Dom (The Pack 4)

“You can sit with me,” Anna offered softly and Jess gave her a grateful smile. She attempted to clamber her way into the Jeep but the high tires and lift kit made it a struggle. Caleb went to help her up, but when I snapped a glare toward him, he stopped.

With a grumbled, I reached over and yanked her in the Jeep. What I didn’t expect was for her to land face first in my lap. She scrambled to sit up as I cursed under my breath at her proximity to my dick.

“For fuck’s sake,” I swore when her hand curled around the inside of my thigh as she pushed herself up, her hair tangled around her face like she’d just given me a damn blow job.

I shook my head as she practically fell into the backseat with Anna, who managed not to laugh, but only because she didn’t want to embarrass Jess.

“Hurry up,” I growled to Caleb, not giving him time to get the door shut before backing out, gravel spraying.

“So, I qualify for an escort now, huh?” Jess murmured, so low I knew it was for Anna’s ears only, but I stared at her through the rearview, not blinking.

“It’s a precaution,” Anna answered lightly, her smile not nearly as bright as she thought it was.

“Is there any way to stop them?” Jess asked, barely audible to human ears, but crystal clear to us in the Jeep. Anna’s eyes flickered to mine and she opened her mouth to answer Jess when I shook my head. She conceded, biting her lip as she shook her head regretfully at Jess.

Jess narrowed her eyes, sitting back with a thump as she glared at the back of my head. Caleb leaned forward to fiddle with the radio, and Anna let out a wistful sigh to Caleb’s complete oblivion. Jess eyed them, seeming to make the same realization I had. Anna had a desperate crush on Caleb, one he didn’t seem to return.

Jess sighed and my own gaze shifted to hers in the rearview mirror. She just glared at me, demanding answers I wasn’t ready to provide.

I parked in the teacher’s lot like normal, disregarding any stares as Jess climbed out with Caleb and Anna. I grabbed my gym bag, as I calculated what time we should meet back.

“Practice is until four today,” I announced, allowing a quick glance at Jess. “You can wait in the bleachers for us.”

She stared at me in disbelief and then turned to Anna, who just raised a questioning eyebrow. “It’s freezing,” she stated, huddling in her jacket. “I’m not sitting outside during practice. Are you nuts?”

She shoved her hands deeper in her pockets as understanding dawned us. The cold had little effect on us, and I hadn’t even noticed the temperature change, but her teeth were chattering as we stood in the cold.

“I’ll wait for you in the library after school,” she muttered, shouldering past us, irritation on her face.

***

The crowded cafeteria was noisy as usual, but it didn’t stop me from eavesdropping on Jess’s conversation with her friend, Leah.

“What’s going on?” Leah demanded to know as Jess stared at her in confusion.

“Uh, school?” She offered having clearly missed the conversational cue. Leah rolled her eyes with a huff and pointed at straight at our table.

“No, girlie. The looks being directed this way. I swear every one of them has glanced over at least once.” I waited to see what Jess would say, since not many had insider information on us, and more than a few would be happy to gossip. “And don’t even deny they’re looking at you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jess dismissed automatically.

“Yeah, right.” Leah retorted, dropping the topic and Jess sighed. Her eyes strayed to mine, the connection immediate, and for once, neither of us glanced away. With each breath, the room faded a little more, and as her heart beat in rhythm with mine, our connection deepened. The pull between us continued to intensify as we held each other gazes, and the desire to go to her was almost irresistible.

I gripped the table to keep myself seated and finally the bell rang, snapping the room back into focus as her gaze dropped. The metal table groaned, the imprint of my fingers clear as the rest of the table stared at me in silence. “Go to class,” I said quietly and they all scrambled to move as I smoothed out the more obvious marks I’d left on the table.

***

The drive home was silent, at least for Jess. Anna replayed the conversation she’d had with Jess in the library to me over the Pack link.

“What didn’t you tell me this morning?” Jess demanded. “You were going to say something, but didn’t. Not after you looked at Dominic.” She stared hard at Anna. “If there’s a way to stop them, I have a right to know.”