Dating Mr. Arrogant

chapter 34 - gross!

ELLE

The stars fell like sparks. His tie dangled loosely, framing the partially exposed skin peeking through his shirt. The strap of my dress slipped from my shoulder. Muscles. Hardness. His hand slid beneath the fabric, gliding the material of my dress up along my thigh with tantalizing pressure. Fingers tightened here and there. Gasps filled the space between us. His lips brushed, then pressed into the hollow of my neck.

Ace has a talent for distraction.

We didn't exactly do anything beyond my comfort, but it was close—just a heated make-out session under the stars, full of wandering hands and breathless grinding that made my heart race. I would've let it go further—I wanted to—but he told me he didn't trust himself even with that look of desire straight across his face. So, he took me home.

"You look like you're thinking of something super dirty. Like you're watching a dirty movie in your head." Jade teases, stepping onto the balcony and catching me biting on my bottom lip as I lounge on a cushioned seat. I deadpan, inhaling slowly through my nose, hoping it'll cool the heat rising to my cheeks.

"No, I don't," I deny and sit up straighter. "Sorry again that we left like that," I immediately change the subject.

When I got home, I texted Jade and promised to fill her in later. I was so exhausted from everything that happened at the soiree that I deflated like a balloon slowly losing air.

She dismisses my apology and tosses me a bottle of fancy flavored sparkling water that I can't even pronounce. It's probably named after a city in some foreign country. "Don't worry about it. I know you guys didn't have a choice. I made sure to let Justin know how I felt. He looked like a dumbass standing there as we all left."

I crack open the cap and take a long sip, the cold fizz soothing my throat. Jade makes a face, like there's something else she's been holding back. She hesitates, but eventually keeps going.

"I've always had a crush on him," she finally admits, her voice quieter, "but it's always been one-sided, so I never acted on it. Especially since he's always told me I was like a little sister to him."

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I had a feeling that was going on. I've seen the way her gaze lingers on him whenever he's around. How her giggles or smile were a touch brighter when he'd throw his arm around her shoulders or make a joke. And hearing it from her mouth makes it real, and I can tell from the way her fingers tighten around the bottle that it isn't easy for her to say. It's like she's bracing for emotional impact.

Because admission itself is a fragile thing.

Jade's vulnerability to feelings that can't be reciprocated makes my heart ache for her. I don't exactly know what I would do if Ace didn't feel the same way about me. Jade grew up with Justin. And if I was her, I'd never forgive him for his deception.

"If it makes you feel better," I say gently, "you dodged a big bullet. He's been messing around with Cassie."

Jade's reaction is immediate, her eyes widening as she chokes on her water, sputtering most of it in the air in a dramatic spray, "GROSS!"

I nod solemnly. "We don't know why, but they're working together for some reason. It's a mess."

I fill her in on everything I know, and the weight of my words pulls us deeper into something we haven't prepared ourselves for. Jade listens intently, her expression shifting from surprise to anger, then back to a calm sort of clarity.

"Maybe he is jealous of my brother," she says after a long pause. "I mean, why else would he set Ace up with all those situations? Now that I think about it, he's always been too nice to everyone around him. But even with Ace's prickly attitude, people are more drawn to him."

That's because Ace is swoon-worthy, I think in my head, but the thought slips out loud, and Jade snaps to me, incredulous.

"Did you really just say that?" She laughs, mock-accusing me.

I quickly throw out some other thoughts. "Can someone be that jealous? To fake being friends? We don't exactly know how long he's been plotting this."

The lightness from a second ago disappears, and a grim expression settles over her features. "I don't know... But it makes me sick thinking about it. He probably marked Cassie off his list because she's in love with Ace."

"Do you think he's done that with all the other women Ace has been linked with?" I openly voice out loud without a thought.

Jade's face turns pale, and I almost think she's going to throw up. "God, I hope not. If it is, his life is over."

No one knows what Justin's endgame is, but the longer it goes unchecked, the more extreme things could get. And with the semifinals coming up, I have no idea how Ace is going to handle facing him.