Uh, yeah. Didn’t think so.
“That’s funny,” Dante hissed, baring his teeth—which were just as perfect and white as I remembered them being. For someone who looked like he could kill you without a second thought, he was attractive all around, wasn’t he? “Because I should be telling her to stay the fuck away from you. You’re no good for her. She’s just too blinded to see it.”
I blinked. Okay, well, apparently everyone thought they knew what was good for me, huh?
Did other girls have problems like this? I doubted it.
Archer’s azure stare moved to me. He gestured to Dante and his knife. “You know this freak?”
“Uh” was all my brilliant mouth could come up with. If I claimed to know him, what would happen? Sure, we’d met, but would I say I knew him like an acquaintance or a friend? I didn’t think so.
Then again, who the hell knew, because this day was taking some turns I was not expecting.
Dante took it upon himself to answer, and lie through his teeth, “Yeah, you can say Jaz and I go way back.”
Archer let out an incredulous chuckle, shaking his head once as he wiped at his nose, catching some of the blood that had oozed out on his blazer’s sleeve. “Wow. Okay, fine. Whatever.” He did not sound fine at all, and he didn’t spare me or Dante a glance as he walked around us, giving us a wide berth as he returned the way we came, heading back to the car.
I shot Dante a look before running after him, calling out, “Wait!”
He stopped for only a moment, shooting me a look I could not read. His gaze darted to Dante for a split-second before returning to me. “I knew trying to talk to you was a bad idea.” He winced as he felt his stomach. “Didn’t think I’d get beaten up over it, but…I guess it’s fair.”
“Archer, I’m sorry. I had no idea he was here—”
Archer waved me off, taking a step away from me. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. This was a mistake, anyway.” Such flippant words, disregarding the moment of closeness we just shared. It hurt, hearing that, but I should’ve expected it.
There was a lot I could’ve said in that moment, a lot I wanted to say. Adrenaline raced through me, but I stood there, motionless, and let him go, watching as he disappeared down the trail, heading back to his car.
Guess Dante would be taking me back. Great.
After waiting a few moments, after I was certain he was long gone, I turned back toward Dante. The tattooed, leather-wearing guy was picking his nails with his knife, like nothing just happened. Nothing at all. He looked absolutely, positively at ease, and I instantly wanted to smack him upside the head.
I didn’t, though. To do something like that, I had the feeling, would be foolish beyond all belief. Like me letting Archer touch me like that.
And bring me to orgasm.
But let’s not think about orgasms right now.
“What the hell is your problem?” I asked, feeling the need to shout. We were alone on this trail, thank God. Although, perhaps that wasn’t such a good thing, since this one was so obviously crazy. “Were you following us? How—”
“What else am I supposed to do? I’ve been following you for a while, Jaz, in case you forgot,” he told me, folding down his knife and sticking it back in his pocket. “I couldn’t just let you go off with him, not after what happened.”
I let out an incredulous chuckle. “Oh, yeah? And what exactly happened, hmm? What do you think happened between Archer and me? You don’t know anything, Dante, because you’re—you’re…” Damn it, I didn’t know how to finish that sentence.
Not from Midpark? Not involved in any of this?
“Why are you still here? You don’t…” Well, I was going to say he didn’t belong here, but the same could be said of me. I didn’t belong in Midpark, either. Just look at how messed up things had become since I’d come here.
“I have nowhere else to be,” he said, grinning, though his grin looked a little hollow. Like there wasn’t much feeling behind it. He was unnerving, but for whatever reason, I didn’t feel like I was in danger with him.
That was probably stupid of me.
“That doesn’t mean you can follow me everywhere.”
Dante shrugged, saying, “Why not? I have nothing else to do.”
That was…not a real answer.
“And as for what happened between you and that fucker,” Dante paused, shoving his hands in his pockets as he closed the distance between us, “I know enough. I know he fucked you over at that party, and he didn’t care how he did it.” His eyes closed, and he shook his head. “What were you thinking, coming here with him?”
“I…” I honestly had no response to that. As I stared at Dante, something occurred to me. “Dante, you’re not jealous of Archer, are you?” He really had no reason to hate Archer so—he wasn’t from around here. He didn’t hear the gossip, hadn’t seen what he did to me. Yes, he fucked me over, but why did that automatically put him on Dante’s shit list?
Again, Dante acting like he and I knew each other, and we definitely didn’t. It was slightly aggravating.
“Jealous of that dickhead?” Dante scoffed, “Yeah, right.”
“Then why did you attack him?” Even if he was jealous, it was no excuse for what he just did to him. You didn’t attack someone when they were doing something you didn’t approve of. That’s not how normal people did things.
He shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling once. “I didn’t like seeing him with you.”
“I’m not your girlfriend. You don’t get to decide who I get close with.”
His blue gaze looked crazier and crazier by the minute, and he studied me with a pensive expression. “I can’t help how I feel, Jaz.”
I honestly did not know what to say to that. “Then let me tell you how you should feel.” Man, I felt awfully bold in the face of a guy who could break me with his pinky and cut me up into a thousand tiny pieces—he’d probably enjoy that, too. “You should feel nothing. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. Yes, you might be stalking me like some kind of crazy guy, but that’s it. You have no say in who I kiss, who touches me, who I touch—” I stopped when I watched a smile spread on his face.
God, he might be a little crazy, but he was a deadly kind of attractive. All square angles and muscles and leather. I even strangely dug the tattoo on his skull.
“You’re going to feel really stupid when you’re begging to be fucked in my bed.”
His crass statement made me blush—and then it made me annoyed. Who the hell was this guy to automatically assume I’d fall before his mighty dick and worship it like some kind of god?
I gave him a smile. It was tough to smile when I really wanted to punch that smirk right off his face. “You’re going to feel even stupider when you realize that I’m never going to beg you for anything.” I paused, tilting my head, the cold air whipping my hair all around. “If one of us is going to beg, actually, it’s going to be you.”
“And why do you think it’s going to be me?”
“You’re the one who’s obsessed with me.” Now it was my turn to state facts and twist them up a little. “If anyone’s going to beg to be fucked in a bed, it’s going to be you.”
He grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “I like you, Jaz.” That was all he said, and it made my stomach do something funny.
Had to be just a reaction from what I’d been doing with Archer not that long ago. Dante was a stranger to me. He certainly didn’t merit any sort of bodily reaction from me. Of course, I’d hooked up with Archer when he was basically a stranger, too, so him being a stranger did not give me the level of comfort it should’ve.
At that point, I had no idea what to say, so I settled for: “Just drive me home.” Good thing he was a stalker, otherwise I’d have no idea how to get back to the Fitzpatrick’s house.
I had him drop me off down the road, not wanting Frank to see me get off a bike—with a different guy than I left with. Yeah, the last thing I wanted was for my mom to be told I was datin
g multiple guys at once or something.
Like that would happen.
You know, the strangest thing out of everything that had happened today? It wasn’t me losing my willpower to Archer, nor Dante suddenly appearing and making his presence known. It was the fact that, as I strolled back into the house, my mom and Ollie were still in the kitchen, chitchatting.
They were talking about…vacations? Seemed a weird topic to be talking about, but hey, who was I to judge? Ollie had kept my mom busy while I gallivanted across town with Archer and Dante.
The weirder thing? I was pretty sure they talked for a while, even after I shut myself back in my room. Supposed it was a good thing. Mom needed some adult conversation every once in a while.
Chapter Twelve – Jaz
“I’m so happy you’re hanging out with Bobbi,” Mom said, pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail. Sometime during her and Ollie’s long talk yesterday, he offered to pay to fix her van, and she’d declined—but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was getting fixed this week, and she was as giddy as a schoolgirl about it, even though she’d never admit it to me. “She seems like a nice girl.”
“She is,” I said, lying through my teeth, of course. I wasn’t going out to hang out with Bobbi or practice our choir songs. I was going to meet Jacob down the street and break the news to him. No more investigating.
He’d probably be happy, since he hated working for me. Hated dealing with me in general, I think.
I did wonder if he’d act any different after Friday night. Me giving him my number was a spur of the moment thing; it wasn’t like I’d expected him to immediately call me. But he did, and then we had that long conversation while I was in the bath. It tiptoed around some very inappropriate things.
I kind of loved it, honestly. I loved bugging him, I loved riling him up, I loved the frown he often wore when he was trying to brush me off and calling me kid, even though I wasn’t a kid. I liked to think I was a bit more mature than most people my age. My life had never really been normal, and leaving everything behind had only made it less so.
I spent most of my morning getting ready. It wasn’t like I was purposefully trying to look good for Jacob, but…okay, that’s exactly what was happening. Trying to look good to loosen the blow a bit. Plus, as long as he didn’t kick me out immediately after I told him to quit looking into the Scotts, I did want to ask him about teaching me some self-defense.
If Dante was sticking around, it was probably good to learn a bit. Plus, with what Archer had told me—regardless of the fact if any of it was true—if it was Brittany who had drugged me and not him, she truly was capable of anything. A crazy bitch like that you had to be wary of.
After showering, I dried my hair and gave it a few loose waves. It had more volume when it was wavy than when it was straight, and I thought it made me look better. I applied some makeup around my eyes, giving myself the best smoky look I could, and ran some matte gloss on my lips.
When it was said and done, I thought I looked good.
Dark jeans hugged my legs, ankle-high boots with fake studs in them on my feet. A loose V-neck shirt hung on my shoulders. This was the type of outfit I would’ve worn my faux leather jacket with, but alas, that poor jacket now sat in my closet, studded with Brittany’s nice addition to it.
I loved that jacket. I did. It’s why it was so hard for me to get rid of it.
I chose a zip-up hoodie, leaving it open. It was about time to meet him down the road, and Mom could just not get over the fact that I had a friend. How disappointed would she be if she found out the truth? That I was spending my Sunday afternoon with a twenty-something-year-old guy who was fired from the police department because Ollie’s two sons had blackmailed him with some underaged photographs?
Or maybe videos. I didn’t know the details, but I knew enough.
My mom would flip, I knew, which was why I had to get out of here as quickly as possible.
“I like her a whole lot better than that boy who came to pick you up for that party,” Mom muttered. She leaned on the counter in the kitchen, frowning at me. “He didn’t even come in and introduce himself. And then he brought you back the next day, wearing his clothes.” She shook her head, looking like she could kill.
“Mom, I told you, nothing happened.” I paused, deciding to play the daughter card. “Don’t you trust me?”
Mom nearly froze at that, and she was slow to meet my eyes again. It took her far too long to sigh and say, “Yes, Jaz, I trust you. I know you’re smart, and I know, God forbid, you’ll be careful if…when you decide you’re ready to—”
“Whoa,” I cut in, stopping her. “That’s not…please stop.”
She sighed. “I know we’ve avoided talking about it, but whenever you’re ready to discuss it, I’m willing. I’ve kept you from the truth long enough. You have every right to know about your father.”
That was so not what I was expecting her to say.
She would talk about my father? Great. Once everything else cooled down and I had time to sit down with her and talk about him, we definitely would. I deserved to know everything she knew about him. She’d made the decision to keep him from me, and now I was old enough to make my own decisions when it came to my father.
But one thing at a time. Let me focus on getting back at those rich, snobby students first.
“Okay,” I said, “later. I have to go.”
Mom moved closer to me, wrapping me up in a quick hug. “I love you, honey.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I said nothing else as I left the house, heading down the long driveway. Frank wasn’t working today; it was his day off. Another guard was stationed in the guardhouse, and I had to wave my arms through the air to get his attention. He opened the gate for me, and I strolled out, giving him a smile as I started walking.
Did not need my mom finding out about Jacob right after I’d pulled the do you trust me card. For some reason, I had the feeling that would absolutely shatter her trust in me. Yeah, I was lying to her, but my mom was a helicopter parent for the ages. If she had her way, I’d be stuck inside that house, only let out to go to school, never even looking at boys.
Sorry, Mom. I was a few years past that point.
I found Jacob’s car idling down the road already. The man was early. Go figure.
Was he eager to see me? The thought shouldn’t even cross my mind. I shouldn’t care if he wanted to see me or not, not after the disaster yesterday was. I threw a look around before getting in Jacob’s car, wondering if Dante would roll up on his bike and threaten him, too. Because apparently Dante was always nearby, even when it didn’t look like he was.
Stalker.
Crazy guy.
Crazy stalker who was devastatingly sexy, but whatever.
Jacob didn’t look at me when I got in, which I expected. I buckled my seatbelt slowly, being sure to tug at the strap a bit, make as much noise as I possibly could. When I saw his hazel eyes flick toward me, I gave him a grin.
“Hi,” I said, smiling widely. “Long time no talk.”
He said nothing, though his lips did purse into a frown.
“Ah, is Mr. Grumps extra grumpy today?” I asked, earning myself a scowl from him.
Finally, he opened his mouth and said, “Don’t call me that.” When I said nothing, he added, “Where are we going? The diner will be busier, since it’s a Sunday.”
“Your place.”
His hand tapped the steering wheel, and he appeared as if he tried his best not to freak out on me. “We are not going back to my place.”
“Yes, we are.”
Jacob glared at me, finally turning his head to look at me and not just use his peripherals. He looked like he was about to say something, but whatever it was caught in the back of his throat. He ended up speechless.
Damn. Did I look that good?
“What’s wrong?” I asked with a grin. “Cat got your tongue?”
He swallowed, quickly looking away from me before muttering,
“Yeah. A fucking cat.” He said nothing else, putting his car into gear and driving off.
I stared at him as he drove, wondering if I should say something. This was not his usual grumpiness. Was that phone call on Friday too much? I mean, I wasn’t the one who did the calling, but it wasn’t like I’d hurried to hang up on him or anything. I might’ve egged him on, but I didn’t think it would affect him this much.
“Are you okay?” I questioned, my voice quiet and unsure. Maybe I was going about this all wrong.
“Fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.”
“I’m fine,” he growled out, giving me a frown as he made a right-handed turn.
“Anything I can do?”
Jacob said nothing, and he continued to say nothing, even as he drove us to his place.
So, we wound up here anyways, although he didn’t want to come here. Interesting.
He practically flew out of his seat once he’d parked the car, not bothering to wait for me. I had to hurry to catch up to him. By the time I reached his side, he was already at the door to the building. I eyed him up as we got on the elevator, and he purposefully ignored me.
I didn’t like it.
Half a dozen locks sat on his apartment door, so it took him a few moments to unlock each one, but once he did, he pushed in, not holding the door open for me behind him. The jerk.
Now, of course, I understood why he had so many locks. Ollie’s sons and what they did to him.
As I let the door close behind me, I shrugged off my jacket, tossing it onto the island counter in the kitchen. The living room and kitchen were pretty much one big room in here. I heard him groan behind me as he worked on locking every single lock.
No Dante would be busting through that door, nor would he be popping in through the window, unless he wanted to climb.
Which…now that I was thinking about it, I wouldn’t put past him. He did seem like the brand of crazy to not let anything get in the way of what he wanted. And, for whatever reason, right now he wanted me. I still wasn’t sure why.
Defiant: A High School Bully Romance (Midpark High Book 2) Page 15