“You’re fucking beautiful.” Wow. Good one. Those pathetic words were the best I could come up with without breaking out in tears. What a fucking pussy. Nate needed to punch me.
“Thank you.” She blushed and slid her hand down my face, giving me goose bumps.
“These are for you. And this.” I handed her the flowers and corsage, and she beamed. I’m glad she enjoyed them, because I sounded like a caveman.
“They’re gorgeous. Wow. Let me run them inside really quick.” She hurried back inside with the flowers.
Jon came up behind me and slapped me on the back of the head. “Dude. Embarrassing to watch, but wow. She looks unreal.”
“Watch it.” I growled.
He held up his hands. “Not creepin’ on her. Just a statement. She looks radiant.”
I sighed and stuck my hands in my pockets, fidgeting with whatever I could find. “I’m screwed, Jon.”
“I know. You are so completely whipped it’s hilarious. She still has no idea.”
I didn’t have time to answer before Jenna came back out, smiling, with Maya and Kennedy following. I’m sure they looked just as good, but I didn’t even glance at them. I just said hello and grabbed Jenna’s hand.
“So what’s the plan? You were kind of blah with the plans,” she asked as soon as we scooted into the car.
I put my arm around her and pulled her into my lap. I had to touch her. My body craved her like its next breath.
“We’re going to drive around in this thing for an hour and pregame before going in. After, who knows?”
“This is so exciting. It’s like I’m going to prom!”
“Didn’t you go to your high school prom?” I asked incredulously.
“Not really. No. I couldn’t afford a dress, and I always worked, so I didn’t have time to date anyone really. I went to homecoming with Maya’s older brother my sophomore year, but it wasn’t a real date.”
“You’ve never been to prom.” I got angry for her.
“I just told you. Why? Why do you look upset right now?” She scrunched her eyebrows.
“I can’t believe you haven’t had the full prom experience.”
“Did I just hear you correctly?” Nate said as he entered the limo with Kennedy on his arm. “Is it true, Jenna?”
She cringed and glared at me. Whoops. I made an apologetic face. “Yeah. It is.”
“Well, holy shit. We need to have a prom checklist for tonight. Everyone deserves a prom experience.
“J! That sounds like an awesome idea.” Kennedy clapped her hands and smiled. “It could be like a prom bingo checklist or something.”
“Hell yeah, that sounds fun. Whoever gets a bingo first buys a round of drinks the next time we all go out,” Nate replied.
“I don’t care what it is, but I’m in,” Jon said as he joined us.
I could feel Jenna glaring at me as her secret spread through the group. I felt a little bad but also incredibly proud of my friends for taking it in stride.
“Jenna never went to prom, so we’re going to make a bingo sheet and the first one who gets bingo wins,” Kennedy explained to Jon and Maya.
Maya looked at Jenna for a solid twenty seconds before licking her lips and smiling manically. “Oh hell titties, we are in.”
“Fuck you all.” Jenna glowered.
“It’s ’cause we love you, Jen-Jen,” Maya said.
“Yeah, Jen-Jen. Just play along,” I teased her.
“Okay. I’m going to win, assholes. What’s the list?”
We spent the next hour creating the list for the night:
1.An ill-fitting dress
2.Someone puking
3.Non-tasteful cleavage
4.Fedora
5.Girl taller than guy
6.Leopard-print dress
7.Skanky outfits
8.Weird couple dancing in the corner
9.Twerking
10.Selfie stick
11.Couple getting it on in middle of dance floor
12.Awkward chaperones
13.Side boob
14.Lots of side boob
“So first person to find all fourteen wins?” Nate asked after copying down the list on six napkins.
“Those are the rules,” Kennedy replied with a sensual expression. “Game on, bitches!”
Shots were passed around, and we all threw them back.
* * * *
“We’re here, guys. Let’s do it!” Jon led the line into the reception hall, and we all followed suit a little bit later. We all felt a buzz and were ready to continue the party.
It was definitely running well, and people were having a blast. Yeah, was it shallow to arrive a little late because I was the president? Yes. So what? I had my girl with me and didn’t care.
“Mark off number two,” Jenna shouted. “That girl is totally puking.” She pointed to the bushes. There was a girl losing her shit into the hedge.
“Nice job. You have one point.”
“I need to win. You should pity me. No prom, remember?” She stuck out her bottom lip in a fake pout, and I bit it with my teeth.
“Don’t try to get sympathy from me, woman. I know you better than you think. You would’ve hated prom. It’s cliché, pricey, a popularity contest, and you couldn’t even drink. Trust me. This is way better.”
“Kiss my ass.” She had a shiny glint to her eyes, and I knew she was buzzed, but not tipsy. Good, because I wanted her to enjoy every second of the night.
I laughed at her and followed her onto the dance floor, but she had other plans. Her friends grabbed her and began a weird threesome dance thing I wanted no part of, so I found Jon and Nate.
“They have a strange relationship, don’t they?” Nate asked, watching Kennedy’s every move.
“Yeah. I don’t question it. Somehow I’m in Jenna’s circle of trust, and I don’t want to mess it up.”
“Probably a good idea,” he admitted with a small laugh.
I sniggered a little and grabbed a drink before looking back to find Jenna. She was still dancing with her friends, but some random guy came up behind her. I saw red and was charging toward the floor when I saw her totally curb him. It made my fucking day.
She saw me approaching, and her eyes softened. “Come to rescue me?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
“No need. The way you look tonight, there’s no one else who comes close. Now come show me those dance moves you bragged about.”
“I will, but I’m warning you. They may be a little too much for you to handle.”
She grinned. “Doubt it. Now get your ass over here.”
Chapter 33
Worth the Wait-Jenna
AIDEN took off his jacket, tossing it off to the side. He started slowly moving around me to the beat as if he were stalking his prey. As the music picked up, his moves were graceful and impressive and weirdly awesome. I laughed my ass off while the crowd spilt making us the center of attention. Great.
“Holy balls, Aiden.” I glanced around to see a bunch of eyes on us. I didn’t have time to react before he got right in my face.
“You like my moves? I’m not done yet.” He grabbed me and spun me so we were now grinding in front of all his fraternity brothers and their dates. I knew how to break it down, but Aiden’s movements were sending signals to my lady parts.
One of his hands pressed on my lower back, forcing me to bend lower, while the other held my hip. This motion allowed me to feel all of him. The beat picked up, and he got lower so we were grinding full force. Every single coherent thought flew out the window, and I was putty in his hands. He slowly dragged his hand down my hip toward the slit in my dress, the other snaking around my waist. He took advantage and began biting my neck.
The song ended, and thankfully, everyone got the memo to keep dancing. I turned around and caught his now familiar predatory stare, face flushed and lined with sweat.
“You can dance
,” I barked.
“Well said. So can you.”
“How did we not know this about each other?” I said, more to myself, but he answered anyway.
“Because, Jenna, we’re still learning stuff about each other. The good stuff and the bad stuff. And the weird stuff.”
“Weird stuff?” I scrunched my nose.
“Yeah, like how you roll your eyes when you actually think something is funny or you put your hand on someone’s arm when you think you were too sarcastic. Or my favorite is when you scrunch your nose when you think someone said something stupid.”
I was baffled. “Those weren’t weird.”
“I guess you’re right. Come on. Let’s go to the photo booth.”
“Eh, not a huge fan of pictures.”
“This isn’t for you. This is for me.” He said it without force, and I had no choice but to follow him. “After you, dear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Damn it. I didn’t think you were funny, though!”
“Apparently, you did.” We sat in the booth, and he pulled me into his lap. “First picture, the scenario is you just walked in on Professor Jackson and his wife having sex.”
“Yuck!” Without meaning to, a look of disgust crossed my face. “I ruined this one!”
“No time to talk. Second scenario: you grew a third nipple!”
“Gah. Weird.” I grimaced when the flash went off. “You suck, Aiden!”
“Shh. Look at the camera.” He kissed me hard for the third picture, and then for the fourth and final, he yelled, “Be Oprah!”
He waited for the pictures to print and then handed me a copy. They were hilarious. “Oh my God. These are great. This is going on my fridge.”
“I know. You should just learn to trust me. But I kind of feel like a proud parent for making the fridge.” He kept a hand on my shoulder, gently rubbing small circles. “Want to dance a little while longer?”
He pocketed the pictures and dragged me out to the floor. The music was some crazy-ass house mix, and we jumped up and down with Maya and Ken for a while. I could barely breathe I was laughing so hard. Maya and Jon did their version of the running man, while Nate and Kennedy circled around each other.
“I need a drink.” I walked off the floor, and Aiden caught up to me. I smacked his hand away from my ass. “I’m going to the bathroom. I can do that alone.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you.” He looked around and found a wall to lean against.
“Okay, crazy.” I patted his arm before heading to the restroom. I rushed, wanting to get back out there, but when I did, he wasn’t standing at the spot I’d left him. Oh well. I found the bar and ordered a Sprite. I was too parched and having too much fun to drink anymore. I wanted to remember the whole night. A slow chill crept up my spine, alarming me. I looked around and tensed when I saw Kam right next to me.
“Jenna.” He leaned against the bar and eyed me up and down. Something was off. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but I knew it was bad.
“Hey, Kam. You look great.” He wore a nice tux and everything. I smiled, but he continued to stare. It unnerved me. And the bartender was taking way too long for a goddamn Sprite.
“You surprised me.” He sucked down the drink in his hand, and I saw another one already waiting for him on the bar. “I didn’t peg you as someone to believe bullshit.”
“Kam, what’s going on?” I turned toward him, hoping Aiden would show soon. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I never ignored my intuition.
“You and Aiden.” He slowly ogled me, and I did not like it. I sneered, but he looked away and spoke barely above a whisper. “He’s going to fuck you up, but don’t worry. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
“Kam—”
“Jenna. There you are, shorty.” Aiden approached at the right moment and put his arms around me from behind. He whispered an apology into my ear about an issue with the DJ and spun me around.
“Looking good, Kam. Having a great night?” Aiden asked, unaware of the weird conversation we’d just had.
“Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Got my eye on someone, though.” I could feel his creepy stare. I pretended the wall next to me was the most interesting thing in the world.
“Good for you, man. Well, have a good night.” We walked away from the bar and back to a candlelit table. I let all thoughts of Kam go. Tonight was about Aiden and me.
“You’ve been an amazing date.” I looked up to him, pride showing in his eyes. “This is totally kickass.”
“I do what I can.” He shrugged like it was just his job.
“Pipe down, Obi-Wan. Just take a compliment.”
“You ready to get out of here?” He put his arm around me and kissed my forehead so naturally I swooned inside. “And I will be bringing up your Star Wars reference later. Don’t think I’m ignoring that. I just have other plans right now.”
“I’m ready. I’m mad I didn’t win the prom bingo, though.”
“Do you want to stay and win? We can.” He’d do whatever I wanted. It was endearing.
I was having a blast, but I preferred to spend the rest of my night with him.
“No, we can leave. Let me say goodbye to Ken and Maya.”
He kissed my hand. More swooning ensued. Then I went to find my friends. They were doing shots at the bar with their dates, having a great time.
“Hey, sluts. I’m taking off with Aiden. Just wanted to let you know.”
Kennedy put her arm around me and hugged. “Go have sex with your hunk of a man. Don’t take no for an answer.”
Nate and Jon snorted into their drinks and had to turn around to hide their laughter. “Team Jaiden taking off early. Good for you guys. I thought you’d already sealed the deal,” Nate said in an overenthusiastic voice.
“Thanks, Ken, for spilling that,” I shot at her.
“Oh, who cares? We all know he’s in love with you!”
“No. Stop. You’re drunk. Maya, make sure you all get home okay.” I gave her a pointed stare.
“Will do.” She pulled me into a hug, surprisingly the sober one of the pair. “I’ll take care of Ken, but seriously, go get your man. You guys are fun to watch.”
“We’ll catch up tomorrow.” I waved.
“You better be back by brunch. It’s Eggos.” She grinned.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I nodded one more time and then found Aiden leaning against the doorframe like he belonged in a James Bond movie. “Bond, James Bond. Is it really you?”
“If that’s who you want, that’s who I’ll be.”
I rolled my eyes and then narrowed them at him. “For the record, I didn’t think that was funny. I rolled them because it was a dumb pickup line. I want you to be you. Your overbearing, insanely attractive, caring self. Capisce?”
He ran his hand over his jaw and smiled. “Understood.”
He grabbed my hand, and we went out to catch our Uber. We talked about his project and how Miles had come over twice in a week to hang out. I mentioned Cyn and Ainsley, and it was such easy conversation I was shocked when we pulled up to the house.
We got out and had just entered his bedroom when I shoved him into the wall. Too much talking, too much dancing, and not enough action. I grabbed his face and pulled it down to my mouth. I kissed him to thank him without words.
He groaned, picking me up in one motion. “Fuck, Jenna. I’ve been dying to get my hands on you all night.”
I couldn’t reply, instead slowing the kiss and rocking against him. I felt his reaction, the need to be closer to him stronger than ever.
“Tonight is in my top five,” I whispered against his lips, not leaving any space between us.
“Top five?” he asked in a strained voice. His hands continued to roam my body as he listened.
“Yes. I have a top five and top ten best moments of my life list I carry around in this big head.” I kissed his neck, then right below his ear.
“What’s yo
ur top moment?” he asked with curiosity, not breaking the contact between us.
“When Ainsley was born and Gage handed her to me.”
His eyes softened, and he pulled me into an amorous hug. “What about number two?”
“Hmm. Probably the night in high school I drank so much I passed out and my grandpa and uncle found me. You would think a teenage girl would be grounded for life after, but they made it very clear no matter what I did in my life, they would love and accept me. But they also made it clear if I became an alcoholic, they would give up all their savings to send me to rehab.”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a party girl in high school.”
I laughed. “I wasn’t at all. I got drunk alone—well, with Maya, in the basement. I just wanted to try it. And of course, they assumed it was a regular thing, but I knew the extent of how much they cared for me.”
“And where does tonight fit into your list?”
“It’s probably number five. Though, it can move up a couple spots.”
“How so?” He raised one eyebrow in question.
“Screw your one-month rule. I want this. You want this. Stop ruining it.”
“I’m not ruining it. I just…”
I kissed him again, running my hand down his chest and abs. He groaned into my mouth, and I whispered into his ear, “I want you so fucking bad.”
“Babe, God, those words make me want to cry with joy. But I can’t. It’s literally killing me to say no, but it hasn’t been a month yet. You know we need to wait.” He shut his eyes in frustration but still held on to me.
“Aiden, you keep saying we need to wait to prove to me you aren’t who you used to be. It’s bullshit…You’re waiting to prove it to yourself. Clearly, everyone around you sees you’ve changed. I know, right here, you aren’t that guy.” I put my hand on his heart and dug my nails into his shirt. “You want to be someone who deserves me. Well, guess what? It’s not about deserving each other. It’s about two people who choose to be together. That’s it. So either get over your little issue and take me to bed, or I’m going to lose my shit.”
“We can’t have you losing your shit. Can we?” His slow, devilish grin spread across his chiseled face. I saw a break in the façade. My lady parts screamed with anticipation.
Let Life Happen Page 24