Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(67)

Jason nodded, then slid his hand around my waist. “And she’ll feel very inadequate when she gets a look at my beautiful fiancée. Don’t worry about her.”

I tried to believe that, but I knew just how attractive Johanna was. I also knew she had slept with my man. That drove me nuts. I hated her bad.

The doors opened for us, and we were greeted by two men in tuxedos. Then we headed to the ballroom. When we walked in, the place was already packed. Dancing was happening, and everywhere there were groups of fabulously dressed people with fancy drinks in their hands.

“JESS!” Finn yelled as he saw us walk in. Jason chuckled beside me.

“I think he’s already drunk,” he said as we approached the birthday boy.

“I think you’re right.”

“You came! Dance with me, Jess. Let her, man. It’s my birthday,” Finn said, reaching out to touch me.

Jason pulled me back fast and shook his head. “Happy birthday, Finn. But my woman is off-limits. Find another.”

Finn stuck out his bottom lip and stomped his foot. Yep, he was definitely drunk. “But I wanna touch her.”

Jason tucked me closer to his side. “You touch her and when you wake up sober your nose will be broken. Got it?”

Finn burst out laughing, and then slapped Jason on the back. “You are so whipped.”

Before he could say anything else, someone came up to talk to him and he forgot about us. Jason pulled me away from Finn and we walked over to the bar.

“If he wasn’t drunk and one of my best friends . . . ,” Jason muttered. “I need a drink. You want a club soda? Splash of cranberry juice?”

I nodded and Jason turned to order himself a whiskey straight and me a club soda. I saw a girl I had met when we went to a party in New York City. Our night had ended badly and I’d gone home alone.

“Hello, Jason. Haven’t seen you much this semester,” the girl said, flashing her smile at Jason and completely ignoring me, even though we had met before.

“Hey, Vanessa,” he replied as he handed me my club soda, tinged pink from the cranberry juice.

“You and Jo haven’t been doing anything together lately,” Vanessa said, finally giving me a quick glance before looking back at Jason.

“No. Since I’m engaged and expecting a baby, I don’t spend any time with other women. I got the one I want,” Jason replied, then took my hand. “Enjoy the party, Vanessa,” he said without looking at her as he led me away.

“I remember her from New York,” I told him.

“Sorry. She’s a vulture,” he said.

I nodded, and then Jason stopped to speak to some people who didn’t seem very interested in me. As they discussed a class they were taking I looked around the room.

When a feminine voice joined in, I turned my focus back to the group talking.

“You can borrow my notes. I need them too, but if you want to stay after class you can get a copy of mine. I’ll only ask that you take me for coffee in return,” she said, flipping her red hair over her shoulder.

“You’ve got all the notes?” Jason asked, instead of telling her he wouldn’t be taking her to coffee.

“Yes. Every last one. I’m detailed,” she replied. Why did she sound like she meant that another way entirely? I was not a fan.

“That would be great, Phoebe. Thanks.”

Wait, what?

“No problem,” she said, and then they all started talking about stuff I knew nothing about again.

The feeling of not fitting into this world started to sink in again. I fought it off, but each time Phoebe said something and Jason laughed, I cringed. She was tall and slender. Too slender. And she was in three of his classes. They were majoring in the same thing.

“Jess,” Hensley said, walking up to us with a glass in his hand and smiling. I liked Hensley. He was okay.

“Hey, Hensley,” I replied.

“Dance with me, Jess,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at Jason.

“No, Hensley. Go away,” Jason said, sounding amused.

“I’ll dance with you, Hensley,” Phoebe said, pushing through the group to walk entirely too close to Jason before sliding an arm around Hensley and whispering something in his ear while she looked at Jason.

Hensley’s eyebrows shot up. “Dirty, Phoebe. I like it,” he said, and pulled her out to dance with him. I was glad to see her go, but when she smirked at me over Hensley’s shoulder, I knew I hadn’t imagined things.

Jason

Jess’s hand grabbed my arm. “Take me to the restroom,” she said, close to my ear.

I put our glasses down and took her to the toilets closest to us.

“Looks like that one is empty,” I told her. There weren’t separate women’s and men’s. There were just six private bathrooms. Three on each side of the hall outside the ballroom.

She opened the door, then turned back to me and grabbed my hand to pull me inside. “You need me?” I asked, confused.

Jess closed the door and locked it, then turned around and grabbed my face and attacked me. I let her plump mouth have its way as I enjoyed the ride. I wasn’t sure what this was about, but lately I had learned not to question it.

“I’m not wearing panties,” she said against my lips. “Fuck me.” Her hands moved to tug her dress up and reveal her round little ass in the mirror behind her.