Page 11 of The Trouble With Fate (The Forbidden Love 5)

I press my lips flat, asking myself why I bother to interact with girls like her. At the same time, she lowers her already plunging neckline to expose the curves of her breasts. Between the top she’s wearing and the short skirt sitting mid-thigh, she has definitely caught the attention of many of the men in the room.

After my wardrobe incident last time, I opted for jeans tonight with a cropped white blouse. My feet are still aching from all the standing and jumping today, so I chose to wear my wedges over a pair of heels.

“Addison, you came.” Jacob extends his arms, prompting a hug.

Awkwardly, I return the gesture and allow him to wrap his arms around me. His aftershave catches my attention, the smell so masculine it stirs something within me.

Don’t even think about it.

Jacob is a handsome guy. A bit preppy, but he dresses well and knows how to style himself. His ash-blond hair is combed to the side, not a single strand out of place.

“You here with Cooper?”

I nod. “Yes, he’s around somewhere.”

Jacob scans the room until his gaze focuses back on me. He grabs my hand and begins walking, leaving me no choice but to follow him.

We find ourselves outside again, where it’s quieter and fewer people are around.

“You wanna go for a walk on the beach?” he asks, looking behind me.

“I probably shouldn’t. You know because I came here with Cruz.”

Jacob scratches his cheek, flinching his head back slightly. “I thought you and Cruz weren’t sleeping together?”

I’m taken aback by his forwardness. “We’re not.”

“Then why don’t you want to go for a walk?” he asks rudely.

Just as I’m about to open my mouth to answer his question as politely as I can without telling him to stick his goddamn walk up to his preppy ass, there’s a rustle behind us.

“Is everything okay?” Cruz questions with a stern tone.

I take a deep breath, gazing at Cruz’s sullen expression while he waits for a response. Quickly, I clear my throat to give him a proper answer without heightening the situation. There’s a lot of testosterone around me, warning me to manage this as calmly as possible.

“Jacob wanted to go for a walk. I kindly declined.”

On my right, Jacob huffs. His childish reaction isn’t helping me diffuse this situation.

“Are you forcing her to go?” Cruz demands, moving closer to Jacob with a fierce glare. “You know the rules.”

I tilt my head. “Rules?”

Jacob laughs. “Don’t you know the rules? Cooper here has threatened every guy on campus. No one is supposed to touch you.”

A growling noise sounds on my left. Cruz’s nostrils flare as his hands clench into fists. He bows his head, trying to control himself. Despite my own anger and frustration, I need to diffuse this before Cruz punches Jacobs’s face, potentially costing him his football career.

“Let’s go.” I grab Cruz’s hand and drag him through the house until we’re out the front. The second we’re alone, I let go in annoyance. “What the hell did he mean when he said you’ve threatened everyone on campus?”

“He’s talking trash,” he yells back.

Cruz’s raised tone is enough to know he drank more the second I walked away.

“How much have you drunk?”

“What are you, my mom?”

I let out a low whistle then take a deep breath to calm my anger. Outside, it’s dark aside from the moon illuminating the sky. It’s still early, though, only just past nine.

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