The Bad Boy's Dance (15 page)

              We fell on a majestic bed, Asher’s hands running over every inch of my body. My heart hammered in my chest, and I pushed him with one arm, but not away. No, I pushed him onto his back so I could mount him and kiss that unbelievably sexy tattoo.

              “Ivy,” he groaned into my hair.

              And then we weren’t in bed anymore. We were on a huge dance floor, illuminated by two spotlights in front of an endless sea of people.

              “Dance! Dance! Dance!” they chanted, rocking the stadium.

              We danced, our bodies twining and feathering away at the beat of whatever song was playing. I couldn’t hear. All my senses were preoccupied with Asher.

              He moved closer, closer, and I tilted my head in anticipation….

“Ivy! C’mon, dinner time!” Paul shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

              I awoke with a start, sweat dampening my clothes, and my heart rate on the fritz.

              That dream was…holy moly. Did I just have a hot dream about Asher Grayson?

              Well, damn.

Chapter Thirteen

 
Foul Language and Guy Fights

              “Ivy!” Dana smacked my elbow.

              Unfortunately, my elbow was supporting the hand that was propping my head up as I slept, so when Dana smacked my elbow, my head landed on the desk with a heavy
thud.

              “Was your nap during my class restful, Miss Robello?” Mr. Finnely asked sarcastically.

              Thankfully, the bell rang, sparing me from further humiliation. Dana had to hot-foot it to catch up with me in the hall. “What’s wrong with you today?” Dana exclaimed. “Caleb practically had to carry you out of the car. Does this have to do with whatever
mystery
kept you from school yesterday?”

              Dana was annoyed I wouldn’t tell her why I was absent yesterday. Telling her that the reason I was almost comatose was that I’d spent the night tossing and turning, too aware of Asher to sleep peacefully? Not the best idea.

              “Later!” I muttered, yawning hugely.

              Spinning my locker combo, I extracted my psychology book. “Whatever. Anyway, guess who’s taking her best friend shopping this weekend?”

              Squeezing an eye shut and using my fingers to mimic pointing two guns at her, I replied, “That chick.”

              She flicked a short strand of hair from her forehead. “You know it. And we’re buying purple dresses! Jason doesn’t wearing the pants in this relationship!” she pumped her fist excitedly as we stopped in the junction of the crowded hall where we’d have to separate for class.

              Pointing at her skirt, I giggled. “Neither do you.”

              She rolled her eyes and popped her hip with exaggeration. “I doubt he can work it like this.”

              I was laughing all the way to Psychology.

              “Should we pour some water on her?”

              “I think smelling salts would be better, that always works on TV.”

              “Does it look like the cafeteria serves smelling salts? If anything, their food is designed to put people down.”

              “Yeah, like six feet under.”

              Lifting my head wearily, I rubbed my eyes. “Go with the smelling salts. Those things are like mini-fire ants up your nose.”

              “Welcome to the land of the living.” Caleb snatched a handful of fries from my tray, stuffing them in his mouth. I frowned. “Dude! Hands off!”

              Dana laughed and pointed at my tray, which was half empty. “Caleb, you pig!”

              “It’s perfectly good food, and you’re letting it go to waste! I was being eco-friendly.”

              “I’m going to stick my eco- friendly fist up your-”

              “My, my angel, I didn’t know you were violent with your friends too. Do you make it a habit to threaten people?”

              Oh shiznits. Caleb and Dana’s eyebrows shot up as I went beet red. My dream from yesterday had resurfaced, and I couldn’t look at Asher. A grin so humongous I was surprised it didn’t swallow her ears spread over Dana’s face. Caleb eyed Asher suspiciously.

              “You’re free to join us,” Dana told him breathily, waving at the table in invitation.

             
Say no, say no, say no!

             
“Why thank you. Good to know
some
people have manners,” Asher said meaningfully.

             
Said the boy who tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

             
Snorting, I shoveled a spoonful of food into my mouth. Oh crap!

              Gagging, I spit the disgusting substance into a napkin. Four years at Darwin High and I accidentally eat the fertilizer the cafeteria tries to pass off as food.

              Asher, curse his soul, was laughing at me, head thrown forward with merriment. Caleb scratched behind his ear and checked his watch. “Gotta go, guys. I’ll see you at the bench,” he excused himself, waving at us as he left the cafeteria.

              His departure called my attention to the arrival of the Plastics. Asher was earlier than them for once, but there they were. Polished, pretty, and prim. Tristan said something to Kelsie, making her give a high-pitched shrill that sounded like a kelpie mating call.

              Last to breeze through the doors was Her Royal Mightiness, Brenda Curtis. Her eyes immediately started roving, and I just knew she was searching for the dark- haired, leather clad guy sitting in front of me.

              Asher must have been aware that the Plastics had entered, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, his eyes were trained on me, a small smile curing his lips. “I think your entourage is getting antsy that you’re not there for them to fawn over,” I told him.

              Dana grinned when she saw Brenda’ eyess widen at the sight of Asher gracing us mere mortals with his presence.

              “I don’t give a shit, that table is boring as fu-”

              “Fruit balls,” I said, covering his obscenity.

              Dana rolled her eyes, but Asher smirked. “Fu-”

              “Fantasmagoric.”

              “Sh-”

              “Shake the salt.”

              His eyes narrowed, and I knew he considered this a challenge. To what? Curse like a sailor?

              A hand landed on Asher’s shoulder from behind. I looked up to see Tristan Bauer. “Dude, let’s get back to our table, you won’t believe what Greg did to Finnely today.”

              Poor Mr. Finnely, never catching a break.

              Asher didn’t even bother glancing up. “Nah, I’m cool here.”

              Tristan threw Dana and I glares, like we’d personally blackmailed Asher into sitting with us. I nudged Asher’s foot under the table. “Go with him,” I mouthed. Cobalt eyes narrowed at me.

              “Asher, man, I think you should come with me.”

              Tristan must have been completely oblivious to Asher’s mounting annoyance, but I wasn’t. Dana was too busy watching Tristan with barely concealed malice. If that boy knew what was best for him, he would run before Dana landed a fork in his thigh.

              “For the last time, Bauer, fu-”

              “Fudge.”

              Asher stopped and looked at me, his irritation replaced with amusement.

              Tristan, on the other hand, didn’t find it as funny.

              “Don’t you know how crazy this bitch is? Why are you-”

              Tristan never got to finish his sentence. In .5 seconds, Asher had Tristan flat on his back on the lunch table, pinning him down with a hand on his throat. Our lunches fell to ground or provided Tristan with cushioning. I found myself peering down at Tristan’s abnormally tan skin where my fertilizer lunch had been a mere second ago.

              “You wanna repeat that?” Asher growled, hand flexing around Tristan’s throat.

              Tristan sputtered incoherently, his cheeks turning a motley red from the lack of blood flow.

              My brain finally recovered from the shock. The entire cafeteria was on its feet, anticipating a fight. Not on my watch!

              “Asher!” I hissed, swatting at his arm. It was like hitting a wall. What did this guy lift, cement trucks? “Get off of him!”

              “No! Didn’t you hear what he said?”

              Frenzied with the panic at all the attention this was receiving, I wrapped my arms around Asher’s waist and pulled. “I don’t care!”

              “I do!”

              “Just let him go! I’ve been called worse!”

              Dana was watching this with glee, but she rushed to my aid when I shot her a glare. She hooked onto one of Asher’s arms, and with our combined forces, we yanked with all our might.

              He didn’t budge.

              A crowd had gathered, and a few of Tristan’s friends were making their way towards us. Their confusion and nervousness was evident by how slow they were at coming to Tristan’s defense.

              Oh God, this was going to turn into a brawl! And for what? Tristan had called me a bad name, whatever! I was a big girl, I could take it!

              “Hey, man, get off him,” Greg Anderson said uncertainly.

              “That’s not cool, Grayson,” another piped in.

              Those twats were too afraid to take him on. At this rate, a staff member would notice the commotion and come investigating. Asher couldn’t afford something like this on his record, not if he was trying to keep his personal life separated from his academic life.

              I had no choice. I really didn’t.

              Aiming between his tensed shoulder blades, I dug my teeth into his flesh.

              And bit him.

              He flinched, instinctively releasing Tristan in favor of the new danger chomping into his back like a rabid dog.

              Whirling, he regarded me with wide eyes, one hand reaching for the place I’d bitten him. When he realized he couldn’t reach it, he dropped his hand.

              “You bit me.”

              Everyone was ignoring Tristan, who was coughing and forcing oxygen into his lungs, in favor of Asher and I. The attention was seriously freaking me out. Dana wound her arm with mine and squeezed it.

              “You were acting ridiculous! It was the only way I could snap you out of it.”

              How many people were watching us? My knees started to tremble, and my breathing hitched. “That’s it,” I heard Dana mutter under her breath, and then I was being yanked away.

              “Out of my way! If you value that toe, move aside,” Dana ordered, shoving through the crowd.

              She didn’t stop until she’d located an empty classroom and sat me in a chair. “Breathe, just breathe,” she encouraged.

              “I’m fine,” I waved her off, but gave her a small smile to show I was grateful.

              A second later, the door burst open, and Asher was towering over me. “What the hell, Ivy!”

              Dana cleared her throat. “I think I’ll go, um, get our backpacks.” Shooting me an apologetic look, she skedaddled. The traitorous boob!

              “Care to explain what all that was about?” Asher demanded, glowering at me.

              His indignation ignited my own anger. What was his issue? I was doing him a favor, keeping his butt from getting caught by the staff for assaulting another student.

              “You went ape on Tristan Bauer! I was trying to keep you from getting in trouble, since school matters so much to you! Forgive my insolence!” I shouted.

              He paused. “That’s not what I was talking about, but why would you think school matters to me?”

              “Most people don’t take the classes you’re in ‘cause they’re just dollops of fun.”

              Something flashed across his face too fast for me to catch, and then he was leaning over me, trapping me against a desk with his arms. This guy seemed to have a serious inclination towards caging me into his body heat.

              “Now why would you do something so considerate for a guy you hate, Ivy?” His breath fanned my cheeks, and I was catapulted to my dream from last night again.