His eyes flash with heat, a dangerous and hungry expression crossing his face. He leans in, his mouth near my ear, his hand sliding lower on my waist until his fingers are spread across the small of my back.
“You keep talking like that and I’m going to bend you over and fuck you until you can’t remember your own name,” he murmurs. “And I don’t give a shit if half the people here in thishall hear you screaming my name while my cock’s buried inside that tight little pussy of yours.”
Heat floods through me, pooling low in my stomach. My fingers tighten on his shoulders, and I can feel my face burning.
“Jace,” I whisper, but it comes out breathy and weak.
“Yeah, Bells?” He pulls back and there’s a wicked gleam in his eyes. “You want me to stop talking?”
“No,” I admit, and his grin widens.
“That’s what I thought,” he says, before spinning me around and pulling my back against his chest. His hands settle on my hips again, and we move together, his body pressed against mine in a way that’s absolutely filthy and absolutely perfect.
We keep dancing, song after song, until my feet hurt and I’m breathless from laughing.
Aubrey and Noah join us at some point. Noah’s tie is completely undone. Sam and Reece are there too, all of us moving together as a group, shouting lyrics we don’t know and not caring how ridiculous we look.
The music suddenly comes to a stop, and Miss Mallory’s voice rings out over the speakers. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Your prom king and queen!”
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause. We make our way back to our table, Jace’s hand in mine, and the energy in the room shifts. Everyone is now watching the stage, waiting.
“And your prom king is...” Miss Mallory pauses for dramatic effect, and the gym goes silent. “Noah Haynes!”
The place erupts. Aubrey screams and wraps her arms around Noah, who looks truly shocked.
“Are you fucking serious?” Noah says, laughing.
“Go!” Aubrey shouts, pushing him toward the stage.
Noah makes his way through the crowd, with people slapping him on the back and cheering. When he reaches the stage, Miss Mallory places a ridiculous silver crown on his head.
Jace leans in, his mouth close to my ear. “Twenty bucks says Aubrey’s queen.”
“I’m not taking that bet,” I say.
Miss Mallory’s voice booms through the speakers again. “And now for your prom queen...”
I glance across the room. Nicole stands near the refreshment table, her posture perfect, her chin raised. Tia is across the gym by the bleachers, her hand resting casually on her hip. Both try to appear relaxed, but I notice the tension in their shoulders. They both watch the stage with carefully composed faces and tight smiles that don’t quite reach their eyes.
They wait. Hoping. Both believing they have a shot at the title.
I glance back at our group. Aubrey is standing next to Sam, smiling up at Noah as he stands on the stage.
“Aubrey Baxter!” Miss Mallory shouts, and the gym erupts.
The sound is deafening—cheers, screams, and applause that shake the walls.
Aubrey’s mouth drops open and her eyes widen with shock. For a moment, she just stands there, frozen, her hand still gripping Sam’s.
“Go!” Sam shouts, pushing her forward. “Go!”
She stumbles toward the stage, laughing and crying at the same time, and the crowd parts to let her through. People reach out to touch her arm and congratulate her, their faces lit up with genuine happiness.
I watch her go, my chest swelling with pride and happiness. She earned this. Not through popularity or perfection, but by standing tall. By refusing to let bullies dominate this school. By being brave when it mattered most.
I glance back across the room. Nicole’s smile has completely faded. Her eyes are glassy with tears she hasn’t yet shed. She’s still trying to keep that composed expression, but I can see the devastation beneath it.
Tia has already turned away. Her shoulders are hunched, her phone clutched in her hand, and she’s staring down at the screen with a kind of focus that shows she’s not really paying attention. Just trying to hide.
