by Ali Dean
All Pepped Up
Pepper Jones Book #2
By Ali Dean
Editor: Leanne Rabesa
http://editingjuggernaut.wordpress.com/
Cover: Sarah Foster
http://sprinklesontopstudios.com/
Proof Reader: Nicole Bailey
http://proofbeforeyoupublish.com
Chapter 1
My heart rate picks up as I take in the cars parked nearly half a mile from the party. This isn’t just a little get-together. I can pretend like a bigger party is better because we might have a chance of going unnoticed, but that’s impossible with Jace at my side. By the end of the night, everyone from Brockton and the surrounding towns will know that Jace Wilder is my boyfriend.
My success during the last cross country running season pulled me out from my comfortable obscurity, but now I’m entering a whole new level of spotlight. It’s about to get real.
We park in Remy’s driveway. Somehow, that parking space is miraculously available, as though everyone knew, or hoped, that Jace would show up, and made sure he had the best access to the party.
As soon as we step into the kitchen, people surround us – or Jace, to be more specific. I just happen to be standing next to him. He hasn’t been out much since he began spending more time with me. But I doubt that the attention bestowed on him tonight is especially unusual.
I don’t pay much attention to the conversation around us and instead simply try to absorb what it must be like to be Jace Wilder. Within minutes of his arrival, the number of people in the kitchen has tripled. We’re backed up against the island counter in the center of the kitchen, and it’s impossible not to feel slightly claustrophobic. I lean toward Jace, seeking comfort from the loud voices, sweaty bodies, and the smell of alcohol.
If I ever had doubts about Jace’s magnetism, they’ve evaporated. He’s like a celebrity. Everyone wants to touch him, talk to him, be able to tell their friends they’ve had his attention for a moment. I’ve never found it particularly disturbing, until now. As his girlfriend, what does this mean for me?
I could tell Remy’s house was big from the outside, but as we make our way into a gigantic room filled with people, I begin to comprehend how he’s able to throw such a huge party. There are people everywhere.
As Jace’s close friend and co-captain of the varsity baseball team, Remy Laroche is one of the most popular guys at Brockton Public High School. I’ve been to a party at his house – rather, in his backyard – once before with Ryan Harding, my ex-boyfriend. But it didn’t prepare me for the mass of people tonight. Judging by the number of faces I’ve never seen before, it’s not just Brockton Public kids here.
Jace must sense my anxiety because he pulls me closer to him. I inhale his comforting smell and glance up. He touches my chin with his index finger and raises my face to see me better.
“Hey. Do you wanna play pool?” Jace asks.
“I’ve never played.”
“Come on. I’ll teach you.”
When we get to the table, Ben’s arranging the balls into a diamond. Ben Hughes, along with Connor Locke, Ryan Harding and Remy Laroche, make up the elite group of senior guys at Brockton Public. Oh, and Jace Wilder – that goes without saying.
Ben greets me with a warm smile. “It’s great to see you, Pepper.”
“Thanks.” I smile back uncertainly. Last time I showed up at Remy’s house for a party, they had not made me feel welcome. That was back in September. And I was on a sort-of-first-date with Ryan.
“I was hoping you guys would show up. Glad you could make it, man.” Ben does the fist-bump thing with Jace before handing him a pool cue.
Are they really just accepting me into their group like it’s no big deal? Jace must have told his friends about us already, because they don’t seem surprised to see me.
It was my idea to hold off making our relationship public knowledge. At first it was to protect Ryan’s feelings. Ryan was my first boyfriend – but not the first boy I fell for.
I broke up with Ryan in December, after we both won the individual titles at the National Cross Country meet. The next day, Jace decided not to wait any longer. It was a long time coming. I’d crushed on Jace for years, and it was a sweet revelation when I discovered that my feelings were reciprocated.
I never thought I’d be that girl who jumped from one boy to the next, but I guess I am now.
My decision to keep my relationship with Jace a secret for nearly two months wasn’t all about Ryan, though. It will be a lot harder with our relationship out in the open. People accept my friendship with Jace, even though we don’t run in the same crowds, but what will happen now that we’re dating?
Jace shows me how to hold the pool cue, and we walk through a game together, just the two of us, before teaming up against Remy and Ben. I really like playing pool with Jace. It gives him an excuse to touch me. Not that he needs one.
He leans behind me whenever it’s my turn, helping me aim, or at least that’s what he says. Every time his hips touch mine and I feel his breath in my ear, I get a little dizzy.
“Mr. Wilder,” I whisper when I feel his chest against my back, “while I appreciate your assistance, I think it’s doing more to throw me off than help.” I continue looking ahead as I feel his lips brush along my neck.
“Is that so?” He pushes his hips closer to me as I adjust my hold. “Try to sink the purple one in the far left.”
I miss. Fortunately, Jace is an excellent pool player and he makes up for my misses when it’s his turn. Watching him shoot is quite the turn-on, and by the time the game ends, I’m a hot mess.
As soon as I finish my beer, a guy I don’t recognize replaces it with another one. I glance at Jace, who nods at the guy in thanks.
“Um, I don’t know that guy. Should I really drink a beer from him?” I asked Jace quietly, so no one else can hear my dorky paranoia.
Jace grins. “I love that you’re careful, and you’re right, you shouldn’t take drinks from guys you don’t know. Or any guy, for that matter. But it’s okay if I’m with you. He knows you’re with me. No one’s gonna mess with you.” He nuzzles my neck and I tentatively sip the beer in a futile attempt to cool my libido. I believe Jace. I trust him.
“Let’s play ping pong next,” I suggest.
“Oh, really? You think you might be able to take me?”
“I’m much better at ping pong. Charlie has a table at his place so I’ve got some skills. Plus, you won’t be able to distract me so bad.” Charlie Owens is one of my teammates and he’s dating my best friend, Zoe Burton, so we spend a lot of time together.
“Is that what you think? We’ll see about that.” He flashes a knowing smirk and I raise my eyebrows in challenge.
“Show me what you got, Wilder. But first, I need the ladies’ room.”
“It’s down the hall, want me to go with?” Jace waggles his eyebrows.
“Nooo … ” I roll my eyes.
“Okay, but you can always change your mind after the ping pong game. Here, let me hold your beer for you.”
I make my way down the hall and discover a line for the bathroom. My nerves return when I lean against the wall and take in my surroundings. I was distracted by the exhilaration I always feel when I’m with Jace. But without his nearby presence, I’m edgy around all these people I hardly know.
I wish I had my phone on me to provide a distraction. I’m staring at the ground when wet naked feet with red painted toenails stop in my line of vision.
Madeline Brescoll stands before me in a white string bikini, drops of water dripping down her cleavage. How is she so perfectly tan in the middle of winter? And why is she always wearing a damn bathing suit?
; Madeline is a bombshell, plain and simple. The kind of gorgeous that turns heads. Jace’s female equivalent in some ways. I hate that I just thought that.
Madeline is also incredibly wealthy; her dad owns one of the largest breweries in the United States. But she’s also known to be quite vicious. I don’t know details, but I do know she’s been the queen bee – “B for bitch” as my friend Zoe likes to say – at Lincoln Academy for most of her high school career. That’s not an easy feat, as most of the kids at the private high school come from money and high-powered families. Now that Madeline’s a senior, nobody gets in her way.
She’s been tolerant of me, if not overly nice, when we’ve crossed paths before. But judging by the look in her eyes now, she’s not pleased to see me.
When the door to the bathroom opens she cuts everyone in line and walks in with her sidekicks - Serena and Emma - behind her. No one complains.
After several minutes, they reemerge. I hope they’ll ignore me but I’m not so fortunate.
“So, Jace gave you permission to come out again, huh?” Madeline doesn’t waste time with fake niceties.
I shrug, unwilling to egg her on. She’s speaking loud enough for people around us to listen. Has word already spread that Jace is more than just my friend? When it comes to news about Jace Wilder, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone at the party knew he had a girlfriend within five minutes of our arrival.
“He likes to dote on you. I don’t know what he sees, but it’s about time he gave in to your infatuation and let you have what you want.” Madeline’s words confirm that news travels fast. She pauses, glancing around to ensure she has an audience. “He’ll get off on whatever little game he has going with you, and when he’s had his fun, he’ll be back in my bed.”
I gape at her. Speechless.
Serena takes a step forward. “You know he always goes back to Maddie. He can’t get enough of her.”
Emma chimes in with, “Jace likes to love and leave but not with Maddie. He always wants another piece.” Emma’s voice is overtly nonchalant, like she’s just stating the way of the universe.
Madeline shrugs. “I know the score. He needs to spice things up a little with you, but he’ll get bored. He always does.”
“Except with you,” Serena says to Madeline with a giggle, and Emma joins in her knowing laughter.
Madeline takes a step forward and tilts her cup toward my chest, letting red liquid pour onto me before I can move out of the way. I’m pressed against the wall with nowhere to turn as I watch the stain spread over my new green dress.
“Oops,” she says. “Someone must have bumped me.”
“Too bad it’s cranberry and vodka. Not sure that will come out,” Emma says as the girls walk away.
“Here, you can go next,” the girl in front of me in line says sympathetically.
I quickly lock myself in the bathroom. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I look at myself in the mirror. The green dress I bought just for this occasion is ruined. Blinking back tears, I scrub uselessly at the red stains with a wet towel.
Leaning against the bathroom counter, I close my eyes and try to pull myself together. I know I shouldn’t let petty mean girls get to me, but their reaction is exactly what I’ve been fearing for the last two months since Jace and I became a couple.
There’s no denying how ridiculous those girls are, but it doesn’t make their attack on me any less real. Because that’s exactly what it was – an attack. A public declaration that things are only temporary between me and Jace, and I don’t really belong in his social realm. And no matter how absurd she is, people pay attention to Madeline.
Chapter 2
After doing the business I originally came to the bathroom for, I splash my face with cold water. My cheeks are blotchy but I can’t spend any more time in the bathroom with such a long line. And Jace is bound to come looking for me.
I open the bathroom door tentatively, afraid Madeline will be waiting to torment me some more. She’s not in sight, so I walk down the hallway toward Jace with my arms crossed over my chest in a futile attempt to hide the gigantic stain on my dress.
I really want to go home. I can’t spend the rest of the night in this dress, and Madeline’s words, as much as I wish I could ignore them, hurt me. I have enough insecurity about why Jace is with me without her opinion. Is this some sort of game for him? Just a way to change things up? Try a new MO before starting college?
But when his eyes lock with mine from across the room and I watch them light up in happiness, then soften with concern at my expression, I know it’s more than that. I mean something to him.
Madeline is standing by him in her stupidly sexy white bathing suit, brushing her boobs against his chest. She looks silly with everyone around her fully dressed. A hot tub’s visible through the screen doors, but her unwillingness to put on even a towel makes her appear desperate. Like her body is all she has to offer. And Jace isn’t even paying attention to her assets. He walks right past her toward me.
“Pep, what happened?” He strokes my cheek.
I shrug. “Someone bumped into me and spilled their drink. It’s no big deal.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. No one I knew.” He’s protected me from so much already – frequently to the point of overkill – at times, I’ve wished he’d back off. I want to handle Madeline and her friends on my own.
“We can go home if you want, but I’m sure Remy’s older sister has clothes you can borrow. She’s away at college.”
I don’t want to go home anymore. I want to show Madeline that she didn’t ruin my night. Besides, Jace hasn’t been out with his friends in a while, and we were having a great time.
“Remy!” Jace calls over to the pool table where Remy is flirting with Serena – or is it Emma? I get them mixed up.
Remy ditches her and walks over to us. “What’s up?”
“You got any clothes Pepper can borrow? Maybe something of Amelia’s?”
“Yeah, no problem. Come on up.”
Remy leads us up a couple of flights of stairs, explaining that his sister has more clothes than she could fit in her dorm room at college. We walk into her room and my jaw drops when I see the walk-in closet.
“She’s a little bigger than you, but I’m sure you can find something that works. Go at it.” He gestures to the walk-in before heading back to the party.
Jace watches me as I sort through the hangers. “Here, take off your dress and I’ll rinse it to try to get the stain out.” His voice is tense, and I follow his order without protest.
When I stand before him in nothing but leggings, cowboy boots, and my favorite lacy push-up bra that actually makes it look like I have cleavage, I expect some sort of reaction. He’s seen me in a bathing suit, but never in my underwear. Jace just clenches his jaw, takes the dress from my hand, and stomps off to the bathroom.
Maybe it’s because I’m already upset, but I have to swallow down another set of tears that burn to spill out. His rejection hurts. Especially after what Madeline said. He needs to spice things up a little with you, but he’ll get bored. He always does.
Maybe he’s already bored. We kiss a lot, and there’s plenty of touching, but our clothes always stay on. Maybe I’m just not experienced enough, not sexy enough, and that’s why he never takes it further.
He’ll get off on whatever little game he has going with you and when he’s had his fun, he’ll be back in my bed.
I yank a white tee shirt off a hanger and pull it over my head. It’s loose-fitting and hangs off one shoulder, exposing my lacy bra strap. It reaches mid-thigh, and looks sexy with my leggings and cowboy boots. Well, maybe not Madeline Brescoll-sexy, but you can see the outline of my purple bra through the thin material, and that’s pretty scandalous for me.
I spin around when I catch Jace checking me out in the mirror. I might not have much more time with him, and I want to make it count. Keep him un-bored for as long as possible.
“Thanks
for rinsing my dress,” I whisper when I approach him. He watches me apprehensively as I run my fingers down his chest, feeling the firm planes and then the muscular ridges of his abs before letting my hands settle on his belt buckle.
He sucks in a breath. “Pepper, are you going to tell me why you were so upset? It’s not like you to get all bent out of shape from someone accidentally spilling on you. What happened?”
Jace knows me well enough to recognize the signs that I was crying. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I murmur. Standing on my tiptoes, I reach up to kiss his ear and along his neck.
“Pepper.” My name sounds like a moan. Jace grasps my hips, lifts me up and places me a foot away from him. He puts his hands on his hips. “Stop distracting me. I want to know what happened. I’ll make it better.”
“You already did. See?” I gesture to my outfit. “Don’t I look nice?”
“You’re gorgeous, Pepper. Always. And just so you know, don’t think you can wear anything like that unless I’m around.”
I suppress a grin. At times like this, his protective streak is sweet.
Jace’s jaw ticks, his giveaway that his temper is brewing. “Well?” he asks.
“Well what?”
“What happened to make you upset?”
I sigh. “Jace, I’m over it, okay? Sometimes I need to fight my own battles. This is girl stuff.”
“Girl stuff?” Jace asks doubtfully. “What, you think I can only handle guys?”
I place a hand on his chest. “You’ve been with a lot of girls, okay? And, since you’re so amazing and all, the girls who didn’t get to keep you are going to be a little bitchy, that’s all. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” I sound more confident than I feel. If only this was as simple as a scorned girl. Perhaps it is. But it’s hard to shrug off a girl – no, a woman – like Madeline Brescoll.
Jace steps closer and lifts me up so that my legs wrap around his waist. “I won’t get involved if you don’t want me to.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “For now,” he adds.