Chapter 9 #2
There’s an intense vulnerability about him as he stares at me, some sort of internal debate going on inside his mind. “Because,” he finally says, speaking so slowly it’s like he’s dragging the words straight from his throat. “From the minute I saw you, I knew—”
“Theo!” Monica shouts from nearby.
Dante’s eyes shut tight, and I curse everything that is holy in the world as I watch him rebuild his emotional walls brick by brick. His eyes flutter open, and with an unspoken apology in the set of his mouth, he nods toward Monica.
Reluctantly, I turn to the brunette, who looks stunning tonight in a cobalt blue satin gown. I stand and force a smile. “What’s up?”
“There’s someone at the door insisting he’s here on your invite.”
My eyebrows furrow as my lips tug back in a frown. “Who is it?”
“Some tall blond number. Said his name was Jesse.”
My frown deepens as Dante releases a noise that’s somewhere between a growl and a grunt. “I didn’t…” I turn to him and find he’s avoiding my eyes now. “Dante?”
He glances at me again, his smile forced and unconvincing, and his armor solidly in place.
A heavy sigh blows out of my lips, puffing my cheeks as I face Monica once more. “Yeah, okay, I guess he can come in. I’ll walk with you.”
“I didn’t realize you were seeing someone,” she comments as we weave through the throngs of people. My mind is spinning, making it impossible to pay attention to the faces we’re passing. If I miss an opportunity to interact with a hot rock star because of this, I’m going to be pissed.
“I wouldn’t call it that. We’ve been on a few dates, but it’s nothing serious.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s that all about?” I demand. “What’s the ‘hmm’?”
She hesitates, glancing over her shoulder at me, and slows her steps as we approach the entrance.
“He made it sound like he was your boyfriend, and was pretty offended that his name wasn’t on the list.” The gears spinning in my head must be visible, because she plants a gentle hand on my arm.
“Be careful, okay? I wouldn’t want to accuse anyone of something unjustly, but I’ve seen enough star chasers to be suspicious. ”
“You and me both,” I say, placing my hand over hers. “I’ve already drilled him about it. He swears his attraction is based strictly on how amazing I am.”
She squeezes my arm. “You are pretty amazing.”
“The most amazing,” I agree.
She laughs as she gestures toward the door, where a couple of bouncers have Jesse waiting. The tailored black suit he’s wearing contrasts sharply with the sneer on his face—one that disappears the moment he catches sight of me approaching.
As though he wasn’t just shooting death lasers out of his eyes, he turns on a charming smile. “Theo! Holy shit, you are stunning tonight.”
I manage to smile back, then nod at the bouncers.
“It’s okay, guys, he can come in.” They back up and let him by, and he throws his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug that feels too intimate for our history.
“I, uh… wasn’t aware you were coming tonight, or I would’ve had your name on the list.”
He releases me and smiles like I’m being ridiculous. “We talked about it, babe. Don’t you remember?”
“Did we?” I ask, leery of the pet name and his insistence on a conversation I’m certain didn’t happen.
Heads turn our way as he laughs loud enough to draw attention.
His fingers lace through mine, and he pulls my hand up so he can kiss the back of it.
“Of course, silly. I wouldn’t just show up if you hadn’t invited me.
You were still piecing your outfit together when we went to the movie last week, right?
You even showed me pictures. And I said I’d wear black so it didn’t take away from your spotlight… you really don’t remember?”
My mind spins as I replay the date. It was the third one we’d been on—Jesse once again persuading me to meet up, despite my reluctance.
If the conversation happened like he claims, perhaps I had mistakenly taken his words as a joke while he thought I was serious.
It’s possible that I ignored him. I’ve certainly mastered the art of selective hearing when it comes to him.
Either way, he’s here.
I offer him another smile, trying to make the best of the situation. “I must’ve just forgotten with all the excitement.”
He smiles more easily now, and we wander the crowd, people-watching and chatting. Jesse is such a social butterfly that he stops and strikes up conversations with everyone he encounters, making it seem like I’m standing in his shadow at my own damn party.
After we make a few loops around the room, he tugs on my hand and leads me through a hallway as his head swivels. He spots an outside door and pushes it open, glancing through before pulling me out into the dark evening. The cool late autumn air feels amazing blowing over my skin.
“Are we supposed to be out here?” I ask, scanning the small garden.
He tosses me a wink as he kicks a large rock into the doorframe to keep it from closing. “Just in case it latches automatically.”
“Such ingenuity,” I tease.
He turns to me, then grips my shoulders and walks me backwards until my back hits the brick wall.
Holding me at arm’s length, his eyes skim down my body before lifting to meet mine.
There’s a shift in his expression that puts my senses on high alert—a flicker to something darker underneath his smile.
Warning lights blare in my head, and my heart thuds in response.
Something isn’t right.
I keep my voice cheery as I say, “We should get inside before we miss all the good photo ops. My makeup will only last for so long before these sharp edges get dull.”
With a quiet huffing laugh, he places his hand on the wall next to me and leans in, too close. “We’ve got time.”
Unease gnaws at my gut as I squirm, eyes darting around, but it’s dark and we’re alone in this garden. “I want to go inside now.”
Another deep chuckle vibrates through his body as he presses it against mine. He grabs my chin, fingers digging into my face as he holds me still with too-rough hands. “I want something, too, Theo. But you’re being a very stubborn boy.”
“You’re scaring me,” I say, and I hate how small I sound.
He gets even closer, until his breath lands hot on my cheek. “There’s no need to be scared, baby. This could be amazing if you would just learn to listen.”
“Jesse—”
He jerks my chin to silence me. “Over and over, I’ve tried to spend time with you, and you blow me off.
And then I finally get you to come on a date with me, and all you do is scroll on your phone or talk about your band.
Talk about him,” he spits, fingers digging so deep his fingernails bite into my skin.
Fear tightens its grip on me, making it harder to find my voice. “I told you from the beginning that I couldn’t guarantee we want the same thing. We discussed this in detail, several times. Not once did I lead you on or promise you anything.”
“You knew what I wanted,” he growls, before he shoves his mouth against mine.
I struggle against his bruising grip, my body numb with terror as his lips force their way over my frozen mouth.
It’s suffocating, and I hold my breath until my lungs burn.
Panic crashes through my insides as I shove at his chest with all the strength I can muster, but he doesn’t budge.
Even leveraging the wall behind me, I only manage a few inches of relief before he rams me back.
In a last-ditch effort, my fingers claw at his cheek, nails digging deep as I drag them across his skin.
“Fucking bitch!” he shouts as he finally rips his mouth off mine.
Breath floods my lungs in a ragged gasp as I try to shout, but his hand clamps over my mouth, muffling the sound into a trapped whimper. Tears fill my eyes as he snarls down at me. “You’re just confused, Theo. Confused about how much you care about me, but it’s okay.”
The hand that isn’t covering my mouth drags across my cheek and neck, then pushes my coat aside and trails down my chest and stomach. My stifled sob echoes against his palm as he tugs at my belt.
“Shhh… it will all be okay, sweetheart. I’ll show you how perfect we are together. No one else can make you feel like I can.”
The clank of my belt falling open is as loud as a gunshot in the quiet garden. He uses his weight to pin me in place, mouth hot against my neck. “I’ll just have to make you understand,” he whispers.
Tears scorch my cheeks as I squeeze my eyes shut, pretending I’m anywhere but here, doing anything but this.
His stifling heat disappears with a grunt. The sudden cold makes my body shake uncontrollably as I shove myself harder against the wall, jerking my head away from where he just stood. A roar that’s almost inhuman invades the night, and I open my eyes as Jesse’s limp form hits the ground.