“It’s James,” I whispered, putting my finger to my lips. I knew from his footsteps. And Blaze recognized him, too, when we heard him talking behind the door, because he glanced at me listlessly, almost disappointed.
“He’ll always come first, won’t he?”
“Shut your mouth.”I trapped him against the wall with both hands. He grabbed my jacket and pulled me toward him. “Can’t get enough of me,” I prodded, as he pulled on my piercing with his teeth. We started kissing slowly but my ears were perked up. A girl’s hesitant voice mingled with James’s.
“Tay would never admit it, but she’s really got it bad for you.” It was Tiffany.
“Don’t spew bullshit, Tiff.”
“She loves you, James.”
“She said she wants me dead. You must have a comprehension issue, Tiffany.” James’s gruff voice got more distant and subdued. It didn’t seem like he wanted to listen to her.
“Quit acting like a kid, Jamie. She’d do anything for you, in fact she already has. And you know it.”
“I know, but I need time, and she stresses me out every day with the fucking past.”
“She does it because if her dad found out, he’d go ballistic. He could even press charges! You don’t have much time,” Tiffany threatened.
“They didn’t want to give it back to me.”
Blaze immediately pulled his lips from mine and looked at me. His eyes were tinged with suspicion.
Oh no.
I came close to him again, but this time he was the one to motion for me to be quiet. “Are you doing what they ask you to, Jamie?” Tiffany piled it on. I didn’t hear the answer because there was too much background noise.
“Come to my place after,” I heard her whisper.
“You’re morally bankrupt.”
“You’re hardly a saint. We slept together the whole summer while she was on vacation with her parents, did you forget that?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Is it because of Marvin’s cousin? You can’t resist adding another trophy to your collection, can you?”
“Are you acting like this because I told you no, Tiff?”
“I’m acting like this because I thought we were friends. I didn’t want to tell you this to go . . . Oh, forget it. You’ll never change.”
First footsteps, then the sound of heels started to move away. Blaze looked at me, worried.
“What was that all about?”
“Eh. James slept with Taylor and her best friend. What else is new.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t understand me, Jax. What were they talking about before?”
I looked around, trying to hide the icy feeling permeating my bones. How was I supposed to tell him?
“Nothing, the usual. James is tangled up with some shady people.”
I couldn’t tell him any more.
“What’s Taylor’s family have to do with it? Does my dad have something to do with all this?”
I took a deep breath and started wandering around the closet. “I’d never betray James, if that’s what you’re asking me.”
