Page 458 of Now and Forever

Chapter 172

Jared moves around the front of the car to open my door. Once I’m on the pavement, outside my townhouse, we stare at each other for a while, smiling.

“Thank you. I had a lot of fun tonight.” I look at Jared before he claims my lips again.

This time, I let myself go and kiss him the way he’s kissing me. Jared’s hand lifts my skirt and cups my butt cheek, pushing it against his hardened state.

“Lily!” a voice barks out.

I open my eyes and find Drake fuming like a mad man ready to kill me and Jared—who happens to just let go of me. Something in Jared’s eyes flares, but he composes himself. Both men measure each other up, readying for some testosterone showdown.

“Jared!” I pull him aside. “I’m sorry. Let me talk to him. I’ll call you, okay?” I plead.

Jared’s nose flares. “You want me to leave you with an angry man? Have you lost it? I don’t trust him with you!”

No, this is not the time to be macho, damn it. “It’s fine. He’ll calm down. I just need to talk to him. Trust me on this one. Jared, please?”

Defeated, Jared cusses for a moment and then concedes. “Fine.” He cups my cheek. “Call me, anytime, if something happens, okay?” He leans over and gives me another tongue lashing kiss.

“Thank you,” I whisper to Jared before he gets in his car and drives off.

I stand on the pavement and watch until I can’t see the lights of Jared’s car. Then I turn around to deal with the ever present mistake, my problem.

“How dare you, Drake!” I screech at him.

His eyes are screaming bloody murder, but that doesn’t scare me a bit. “How dare me? How dare you, Lily! You were barely out of my bed before you jump into another man’s arms! How fucking dare YOU!” Drake spits back at me, glaring.

Right, slutty Lily. Yay, me!

“Goodnight, Drake.” I stride past him and head for my door. With my key, I open it and I’m just about to take a step inside when Drake pushes me inside and slams me against the wall.

If it’s possible for my heart to leap and do a marathon, my heart would be a champion at the rate it’s going. “Go home, Drake.”

“Stop killing me, Lil. What you did tonight . . . I wanted to commit fucking murder.” He plants both hands against the wall on either side of my head when I try to move away from him. He’s caging me in for confrontation. “Did you fuck him?” Drake barks.

“That’s none of your business, Drake. I told you before that it wasn’t. Now, I’m telling you again. I am not yours. Never was.”

“You were last night when you kept screaming my name as you came. I think I’m half deaf from your screams alone.”

Bring that up, why don’t you? “That was last night, big difference.”

Drake growls. “Why do you toy with me and my emotions? Is this some kind of punishment because of what happened eight years ago? I’m sorry. Okay, I fucked up, but it’s different now. I fucking want you.”

No matter how hard I try not to be affected by his words, they still manage to get through and cut deep inside me. I’m speechless for a moment before I can respond. “You’re eight years too late, Drake.” I finally manage to squeak out.

The pounding of my heart is deafening. Drake’s heavy breathing is distracting and it doesn’t help that he’s so close. Nor does it help that my body’s acting all weird again. Betraying me.

It itches to be touched by him; to be marked by him.

Drake’s eyes are determined. He’s not going to let this go. “I don’t—I choose not to believe you. I won’t. It’s crazy, Lil, but my gut tells me that you’re lying. Your mouth speaks of hate, but your body says something else. So, which one should I believe and trust?” His thumb reaches out and traces the side of my neck, stroking.

It stops at my pulse and I stiffen. “I didn’t realize that you’re such a liar now, Lily. I did tell you that your body doesn’t lie to me.”

“Stop it.” I gasp when his hand moves lower. My chest is heaving like I’ve ran for miles. I’m out of breath from anticipation, anger, frustration, and, yes . . . excitement.

FUCK!

I squeezed my eyes shut when his middle finger reaches inside my corset, and brushes against my pebbled nipple. “Yes, you are a liar,” Drake states confidently. “Or is your body wrong, Babe?”

---