“Hey, asshole,” I shout. If the wrong person were to hear that—Forsaken or school official—I could get myself into a good bit of trouble. But I don’t care. I’m always in trouble these days for one thing or another anyway.
Jeremy pulls away, and his eyes shoot to me immediately. He zeroes in on my presence but doesn’t even have the decency to look upset about my having caught him. Then again, this is the jerk who got a blow job in front of about thirty people. We’re not dating, and we’re certainly not a couple. I thought he gave a shit about me, but it’s becoming painfully obvious I was wrong. It’s only my heart that can’t let go of us. Everybody else—especially he—has moved on.
“Excuse me?” Jeremy says. It’s like he’s taking tips on how to be a jerk with the way he’s reacting. Then again, he does live with Duke. Or maybe he thinks that because he’s got that cut on his shoulders he is somehow better than the rest of us for being in such an exclusive club. Well, newsflash, jerk. As long as my dad is Sterling Grady, that cut doesn’t intimidate me. I doubt he’s earned the right to prospect on a formal basis anyway. He wasn’t hanging around the club the way prospects do before they’re officially invited to start earning their top rocker.
“You heard me,” I shout with my arms folded over my chest. Now that he and his cocky attitude have turned toward me, I can feel myself about to snap. Now I know why Ryan likes to start fights so much. My heart is racing and my blood is pumping in my veins. I feel like I could do anything right now, including ripping his arm off and beating him with it.
Seeing how angry I’m getting, he smirks and then licks his lips. This hallway isn’t big enough for the four of us and Jeremy’s ego as well. God, he looks so freaking cute like that. The realization that I can’t stop looking at his lips as he stares at mine has my right hand twitching with the urge to slam it into his nose.
“Just so you know,” I say and look at the girl, “he’s going to use you, and then he’s going to toss you out like you’re garbage. He’s done it to everybody. Don’t be stupid enough to assume you’re more than his newest slut.”
Jeremy pushes off the lockers and strides toward me. His voice is quiet as he speaks. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because I hate you,” I grit out. Having him this close makes me feel insecure and like the immature brat I keep telling myself I’m not. “You acted like you like me, but you don’t. You just wanted to have sex. If that’s all you wanted, you could have said so and saved me the headache.”
Heartache. I mean heartache, but I won’t admit to that.
“I do like you,” he whispers. “But you don’t get to throw your daddy in my face every time I do something you dislike. Grady’s not just my boss. He can do more than fire me if he thinks I’ve fucked up. He. Can. End. Me. I don’t make the cut, what do you think is going to happen to me, huh? This is my life, my entire fucking future, and you run around acting like the most important thing is getting your feelings hurt.”
“Don’t put your crap on me. You chose to prospect.”
The snake-like smile that slides over his features is almost disturbing. His gaze is calculating and vicious. He leans down and gets right in my face. His nose is a few inches from mine, and his breath warms my mouth and chin. My eyes fall on his lips for a brief moment before I redirect them. Looking at Jeremy’s lips reminds me of how searing hot his kisses are. And that’s not a good road to go down.
“We’ve grown up together. Seen you at the clubhouse, around town, at school. And you didn’t look my way until I put this cut on,” he hisses. The veins at his temples bulge, and his face reddens. “I chose to prospect, but if I hadn’t, you’d never have been interested in me.”
“That’s not true,” I insist, though he might be right. We have grown up in the same town and roughly the same circle, but it wasn’t until he started on security detail around the house that we started talking. Now, thinking back on it, I’m not sure why we hadn’t hung out before. “You haven’t earned that cut, prospect. The only reason you want it is to get laid, which is just pathetic.”
“Fuck you. Everything I have I’ve earned, and this cut means more to me than easy pussy. It’s about family, and let me remind you that, prospect or not, I still rank above you—so watch what the fuck you say to me and how you say it.”
“You may rank higher in the club, but you’re nothing to me,” I snap. I suck in a ragged breath and fight off the frustrated tears that want to escape. I was already a little raw from my conversation with Holly and now this, so the tears might come easier than I’d like, which could serve to be mighty embarrassing.
“You’re full of shit,” he says, noticing how wet my eyes have become. “If you’re upset, why don’t you text Daniel about it?”
“What the hell does that mean?” I lift my hands and push on his chest. He doesn’t even budge. He reaches up and grabs ahold of my wrists. His breath washes over my face as he gets as close as he can.