“Hi,” she said, her tone a little low.
Jason nodded at her and Ethan said, “Hey there.”
“Hi,” I answered, feeling like I was nineteen again.
She rushed back inside the house and appeared in the window with the girls.
“Earth to Ryan,” Ethan called.
I whipped my head back at him. “What?”
“I would ask what bug bit you if I didn’t know,” he said.
Jason watched me with a frown.
“What is it?” I asked.
Jason turned a few hamburgers before setting his eyes on me again. “I love you like a brother, you know that. But I swear, if you break her heart again, I’ll punch like I should have the first time.”
“Break her heart? What are you talking about? I don’t intent to get that close to her again.”
“Right.” Ethan nodded. “Because having her at your garage while you work on the Harley is, what? Acting like friends?”
Shit. Of course they knew about it, even though I hadn’t said a word to anyone. Even Officer Mike hadn’t found out about it, since Jessica always left before he came by to check on me.
It wasn’t Mike’s business if I got close to her, but I knew what he meant. My parents meant the same thing when they asked me to stay away from her. Because of my feelings for her, I had lost my mind and had blown my future. They were afraid I would do it again. Even though Mike would love to see my parole extended, I didn’t think he actually wanted me to go back to jail.
“I’m just saying, man,” Jason continued. “Don’t play with her, please.”
“I’m not playing with her. I’m not doing anything with her. Relax.” I finished my Coke, wishing it were a double dose of Jack.
“You outta talk to Caryn too,” Jason said.
I frowned. “And why would I talk to her?” Jason and Ethan exchanged another look. God damn it, they were making me crazy. “Just spit it out.”
“Because she scratched Jess this morning,” Jason told me.
“She what?” My voice rose and the other guests turned their heads to us. I lowered my voice and asked, “What happened?”
The guys told me about the girls going to the grocery store and bumping into Caryn. How Caryn accused Jessica of stealing me from her, and when Jessica tried to leave, Caryn grabbed her hard enough to leave a mark.
Stupid bitch. If I could, I would get a restraining order against her. And maybe one for Jessica against her too.
Luke finally showed up carrying a rectangular white box.
“Aunt Corrine sent it,” he said, dropping the box on the table. He opened it and inhaled. A three-layer caramel coffee cake. My third favorite from Corrine.
Rachel came out of the house and plugged in a stereo, starting the party.
I stayed by the grill with Jason, Luke, and Ethan most of the time, but I couldn’t help glancing to the side occasionally. All right. I couldn’t help glancing at Jessica every few seconds. She looked beautiful. She was beautiful. But those scratches on her arm. Anger rushed through me every time I saw them. Three nasty red lines on her smooth skin.
An hour later, the guys had already downed half of the beers, and I had drank four Cokes. I searched for a fifth in the cooler, until Rachel told me the guys didn’t put many in it, but there was more in the fridge in the kitchen.
I went inside and took a deep breath. All right, I had underestimated being at a party with Jessica. In addition, the guys were drinking and talking about the next bike race, and I simply felt lost.
I grabbed a Coke from the fridge, opened it, leaned on the counter, and took long swallows.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were in here,” Jessica said, entering the kitchen through the back door.
I raised the soda can. “I came in for a Coke.”
She nodded, walking to the nearest counter. “Rachel asked me to get more napkins and plastic cups from somewhere in the cabinets.” She opened the doors and three seconds later closed them. “It would have been helpful if she had told me exactly where.”
“I’ll help you.” I set my Coke down and turned to the cabinets behind me.
“Thanks,” she said, opening another set of doors.
On my second try, I found one of the items. “Here are the cups.” I turned to her at the same time she turned to me. My elbow bumped her arm, right on the scratches. She flinched and hissed. Anger assaulted me again. “I’m sorry.”
A big knot set between her brows, and her hand hovered over the scratches without touching them. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” I took her hand in mine and pulled it away from the wound. The middle line had a few drops of blood. After a deep breath, I cupped her elbow and guided her to the sink. “I can’t believe Caryn did this.”
“I don’t think it was intentional. Though she was out to get me.”
I grabbed a paper towel, wet the corner, and dabbed the scratch. Jessica flinched. “Sorry.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll talk to Caryn about this. She can’t go around threatening you, hurting you.” She pressed her lips in a thin line, and I could see in her eyes that she was bottling something inside. I cleaned the last of the blood and threw the paper towel in the trash can. “What is it?”
“What?”
“I can see a question in your eyes. Ask.”
“It’s just … Is there something between Caryn and you?”
“No.”
“She acts like there is.”
“She has been acting like that since before you and me.”
“Oh.”
“Why?”
“She mentioned being there for you … when you were in jail. And she also said she visits you at your community service.”
I nodded. “Yes, she visited me and sometimes she comes to the community service, but I didn’t ask her to, and I certainly don’t encourage her. Actually, I told her a few times I would rather she stopped. Honestly, I don’t know why she bothers. I told her a million times that I’ll never be with her. Still, she keeps trying to win me over.” I was aware of how conceited I sounded, but it was the truth. For some reason, I wanted Jessica to know it. “The only thing I feel for her is pity. Pity for the woman she became. And a little disgusted when she throws herself at me, and I have to be rude so she’ll leave me alone.”
She stared at me with misty eyes. “I’m sorry … for what happened and for not being here for you.”
I took her hand in mine. “Jess, stop apologizing. It wasn’t your fault, and you didn’t know. Even if you knew, I wouldn’t have wanted you to see me that way.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”
I wouldn’t say I was okay, but I was getting there. “Me too.”
The corner of her lips tugged up in a sad smile, and an urge to wrap my arms around her, pull her to me, and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe hit me. She was close, too close. Her gorgeous legs two inches from mine. All I had to do was tug her hand and catch her when she bumped into me. Fuck, I wanted it. I wanted her. Bad.
The desire took hold of me. I raised my free hand and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, letting my fingertips linger on her cheek. She took a sharp inhale and her eyes flickered to my mouth.
Fuck, that was all the incentive I needed. I leaned in.
And her cell phone rang.
Startled, Jessica stepped back and looked at her phone. Her brows furrowed, and she pressed the end button. Maybe it was her boyfriend, and she didn’t want to answer it in front of me.
Shit, she had a boyfriend. Why did I keep forgetting that?
Jessica picked up the cups from the counter. “I should take this to the girls.” Without another look at me, she rushed out to the backyard.
Fuck, what had I been thinking? I almost kissed her. I wanted to kiss her. She had a boyfriend. If he hadn’t called, I would have probably kissed her. What was wrong with me? Even if she was spending some time with me, she was unavailable and I would respect that. I would try to respect that.