Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) (55 page)

“Jackass,” I mutter before tightening the top of my toga.

“That’s better. Come on, let’s go.” I roll my eyes, checking myself out one last time before following him out of my room. When we get upstairs, the party is in full swing and everyone is wearing a toga like they were told to. When they told me we were having a themed party the weekend of Thanksgiving, I thought they were insane since a lot of people go home for the holidays. And also, a toga party in November? What idiot would think that’s a good idea? But apparently, I’m the idiot because everyone is here and obviously having a blast.

When I reach the kitchen, Jace is pouring shots and points to me. “Come here.”

“No,” I moan as I shake my head. “I really want to remember my name tonight.”

He waves me off. “You will.”

“No, you lie. Every time y’all break out the Jäger, shit gets real,” I say, leaning against the counter and sipping my beer.

“Don’t be a pussy,” he says, and Markus holds a finger up.

“Technically, she can be because she has one,” he says, and Jace shrugs.

“Touché, my friend, but I do not care. Drink, Moore,” he demands, pushing the glass to me as he and Markus pick up theirs, but I shake my head.

“She said no, dweeb face,” Jayden says, coming to the counter and leaning against it beside me. Looking over at me, he winks as I check him out. He’s wearing a very elaborate toga with gold trim and even a little headdress. But the only things I notice are his hella great arms and even greater shoulders. Oh, and his abs. Yes, I do notice those. Oh and sweet baby Jesus, the crazy amount of tattoos on his chest and back. They are so elaborate—the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” piece with a skull with hands covering its eyes, ears, and mouth covers his whole chest, and on his back is a huge octopus taking over a huge ship. It’s amazing. Ugh, he’s amazing.

“She can speak for herself,” Jace says.

“And she said no,” Jayden informs him with a stern look. “Don’t peer pressure her.”

“Whatever,” he says, doing his shot then mine. “You guys suck.”

Before either of us can say anything, they both run off with the bottle and glasses in hand. Looking over at Jayden, I grin.

“Aw, my knight in shining armor,” I tease, feigning as if I’m passing out.

He rolls his eyes. “Fine, drink with them, then.”

“No, thank you,” I say with all seriousness. “Really, you rock.”

Giving me a suggestive grin, his eyes travel down my body. “You look hot, babe.”

Knocking my shoulder into his, my face burns as I look around. “Shh, Jay, people are around.”

“So? I don’t care,” he says, rolling his eyes. “If I want to tell you you’re hot, I’m gonna do it.”

When his unruly gaze burns into mine, I shake my head. “You rebel, you.”

Licking his lips, he holds my gaze before leaning closer. “You have two hours to hang before I steal you away and tear that toga off,” he says in a rough, sexy way. “With my teeth.”

Breathless, I look away. “You’re gonna make me wait two hours? That’s rude.”

“Okay, maybe one.”

“Better,” I decide, and then I look over his back as he turns to say hi to a friend. The detail is insane on his back, and I don’t know why I’ve never really asked him about his tattoos before.

Oh. Probably because when he has his shirt off, we are doing it.

When he turns back to me, I ask, “Does the tattoo on your back mean anything?”

He nods, taking a pull of his beer. “I’m the ship, and no matter what, nothing can take me down.”

“That’s sick as hell. I got the front one, supercool, by the way. I need something badass like that. Maybe a tiger ripping the head off a gazelle, and above it, it says don’t mess with the tiger,” I say very dramatically, making hand gestures.

Jayden laughs as he says, “How very 80s of you, but um, no.”

I giggle as I take a pull of my beer. “I need to get something. I’m itching for one.”

“We’ll go then, and you can talk to my dude.”

“Sounds good to me. Date night,” I say with a grin.

Grinning at me, he says, “I like the whole notion of date night outside of the bedroom.”

I nod. “The mere thought of it is very stimulating, but by the end of it, we’ll be in the bedroom.”

“So you mean I’ll get laid?” he asks, very silly-like, a huge grin on his face.

I nod. “For sure, Sinclair.”

I doubt anyone hears our goofy banter, but I love it so much. It’s us. When he stands erect before downing his beer and then grabbing another one, he looks over at me. “Gotta piss, I’ll find you.”

He hands me his beer and off he goes. Turning, I lean against the counter just as Markus stops in front of me.

“I need you.”

“Okay?”

“Beer pong, let’s go,” he says, and he doesn’t give me a chance to answer before he’s dragging me to the table. Handing me a ball, he says, “Shoot.”

Looking across the table at McMinn and Archer, I shrug. “Okay.”

But I wish I hadn’t because then I’m in such an intense game of beer pong, and I’m beyond obsessed with winning that I don’t notice what’s going on around me. All that matters is that McMinn and Archer are going down. Usually I’d be looking for Jayden, or even just hanging out with him, but at this moment, it’s time to kick ass with my main boy, Markus.

The party is loud, but I don’t let anything distract me as I throw my ball in their last cup.

“Attagirl!” Markus yells as he lines up, but he misses, which means they get the balls back. As they drink their cup of beer and, I guess, talk strategy, Markus leans over to me. “So, um, truth,” he says, and I glance over at him. I’ll admit, I’m a little drunk. These two have been really good competition.

“Truth? Huh?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Okay?”

Leaning in, his lips at my ear, he says, “Are you and Jayden like, really together, together?”

He then leans back to look at me, and I just look at him. Do I admit it? I know Markus won’t say anything. We are friends; he cares for me. So I nod and he nods back. Which is not what I expected. I honestly expected him to jump up and down and say I knew it or something along those lines. But his face is as hard as stone as he looks over my shoulder.

“Okay, well, I’m giving him five more minutes before I go over there and whoop his ass then.”

“Say what?” I almost shriek, and he looks from over my shoulder to me.

“He’s over there talking to Skylar, and they are too close for comfort.”

Whipping around to where he was looking, I find Jayden standing in front of Skylar, his arm up on the wall above her as he nurses his beer. Now from here, it does look very suggestive, and I know if I move out a bit it wouldn’t, but that would be the rational, sober Baylor response. Ah, who am I kidding? I wouldn’t do that, I’d do what I am doing now.

Glaring.

“Son of a trucker,” I growl, but then I stop myself.

They are just talking, no big deal.

But then she wraps her arm around his neck, and all I see is red as he hugs her tightly.

“Whoa, Baylor,” Markus says.

“Damn, Baylor, who you… Oh shit,” McMinn says. “Why is Jayden talking to her?”

“He’s a dumbass, that’s why,” Archer says. “Moore, erase your face. I’ve seen that chick fight, she’s insane.”

Glaring over at Archer, I say, “Oh look, there went the fucks I had to give.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare as they laugh, except for Markus. He’s glaring with me. It’s taking everything out of me not to go over there, and I’m trying really hard to trust what he said, that he only sees me. But how can he when this bitch is basically humping his leg?

“I’m gonna kick her ass,” I sneer.

“Why? It isn’t like you guys are together,” Jace says out of nowhere, and I glower over at him, causing his eyes to go wide. Hiding behind Markus, he pleads, “Protect me, she’s a rabid bear.”

“Shut up, Jace,” we both say, and when I look back over to where Jayden and Skylar are standing, she glances over at me and makes a face. A bitch face.

“Aw shit, she’s looking over here,” Archer complains. “God, I hope you guys fight.”

“Right? That would be so hot!” McMinn decides. “I got a hundred on Moore.”

“No way, Skylar is a beast,” Archer says, and then they shake.

“Dumbass,” Markus snaps before shaking his head.

“Baylor, I’m warning you, if she hits you, you’re on your own! You can’t look at people like that, and I can’t hit her. My mom would kill me!” Jace adds.

Glaring even more, her eyes challenge mine and I challenge right on back. Narrowing my gaze, I put my hands on my hips as Jayden looks over at me, his eyes going wide. She says something to Jayden and he tries to stop her, but then she is moving toward me.

Bring it, bitch.

When she stops before me, she looks me up and down before scoffing at me. “Is there a problem?”

Shaking my head, I keep glaring at her. I ignore that she looks twenty times better than me, but then it has to be because her toga is basically hanging off her tits and her ass is hanging out. Yeah. That’s it.

Matching her arrogance, I say, “Did I say there was?”

“No, but your face sure does,” she snaps back, putting her hands on her hips. “And it seems like that happens every time I’m around Jayden, which is crazy to me since I know you two aren’t together.”

She does that whole moving her head with each word thing, and I want to laugh in her face. She couldn’t hold a candle to me. Yeah, she’s pretty and she could probably outrun me, but I know I can kick her ass.

“You’re right, so I have no clue what you are talking about,” I say, which makes no damn sense because we both know I am glaring at her.

She takes a step toward me and I’m not sure what she plans on doing, but then Jayden is there, putting his body between us. “Ladies? That’s enough.

“Well, tell your friend to stop looking at me like she’s gonna kick my ass for talking to you,” she yells, which gets the attention of everyone. “I thought you said you weren’t fucking her.”

“I’m not. That’s enough, back up,” he says sternly, his arm holding her back, while Jace flanks my other side.

“I’ll look at you any way I want, bitch,” I yell back, which really doesn’t do any good here.

Damn alcohol.

“Attagirl, Moore, tell her,” McMinn yells.

“Bet you won’t hit her!” Archer yells, and I swear, I’m surrounded by idiots.

“Whoa, whoa,” Jayden says, holding his hand up. “Shut the hell up, guys.”

“Whatever, you’re just jealous ’cause he won’t fuck you, and he will fuck me,” she says, wrinkling her nose at me. “Why would he want anyone like you when he can have me? Again and again.”

“Skylar, come on,” Jayden pleads as Jace laughs.

“I mean, if he wants a slut, then he’s going to the right place,” I yell, and Jayden’s eyes go wide as Jace and Markus start to hop up and down behind me.

I really need to stop drinking... Eh, okay, I’m lying, I’d say that to her sober.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jayden says before turning me around and pushing me out of the kitchen.

“Wow, really childish, bitch. Enjoy my sloppy seconds,” she yells at me, and I laugh.

“Ho, please, every guy on this team is your sloppy seconds,” I yell back as he’s propelling me down the stairs and into my room. As he slams the door behind us, I turn, crossing my arms and ask, “What the hell are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Trying to save you from making an ass out of yourself!”

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want! If I want to fight that bitch, I will. If I want to go upstairs and hump some dude, I will, because apparently you aren’t fucking me.”

Looking at me with disbelief on his face, he yells back, “Aren’t you the one who has been telling me to keep it a secret? I’m doing what you fucking want!”

“True, but you don’t have to try to fuck other people while you’re with me.”

“What!” he yells, his voice bellowing through my room.

“Markus even said something, that you were too close for comfort with that ho. If you want her, be my guest, but know we are done.”

“For fuck’s sake, Baylor, I don’t want anyone but you. I’ve told you this. Trust me, we were just talking about Claire and Jude’s wedding.”

“I saw her touching you, and you weren’t trying to back away from her hand when she was doing it.”

Taking a step toward me, he holds his hands out. “Because fucking McCarthy and Smith were giving me shit for being with you. It was innocent flirting—on her end, none on mine—to ensure that our secret was safe. I figured that you know that you are it for me, and so I didn’t think you’d get jealous. Boy, was I fucking wrong. I’m pretty sure everyone knows we are together now.”

Glaring at him, I shake my head. “Whatever, you want her.”

Giving me a disgusted look, he sneers, “You’re delusional, Bay. I want you and that’s it.”

“Sure, whatever,” I say, waving him off. “Get out.”