Page 39

“I’m a very jealous person; you know that.” He tips his head, grinning at her. “I didn’t like the idea of my girl going out alone, especially when she’s angry with me.”

Her lips quiver like she’s suppressing a smile. When she turns to me, her expression hardens. “And why are you here?”

“To keep Marco company,” I reply, settling beside Josh.

Marco nods, not bothering to hide his shit-eating grin. “Yeah, my boys are here to keep me company. That’s it.”

With a roll of her eyes, Meg goes back to sipping her drink.

As I watch Bella, the fluttering in my chest intensifies. She hasn’t noticed me yet, and I really want to change that.

So, with a deep breath, I stand and stride toward her. I stop a few steps behind her, and when Jess notices me, she freezes, her jaw dropping.

I let my gaze travel down my girl’s form, and, clearly sensing my presence, she shivers as she slowly turns to face me.

“Hey.” I smile, searching her face.

She’s wearing more makeup than she usually does. It makes her blue eyes look like fathomless pools.

“Hi.” She tilts her head to the side. “What are you doing here?”

“Keeping Marco company,” I tell her. “Since it’s my fault Meg is still giving him the cold shoulder, when he invited me, I figured it was my duty to accept.”

“So you’re here because you’re a good friend?”

“Yup.” I nod. “And maybe because I miss you.”

The corners of her mouth tip up. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I think ‘determined’ suits me better, no?”

In answer, she shakes her head, though she doesn’t break eye contact. The air between us is charged. If I touched her right now, I could guarantee I’d get shocked, so I stuff my hands into my pockets.

“ Okay ,” Jess drawls. “I think I need a drink.”

Bella blinks, and between one heartbeat and the next, that damn unreadable mask slips over her face. “I’ll go with you.”

I step aside and let them pass. As her hair sways, something on her neck catches my attention.

No way. Bella has a tattoo?

I can’t help but smile as I watch her walk to the bar. I’m filled with curiosity and the desire to know more.

God, she’s full of surprises.

“No.” I shake my head.

Marco frowns. “What do you mean no ? Colin Farrell is the star of the movie.”

“He’s great, but didn’t you see Matthew McConaughey? Ten out of fucking ten.”

“I don’t get why none of you have even mentioned Hugh Grant,” Josh comments.

In answer, Garcia gives us a middle finger.

With a laugh, I pick up my bottle of water and twist the cap. I’m bringing it to my lips when Bella leans over the table, reaching for her drink, and places her hand on my knee for balance. Her strawberry scent overwhelms me, sending a rush of energy from my head to my toes.

Be cool. Be cool!

I do my best, chugging my water. All the while, my heart hammers in my chest.

“You’re all wrong,” she says as she straightens, taking her hand off my knee. Her eyes meet mine. “Charlie Hunnam was better than all of them.”

The moment the words leave her mouth, I’m assaulted with the memory of getting her off in the movie theater.

Fuck me.

Her eyes twinkle. Damn . She’s playing me, and I fucking love it.

The girls have spent most of the last hour dancing, though they come back to the table for drinks and chitchat every so often.

Not gonna lie, when a few guys approached them, it almost killed me to stay where I was.

But when the girls made it clear they weren’t interested, I’d never seen anything hotter.

“You liked The Gentlemen ?” Josh asks.

She nods. “Loved it.”

Marco whistles. “Wow. Meg left me on my own fifteen minutes into it. You’re a fucking star, Izzy.”

She winks at him.

“I didn’t think you were a Guy Ritchie fan.” I set my bottle on the table. I’m teasing her. We watched every one of his movies together, and she loved most of them.

“Guy Ritchie fan or not, I watched it for Charlie .”

When she wraps her lips around her straw and sips her nonalcoholic Aperol Spritz, my pants get a little too tight.

I shift, discreetly adjusting myself as she leans forward and sets her glass down.

“But Guy’s movies kinda grew on me.”

As if I’m hypnotized, I stand and hold out a hand. “Dance with me. Please?”

Her eyes glimmer in the strobe lights of the club as she studies me. And when she places her hand in mine, I have to resist the urge to pump my fist.

Silently, she leads me to the dance floor, being sure to put distance between us and Meg and Jess, who are already dancing.

She stops, and I step in close. The whole place throbs, the bass thumping in my chest. Bella dances, moving her hips sensually, her eyes on me.

I’m enraptured. Ensnared. Engulfed in the heat that burns between us.

When the DJ transitions to a new song, I put a hand on her waist and pull her closer, my fingers skimming over her dress to the small of her back. Eyes blazing, she places her hand on my chest.

We dance, our bodies moving as one. My skin vibrates; my heart pounds in my ears. I grip her hip and guide her to turn around so her back is flush with my chest. I wrap my arm around her waist from behind, splaying my hand over her stomach.

Every sway of her hips makes me lose my goddamn mind, and when she grinds her ass over my groin, my vision goes hazy. I’m losing myself in her again, and fuck, if I didn’t miss it. My breath ragged, I slide my hands to her hips and bring my mouth to her ear.

She instantly goes stiff.

“Everyone’s staring,” she says.

Pulled from my stupor, I look up. Sure enough, there’s a group of guys on our left gaping at us. My hackles rise. Fuck .

“I…I need a moment.” She pulls away and weaves through the crowd without looking back.

I hesitate for a moment. I want to give her space, but…I’ve been to way too many parties to let her take off on her own. She might be pissed if I follow her, but I care too much about her safety to be concerned about that.

She’s only feet from the door when I gently catch her by the elbow. “Wait.”

She spins, eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a straight line.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She sags and lets out a sigh. “I’m fine. Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“This.” She waves a hand between us. “Showing up at my house, bringing me flowers, coming here?—”

“Because I love you.” The words are out before I can consider their consequence, but I don’t want to take them back. “I’m here because I love you.”

Heart in my throat, I watch her. I clock the heat in her eyes, the fear and indecision that follow it.

Finally, she takes a deep breath. “I want to go home.”

It’s like a physical blow, but I hide the pain.

Keeping my expression soft, I slip my hands in my pockets. “Let me drive you, please. I want you to be safe.”

She focuses on something over my shoulder, then nods. “Okay.”

I take a step back, let her walk past me, then follow her back to our table. All the while, thoughts swirl in my head. I told her I loved her, and all I got was silence in return. It’s like she ripped my heart out of my chest and cut it into a thousand pieces.

“Is everything alright?” Meg asks as Bella approaches.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She picks up a small black bag, along with a black leather jacket. “I just want to go home.”

“Already?” Jess frowns. She sits beside Josh, who’s sitting with his legs spread, his arm draped over the back of the couch.

“Yeah. I have a ton of work to do in the morning.” She gives Meg a brief hug and plants a kiss on Jess’s cheek before waving at Josh and Marco. “See you.”

I wave to our friends, then follow her like a shadow in suffocating silence. As we walk to the car, she keeps her distance, and I don’t dare touch her.

I point to where I parked and clear my throat. “This way.”

Two minutes later, I shift in the driver’s seat and look at her. “Bella, I?—”

“Please,” she whispers, “don’t call me that.”

“But I?—”

“Xander, please, don’t.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Take me home, and just stop talking to me.”

Chest caving in, I turn and put the car in gear. “Whatever you want.”