“Let go of me, Damon.”
He forces me backward, until my spine presses into the wall. “You’re going to fix this.” He pulls my wrist up and traps my hand between us. His forearm comes to rest on the wall by my head, and I know that if someone were to walk by, this would look reciprocal.
“If you don’t let me go, I’ll scream.”
He laughs, quietly maniacal—a paralyzing sound. “Go ahead,” he says, eyes traveling down, down, down.
I look where he’s looking: my suntanned chest, sprinkled with freckles; the rapid rise and fall of my ribs; the swell of cleavage accentuated by my dress’s neckline; my shoulder strap, slipping down my arm again.
“No one will believe you,” he says. “The way you look, the way you drink, the way you act…they’ll jump to the same conclusion they did last time.”
It’s terrifying that he could be right.
He touches my hair. His face is so close to mine, it’s hard to focus on any one of his features. But I catch his smile as he says, “Now that it’s over between Gabi and me, you and I ought to give things a shot.”
“I’d ratherdie,” I say, trying and failing to twist my arm free.
Somewhere, a door slams. Footsteps close in, audible even above the music and the laughter and the whirring in my ears.
A flash of movement catches Damon’s attention. He shifts back enough that I can pull in a full breath. He doesn’t let me go, but his expression changes from cocksure to ruffled. I follow his gaze. Henry’s standing in the hallway.
His eyes cloud over.
Does he think I’m complicit in what’s happening?
My heart shrivels.
Gabi comes around the corner, nearly bumping into Henry. She stops short. “Damon! Let go of her!”
He acts as if she hasn’t spoken, but Henry doesn’t. He zeros in on the way Damon’s gripping my wrist. He sets his jaw, his expression contorting into one of ruthlessness.
“Get away from her,” he says, ice cold.
Damon’s a pig, but he’s not an idiot.
He frees me, taking a step backward. He puts his hands in the air like he’s innocent. Like he’s been misunderstood. He’s almost convincing, but his bluster returns too quickly.
He snickers.
One second Henry’s across the hall, and the next he’s inDamon’s face, bunching the front of his shirt in his fist, slamming him against the wall.
“I fail to see the humor,” he seethes. “She doesn’t want you to touch her. She doesn’t want you anywhere near her. Got it?”
“Yeah, bro,” Damon says, his words sounding choked. “Got it.”
“I’m not yourbro,” Henry spits out, releasing his shirt. “If you put your hands on her again—or on any other girl who’s not enthusiastically encouraging your attention—you and I are gonna talk. Don’t misunderstand: It won’t end well for you.”
“Yeah, got it.” Damon’s cheeks, his neck, and the tips of his ears are an angry red. “Now get the fuck away from me.”
Henry takes a step back, swinging an arm toward the kitchen in the most disingenuous welcome gesture I’ve ever seen. But Hudson and Jayden, along with Anna and Michaela, have come to check out the commotion.
Hudson steps toward Damon. “You need to go, dude.”
Damon’s jaw drops. He hooks a thumb toward Henry. “You’re taking his side?”
“I’m taking Piper’s side,” Hudson says. “Gabi’s too. They don’t want you around, and now I’ve got an idea why. I’m not cool with you being here if the girls are uncomfortable.”
Damon huffs. But Hudson’s glaring, and Jayden looks like he’s got homicide in his heart. Despite my trembling hands and imminent tears, their support shines a warm glow through me.
