I caught the glint of a lip ring as he turned to stare down at me with an intense gaze that set my body on fire. He wasn’t the normal type of guy I went for. His arm was covered in an array of colorful tattoos, and he had multiple piercings. Who knew how many more there were under the tight gray V-neck and black shorts he wore? For some reason, I really wanted to find out.
“You don’t look familiar. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Della,” I managed to whisper. Why in the hell was I so nervous around this guy? I had no reason to be, he was the one who should be worshipping at my feet. Right?
“Della.” My name rolled off of his tongue before he ran a thumb over my cheek and dropped his hand down to his side. “I like it. The name’s Justin and I think you and I were meant to be. Want to get out of here?” Whatever fog had been cluttering my mind suddenly cleared and I shook my head, pushing at his chest as I stood up taller, even though he still had to look down as he towered over me.
“Seriously? That was about the lamest pick up line I’ve ever heard. No thank you, Justin.” I turned to walk away, but he jumped in front of me and held up a finger.
“Wait, that didn’t come out right. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong me, normally I’m a whole lot smoother at this.”
“So normally you pick up girls a lot easier? Good for you.” I crossed my arms over my chest and let out a loud sigh when he still didn’t move.
“C’mon, Della. Let me buy you a drink at least, I’m really not that bad of a guy. Give me a chance?” His eyebrows knitted together as he waited for my response, and I was just about to tell him where he could stick that drink when I caught sight of the table where Nash and Mariah were looking awfully cuddly. Apparently, they had made up. It made my stomach coil just at the thought of having to sit there and watch the two of them together.
“Fine, follow me.” Surprisingly, he did and by the time we got back to the table with the drink he had promised me, Callie, Drew, and Zoey were also back, looking slightly uncomfortable by Mariah’s presence.
Callie’s eyes widened as Justin situated himself next to me, and she kept looking back and forth between the two of us in utter confusion. I introduced Justin to everyone, and he stood up to shake their hands before sitting back down next to me and leaning in, brushing his lips against my ear. “Can you say awkward? Want to dance?”
I stood up right away, wanting to get away from the glare of Nash and Mariah’s icy smile. Sure, Justin seemed like an arrogant asshole, but tonight, he was my lifesaver. Justin led me to the center of the dance floor, and I couldn’t help but notice all of the death glares I was getting from almost every single girl around me.
We were already just inches from each other, but he put his hands on my hips to pull me even closer against his hard, muscular body, moving the both of us to the music. I had never in my life danced with a guy like this. Chris had always just kind of stood there and enjoyed the show while I grinded against him. Justin on the other hand, moved every time I did.
I let out a gasp when he twirled me around and pulled my back tightly against his chest. My body tingled everywhere at the sudden contact. At first, I was hesitant to be dancing with this guy I had just met, but his hands all over me gave me the confidence to move right along with him.
I slid my body up and down his to the music, and he played right along, pulling me even closer and grinding against me. I felt his hands lock onto both of my wrists, and he moved them to wrap around his neck as his hands explored the sides of my body through the clingy material of my dress. My body hummed at the warmness of his hands, and I moaned when his lips brushed against my neck. I actually moaned.
I abruptly pulled away and turned toward him, pushing into his chest. “What in the hell was that for? I did not give you permission to touch me like that.”
“Really?” he replied with a smirk, sucking that stupid lip ring into his mouth. “Because you really seemed to be enjoying it. And I was too,” he added.
I shook my head sharply, rolling my eyes before turning on my heel. “Whatever, just leave me the fuck alone. I really don’t need to be another notch on your bedpost.”
I grinned, remembering that night. Thankfully that wasn’t the last time I saw Justin. We had come such a long way. I was ashamed to even think about how I acted when I was younger. Even though he had looked like a handful of trouble and that should’ve sent me running in the opposite direction, Justin saved me.
And I guess in a weird way, my mom did, too. When she sent me to North Carolina, I thought she was being a major bitch, shipping me off as if I were a child. But in the end, she had sent me toward Justin. If I wouldn’t have moved back to North Carolina, who knows if I would be sitting here now with Justin and Lily, getting ready to marry to the guy of my dreams.