Shattered Dreams (Boys of Bellerose, #3)(52)
Of course, forever had turned out to be much shorter than I’d ever expected, but tonight it almost felt like none of those years apart had happened. If it weren’t for this shit with Grayson—who had fucking disappeared after the concert, and despite my anger, I still hated not knowing where he was—then I’d be the happiest bitch in Dublin tonight.
“You ready, baby?” Rhett called through the door, and I popped the last coat of scarlet over my lips and gave my reflection a once over. I’d chosen a short and fitted, to every curve, red dress tonight. Like, Christmas-red, so bright that no one would miss me in the crowd. It was freezing in Dublin, so I added over-the-knee black boots and a long black jacket that I’d ditch when we got to the club.
My hair was curled and tousled down my back, and I’d gone much heavier than usual on my makeup, from dark eyeshadow to bright red lips that matched the dress. I was dressed to destroy, and I was well enough versed in therapy now to know there were multiple reasons for needing all the extra armor tonight. Reasons I was not interested in exploring, because I really wanted to let loose and have a good time.
“Ready,” I announced, opening the door. I left the mess of makeup and hair products next to the sink, knowing Rhett wouldn’t care because he had almost as many products as me. Mostly for his hawk.
When the door swung fully open, he was framed in it, and I almost laughed at the comical way he froze as his mouth fell open. “Jesus,” he breathed. “Billie. Are you trying to fucking kill me?”
A genuine laugh burst up from my chest, and it was weird to feel happy after so many days of sadness. It reminded me that, on occasion, it was okay to push sadness aside and enjoy these moments. Life was too short not to.
“You look fairly delicious yourself,” I purred, taking in his boots, dark, ripped jeans, and black Bellerose band shirt, which was tight enough to showcase his muscles. Stepping closer to him, the heels of my boots clicked on the tiles, only to be silenced when I made it onto carpet. Rhett was still a decent shot taller than me, so he ducked his head and pressed his lips to mine. When he pulled away, leaving me a little breathless, I was happy to see that my no-smudge lipstick was living up to its promise.
“Is everyone ready to leave?” I asked.
Rhett took a second to answer, his eyes dragging over the fit of my dress before he exhaled loudly and ran a hand over his hawk, messing it up a touch. “They’re ready,” he finally said, “but I’m starting to think that a party right here sounds so much more appealing.”
Fuck, this boy was really good for a girl’s ego.
“Plenty of time for that later,” I reminded him, pressing closer again. “Tonight, I want to drink and dance and forget about the past few days.” And years.
“You got it, baby,” he said, wrapping one arm around me so that he was half carrying me toward the door. “Dancing is the next best thing to fucking. I’m going to enjoy both.”
Shit, so was I.
When we made it out into the main hall, I was surprised to see Vee standing there alone. Well, as alone as one could be with a dozen or more security standing along the hall.
She was dressed in a knee-length black dress, which was as tight and fitted as mine, but without the attention-grabbing color. Her dark hair was perfectly curled, her makeup heavy, too, and I as I gave her a hug, I said, “You look fucking gorgeous, but aren’t you worried about being seen out?”
She returned my hug with force. “I’ve recently decided that life is too short to stay in hiding,” she said quickly, before she leaned back and took in my outfit. “You look stunning! These boys are going to have their hands full keeping you safe tonight.”
Jace, who’d stepped out of his room in time to hear that, let out a husky laugh. “A task we’ve been doing since Billie was fourteen and grew tits.”
Asshole. “If I recall correctly, the only ones interested in my tits were you and Angel.”
“That’s what we wanted you to think,” he murmured, stepping closer to me. Vee moved out of his way, and then it was just Jace before me. Rhett remained a few steps to the side, giving us this moment.
My head spun at Jace’s presence, as per usual, and I attempted to force myself to look away from how delicious he was. Attempted and failed. Like Rhett, he was dressed all in black, right down to the boots that made him look even taller than usual. He wore dark, distressed denim jeans and a fitted, long-sleeved black shirt that he’d pushed up on both forearms, so we all got the view of his perfectly toned and tanned skin. That and the tousled blond hair gave contrast to the all-black ensemble.
Bastard used his sex appeal as a weapon.
Both painful and beautiful to orbit within.
When he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek, I held my fucking breath like a teenager. “That’s going to take some getting used to,” I breathed as he pulled away, leaving a tingling spot on my face where he’d touched.
“We’ve got time,” he reminded me, our gazes holding for a long moment as a lifetime of emotion flashed between us. Whatever had happened on the plane after my breakdown had completely turned Jace’s attitude toward me… toward us… around. This was my Jace.
It terrified me to fall into it, though, because I wouldn’t survive the fall out of it. Not again.
When the tension had my knees weaker than ever, he finally allowed me some space, turning to get the others organized. “Come on, we need to head out. Grayson is going to meet us there.”