Loving Violet (Rockers' Legacy Book 4)

I’d told myself I was going to show up and take pictures all night long. Pictures of me with hot guys while I looked like a bombshell. Maybe even kiss a few people. Drink until I didn’t feel like I was slowly dying on the inside without my heart. Then I would post every picture on Instagram and make Luca see exactly what he’d given up when he’d fucked Megan Hawthorn. Make him insane with jealousy until he couldn’t stand it a second longer.

But so far, other than the selfie in Shaw’s car, I hadn’t taken any other pictures. I wasn’t getting wasted either, hadn’t even taken a drink of my first beer yet.

Because just being with Remington made me feel…

Something other than utter despair.

I didn’t feel like I was going to be swallowed alive by the darkness that Luca breaking my heart all over again had caused only the day before. Fuck, only hours before, if I was truly honest with myself. From the moment Remington had opened the door and smiled at me, looking at me like he’d wanted to eat me whole, I’d found myself feeling. The space where my heart was didn’t feel so empty, I didn’t hate the world as much, and I’d found myself grinning time and time again.

I’d laughed.

With Remington.

Because he made it…better.

And now he was going to leave me.

“I’ve learned not to be greedy,” Remington murmured, looking at the television and taking another drink of his beer. “So yeah, I wanted to celebrate together as friends. Or anything else you were willing to be to me.”

Something tightened low in my tummy, and I knew exactly what it was, but I’d never thought anyone but Luca would ever make me feel it. “Anything?” I repeated softly.

His lips tilted up in a half smile, but when he turned his head and my gaze locked with those blue eyes, I found myself leaning closer to him. “Violet, I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage,” he said quietly, but he was leaning closer too. He lowered his head, and I could actually feel his breath on my cheek. “You just got out of a really intense relationship.”

“And I…I don’t want you to be a rebound,” I agreed, yet I wasn’t pulling back. “That wouldn’t be fair.”

“But…” He licked his lips, and I was mesmerized by the action. He had really nice lips, and I wondered if he would only taste like the beer he was drinking. “Maybe I don’t care if I’m your rebound.”

“And maybe I don’t care if you take advantage,” I whispered.

We were both moving, and I could almost feel his lips on mine…

And then the door opened so hard, it made me scream. Remington moved in front of me, blocking me from whoever had just burst into the room. “Let’s go, Violet,” Jagger’s deep voice commanded.

“What?” I glanced around, unsure what I expected to find. But Jagger stomping across the room toward me wasn’t it. Shaw stood at the open door, glaring at his back. When he reached the bed, he walked around to where I was and lifted me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes.

“No!” I yelled at him, punching him in the back. I felt him groan at the blow, but he didn’t pause. “I don’t want to go yet.”

“Too fucking bad.” He paused at the end of the bed. “Look, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.

Yes, I crashed your party, but only because these two chicks are insane when they get to drinking together, and someone needed to watch them. This girl is my family, and I can’t let her screw around with you. She’d underage and just got out of a lifelong relationship.”

“He knows all of that, dumbass!” I yelled. “Now, put me down. Remington is my friend.”

“Looks like he was trying to be friends with benefits,” Jagger snapped. “You’re too young to be having sex with anyone, Vi.”

“Oh, fuck you!” I screamed at him, kicking my legs. But he trapped them against his body before I could do any damage. “Don’t stand there being a hypocrite when I know for a fact you’ve been dicking around since you were fourteen.”

“That’s different.”

“Why?” I demanded as he started walking out of Remington’s room. “Because you’re a guy?”

“Because I wasn’t in love with someone else,” he shot at me.

“I’m not in love with anyone else,” I denied. “Not for months now.”

He snorted. “Yeah, okay.” He kept walking and slammed the bedroom door behind us. I looked back at it, hoping Remington would follow us and take me away from Jagger. But it didn’t, and I knew it was because he was a good guy. He was leaving in only a few short days, and he’d already said he didn’t want to take advantage of me.

But we could have made some memories and had some fun.