Jaden (Jaded #3)(26)

I watched her. I wanted to know if she’d react, show anything, but she didn’t. Her face was a porcelain mask of nothingness. There wasn’t even a flicker of her eyelids. The only reaction she gave was a smug grin, but that formed as she delivered, with acid dripping from her voice, “Sorry, but no. My condolences to your friend that drove it instead of you. I’m sure you pissed off whoever had cut the brakes.”

There was nothing wrong with her statement, but there was everything wrong with it. The undertones were screaming at me loud and clear. Too bad it was your friend, not you. That’s what she meant.

I hissed and went for her.

“Hey.” Bryce intercepted me, stepping in front of me.

I pushed forward, pressing against him, but he held firm and his hand reached behind, resting on my hip to keep me firmly in check.

I growled. “Let me at her,” I snapped at her. “You put my friend in the hospital.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits at my words. I wanted her to hear those words. I wanted her to hear the violence there.

“That’s too bad.” She lifted her lip in a sneer. “Really.”

Too bad for Corrigan, too bad he ended up in the hospital. I could hear her taunting tone on repeat in my head—that was her message. Yes, too bad. Too bad for her when I would lunge for her and claim that I was only reaching for the phone behind her. Oops. My hand slipped and punched her in the face, but I was really only trying to call the front desk.

Oh yes. My own thoughts were sarcastic. Somehow, that made perfect sense in my mind, but I was seeing red. I wanted at her. “I’m going to hurt you.”

“Bring it.” She never faltered or reared back. Her gaze held mine steadily, and I knew it was her. If there’d been any doubt, there was none now. This bitch put Corrigan in the hospital.

I was going to return the favor.

A new wave of fury surged in me, and I tried to slip around Bryce, but he checked me again.

Then I saw her reaction.

Bryce turned so he was facing me. Both of his hands were on my hips, holding me back, and the same disapproving look she had given me at the hospital appeared again. Her eyes flickered, showing some anger, and her lips pressed together, then curved down at the corners. The lines in her forehead strained as well.

I grinned. She hated that I was touching Bryce. “You don’t like this, huh?”

If she had a knife, I wondered if she would’ve used it right then and there. That was how she was looking at me now.

Oh, honey, you just made this so much easier for me, I thought before my entire attitude switched. I forced myself to relax. A new heat formed in me, and I welcomed it, letting it fill my body. I almost sighed. This was Bryce and me. This was our old connection, the attraction I’d always felt for him. I had kept it locked inside me for so long. It was overpowering, and because of that, it was too overwhelming for me.

I did bad things when I let my need go free, but that’s what she didn’t want. So that’s what was coming out.

Bryce felt the shift, and he gazed at me, confused, then I let him see the hunger. His eyes darkened in lust. The response was like throwing gasoline onto burning coals. The flames leapt high in me, filling every inch of me and I wanted him. My blood was humming, the rush building and building, stretching my need for him until I was taking quick and shallow breaths.

The room started to melt away.

There were people there, people I hated. I felt a dark sensation in the room and knew that was the assistant. She was saying something behind her, but I didn’t care. I lifted a hand and placed it onto Bryce’s chest. He caught it, pressed it more firmly onto his chest, and I felt his heart racing.

God.

I wet my lips. Images of us together were on a constant loop playing in my head. As he kissed up my throat in our school’s closet, as he slid inside me when we skipped class, when we had fought and he shoved me against the wall and kissed down between my breasts, so many times when he was above me, moving inside me, as he pinned my hands above my head. He’d watch me. I’d watch him.

I felt that primal connection coming back to me.

I wanted to feel that. I wanted to feel him again.

“Bryce,” I murmured. It’d been so long.

“Stop,” a voice snapped, and I was pulled away. Rough hands gripped my arms, tightening their hold. I felt nails against my skin, and I was shoved backward. Then a face was in front of me, and she snarled, “Get out. Get out of this room,” she said over her shoulder. “Call security, Lupe.”

Wait. I blinked. My chest was rising up and down, almost gasping for air. What was going on? I’d been trying to do something. My focus came back, and I saw the assistant glaring at me. Her hands were still on me, holding me back against the door. Her entire tiny body was writhing now. I could feel the suppressed anger from her, then my own came back, shoving whatever else had been going on with me out of the way.

I swallowed over a lump in my throat and shoved everything down.

Fuck. I’d been messing with Bryce to piss her off. It worked. Too well.

I gritted my teeth. All of that clicked in my head in one heartbeat, then I wrenched my arms up and around, unlocking her hold from me. I snarled, “Get off me.” As her hands fell away, I shoved her back. One good push. She hit the wall by the bathroom.

“Hey!” Bryce shouted from behind me.

I tuned him out, tuned out all those other feelings about him too, and zeroed in on my target. I came in there for a fight—this was it. I wasn’t going to let it get away now.