Jace stood calmly, toothbrush in hand, by the bathroom mirror, wearing nothing but a pair of tight white boxers. His taut abdominal muscles flexed as he turned around to face me.
Squealing, I grabbed the towel and covered myself up as his gaze set on mine. "Do you mind?”
His eyebrow twitched before he turned around again and tossed his toothbrush to the side before dropping his boxers and stepping into the shower.
I wanted to run and hide.
"We don't have a lot of time to get ready." He poked his head out of the shower and pointed to the shelf. "Can you throw me that towel?"
My insides turned over as I snatched up my clothes, grabbed the extra towel and walked over to stand in front of him. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" I threw the towel at him and stormed into my new room.
The image of Jace naked dominated my thoughts, as I got dressed into the little silver dress that Jace had said he liked, did my hair and walked out into the living room.
Jace stood there looking out the window. He wore a white fleece shirt with the top two buttons undone and a pair of fitted jeans. He was cool, calm, and collected. It was as if nothing had happened.
"What the hell Jace? Was it really-"
He walked over cutting me off. "Our rides here come on." He walked to the front door and paused to make sure that I was following. "Come."
"I'm coming," I mumbled, while following him outside and pausing at the end of the grass. I wanted to think of a reason not to go, any reason at all, but my mind wouldn't work.
He jumped into the backseat of the little red car and called for me to get in.
I strolled over to the car to see that it was already full. There were two men in the front and two women in the back. They stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to get in.
I backed away and waved my arms in front of me as my heartbeat began to hammer against my chest. "No. There's no room left in there. I'm just staying home."
I turned away to go, however before I had even taken a step forward I felt a large hand enclose itself around my own before I was pulled into the car and onto Jace’s lap.
He gripped my waist and then reached over and slammed the door shut. He was dead set on me going. I was stuck. "There's plenty of room for you right here." He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. It gave me butterflies. "This is my new roommate, Avery," he said to everyone as they sat quietly.
I looked around the car tentatively as everyone introduced themselves. It was as if the car was full of models and as they said hello I couldn’t help but feel completely inadequate compared to them all. I was just Avery. I wasn't beautiful, fun or even social.
"Um...hi," I said awkwardly. I found myself leaning into Jace’s lap for comfort and it surprised me. I didn’t even flinch when his hands rested on my thighs. Truthfully, Jace was the closest I could get to comfort while being trapped with these strangers
The rest of the car ride passed by quickly as Jace’s friends chattered amongst each other. I remained silent, eyes trained on the windshield as I tried to calm my racing nerves.
Finally, we pulled up to a large bar called Legends. It looked upper class and everyone outside was dressed well. It was very different from what I was used to and as the car pulled to a halt and the door opened, I smoothed down my dress and tried to remain composed.
We made our way inside and past the bouncer. Jace found us a big round table in the back that was spacious enough for the six of us. He pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit as my eyes wondered around me. All of the workers wore white dressy clothing. I felt out of place. Even Jace wore white.
"What would you like to drink?"
I sat down and fixed my dress so that it wasn't exposing too much skin before I threw my purse on the table and smiled at Jace, trying to look calm. "I would like a Dr. Cherry and Sprite."
He smirked and arched an eyebrow, as if he was a bit confused by my answer. "Oh come on. That's not even going to get you a buzz," he said, nudging my arm playfully as my eyebrow quirked.
I reached out and slugged him on the shoulder. "What makes you think that I want you to get me drunk?" His eyes danced in the disco lights as I stared at him. He looked good tonight, dressed in his snug white shirt and faded jeans, completed with a studded belt that gripped his sleek waist perfectly. No wonder all of the girls kept staring.
He bent down and placed his lips against my ear as a bolt of electricity ran up my spine. "Every girl wants me to," he whispered, before turning around and walking away toward the bar to get our drinks. Goose bumps prickled my arms as I bowed my head and swallowed. I couldn’t explain the way he made me feel when he was close to me but I knew that it was dangerous.
A beautiful girl with long blond curls plopped down next to me and popped her gum. She was trying to look sweet, but I could see the mischievous look deep in her eyes. "Hi, I'm Emma." She forced a smile. "Have you known Jace for long? I didn't even know that he had a roommate." Her blue eyes screamed jealousy as she waited for a response.
"No actually," I started. "I just met him a couple of days ago. He's been really great with helping me out." I shifted unfortunately, as she stared at me.
She leaned back in disbelief and blew out her breath. "Yeah I would say so," she said stiffly.
The girl was stunning: a tall, leggy blond bombshell. He had to be sleeping with her.
I played with my hands nervously before finally, Jace returned and set my drink down in front of me. He smiled and nodded his head in Emma’s direction. "Emma, Matt is coming with your drink."
She crossed her arms over her ample breast and huffed as her eyes narrowed. She didn't seem too happy about that Matt guy getting her drink instead of Jace. Jace didn't seem to care, though.
Jace sat down across from us and took a gulp of his drink. I watched as Emma slid out of her chair and walked behind him before snaking her arms around his chest. She attempted to kiss his neck, but he pulled away and leaned over the table.
"So, Avery how's your drink?" he asked. "Finish it up and I'll go grab us a couple more. Don’t waste them either. I can sit here all night and make sure that you're finishing every last drop." He reached up and pulled Emma’s hands away from his chest as if she was nothing more than an irritation. She looked angry.