Page 93 of Counter Bet

My hand hovers inches away from his waistband when I feel eyes on me. There’s only one person whose gaze can burn a path over my skin like that.

Jack turns me in his arm. He buries his nose in my neck and wraps his large hand around my throat. It’s not a tight grip, but it’s possessive.

My eyes clash with Ben’s across the room. His jaw is tense, and his stormy eyes flash with jealousy.

Jack brushes my hair off my shoulder and skims his hot lips over the sensitive area below my ear. I know my physical reaction to his touch is evident in the parting of my lips. I can’t stop it. Ben wasn’t supposed to be here to see this.

Dallas drags Ben away by the elbow, and he throws me one final look over his shoulder before the crowd swallows him up.

I try not to feel guilty. This is part of the bet, so why is he getting jealous? I’m supposed to lead Jack on. It’s what we agreed on. Ben knows it’s not personal.

Jealousy has no place on this game board, so when Jack leans down and presses his lips to mine, I let him.

A masculine sound rumbles in his chest. I turn in his arms and kiss him back, fisting his black Henley. The kiss goes from slow and sweet to explosive within seconds.

Jack groans into my mouth and grinds his hard cock against my stomach until I squirm with need. But while it’s his tongue in my mouth and his hands on my body, it’s the fire in Ben’s stormy eyes that I see behind my closed eyelids. It’s the memory of Ben’s groans in my ears. And his big hands, commanding my body to his will.

These thoughts flitter through my mind as Jack deepens the kiss, and I swallow his deep groans, clutching him to me.

Is he here with me, or is he somewhere else too? Perhaps in the arms of a certain blonde-haired boy with killer smile dimples? Is he using me as much as I’m using him?

I reluctantly break away. “Let’s get a drink.” I grab hold of his warm hand and pull him along behind me through the crowds of people.

Matt and Josh watch us curiously as we walk past.

I swallow down the sense of unease swirling in my stomach.It’s just a game.

Jack pulls me to him, draping his arm over my shoulder as we re-enter the kitchen. The island is littered with discarded plastic mugs and drink bottles, so Jack swipes his arm over the surface, sending the contents crashing to the floor. He lifts me up like I weigh nothing, and I pull him to me by his shirt and wrap my legs around his waist.

“What are we doing, Jack?”

He smirks, pulling a strand of my hair through his fingers, oblivious to the other people in the kitchen. “Wasting time, Em.”

I cock my head, intrigued. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to you than you let the world see?”

There are layers to Jack. Secrets. We are not so different after all. We both have darkness in us. I can see it in his eyes when he narrows them on me.

“Stop trying to figure me out.” He pulls my hair a little too sharply, and the threat in his voice isn’t lost on me, but instead of scaring me off, it entices me further. I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

I skim my fingers along the smooth, warm skin where his t-shirt meets the waistband of his jeans. “Why Jack? Skeletons in your closet? Don’t worry, mine come out to play at night too,” I taunt, poking the beast hidden within the shadows flickering in his eyes.

He wraps his hand around my throat in warning, whispering darkly but deliciously, “Careful, Em!”

I laugh loudly, surprising us both. “Oh, Jack. What a pleasant surprise you turned out to be.”

He growls deep in his throat and pushes me down on the island. I go willingly. The hard and sticky surface is cold against my back. Broken glass crunch beneath his feet as he leans over me, bringing his face close to mine.

Students watch us curiously, but my attention is solely on Jack. His intensity sparks something primal inside of me—something as dark as she shadows in his eyes.

“There are some demons you don’t wish to invite out to play,” he whispers, tightening his grip on my throat.

Who is toying with who now? The lines are blurred.

I trap my lip between my teeth as I take in his rigid posture. There is so much restrained power. Jack is holding on by a thread, and when his carefully constructed tower of cards comes tumbling down, it will be glorious.

I smile and show him the darkness that’s consuming my own soul. “You see me, don’t you, Jack?” I glance around the room, nudging my head toward a group of cheerleaders nearby. “Not the version of me I allow others to see, but the real me.”

I look back at Jack. “It turns you on, and that confuses you. Do you know why, Jack?” I lean up on my elbows, my lips hovering over his. “It turns you on because we share the same darkness, you and me. We’re the same. It’s why you feel alone and unseen amongst your friends. It doesn’t matter how many girls suck your dick”—or boys—“or how popular you are at school. You hunger for something darker.” I smile against his lips, stroking my hand down his chest, where his heart thrums wildly. “Your darkness responds to mine. It calls to it.” I palm his hard cock through his jeans, feeling it harden even more in my hand.

---