brit rolls down the passenger window. “I thought you wanted to leave? Not fuck against my car.”

“Just giving my girlfriend something to remember me by,” Jacob teases and opens the door for me.

Brit is staring out of the windshield, her jaw tight when I climb in. He rests his arm on the roof, leaning into the open side with a smile. “I’ll miss you,” he whispers, his eyes glancing at my lips again.

“Yeah, I’ll miss you too.”

With one last kiss, he shuts the door and taps the roof before heading to where he’s parked on the street.

Brit huffs out a breath. “God, I thought he would never leave. Basically pack himself into your suitcase.”

“I’m sure he would if he could.”

“You’re so lucky to have someone love you like that.” She sighs.

My fists curl in my lap and I stare out the window. When I don’t reply, she turns on the radio, leaving us to listen to the music on our way to the airport.

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