Page 72 of Them Bones

Jenna couldn’t really explain what she was seeing, and she was tripping out too hard to try. But it was like there was an invisible cord winding its way around them, something thick and strong like steel cable, like they were a different species and everyone else needed to get thefuckout of the way.

The girl was staring right back at him, her expression just as predatory. Although, maybe a little defiant…

“Shane…” Jenna said and reached for him. But there was no point.

He shoved her out of the way, swung the guy around by the back of his shirt, and punched him in the mouth with so much force that it was genuinely miraculous that the guy's skull didn't turn to mist.

LAURA

Laura had envied Jenna from the first time she brought Shane home. He was disturbingly good-looking, and Laura honestly had no idea how she’d landed him.

At first, she’d thought he was just there for a quick lay. That Jenna was a convenience. But as winter turned to spring, and spring wore on to summer, Shane stuck around and didn’t seem to be screwing around on her. If he was, the guy was God’s gift to sex drive because he plowed her roommate multiple times a visit as casually as if he were making a salad.

She tried to time her showers so that they’d be alone in the living room together as she passed through in just a towel. In the mornings, she wore her panties and a t-shirt and nothing else when she came out for a glass of water or to put on a pot of coffee. But they guy had never so much as glanced at her. If she didn’t have to suffer Jenna’sridiculouslyloud orgasms every weekend, she’d have sworn he was gay.

Looking at him now, stepping over the guy he’d just dropped on the sticky floor like he was nothing more than a smudge of dirt, Laura realized that she never should have been jealous of Jenna.

Even high as a kite it was obvious to Laura that Shane had a soul mate. And no matter how many times he might make Jenna come, she wasn’t it.

LANEY

“You’re hurting me,” Laney shouted, her voice swallowed up by the din. Shane’s hand was gripping her upper arm so hard she knew she’d bruise, dragging her along behind him. The crowd parted easily for him, willingly staying out of his way as he bulldozed a path to the door.

He tossed her unceremoniously out of a side door and slammed it behind him.

“What in theactual fuckdo you think you’re doing?” he seethed. He looked murderous.

“What do YOU think you’re doing?!” she hissed back, snatching her arm away and rubbing it with a wince.

“What are you doing here, Laney?And what are you on?”

“You don’t get to ask me questions like that, Shane. Not anymore.”

“Oh YES I DO!” he roared. “How the HELL did you get here and WHAT did you take?”

“I TOOK SOME E AND MY BOYFRIEND DROVE US HERE!” she shouted.

He looked like he’d been shot at the word ‘boyfriend’.

Good.

Shane glanced at the large group of smokers staring at them but didn’t really seem to care that they were making a scene.

“I’m calling us a cab. And I’m taking you home.”

She laughed a cold, brittle laugh that dribbled out of her mouth and onto the ground like broken shards of glass.

“I’m not goinganywherewith you,” she spat. “You just beat up my boyfriend –”

“Stop calling him that,” Shane gritted out.

“WHY? Heismy boyfriend!”

“He looks like he’stwenty-five!”

“Heistwenty-five, youasshole!And I need to go make sure he’s okay. You canfuck right offand leave me alone!”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind, Laney?! You’re at a rave downtown at 3am,barelydressed, on drugs, toting one of Cary’s loser lackeys and you think I’m going toleave you alone?”

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