The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(77)

“You’re beautiful,” he tells me with another smile. His whole face has changed now, lit up like he’s happy, and I realize it’s because he’s talking about me. Talking about me is making Jessie happy. “And you’re kind and you’re determined and I was too fucking scared to act on any of it and now it’s too late.”

“You were scared?” I whisper as I take a step closer to him, into the room and away from the door.

He nods. “You’re my best friend, Livy. I was scared I’d mess everything up, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

Another step. “You thought about me?” I ask. “As more than just a friend?”

He nods. “I thought about it all the time and every time I buried it, messed around with somebody else, all because I couldn’t stand the thought of messing it up and losing you.”

A tear slides down my face. “Jessie—”

“But that’s what happened anyway.”

I shake my head and take the final step toward him. I reach down and take his hand.

“You haven’t lost me, Jessie. I’m right here.”

He sighs, squeezes my hand tightly, and tugs me closer. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me close and resting his chin on top of my head. His next words are said so quietly, I’m not sure he meant for me to hear them.

“I love you, Livy.”

That’s all it takes. That’s all it takes before I forget about everything, about where I am and what I’m doing. All I can think about is those words on repeat as I twist my face up to Jessie’s and lock my mouth onto his.

He responds immediately and within seconds, it’s like something between us snaps. All the years of longing and hoping have all come to this and my brain can’t keep up with my body. Jessie seems to be feeling the same because before I can even think about it he’s clawing at me, just like I’m clawing at him, slipping his hand under my shirt, just as desperate to touch me as I am to touch him. Skin on skin—finally. His skin is hot and familiar and when he lifts my shirt up over my head, I let him. I let him because this is everything I’ve ever dreamed about and it’s not until he starts backing me toward his bed, his mouth still attached to mine that I realize how quickly this is going and my brain starts to kick in.

“Jessie—”

He just kisses me back harder and I’m swept up again. It’s only when the backs of my legs hit his bed that he stops, breathing hard. I take the opportunity to suck in several deep gulps of air and pull back from him slightly, trying to take in everything that’s happened in the last few minutes, and that’s when I notice the noise from the party is louder than it was a minute ago and a column of light is now shining down the side of Jessie’s face as he looks toward his door. I frown in confusion before turning to see what he’s looking at.

Blind panic takes over.

Chase stands in the doorway.



The whole world grinds to a halt as Chase stands there, eyes locked on me with a look on his face I’ll remember until the day I die. Nobody says anything as he stands there, breathing heavily, trying to control himself.

“Mitchell,” Jessie finally manages to get out.

Chase’s gaze sweeps to him for all of two seconds, full of disgust, before he turns his eyes back to me. I open my mouth to say something, to say anything that will make this all right, but nothing comes out.

Chase just shakes his head once then turns and walks away.

No! Stop! Wait! Wait for me!

Him walking away from me spurs me to action.

“Chase, wait,” I shout. “Wait!”

I scramble away from Jessie and go to follow Chase before realizing I’m not wearing a shirt. Oh God. This is bad. This is really bad. Chase just walked in on me making out with Jessie with no shirt on. My eyes scan the ground, wildly hunting for my top.

“Livy—”

“I need to talk to him,” I tell Jessie, my eyes frantically searching. “I need to explain.”

Jessie bends at the waist and scoops up my shirt from right behind him, tossing it toward me, and I quickly pull it over my head as I exit the room. I briefly recognize people I know on the stairs and realize they’re witnessing me walking out of a bedroom half undressed. I quickly straighten my top, making sure it covers my stomach. Sarah Billington is standing by the stairs with her jaw hanging open.

My eyes scan the landing, trying to spot Chase, and then I feel an arm on my shoulder. Jessie has come out of the room right behind me.

“Oh. My. God.” Sarah’s eyes are the size of saucers.

“Where did he go?” I demand.

“Is that what Chase just saw?” she asks, gesturing toward us. I step away from Jessie, suddenly desperate to have some space. I have no time to think about Jessie now. I need to find Chase. I need to make him not hate me.

“Where did he go?” I demand again. My eyes fly to the people next to her and Brendon and Jackson just stare at me, their faces like stone. Oh fuck, this is bad. This is really, really bad.

“He went downstairs.” Unbelievably, it’s Abigail who tells me this, and when I look at her, she doesn’t look smug like I’d expect, nor does she look like she just won the lottery, as Sarah does. She looks…almost concerned. “He’s probably looking for Aaron and then he’ll be gone. You need to be quick if you want to catch him.”