Page 113 of Pick Me

“Tight in all the right places,” I joked, my eyes homing in on his package.

“And I thought I was the horny one,” he said with a sigh.

“You look great,” I reiterated, taking him in one more time. It was an understatement; he looked gorgeous, but, honestly, he could wear a shirt and sweats, and I’d still like it. Even that too-tight baseball hat seemed to do it for me these days.

Jackson peeked into the banquet hall, and surprise took over his face. It was already filled with guests, meaning we wouldn’t be alone once we stepped out of this hallway. He wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me against his body before dragging me away from the door and any prying eyes.

When we were alone, he placed a delicate kiss on my lips. “I don’t know how long we have before we see everyone, so I just wanted to say I think you look absolutely stunning.” His gaze dropped to my dress as he licked his lips. “Red suits you, and all I’m going to think about is how much I wish you were in bed with me tonight.”

I swatted him on the chest, laughing as I turned away. I didn’t want him to see how much I liked what he’d said. He pulled me back, kissing my forehead.

“You might hate hearing how beautiful I think you are, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop telling you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, looking anywhere but Jackson. It still felt weird to hear it coming from him. “Where’s Tanner?” I asked. “I thought you guys were speaking to the dean and then coming back out here.”

Jackson smiled. “Yeah, he was supposed to come with me, but he, uh, found Aster in there.”

My mouth dropped, and I glared at him. “Why wasn’t that the first thing you told me?” I swatted him on the chest, and he laughed before grabbing my hands and gently placing them at my sides.

“Because you came in hot with the compliments. Do you really think I’m going to turn down hearing my girlfriend talk about my giant cock?”

I rolled my eyes. “Did you see Aster too? Or did he just tell you he saw her?”

“I saw her. She was wearing a pretty green dress that really made her hair pop.”

“Is that it?”

He shrugged. “What more do you want?”

I grunted. “How did she look? Was she pissed off? Upset?”

“Indifferent,” he said with a shrug.

“Indifferent? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t looking at her face, trying to analyze her emotions. I just wanted my friend to be happy.”

“Was he?”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself? They’re just in there.”

I nodded, moving away from him and back to the banquet hall, slowing as I took in the cathedral-style ceilings and paintings on the walls. I’d read the names of each professor when I came in earlier, and the walls oozed history.

“Do you like it?” Jackson asked as his hand grazed my back, then dropped to my side. I frowned, aching to know what it would feel like to have his hand there, warming me, claiming me. But not tonight. Tonight, we had to play the part—pretend we could barely stand each other. Maybe we’d trade a few sharp words, act like we wanted to tear each other apart when, in reality, all we wanted was to tear each other’s clothes off.

“It’s beautiful, if not a little creepy.”

“Creepy why?”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of eyes on me, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“They’re paintings, Pyro, besides, you didn’t mind the eyes on you when my fingers were in your pussy outside the club last night.”

I groaned. “Did you have to bring that up?”

“Always. What can I say? I’m an oversharer, and I think these are things you should know.”

I grabbed his hand, hauling him through the people to find our table. “Come on, we need to get to our seats before someone starts questioning what we’re doing.”

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