Honestly, I’m still shocked she came in the first place.
I thought she would. Hoped she would. But I didn’t want to jinx it, let alone look desperate, so instead of receiving confirmation from the source, I kept my distance and counted down the days to tonight. Seeing her in my hoodie a few minutes ago was like dumping gasoline on an already raging fire. Now, she looks…guarded. Her arms are folded, and her head is down, but those eyes? Those coffee-colored eyes are pinned on me and only me. I’d give anything to know what she’s thinking, but her thoughts are locked up tight. Too tight. Is she mad? There’s a difference between witnessing violence during an organized event and on the street. There’s also a difference when the violence is directed toward someone you know, let alone someone you’re related to. Is she pissed I intervened? I head in her direction, keeping my movements slow and unhurried. Nodding to someone from the football team. Smiling at a group of girls when they call my name. But I don’t stop my pursuit until I’m nearly chest-to-chest with Violet.
I know the promise I made to my brothers. I also know that as soon as those three weeks are up, the facade will drop, and people will see us together. They can count on it. Besides, it’d be stranger if I wasn’t talking to a girl at a party. So what if it’s Violet? We met in Econ. I was impressed by her badassery in the haunted house. Then, when she showed up tonight, I made a move and…yeah. Yeah, it works, right?
She smells the same. Floral and honey. My fingers itch to reach out and pull her closer, but I don’t. I can’t. Not here. Not yet. Not after the display I just showed in front of everyone.
“You okay?” I ask as the memory of her bruises takes me hostage all over again.
“Why’d you do it?” Violet whispers. “Why’d you kick him out?”
“Did you want him to stay?” I push.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I could say the same thing.” Gently, I nudge her chin with my bruised knuckles until she’s forced to look at me. “Did you want him to stay, Little Thief?”
She shakes her head. “No,” she breathes out. “No, I didn’t want him to stay.”
“And now, he’s gone.”
“Yeah, but why’d you kick him out?” she pushes. “He would’ve given you money. Free money, since he’s a shit gambler and would’ve lost.”
I bite back my smile, well aware she’s not wrong. “I don’t want his money.”
“You’re a Harden.”
“And?”
“All Harden men want money.”
“Maybe money isn’t everything.”
“Says theHarden,” she replies, emphasizing my last name as if it’s tattooed into my skin. And maybe it is. Sure, my last name has opened more doors for me and my brothers than a name has any right to, but it’s also messed with our heads in a way I’m not sure anyone will ever fully understand. Not even me. I push the reminder away. “You sure you’re okay?” I ask.
Her lips bunch on one side, but I don’t miss the way she looks down at the ground instead of meeting my gaze. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
She’s not, and even though I want to push her on it, I won’t. “Come on,” I offer. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“And miss the festivities?” she volleys.
“Hawke will fill me in.”
“Jagger, I’m fine.”
My hand finds the small of her back despite the witnesses surrounding us. Call me a selfish bastard, but it’s getting harder and harder to care. “Come on, Vi.”
33
JAGGER
Engines roar in the distance as we walk toward my truck parked at the edge of the property. Honestly, I’m surprised Violet let me steal her away in the first place, but I’m not about to question it. “Did you drive with your friends?” I ask.
With a nod, she glances toward the party gathered at the starting line on the opposite side of the airfield. “Yeah. I should probably…”
“Hawke will make sure they get home safely.”
“I can drive?—”
