Page 14 of Let the Game Begin (Kiss Me Like You Love Me #1)

I holed up in my own room at that point and just studied until eight o’clock.

I should have been getting ready to go out, but doubts preyed on my mind.

I wondered why Neil behaved the way he did, what he was rebelling against and why he seemed so angry at the whole world.

I would never get the answers to those questions unless I got to know him better, which I was too afraid to do because the attraction that pulled me toward him was too perilous.

It was palpable between us…that kiss had only confirmed what I already knew.

Even worse, when he had showed up this afternoon looking all handsome and shadowy—even with that purple bruise marking his manly face—my heart had leaped in my chest. It was almost painful.

It was insane the way my body reacted to his nearness, and it wasn’t just because I wanted to be touched again by those lips.

I wanted so much more than that, and admitting it even to myself made me squeeze my eyes shut and curse my own weakness.

When I realized I was about to be late to Bryan Nelson’s party because I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I quickly got myself ready for the evening, opting for a black blouse and simple skinny jeans under my long coat.

Logan and I drove to a house almost as sprawling as Matt and Mia’s. I had resisted the urge to ask him any more questions on the trip there. Neither of us said anything about what had happened with Neil that afternoon. But I couldn’t help but break the uncomfortable silence.

“So, who is this Bryan guy anyway?” I asked Logan as we got out of the car.

Logan chuckled and more of the tension dissipated. “Oh, you’ll see. Wait until he meets you.” With no further explanation, he gestured for me to follow him to find his friends, who were waiting for us in the yard.

“There you are! Finally! We’ve been waiting for you,” exclaimed Alyssa when she met us in front of the house.

She was wearing an incredible white floral dress, and I didn’t miss the long, slow look that Logan gave her legs.

I got the vibe that the two of them liked each other but hadn’t quite gotten up the courage to confess their mutual interest.

“C’mon, c’mon, let’s get in there before the good booze runs out,” Cory urged us. I grabbed Julie, who was standing around looking bewildered, and we all walked inside.

When we walked into the party, I was immediately hit with the combined smells of booze and smoke, which made me cough. I glanced around and saw some guys on the sofa drinking intently while other people were dancing, already half-drunk or stoned.

“Everything okay?” Logan noticed my bewilderment, and I gave him a reassuring smile.

This wasn’t exactly my scene, but I was going to make an exception, just for one night.

We walked over to the table where alcohol of all varieties was available, and a tall, muscular man with deep blue eyes approached us.

“Hey, Miller.” He turned to Logan and shook his hand. I remained on the sidelines, observing them.

“Hey Bryan,” Logan answered. From the way Bryan immediately started leering at me, I knew he was a jackass to be avoided.

I sized him up warily. He was wearing a basketball jersey with the logo of a team I didn’t know and tight jeans that showed off his thick legs, undoubtedly the result of the same obsessive workout routine that had shaped his body into a mountain of muscles and hormones.

“Wow, and who is this angel?” He looked me straight in the eyes and gave me a seductive smile, as though that was going to have me falling at his feet.

“May I present Selene Anderson. She’s the daughter of my mom’s boyfriend, Matt,” Logan said, apparently not registering that his friend was obviously undressing me with his eyes while I tried to avoid his persistent gaze.

“Mmm…enchanted. I’m Bryan Nelson, master of the house.

” He gave me a sly look and winked before grabbing my hand to kiss it gallantly.

“If you like, I can give you a full tour later, angel. What do you think about that?” he asked, clearly assuming I was just another chick in his hen house.

I was never moved by guys like that. I could always tell what was on their minds right away, and I usually managed to avoid them.

“Sorry, not interested,” I answered flatly and walked away from the creep.

I grabbed a drink to ease some of the tension I could feel seeping into my body.

I emptied the cup in one gulp, put it back on the table, and then I started wandering around the house in search of an exit.

I needed some fresh air. But the partiers kept jostling me around, and I frequently tripped over my own feet because my heels were too high.

“I’m willing to show you an escape route, if you’ll indulge me in one quick dance?”

It seemed that I could hear Neil’s voice—that low, deep baritone, the one that raised goosebumps on my arms. I turned around to look for him but saw no one except for anonymous bodies and fluttering hair.

Am I hallucinating?

I shook my head and started walking again, disoriented by the overly loud music, but then someone grabbed my wrist. Before I could react, I met Neil’s golden eyes, bright as any beacon.

The feeling of arousal was so strong in my chest that it sent a jolt through me, though I couldn’t explain why I was so incredibly attracted to a guy I’d known for such a short amount of time.

His body dominated even that large space. Though we were surrounded by other people, my eyes were glued to him because Neil had this shine to him, making everything else pale in comparison.

“Oh hey, it’s you,” I teased him but I didn’t object when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled our bodies together. He gave off a heady smell of amber and tobacco, a combination that seemed to burn up my brain and paralyze my reason.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t wander alone around a party like this, it could be dangerous.” He flashed a small smile that I could reasonably classify as sincere, and I was shocked that he’d care. Neil wasn’t the kind of guy who paid attention to that kind of thing.

He took a step toward me and I realized how close we’d gotten. I feared I might drown in his eyes, and I felt shivers pass from my skin all the way to my heart.

“Doesn’t that seem like a bit of an exaggeration? What other things do you consider’ ‘dangerous,’ Mr. MLK?” I bit my lip to keep from laughing aloud, and he must have noticed because he arched an eyebrow at me.

“Love,” he said so decisively that it extinguished my smile. How was love dangerous?

“You’re afraid of love?” I asked incredulously, and it occurred to me that we had somehow become enclosed in this little bubble where the attraction crackled between us and neither of us seemed to care who else was around.

“No, I’m afraid of the dependence that love creates.” His stare fell to my lips, and I flushed. The way he stared intimidated me, but at the same time, I felt the urge to know him fully.

“And how do you protect yourself from that kind of dependence?” I asked him.

Instead of answering me promptly, however, Neil abruptly spun me around, forcing my back against his chest. My breath caught, and I could feel the pounding of my heart. These were completely new sensations for me, and they terrified me.

My body felt like it had been designed to mold to his. My brain was wiped clean of my previous life, wiped clean of Jared and the guilty feelings that struggled to rise back out of the depths of my consciousness. I tilted my face back slightly to meet his burning gaze.

“Simple. I don’t love,” he answered firmly.

Immediately thereafter, his lips settled on my neck, branding it with a delicate kiss. His hands wandered from my sides to my thighs. My head was spinning, and I felt breathless.

“You should learn to protect yourself, too, Tigress,” he murmured into my ear.

I closed my eyes; my legs felt weak, and I feared I would collapse at any moment.

I was about to put my full weight against Neil, but suddenly, there was nothing but empty space behind me and a cold feeling along my spine.

I turned and saw that he had vanished, like a magic trick.

I touched the curve of my neck as though emerging from a dream before I shook off the feeling and started searching for him.

It was stupid of me to run after him. I basically still had a boyfriend, after all; I shouldn’t have been trying to get closer to any other guys.

But my instinct fought my intellect on all fronts.

I searched for him like a madwoman, shoving aside anyone who got in my way.

I stopped abruptly, though, when I spotted his messy hair and saw his hands clasped around another girl’s body.

I recognized her immediately: it was Jennifer.

The two of them were dancing close together.

She whispered something into his ear, and he smiled, slowly feeling his way down her back, then to her hips, then her ass.

I stood motionless, staring at them. I should have expected it, but I was still shocked by the anguish that uncurled inside of me. It was completely irrational, especially considering that I barely knew Neil.

When he caught my gaze, Neil stopped smiling, but he didn’t stop touching her or push her away. But why would he have done that?

A while later, I found my friends and went up to the bar.

While the others were busy ordering cocktails, I glanced around, bored as ever.

I was looking for something more interesting than throwing back shots.

Then, when I least expected it, among the crowd of people cheering for the band, I spotted a familiar mop of unruly chestnut hair.

Neil’s powerful, robust body was wrapped around Jennifer’s much smaller form.

She danced sensually with him, grinding her backside into his crotch.