Page 16 of Get Even

I pulled the joint I’d pre-rolled before we arrived out from behind my ear and lit it with the hot pink lighter I’d tucked into my boot, smirking as I sank toward the ground in an exaggerated squat when the music changed toDrop it like it’s hot. Ryan followed my movement with his eyes and heat sped through me as I looked up at him from the ground. It was the worst tease, to act as if he were mine. Like I was his, to touch, kiss… fuck.

Usually I liked to be in control, but there was something about being on my knees with Ryan above me that had my breaths coming a little faster.

I exhaled smoke while I danced and watched it curl around the ends of his dark brown hair, slightly longer on the top, and wanted to follow it with my fingers. I tried to remind myself that this was pretend. That I just needed to piss off Aaron and be seen with someone responsible that would improve my reputation. But the longer I looked at Ry all I could think about were his earlier words –Who’s faking?

Liv’s eyes flicked to the doorway behind us and she gave me a slight nod. I didn’t even look back, just moved closer to Ryan and draped myself across his lap, ignoring the daggers Taylor was glaring at me. I dragged the joint and exhaled before offering it to him, torturing myself just a little as I watched his lips ghost over the same spot mine had been – it was okay though, I reasoned, this was all part of the act. It was okay for me to seem infatuated with Ryan, because Aaron had walked in through the door and his gaze had zeroed in on us almost instantly.

Ryan flicked ash into a nearby tray and let one arm settle around my waist, his large hand falling mid-thigh below the hem of my skirt and stroking upwards lightly. Aaron had seemingly forced his gaze from us and well… that was not going to do. I wanted him to hurt just as much as he’d hurt me. I wanted to drive him feral with jealousy.I wanted to be wanted.

I let my body relax against Ryan’s and hummed along to some generic pop song as I moved my mouth closer to his skin. Ryan’s gaze caught and locked with mine before my mouth grazed the outer shell of his ear, traveling down lightly until I took the lobe between my teeth and tugged, a response to his own teasing earlier. I watched the pulse in his neck jump and that fascinated me more than anything, so I pressed my lips to that too and then trailed open mouth kisses down his neck, leaving a collection of red-purple lip prints that made him look well-fucked. This felt like crossing a line, but with the weed wreathing my brain and the taste of him in my mouth, I couldn’t remember why that would be a bad idea.

I pulled the joint out from between his lips as I sat up, now fully in his lap with my skirt spread wide around me so that only my tights and his jeans separated our bodies. His hands ran up my calves above my boots to cup the back of my thighs and their warmth made me shiver. I kept myself lifted off his lap slightly, not wanting to take this too far. This was just teasing, Aaron was the only one who needed to believe this was for real.

I swayed my hips in time to the music and linked my arms around Ry’s neck, fingers tangling in his silky hair, eyes locked on his. His gaze flickered just once, warning me that someone was coming over and I didn’t need to guess who. My fingers curled around Ryan’s chin and I tugged lightly until he could see only me, then I slowly pressed fully against him, chests flush, his jeans slightly scratchy against my inner thighs as my mouth brushed his once, twice.

“Jamie,” Liv called too late as I found myself dumped on the floor with Aaron standing over the armchair and Ryan, blood smeared on his fist. Ryan grinned, his mouth a lazy sprawl as he spat blood and stood. He had a good inch or two on Aaron and that filled me with a strange sense of satisfaction as the bass pounding through the room heightened the tension. Two guys who had been standing near a beer pong set-up were trying to push past the small crowd that was forming, one with a shock of baby blue hair and the other with broody dark eyes, and Ry shot them a look so I guessed he knew them.

I picked myself up from the floor, using Liv’s hand as leverage, and made sure my skirt was covering everything. I wasn’t typically a violent person, I preferred to use words as weapons generally – however, I did have a few exceptions and being dumped on the floor like yesterday’s trash was one of them. Ry clearly noticed the glint of murder in my eyes and shook his head, I took a step forward and he sighed.

“Thanks for hitting me first, asshole,” Ry smiled grimly and I paused, “and if you ever lay a hand onmygirl again I’ll beat the fuck out of you.” His words were clipped and his eyes were shadowed in the darkness of the room and in that moment, I believed him.

“Sure man, if you want my sloppy seconds then go ahead. I mean, she’s good enough in the sack – my brother can attest to that too, right Brad? Or was it the photo? You liked what you saw, huh?” Taylor cackled like Aaron had said something brilliantly funny and I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t help my smile as Aaron dismissively brushed away the hand Taylor was attempting to run across his chest. “If I’d known how clingyyouwere going to be I never would have fucked you,” Aaron said and for a second, real, genuine hurt flickered over Taylor’s face before she flounced away. “Then again,” he said, turning back to Ryan whose jaw looked like it could break at any moment from the tension lining his face. “Jamie was always better in bed anyway. But hey, you’ve seen the picture. Maybe she’ll convince youto do a wholeass movie.”

He laughed and it felt like the pit dropped out of my stomach. I shouldn’t care what he thought. He was a scumbag and a cheater and anassholebut I couldn’t hide my flinch when he looked me up and down as if he alone could determine my worth and said, “Slut.”

Up until that moment, I didn’t think Ryan had actually planned on hitting him back. Not until he saw that tiny, miniscule flinch cross my face. Ry glanced around to see where his friends were and, seeing them struggling to get to us, he smiled and struck faster than I could believe. His hand slammed into Aaron’s face and my ex groaned, clutching his face as Ryan stood over him, clenching his hands like one punch hadn’t been enough to satisfy him.

The blue haired guy reached us first, grabbing for Aaron and hauling him away before he could retaliate – or maybe before Ryan could inflict any more damage. Blood stained my ex’s pressed blue shirt, marring that faux-perfect image he presented. To me, the bloodstains felt more accurate anyway.

The dark-eyed brooder grabbed me and Ry, pushing us in the direction of the kitchen while Ryan massaged his hand. I shot Nick a look to keep an eye on Liv and he nodded before I was pushed around the corner and stumbled as I found myself pressed against the countertop with Ryan at my front and the kitchen blessedly empty.

“I’m sorry he hit you,” I said as soon as the door closed, “and that you hit him back. It’s not what you signed up for.” I tried for a smile to ease the anger still lining his face, “Thought your rep was supposed to be stellar?”

“It was until I got involved with you,” Ryan drawled with a slow chuckle. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Um, so can you let me up now?” I mumbled and felt his laugh rumble through my chest.

“If that’s what you want,” he said and moved away to the other side of the small kitchen.

I raised a brow, “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh, no reason,” he said, taking a step closer, footstep echoing on the tiled floor. His face hit a beam of light coming in from the window and my eyes fell to the perfect imprints of my lips on his neck. “It just seemed like you might be enjoying yourself out there.”

I snorted, “Yeah that was kind of the point.”

Ryan huffed a short laugh, “Are you really going to play dumb?” He closed the small distance between us until we were breathing the same air and hoisted me up onto the counter so our eyes were level. He stepped between my legs and I shivered as his warmth ghosted across my skin.

“You’re kind of handsy,” I said breathlessly and he hummed a little in assent.

“I think you like it,” he said in a whisper that raised the hairs on my skin as my body came to life with awareness. “I think,” he brushed one hand over my knee, “you like it a lot.”

My mind had gone blank at the sensation of his heat on my skin, his fingers stroking distracting little circles so deftly that I wondered if he was even aware he was doing it. When I made no move to push him away he ran his hand slightly higher and I let out a short breath thatmighthave been a pant and his lips ghosted across mine in a barely-there kiss.

“You’re wrong,” I finally managed to mumble, reason trying to claw its way to the forefront of my mind. “It’s just pretend and we’re in private now. So no kissing, touching, anything.” I rambled, pressing a hand to his chest and feeling the thud of his heart against my palm but instead of pushing him away I seemed only able to draw him closer.

“You’re telling me,” Ryan said, mouth moving lower and brushing the skin of my neck while his hand stroked higher on my leg and I instinctively tipped my head to offer him better access, “that if I pushed your panties to the side right now I wouldn’t find you soaked for me?”

A small gasp left me as his finger brushed the very edge of those panties and my mind ran wild with what could happen, where this could go if I let it. But would it be a mistake? I needed him for three months, until my probation was over. Was what would likely be very good sex worth making things awkward?

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