Page 99 of Elusion

I waste no time in returning to the living room, even neglecting to take our drinks with me. Callie’s on the far side, talking to someone. On my way over, I have every intention of acting like a gentleman. But by the time I reach her, my objectives change. My hands slip around her waist, and I bury my face in her neck. She steps back, so I go with her. My mouth is very devoted to making up for lost time.

She giggles. “Jordan, stop.”

Not a chance. In less than forty-one hours, my life will turn back into a pumpkin and stay that way for almost two weeks. I block out the unpleasant thought and move my hands to her ass, holding her tight against me.

“Sorry, Vee,” she says to the person who needs to leave me alone with my girl. “My boyfriend’s apparently an untrained animal.” She presses her hand against my chest. “Jordan, I want you to meet Jess’s sister.”

I growl into her neck in response to her continued interruptions but stop. Maybe if I get the pleasantries out of the way, she’ll let me feel her up. Her gaze meets mine when I straighten up, and I wink to let her know I’ll be back.

“Jordan, this is Jess’s older sister, Vee.”

A fake grin appears on my face, and I turn around to meet … one of the last people I expected. A familiar pair of big brown eyes stares back and matches my level of disbelief.

Fuck.

The expression falls off my face, and I search for Jess. Is this what she was talking about earlier? Her equally big brown eyes watch the whole scene unfolding from across the room.

The eyes. I should have seen it in the eyes.

She grimaces and mouths,Sorry.

I could kill her.

“We’ve met,” Vanessa says, bringing my attention back. “A few times actually.”

Callie squints for a second, but then her eyes slowly widen. “Oh.” It’s short and cuts through me.

Then they both look to me. I wish Brooke would land in my lap because at least I know how that awkward situation plays out. This one, however, I can’t even fathom. It’s bad enough that I ghosted Vanessa when she showed too much interest, but now she just witnessed me maul my girlfriend—the one I swore to her I never wanted.

“Excuse me.” Vanessa shoulders past me and hurries up the stairs.

I peek at Callie, feeling the scowl hit the side of my face. “I think I need to have a little chat with Jess.”

“Yep,” she says, storming away.

Perfect.

Jess sees me coming and backs into the kitchen. Like that will save her. The swinging door almost levels Benji when I explode through. I stop a few feet in front of Jess and throw my hands in the air, walking away. Words are not my friend at this particular moment. At least none I feel comfortable sharing with the rest of the class.

“I’m so sorry, Jordan.”

My head shakes as I turn around. “How long have you known?”

She shies away from me. “The first time I met you.”

“What?” I walk away again.

Benji snares my arm to stop the pacing. It bothers him. “What the fuck’s going on?” he asks.

I gesture toward Jess. “Meet Vanessa’s little sister. Notice the lack of family resemblance that would have come in super handy over the last three-plus months.”

A hand covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. He fails.

“Great, yeah, it’s hilarious.” I rub my face, hoping it erases the entire night from my memory. “Why wouldn’t you tell me you knew about us?”

Felicia’s mouth falls open. “Oh. My. God.You’rethe guy Vee was hung up on after winter break?”

“Welcome to the conversation,” I say.

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