“Only with you, baby,” he whispers in my ear, while his hands reach forward, snapping my bra back into place. How does this boy keep making me fall in love with him more each minute?

Chapter 20

Grant

Jessa seems a little worried about me winning the bet. Although I already know what I want her to get, I’m going to surprise her with it tomorrow at the tattoo parlor. Reaching over, I grab her chilled hand, entwining our fingers. When she looks over and smiles at me, my stomach flutters and I know this is exactly where I should always be.

Regret consumes me, thinking about how I brought all that shit up at dinner. Who the hell cares where I work, how much money I make, or where I live? As long as she’s by my side, everything else is secondary.

But no matter how hard I try to stay focused on that line of thinking, I can’t. She deserves a life like the one she was brought up in, and unfortunately, love doesn’t pay the bills. God, if it did, Jessa and I would be rich, living in a mansion on some beachfront.

We pull up to the house party and it’s typical to the ones in Western. I park along the street and hold Jessa’s hand in mine as we walk up the sidewalk. It’s so cold that almost everyone is inside. Only a guy throwing up in the bushes and a group of girls smoking on the porch are brave enough for the frigid weather.

The shift in Jessa’s demeanor has been evident since we passed the ‘Welcome to Boulder’ sign. I wish I could take the discomfort away from her, and I pray that attending this party isn’t the worst idea ever. Squeezing her hand, I smile to reassure her when she looks up at me. Her lips turn up in return, but the carefree Jessa has disappeared. Right then, my plan changes. We’re going to have a drink and then get the fuck out of here. She doesn’t need to go through this turmoil.

Once we make it inside, it becomes obvious that Sam doesn’t usually hang out with the tattooed and pierced variety of people. We automatically spot Trey and he waves his hand at us. I lead us to him, dodging the bodies that are dancing and mingling. When we get to the small dining room area, we maneuver our way over to Trey and Kailey. After the polite hellos and hugs, I notice Brady and Sadie in the kitchen, talking with a couple of people I don’t know. “Where’s Sam?” Jessa shouts over the music. Trey points to the dance floor, where I see her grinding up against Dex, who has his hands on her hips. Jessa spots them and then turns to Trey. “What the fuck? He better not just use and toss her like he does the rest.” She jabs her finger into Trey’s chest.

He grabs her finger, frowning down at her, before pulling her into a bear hug. He whispers something in her ear, and she smiles before backing away. Kailey appears confused by the whole exchange. I hope she understands that she has no reason to worry about Trey and Jessa.

Trey hands me a beer. I try to hand it to Jessa, but she shakes her head no, so I hand it back to Trey. If I have to drive tonight, I’m not about to drink, especially through these mountains. The winding roads still scare the shit out of me. Jessa’s eyes seem to be everywhere but on me. I watch her observe all the faces and bodies around the room, paying particular attention when someone enters through the front door. I have to get her out of here and fast, before she has some kind of panic attack.

The four of us go into the kitchen. Sadie embraces Jessa, and the two of them start talking, along with Kailey. “So, did you win?” Trey asks me and Brady smirks, knowing I did. He helped me with my rooftop plan by arranging the candles and rose petals.

“Of course,” I brag, and Trey sticks his hand up, giving me a high five. When Jessa hears it, she turns around and laughs, knowing exactly what I’m celebrating. From the look of awe on the other two girls’ faces as Jessa describes our evening, I’m pretty sure she feels like the princess she is.

Dex and Sam soon join us, their bodies coated in sweat. Jessa keeps them in her line of vision, carefully warning Dex with her eyes. Every time she gives him “the look”, he laughs, completely disregarding her. Other than the tension between those two, things seem at ease. Jessa appears to be enjoying herself, so I decide to find the bathroom. Sam points me in the direction and I wait in line for the downstairs bathroom for a few minutes before deciding to head upstairs.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I see that there’s another line outside, but having nowhere else to go, I decide to wait. Girls are congregated in groups, and I notice that the dark-haired girl in front of me is blatantly looking me up and down with a flirtatious grin. Being polite, I return it with a tight smile and then pull my phone out, pretending to search for something.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” she says, leaning close to me. Obviously, I was too subtle.

I step back a little before I answer, “I’m from out of town.” I put my head back down, fiddling around with my phone, trying my best to give her the cold shoulder.

She leans harder against me and the smell of her perfume overtakes me. It’s not the coconut and vanilla scent that I love. With her lips practically on my cheek, she slurs, “Do you want a little taste of Boulder? I could give you a quick tour.” Her hands slide down her body before she shakes her hips from side to side.

My first instinct is to get the hell out of Dodge, but if I don’t use the bathroom soon, I’ll be freezing my dick off outside. “That’s alright, my girlfriend already gave me the grand tour,” I say with a smirk. Her lips turn down and her bottom jaw shifts to the side in disgust.

“Oh, is your girlfriend from around here?” she asks, astonishing me that she wants to continue this conversation.

I look up at the line; there are only two people in front of us. Right as I’m about to answer her, the sweet voice that swells my heart comes up from behind me. “Yes, she is and believe me, he’s already gotten the tour more than once, because he can’t help coming back for more,” she tells the girl and the brunette rolls her eyes. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I bring her to me, devouring her mouth in front of the girl.

“Jessa…Jessa Harrison?” a guy calls out from down the hall and my stomach drops. Her whole body tenses and she raises her head immediately. I look to see a brown-haired guy who is shorter than me. His jeans and button-down shirt remind me of my frat buddies back home. Once she sees who it is, a smile spreads across her lips and I release a deep breath.

“Hey, Colton, how are you?” she asks, and he wraps her into a huge hug. It’s all I can do to not tear her away from him, but I’m not about to appear like some jealous boyfriend.

“Pretty good, what about you? We’ve missed you.”

“I’m doing great. This is my boyfriend, Grant,” she introduces us, and Colton puts his hand out for me to shake. I make sure to grip his hand firmly, just to let him know she’s mine. His silent nod makes me believe he understands.

“Nice to meet you,” he says, and I say the same back. Jessa and Colton continue to talk about what’s been going on. I’m happy that Jessa doesn’t inform him where we live, constantly dodging the questions with questions of her own. After a few minutes, I’m growing impatient waiting on that girl in front of me, who’s most likely applying another layer of make-up.

“You should come downstairs and see the old gang. They’re all here,” he tells her, and she looks over at me hesitantly.

“You go, I’ll catch up,” I assure her. She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and turns toward the stairs with Colton right behind her. The brunette finally leaves the bathroom, and as I’m on my way in, I can’t help but think that I’m going to end up in a fight tonight.

I leave the bathroom and venture downstairs to find Jessa and her friends. She’s sitting on the couch talking with a mix of girls and guys, a smile on her face. My heart swells seeing her so happy. She waves me over and I glance around, looking for our crew, before seeing that they’re still congregated in the kitchen. I look back at Jessa and can tell by the way she’s gesturing in my direction that she’s talking about me. A girl with dirty blonde hair whose back is to me keeps touching Jessa’s leg, and I’m overflowing with happiness for Jessa to have this closure.