He straightened abruptly. The easy smile he’d had vanished. A hard look came over him. “He’s here?”
Her eyes widened a fraction. “He was in earlier, I
believe.” She was rattled from the sudden intensity from him; hell, I was as well. Everyone was taken aback, but she still oozed a professional friendliness that verged on the line of being too friendly.
“Hunt, I didn’t know your dad was coming to our game.” Camden pushed through the crowd and slapped a hand on his shoulder.
The hostess’ eyes skipped over him, but snapped back to Jesse.
My eyes had narrowed as I watched the exchange and I saw the interest in her depths. I couldn’t blame her. Jesse was hot when he was laidback, but he was lethal when he was angry, which he certainly was now. His eyes were hard, jaw clenched, and his body had tensed. A dangerous aura came off him in waves.
And then Angie pushed forward. She gave the hostess a chilly smile. “Can we please go to whatever these guys booked? I have to pee and I don’t think you want me to take a piss on your floor. Or would you like to gawk at the famous movie director’s son some more?”
The guys snickered and Camden was taken aback. He rapidly glanced from Angie to Jesse, who had shifted closer to me again.
The hostess returned Angie’s chilly smile before she turned. “Follow me, gentlemen.”
Angie huffed, but no one paid her any attention. Justin curled his arm around her waist and drew her close again.
We were taken to a private box on the second floor, overlooking the dancing area. Camden threw his arm up and gestured around the table. “Can we get a round of shots, on me?”
The hostess glanced at Jesse, who murmured, “We’ll take the VIP treatment.”
Her smile was blinding before she left.
“Dude, what was that?”
Jesse stiffened beside me. “Nothing. We’re going to get our own bottles and shit.”
A guy snorted from across the table. “Coach is going to kill us if we’re all hungover.”
“Yeah.” Camden frowned. “We should take it easy tonight, party tomorrow night.”
“I know.” Jesse’s eyes had remained hard at the mention of his father, but they slipped another notch into the danger area as he stared his captain down. Camden glanced at me, then lowered his eyes and turned to one of his friends.
“Street girl.” Cord tapped me on the shoulder.
I twisted around. “Yeah?”
He shoved his phone in front of me. There was a list of Marissa’s name on the screen, all from text messages and missed phone calls. “Your girl keeps calling. What’s up with that? I thought she had a boyfriend here.”
“She does.” Eric leaned forward now, beside Cord. Angie and Justin were beside me, in front of them. They turned to listen as well.
Angie grabbed the phone and bent over. Her fingers flew over the keyboard before she held her breath and waited. It beeped a second later and she showed me the phone.
I read the conversation. ‘hey, where are you?’
Angie had texted on his phone, ‘At Haze. Come here.’
‘how?’
‘Take a cab. Tell the lady u with the g west group.’
‘ok. B there soon.’
‘k.’
I looked up with a chest full of tension. “What’d you do?”
She shrugged and sat back. When she threw a leg up on the table in front of us, I got a glimpse of Angie that I hadn’t seen in a long while. She was pissed, she was beyond pissed, and she was calculated right now. Marissa didn’t stand a chance.
“Angie, I don’t think you should have done that.”
“Are you kidding me?” She gestured over her shoulder. “She took off and left him high and dry. She left when we were trying to talk to you about our concerns. She always just takes off and shows up with a new guy. It’s got to stop. I’m sick of it.”
She had a point, but it didn’t sit well with me. Not at all. In fact, after I had taken my third deep breath in a row, Jesse dragged me out of the booth and into a dark hallway. The music was muted slightly, but we were allowed a little privacy. A few people wandered past us, looking for their own boxes.
He pressed me against a wall and stepped close. I felt his breath on me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
I looked away, but he turned my face back to his. He was so close, agonizingly close. My heart started to thump louder and louder. Then he leaned even closer. His lips brushed against mine as he asked again, “What’s wrong?”
I started to shake my head. He stopped me.
“Alex.”
His lips were on mine now, lightly. But he held back. Desire was starting to build between my legs. It was throbbing down there and I wanted to pull him tight. My arms ached to grab him, but I kept them against the wall. I knew he was tormenting me for information. He had no intention of finishing what he had started. Not then, anyway.
“Alex.” His breath caressed my skin as he whispered my name. “What’s happening? I know something’s wrong. What is it?”
“Is that Jesse Hunt?” A female voice sounded from our right.
He went stiff and didn’t move for a second.
My hand skimmed up his side, to his arm. I was about to ask what was wrong, but he turned and clipped out, “Sabrina.”
A high-pitched laugh rang out as she drew closer. She was gorgeous: tall, willowy, with long bleached hair that curled around her waist. And she had striking cheekbones underneath green eyes that looked like something I would’ve seen in a supernatural movie. Glitter was dusted over her cheeks. It matched her make-up and the glitter in her hair as well. She swept a rail-thin hand in a graceful move over her chest before it fell to her side. She could’ve been a model. Dressed in a very thin white fabric that hung on her body, but also emphasized the lack of bra or underwear, I knew for certain she wasn’t from my kind of lifestyle.
“So you remember me?” she murmured in a husky voice as she drew even closer. Her eyes narrowed at our closeness, but she pinched her lips together in a faint pout. “And who is your friend?”
Jesse’s hand tucked me behind me as he stood in front, as if to act as a barrier. Then he asked, strained, “Are you here with my father?”
“Goodness, no.” Another high-pitched giggle peeled through the air. “Why would you assume something like that?”
“Because the last time I saw you, my dad’s cock was six inches deep in you.”
Her laugh dropped to a husky tone again. “Oh. That.”
“Yes, that.”
“Who’s your friend, Jesse?”
“Why?” His hand kept me firmly behind him. He moved again as she looked around him. “So you can report back to my father who my dick has been six inches inside?”
“Has it?”
My eyes went wide at the sharp skepticism from her.
Then he delivered smoothly, “None of your business.”
“Hmmm. Something tells me your father will be very curious. He’s coming to your game tomorrow.”
Jesse straightened again, any part of me that hadn’t stiffened at the sight of her now snapped to attention at that threat. “Really?”
“And he’s having dinner with your coach right now, along with some high school’s friend’s dead parents.? No, that doesn’t make sense.”
He bit out a savage curse under his breath. “Get away from me. Now.”
“Jesse—”