Page 48 of Broken Beauty

“Did you invite him?” Ariella asks while pointing her finger at me.

“He's my best friend Ariella, plus I have a good reason,” Jace says, trying to explain himself.

“Like what?” Ariella raises her eyebrow and tilts her head to the side trying to appear more intimidating towards Jace.

Jace's eyes go to me before going back to meeting Ariella's. “Why are you guys so intimidating?”

“Jace?”

“I'm here so there's no point in trying to get rid of me, Madden,” I look back at Ariella and then get comfortable against the pillows and then spread my legs. Ariella's eyes trail down my body before moving up to meet my eyes. Heat is filled in her eyes and I just wish that she could fucking act on her lust. “So, are we going to spend the whole night bitching or are we going to watch a movie?”

Ariella scoffs and then she walks away.

Bridgette arrives around fifteen minutes later.

Bridgette puts her stuff in Ariella's room while Jace and Ariella prepare all the snacks. They put them on the coffee table in front of the couch.

We all agree on a movie, DareDevil starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Jace gushes over Jennifer Garner and how hot she is in this movie while Bridgette rolls her eyes and sits as far away from Jace as possible on the floor.

Ariella is about to sit down next to Bridgette on the floor, far away from me, but instead I grab her wrist and make her sit on the floor between my legs.

She glares at me before trying to move but I force her to sit down. She keeps squirming so I lean forward, and my lips touch her ear.

“If you keep being a brat tonight, I'll bring you over my lap and smack your ass until it's red and burning, Ariella.”

Ariella glares at me but she doesn't squirm anymore. Instead, she relaxes and rests her body in between my legs.

While watching the movie I keep looking down at Ariella.

Every time I look at her, all I can see is her that summer.

I feel like she is the same girl I met that summer but then I also hear my father yelling in my ear about Ariella.

I sometimes don't even know what to think anymore, in moments like this for example.

Twenty-Two

Ariella

Summer

Ash and I got back from New York a few days ago and those past few days I have just been locking myself in my house.

I am ignoring Ash's text messages because I am too scared to face him. I just feel like things are different now that we are back in California.

Ash has been calling me and sending me messages since he dropped me off home from the airport. I'm surprised he hasn't barged in my house and demanded answers from me.

Ever since I had sex with him, I feel different. I don't know if it's a good different or a bad different.

It's definitely not a bad different now that I think about it but it can't be good because then feelings get involved and that's what I'm trying to prevent.

We only had sex that one night but the rest of the nights we did other things, and kissed.

We kissed a lot.

And I can't help but like it a lot.

He makes me feel needy and desperate for more and that's a scary thing for me.