Chapter 5: Jared

My hands demand I hurt her. I push harder on her small shoulders, and the foolish boy in me screams to take my hands off what’s his. What he has spent years searching for, each time coming up emptier and a little angrier than the last. Yet, here she is, staring up at me with wide blue eyes. Her scent seems to envelop me, and I dig a little deeper into her shoulders.

I could snap her so easily. I want to.

She shouldn’t be here.

"What the f*ck do you want?" I bark and lean in, inhaling her aromatic lavender scent.

Layla.

Anger bubbles through me, and my back arches.

"You’re the one who dragged me over here." Her voice is stronger, her gaze more defiant than she displayed in the gym. Earlier, she looked like a victim. I remember how good she always was at playing the victim.

I grin and take some of the pressure off her shoulders but don’t remove my hands completely. "Because you were staring at me like some lovesick puppy." I say each word with a mocking tone.

Her lip trembles, and my gaze lingers on her mouth. She’s still Layla, just older. More womanly. That fact isn’t lost on me, with all the curves she displayed in gym class. She isn’t someone who fades into the background. She always stood out, even when she didn’t want to. I don’t need her to be here. I don’t need the distraction.

"I thought you were someone else, but I was wrong."

I release her, and she reaches up and rubs her shoulders. I don’t step back. I don’t want to walk away from her. The pull that was always there hasn’t eased with time. If anything, it seems stronger.

I hate her.

"Let’s hope your drooling over me ends." I fold my arms across my chest. I know my size will intimidate her. I battle with the need to protect her. It’s all I knew. All I cared about. She was the reason I got up, the reason I lived. The reason I fought to survive. Until she left, not giving a f*cking care in the world about me.

"I thought you were someone else," she says again. Pain drags down her lips.

F*ck her.

"I don’t want your sob story." I lean in close to her and dip my head so that she can hear me very clearly. "Stay out of my way, Layla, or I’ll make sure you regret ever crossing my path."

Her chest rises and falls faster. My words fully sink in; I’ve made my point. Her swanlike neck draws my hand to it. She inhales sharply as I tighten my fingers around her fragile throat. Her pale skin is soft. I can imagine pressing kisses along the flesh. I tighten my fingers further, trying to banish the thought.

She pulls away. "Get your hands off me." Her hysteria pierces my anger. The protective boy in me has me removing my hand, and yet I can’t step away from her.

She ducks under my arm and flees while I stare at the wall, wondering what the f*ck is wrong with me.

I tighten my hand into a fist, and all I want to do is smash it into the wall.

"What was that about?" Alex’s voice springs up behind me.

I loosen my fists, and I turn to her wearing my signature I don’t give a f*ck smirk. "I have that effect on women. They throw themselves at me. I was just telling her I wasn’t interested."

Alex assesses me for a moment. "It looked a little intense."

I step closer to Alex and let my smirk manifest into a smile. "I’m an intense guy."

Her posture relaxes before her lips tug up. "I can verify that is true, Jay." She winks at me.

I start walking toward the parking lot while looking for a blonde girl who shouldn’t be here. Did she search for me over the years too? It really doesn’t matter. I want to stay focused, and she’s too great of a distraction.

"So, this charity event tonight…" I start.

I glance at Alex, and she rolls her eyes dramatically. "Do you have to go too?"

"Yes. Raising money for starving kids while we eat a seven-course meal and drink our fill seems like such a fitting thing to do." Sarcasm drips from my words.

"You seem bothered." Her words hold an accusation.

I drag back my control that Layla rattled. The last person I want to see a crack in my armor is Alex. She’s clever, and she would do anything to climb higher in our social circles. That includes handing me to the wolves if need be. I stop walking. "Maybe I am bothered." I lean into her.

She smiles. "Bothered and intense. I do like that combination."

Alex is striking. Her reasons for liking me are far more calculating than any physical attraction. She knows our parents want us together. We would be a powerhouse. I’ve tasted her strawberry-flavored lips many times before, and I’d happily taste them again.

"I’ll see you tonight," I say once I reach my vehicle. I glance around the parking lot, but I don’t see Layla.

"I look forward to it." Alex still lingers at my car as I climb in.

I close the door and lose my smile. She’s still watching me as I reverse out of the parking spot.