The Next Contestant (21 page)

“Hey, beautiful-but-off -limits, what brings you here this fine morning?” Jaden grins and gives me a hug.

“Um…”

“Let me guess. You’ve locked your keys in your car again?”

“Ugh. Yes. I’m in a hurry. Dance practice is in thirty minutes.” I push past Jaden and make my way upstairs, to Kolby’s room. I’m so nervous, and angry, and pray I won’t run into…
him
… with…
her.
I rap gently on Kolby’s door and wait. When he doesn’t get up, I beat on it.

Finally, Kolby drags the door open. His eyes go wide when he sees me. “What are you doing here, Sis?”

Shit. “Keys,” I mumble.

“What?” he says sleepily.

“Don’t go off on me…” I pause when I see someone stirring in his bed. My mouth drops when I see who’s lying in it. Sandy. The little ho!

Kolby grins at me but it pisses me off. A: his friends are off limits… mine should be too. And B: he better not fuck her over!

I smack his chest. “Keys. I need the spare keys. To my car.”

He groans and shakes his head. Then he gives me the third degree under his breath.

I peek in at Sandy. “You coming to practice?”

Sandy smirks. “Yeah, but I think I’m gonna be a little late. I’ll tell coach I locked my keys in my car.” She winks at me. Bitch!

I laugh and turn slightly when I hear noise in
his
room. The door opens and when she walks out… in nothing but a long tattered t-shirt,
his
t-shirt, my heart plunders. The door is open wide enough for me to see Jax… in bed. Bare chest. Blanket tossed over his lower half.

I feel sick.

Timber smirks and rubs her lower abdomen. “Long night,” she says as she brushes past me, but pauses to whisper in my ear. “He’s fantastically huge. Wore me out, but I think I’ll keep him.” She steps away and locks herself in the bathroom when Kolby reappears with my keys.

When I hear footsteps in Jax’s room, I snatch my keys and rush toward the stairs. I can’t get down them fast enough when I hear him trailing behind me. No way am I turning around to acknowledge his presence. I nearly trip as I rush out the door, slamming it behind me.

ALL THROUGHOUT PRACTICE,
I can’t get the thought of Jax screwing Timber out of my head. I can hardly concentrate on keeping a beat. Then Sandy finally shows up.

“Sorry, Coach Step. My keys were locked in my car and Darcy had already left so I had to call my boyfriend. He has my spares. But I’m here. Sorry. Won’t happen again.” She turns and grins at me, which causes me to smile for the first time this morning.

During the last half of practice, Sandy bumps into me. “Jax left this morning after you came and got your keys. That bitch was all huffy and yada this, yada that. She stormed out of there when she realized Jax took off without her knowing. Anyway. When he came back, the guys gave him shit about banging her.”

“Sandy, I don’t want to hear about that. Why would you tell—”

“Shut it!” she cuts me off. “Jax rolls his eyes and says ‘Whatever. She annoys the fuck out of me. I made her sleep on the floor, assholes.’ Kolby shakes his head and says’ ‘She’s only good for one thing.’ I elbowed him not wanting to know what one thing she was good for. Jax smirks but it wasn’t a knowing kind of smirk, so I don’t think he slept with her. Or got a blowjob from her, ’cause that’s what Kolby said she was good at, and not really even good at that!”

Okay, so that’s a little too much info. My brother, yeah, I don’t need to hear about his sexual adventures. Yuk. I feel a little relief, but not much. Not like Jax would come right out and admit he screwed her, not with another female present.

Practice sucked and I’m so freaking tired from not getting good sleep last night. When I get home, I flop down on my bed and stare at the ceiling fan spinning round and round. Then I grab my phone intending on texting Tiffany to see if she wants to go to Muze tonight, when I notice two new texts.

I open the first one, an unknown number, and at first I see only a picture of Jax lying in his bed, naked from… well his lower half is covered with a blanket, but then I notice the clothes, a pink skirt, white shirt, and then. Lacy blue thongs and a matching bra are strewn on the edge of the bed. Under the picture, I see the text:
In case you didn’t get a good look this morning…
a smiley face follows and below that:
Fucking amazing!

As if I need more torture, I open the text from Jax.

J: I wish you’d have been straight with me from the start. I hate that we can’t be together, but we could have, had I known. You’ve put me in a bad position and I don’t see how I can get out of it. I hope you understand.

What. Ever. He’s with her, and no, I don’t understand. I have to face it. Jax won’t be mine. And how could I want him after what he did with her? No. He’s probably been with others as well. I have to keep telling myself this and move on so I reply to his text.

Understand? What, that you’re fantastically
huge?!
Oh, I understand clearly. I understand so much more now. Lose my number. And FUCK YOU. I’m deleting you now!

I send it, but sadly, I can’t get myself to delete his number.

Or his pictures.

Stupid me.

I TORTURE MYSELF
many more evenings over the next few weeks by coming to Muze, and every time, I catch him flirting with whatever girls are flocking around him like he’s Mr. Hollywood.

Well, fuck him. I can ignore. I can play his game and play it better! I take the first hot guy who asks me to dance up on the offer. I do it with several others, and I make damn sure to parade them around Jax… and whatever whore he’s got hanging on him.
But things change. Somewhere between being jealous and making Jax jealous, I’ll find him staring at me as if I’m everything he wants but can’t have. The way he brushes past me, always touching my fingers, my arms, my thigh, and even my cheek when no one is looking… Then he’s back in the crowd, flirting, smiling that brilliant smile I love so much as do all the females in his presence, and he’s now whispering, stroking and slow dancing much too intimate with some brunette who was lucky enough to be chosen. It burns, chokes, and tears at my heart.

I find someone equally attractive… okay so that’s impossible; no guy holds a torch next to Jax. I settle for the next attractive male asking me to join him on the floor. Bradly, I think that’s his name? God, I can’t even focus on something as simple as a name! I’m furious and hurt beyond belief.

I glance up at… “Bradly, right?”

He nods and smiles down at me and he’s handsome. Dark spiky hair, striking green eyes, perfectly white teeth set behind perfectly kissable lips.

“What’s your name, beautiful?”

I put on a fake happy face. “Kimber.”

“Kimber. I like it.” Bradly winks at me and leads me onto the crowded dance floor. I scan the sea of people and find my target. He’s not too far away. Still holding Bradly’s hand, I tug on it, and nod toward the vicinity Jax is in. Bradly arches a brow.

“It’s closer to the stage,” I tell him. Kind of a lame excuse, but Bradly doesn’t complain.

I push indignation aside and try to focus on Bradly. His hands are warm and gentle. He’s muscular but not overdone. He has a strong jawline, nice lips, good teeth, pretty eyes… and he smells good. He’s not stepping on my toes or throwing himself all over, dancing like a moron.

The beat is fast, lively and I’m having fun, even forgetting about Jax.

The music changes. A slow song filters through the sound system. Bradly pulls me close, wraps his arms around my waist, and begins to sway gently. I raise my arms and lock my hands behind his neck. He obviously likes it, probably because it brings our bodies closer, more intimate. I cringe inwardly, careful not to show it.

Thankfully, I wore pumps with just enough height to allow me to see, just barely, over Bradly’s shoulder. I spot Jax immediately with whichever skank he’s with now, watching me over her shoulder. His lips purse into a thin, straight line, eyes narrowed—he’s furious! Good. I watch him watch me and decide to push him a little further. Sliding my hands along Bradly’s neck, I tangle my fingers in his hair causing him to groan.

Jax stills, his face now red with what? Fury? I continue teasing Bradly, pushing Jax a little further, and whisper against the shell of Bradly’s ear. “Mm. You smell so good,” I tell him in a way that I’m sure, to Jax, looks intimate.

Bradly’s hands find the globes of my ass and he jolts me forward, into his pelvis. It startles me enough to turn from Jax to push Bradly back and remove his hands from my butt.

“Sorry. I thought—” Bradly begins but he’s cut short when he’s suddenly ripped away from me.

“What are you—” I try to protest but Jax is dragging me off the dance floor so fast that I have to concentrate to keep myself from falling. He continues dragging me through the crowd, down the hall, toward the
PRIVATE
door.

I panic. “Jax, stop!” But he doesn’t. Instead, he releases my arm, pulls me in front of him, presses me against the door, and fishes a set of keys out of his pocket.

“What are you doing? I’m not going up there with you!” I struggle to free myself but fail.

“Shut up, Kimber,” he says heatedly. He’s angry and sickly enough, it thrills me.

After shoving me through the door, he locks it, making sure to keep a tight grip on me as he does. He brushes his fingers behind my neck, his grip tightening as he pulls me closer. Dropping his head, I feel his breath on my skin and I instantly bring my hands up, placing them on his chest. His lips graze my skin and without thought, I drop my head back. He moans softly as he gently kisses up my neck, along my jaw and pauses at my lips. His eyes are closed, face tense, but then his tongue darts out and spreads along the seam of my partially open mouth. I let out a little noise and that’s his undoing.

He wraps his free arm around my waist, presses me against the wall and though the metal rail winding up the stairwell grinds against my back, I barely notice. His tongue is deeply tangling with my own in a flurry of desperation, need, want… passion. His hands are everywhere… running down my back, under my shirt, mine under his tracing the perfect definition of muscles strewn across his chiseled abs. His along my stomach, across my breast, around back, unhitching my bra, squeezing one breast, then the other, pinching my nipples, sliding down into my pants, unbuttoning the button, kissing me intensely, fiercely… me taking him in just as eagerly, wanting needing… No! This isn’t right.

I grab his wrist, stopping him from going any further. He continues his assault but when I shift to push him back, we stumble onto the stairs. Jax raises my shirt, slips my bra over my breast and his hot lips latch on. He sucks, twirls my nipple around his tongue, sucks it into his mouth.
Oh god. I want him so bad!
I bite his shoulder, his fingers slide into my unbuttoned jeans, down my lace panties, circling the fabric covered skin causing me to arch into him. He’s everywhere, mouth licking and sucking every inch of my skin, his digits slipping under the fabric, sliding between the slick folds. I cry out when his finger presses into me, the way he curls it with the perfect amount of pressure, his primal moan… my mewling…. Rational thought seizes me but then I think about where we are, in a stairwell that leads to whatever dirty thing they have going on upstairs.

“Stop.” Oh god, I want to let him slide his fingers deeper—

“You’ve got the nicest fucking ass,” he moans as he removes his fingers to cup and squeeze my butt, pulling me closer, his hips swaying, then grinding his fully erect cock between my legs. His eyes are feral when he locks them on mine, as if asking permission but refusing to take no for an answer. And then I feel it, his hand moving over my ass, his fingers snaking down the center, between the crack, toward the tight ring and I gasp.

Flashes of Timber exiting Jax’s room, in his shirt, rubbing her supposedly tender abdomen from a supposedly a ‘long night’ and how ‘he’s fantastically huge’ suddenly sicken me. I can’t let him. I just can’t! I’m already wet with want and I can’t go there, can’t let him use me like that.