His thrusts become deeper and faster, breaths ragged and unfulfilled. “Fuck, baby.” He growls before diving inside me once more. His movements slow, and he drops down on top of me. I run my fingers over his forehead, wiping away the beads of sweat that accumulated there.
After a few minutes of lying here in a breathless state, Crew rolls off me so I can go to the bathroom and get cleaned up.
When I return, he’s lying on his side, his head propped with his hand. He pats the open space on the mattress beside him.
“I got some bad news.” A stoic expression washes over him and my fingers twitch with nervousness.
“What?” I drawl, plopping down on the bed next to him. I’m on my side, too, staring into his worried eyes.
“I can’t go to the party tomorrow.”
“Crew, no! I don't wanna go without you.”
“That’s good. Because you’re not. You’re staying here with me.” He bites his lip, and it’s a failed attempt at trying to sway me. It’s not working. Not even a little. Okay. Maybe a little.
“I promised Ry I’d go. I can’t ditch her like that.”
He lifts his shoulder. “Invite her here.”
"She has to go. The cheerleaders are throwing the party. In fact, she wanted me to see if you guys would let them move it out of the snow and into The Gathering room.”
Crew chews on his lip, deep in thought, before he finally says, “I’ve got an idea. We let them have the party underground and give you the credit, so Riley isn’t mad, and you stay here with me, so we can attend Neo’s mandatory party.”
I scoff. “Mandatory?”
“Pacts and oaths, remember?”
My cheeks puff and I blow out the pent-up air in one breath. “So damn stupid, but fine.”
Crew squeezes my waist, a smile playing at his lips. “You're not mad?”
“I know you don’t have a choice. I mean, I could still go, but I don't want to if you’re not there.”
“Good. Because I wouldn’t let you go without one of us guys.”
I scowl at him playfully. “Elias will be there, among many other guys.”
“Exactly my point.”
ChapterFive
CREW
After yesterday’s chaos,Scar and I had a nice, quiet dinner alone. Unless we’re in one of our rooms, alone time together has been scarce. I’m always either at practice or school, and she’s been spending a lot of her free time with Jagger.
Practice has ended for the day and the party is about to start, and I’m hoping like hell we can have a peaceful night, but something tells me that’s asking too much in this damn house. On a positive note, Scar’s here and she’s safe.
I have to keep reminding myself of that. It doesn’t matter that Jagger has had his eyes on her since the second she arrived or that I catch him watching her from afar, likely daydreaming about how life would be if he were in my place. The thought of any guy worming their way into Scar’s life irks me to the core. It makes me fucking crazy. That Elias guy—hell no. I don’t want her anywhere near that douchebag. But Jagger—he’s my best friend, and if I had to trust anyone with her, it would be him. Yet, it still bothers me. I think it’s mostly because I know Scar has some sort of connection with him, too. I’ve seen it. It’s too obvious to ignore.
Now she’s living here under our protection and it’s the best choice I’ve made. Even if it comes with the cost of potentially losing her, her safety is all I’m concerned with. Neo thinks she’s here so we can keep an eye on her because he believes she’s playing us in her own little game, but I’m hopeful her stay will shine light on the situation and he’ll see that Scar is a victim and not an enemy. She’s a tough girl, but she’s not the vicious person he wants everyone to believe she is.
The last thing I want to do is cause any more emotional turmoil for Scar. So for now, I’ll let Jagger watch her, waiting and hoping that one day she’ll look at him the way she looks at me. Too bad for him, that’ll never happen.
As for Neo…no one can predict what’s going on in that twisted mind.
Scar’s bedroom door opens, and I drop my foot from the wall in the hallway and stick my phone in my back pocket. When I get a good look at her, I bite my balled fist. Looking that good should be illegal. Or, at the very least, not allowed in public.“Damn, baby.”I tug at her top that sits just above her belly button. When I stretch it down, it springs right back up.“You do know it’s freezing outside, right? Why don’t you go grab a sweatshirt?”
She chuckles, looking at me like I’m joking, which I’m sure as shit not. “I’ll be fine.” Grabbing my hand, she tugs me down the hallway. Sensing my reluctance, she stops. “What’s wrong?”