Page 52 of Hymns of the Broken

I push off the wall, trying to pull myself together. My thighs are weak, my hair is a mess, and my cheeks are still hot.My thoughts race, skipping wildly.

What just happened? What does this mean? Why do I want him to do it again, right here, in front of everyone?

He hasn’t moved away yet. His hand is still on my hip, thumb tracing lazy, possessive circles over my skin. I wonder if he can feel my pulse pounding there, as frantic as the beat from the stage.

“Still with me, Wicked Thing?” he murmurs. His eyes roam my face, like he’s memorizing every ruined piece of me.

I swallow hard and finally manage a whisper. “Yeah, I’m… here.” Liar. I’m everywhere. My head is still in the clouds, my body still throbbing with aftershocks.

He grins, so cockily. He's so fucking hot. He brushes his lips against my temple. “Good. Stay there.”

I can’t help the smile that slips out. It’s soft—real. The kind I haven’t worn in years.

Jasper, what are you doing to me?

I want to ask what this means—if it’s just another game to him. But the words won’t come. I’m too afraid of the answer.

Jasper slips his hand to the small of my back, steadying me as we step out of the shadows. The noise of the venue hits me full force, but nothing can drown out the feeling still thrumming in my veins.

We round the corner and rejoin the group. Ash, Jace, Silas, and Micah all clustered near the exit. The second they see us, every conversation dies. All eyes turn to me. To Jasper’s hand on my back. The flushed look on my face, my swollen lips, the way I can’t quite meet anyone’s gaze.

Ash raises my camera and snaps a picture of us as he whistles, low and knowing. Jace smirks, eyebrows raised in wicked amusement. Silas looks from me to Jasper and back again, mouth twitching. Even Micah has a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

They all know.

And as I try to gather my dignity and breathe like a normal person, Jasper leans in, lips brushing my ear. “Let them look. You’re mine now.”

Ash is the first to break the silence, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face. “Damn, Sawyer. You look like you just got run over by a tour bus—or maybe something a little more—hands-on.”

Jace’s eyes flick over me, smirk growing. “Or maybe she just had a religious experience backstage. Exorcism maybe. You good, Trouble? Need a minute to catch your breath?”

My cheeks heat.

Jace laughs and puts his hands up in surrender, but Ash leans in, winking. “Don’t worry. We’re all adults here. Well—some of us.” His eyes move to Jasper, who hasn’t moved an inch from my side, his stare making it very clear whose hands I’d been in.

Silas rolls his eyes and mutters, “Ignore them. They’re idiots.” But even he can’t hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Jasper doesn’t even look at them, just at me. The entire world could disappear, and I’d still feel him.

Ash is the first to break the tension, of course. He nudges Jace with his elbow. “Food and rides, anyone?”

Jace rolls his eyes, then turns to me. “You up for it, Sawyer? Or are you going to need Jasper to hold your hand the whole time?”

“Pretty sure he’d prefer her on his lap,” Ash mutters, grinning as Jasper flips him off without even looking.

“Let’s do it,” I say. I love carnival rides.

***

The sun is high, beating down on the festival grounds. My face is sticky from melted cotton candy, and there’s a smear of blue sugar on Jasper’s lips that he refuses to wipe off—he just keeps grinning every time I try to point it out.

Ash drags everyone to the Tilt-A-Whirl. “Come on! The best way to get the sugar out of your system is to spin it out.”

Jace groans, “That’s not how science works, Ash,” but he follows anyway, sunglasses slipping down his nose.

Jasper nudges me. “You up for it, or you want to hold my stuff and pretend to look cool?”

I shoot him a look. “I’ll ride if you promise not to puke on my shoes, Rockstar.”