Page 504 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11
Jacob laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. “Guilty.”
I felt my cheeks flush. That had not at all been what was happening. But Axel was standing next to Sophie. And Jacob seemed fully committed to Operation Too Hot to Handle, even though it had flatlined.
“You two.” She laughed. “Let’s get drinks. I saw Billy O’Reilly spike the punch.”
“Perfect,” I said. A drink would definitely help if I was about to dance with a ton of guys and measure their heights and sniff them or whatever.
My parents were standing behind the bar in the ballroom. It was usually decked out with alcoholic beverages. But tonight it was filled with juices, soda, and water. And a huge bowl of punch.
“What can we get you kids?” my mom asked.
“I’ll have some punch,” I said.
My mom nodded and poured me a cup of punch. But when she went to hand it to me, my dad grabbed it first. He took a sip and scrunched up his nose.
“The punch has been spiked!” he yelled. “I repeat...the punch has been spiked!” He lifted up the whole bowl and chucked it in the sink behind the bar. “Bottled drinks only tonight.” He handed me a soda.
A few students in line groaned.
Yeah, this was mortifying. I opened up my soda and took a big sip.
“Well that’s lame,” a guy said behind me.
I turned to see Leo the Rugged Thief standing there.
“You know,” he said. “You almost got me killed in today’s game.”
“I’m so so sorry,” I said. “But technically that was Soph.”
“Oh? She said it was you who yelled my name.”
“It was definitely Scarlett,” Sophie said, cutting in. “She has a thing for hot kickers.”
Soph!
“And you know how you can make it up to him, Scar? By giving him your first dance.”
Subtle.
Leo smiled. “What do you say?” He put his arm out for me.
“Um...I...” my voice trailed off.
“I’d offer you my other arm, but it’s a little sore from when I got completely decked.” He smiled, but I felt awful about him getting hurt.
“I am so so sorry,” I said again. I took another sip of my soda to stall.
“I’ll hold that,” Sophie said and grabbed my soda. “Go,” she whispered.
I looked over my shoulder at Jacob. He was laughing about something with Axel. Neither of them would even know I was gone. And I needed to dance with Leo tonight. And sniff him. And this seemed like as good of a time as any. I put my hand on his forearm that hadn’t collided hard with the turf.
Leo smiled and escorted me to the dance floor. A slow song cut on.
Leo slid his hands onto my waist. “So you have a thing for kickers, huh?”
I laughed. “Absolutely,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to say to that.
“Then what are you doing dating a running back?”
