Daphne
The sooner we leave, the better. I don’t know how much more I can handle tonight. Xander and Scarlett said they’d be out in a minute. Max took a trip to the restroom. Not wanting to stay a second longer than I had to, I told them I’d meet them at the limo.
I breathe deeply and run my hands over my upper arms, shivering in the cold night air.
“You should’ve borrowed Max’s jacket.”
Micah’s voice hits me square in the chest and slithers down to the pit in my stomach.
I blink, looking up at him in shock as he steps within a few feet of me. “Thanks for the advice,” I bite out. “What are you doing out here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be dancing with your queen?” It’s really hard to keep the hurt out of my tone. I briefly glance around to find no one is out here but us. Just my luck. The dance isn’t over for another hour. Everyone else is inside, living it up before hitting the after-parties.
Meanwhile, all I want to do is go home and curl up in my bed and forget this night ever happened.
Micah has the nerve to smile at me with his stupid, masculine, delicious lips. “Yeah. I guess I deserve that.”
“You think?”
My snapped response makes his jaw so tense, I’m afraid it’s going to lock that way. He nods toward my dress. “I like the dress.”
I blink up at him as he takes a step closer. “Well, isn’t that nice. I picked it out with you in mind. Too bad all you get to do is look, huh?”
His dark eyes are half-hooded as he stares down into mine. The desire evident in them sets me off balance, making me pause. He reaches out, sliding a palm up my chilled arm, and before I know what he’s doing, he curls his hand to the back of my neck. He sways for a second, and then his mouth is on mine. He kisses me fiercely.
Desperately.
Hungrily.
With his lips and teeth and tongue, he lays siege.
For a count of probably five, I’m in shock as his mouth devours mine. My brain tumbles back to times where he held me like this, touched me like this, and I’d thought he felt something for me. He coaxes me into a deeper kiss, and I taste some sort of alcohol on him.
The taste brings me to my senses, and I cry out as I tear my mouth from his. I stare at him and without realizing I’m about to do it, my hand whips up and I slap him sharply across his cheek. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”
Breath heaving, I cover my mouth with both hands. Our gazes lock, full of a mix of hurt and undisguised desire. It takes him a few seconds, but then his hand comes up and touches his face, gently prodding where I hit him.
A full-body shiver runs through me. I’m mortified. I’ve never struck anyone before in my entire life.
His jaw goes rigid and his eyes shut.
My teeth come down hard on my lip. I’m completely disturbed, not only because I slapped him, but because I’m also still reeling from the feeling of his lips on mine. “I—”
“Don’t.” He blows out a hard breath, eyeing me carefully before removing his jacket and handing it to me.
My lips part in surprise and my hands automatically clutch it against my chest. I can’t bear to put it on, so I stare at him instead. “You aren’t driving, are you?”
He looks down at his feet for a second, kicking at a loose piece of gravel. “No one— Fuck. Never mind. It doesn’t fucking matter.” Hesitating for a fraction of a second before he looks back into my eyes, he grits out, “I’ll walk.” There’s a flash of something there, and then it’s gone. He starts to walk away.
The fact that he didn’t apologize for leading me on cuts bone-deep. I can’t stop myself from shouting at his back, “You know I don’t care, right? We didn’t have anything special, Micah!” As I say it, I feel the sting behind my eyes.
He shakes his head, stopping and barely glancing over his shoulder. He growls, “Go ahead and tell yourself all the pretty little lies you need to. It’s okay. I get it.”
And then he continues on his way across the parking lot.
“Why are you such an asshole?” I cry out, trying but failing to hide the hitch in my voice.
I can barely hear him when he mumbles, “Born that way, I guess.”
My vision blurs as he strides away and the tears slip down my cheeks, unchecked.