Page 99 of A Second Chance

Mason scowls at me in response. "It's not the same," he growls under his breath.

"Really?" I shake my head. Mason has struggled with his emotions with Gem the way I have with Scar.

Two forbidden fruits, deemed off-limits for us to even lay our eyes on, let alone indulge in their sight, scent, touch, or taste.

I need another beer. Catching the bartender’s attention, I tip my empty bottle toward her. She gives me a nod and walks over with a new beer.

“Here you go, sweetheart.” Without waiting for a reply, she walks to the other side of the bar and serves the rest of the patrons.

“I’ll be back.” Mason clasps my shoulder and stalks to the other side of the bar as if the Gemma comment didn’t have an effect on him.

A few minutes go by and I’m still on my second beer, watching Scar dance in place by the bar. She still doesn’t know I’m here watching her like a creeper. A few moments later, a guy steps up behind her. She whips around with a bright smile as if she recognizes him. He leans in and whispers something in her ear, making her blush. His hand moves to her hip, pushing her closer to him.

My ass is halfway off the stool as I hold myself back from ripping his arms from his body.

This feeling of possessiveness is overwhelming. Ryan takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor. “Time After Time”by Cyndi Lauper rings through the speakers. They sway with the rhythm of the song as if they have done this a hundred times over. For a while it looks innocent until he moves his hand lower on her back until it’s inches above her ass.

I didn’t realize I was squeezing the hell out of the bottle in my hand until the bartender pulls it out of my grasp. She gives me a pointed look as if she’s telling me to get my head out of my ass.

Before I can turn my gaze back to Scar, a warm body presses against my back and red long nails trail down my chest. A strong smell of perfume irritates my sinuses, making me want to gag.

“Let’s dance. You look so lonely,” some chick dressed like Tina Turner whispers in my ear, causing me to shudder.

“I’m good.” I grit my teeth.

She nips my earlobe and I pull away. I wrap my hand around her arms to remove them but she swings around until she’s in front of me. She looks at me like she wants to devour me. I just stare at her, wanting her to get the hell away from me, but she’s like an annoying fly.

She pushes her breasts against my chest and moves her hands down my pants but I quickly grab her wrist. “Watch it,” I warn her but she just wickedly smiles.

"You need to back off," I say firmly.

The loud music in the background makes it difficult to hear, but it doesn't stop her from yelling in excitement. "Oh, my God! I know you!"

"No, you don't," I mutter, lowering my cap.

"Yes, I do! You're Jace!" She jumps up and down ecstatically like she just won the fucking lottery.

My ears perk up as Mason calls out, "Mav!" He motions towards Scar, urging me to pay attention.

My head whips in Scar’s direction and my blood boils when I see her kiss the douchebag. I rise from my seat and push the clinger away, but she grabs my wrist.

“Can I have your autograph, then maybe we can get out of here?” She licks her lips seductively.

“Never going to happen,” I snap, pulling away from her grip and forcing my feet to move toward the dance floor. Pushing through the crowd, I stop a few feet away from Ryan, who is moving his hands down to her ass.

Fuck that.

My hands are tightly clenched into fists as I hold back the blazing rage. I have no right to feel this way but I can’t seem to make it stop. "Can I have this dance?" I ask, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

Ryan steps back, looking at me with a shocked expression. "Excuse me?" he asks.

I glance at Scar, who's giving me an adorable scowl. Turning back to Ryan, I repeat, "I believe Scar owes me a dance."

Scar starts to walk away but I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to my side. I look down at her and the corner of my lip curls upward into a cocky smirk.

“Scar, are you going to be okay?” Ryan asks, eyes darting between me and Scar.

“Yes,” she grits out, and I smile in triumph.

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