Page 22 of Take What You Want

9 YEARS AGO

NIKOLAI

“Y-you w-what?” Jane stutters, her emerald eyes rounding to saucers.

LJ at a loss for words; I never thought I’d see the day.

“I could help you out with that ‘problem’ as you called it?”

Her face is bright red and it’s not just because of the shitty mixed drink she’s been sipping down. “We shouldn’t even be discussing this.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Are you comfortable with me?”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is the problem?”

She stares at me in disbelief. “You must be drunker than I thought.”

Am I drunk? Yes.

But I don’t think the expensive vodka I took from my mom’s stash has anything to do with the possessiveness pumping through my veins at the idea of Jane trying to find a random guy tonight to sleep with.

She doesn’t make rash decisions like this. What is she thinking? She could get hurt.

“Tell you what,” I say, leaning a shoulder against the wall and crossing my ankles. Bad move. I stumble to the side and have to catch my balance.

Maybe she’s right and I’m drunker thanIthought.

Jane grabs my arm, her pink, glittery nails a stark pop of color against my skin. She raises her brows until I steady myself. Once I do, she takes her hand back, and I miss the warmth.

Since when have I wanted Jane’s hands on me? She’s my best friend. My best friend’s sister.

“Look,” she says, brushing her hair over her shoulder and it sways in a heavy curtain down her back. “We can forget this whole conversation even happened, alright? I didn’t exactly want you or any of the guys knowing about it, and I’d prefer if we could just go back to that.”

“But friends share things with each other,” I pout.

“Yes, but not talking about losing their virginity!”

“Wrong. I know when all of my friends have. Hayden did last year, and do you remember that girl that came here from private school for a semester sophomore year? Walker got?—”

“Nope,” she interrupts. “I don’t need to hear that about my brother.”

Oh yeah, that’d be weird. I laugh, and Jane rolls her eyes.

“Why do you want to rush it? Don’t you want to wait for the right person or some shit?”

She scoffs. “Because I’m a girl?”

“No?”

“Did you wait for the right person?”

I bite the inside of my cheek and scan the room, avoiding her blazing stare.

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