Chapter 36
Avery
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“Break a leg!” I squeeze Madison and Noah onest time before they slip out of our dorm room. They
have to be to the theater early for all the opening night preparations, which leaves me plenty of time to
get ready for my date tonight. Jase has made reservations at an upscale restaurant, but first we’re
going to watch the y Madison and Noah are in. I grab my shower stuff and shuffle off to the
communal bathrooms.
An hourter, I’m squeaky clean, shaved, made up and dressed. I sit down at myptop to type a quick
response to the email I got earlier from Jessica. It’s been a month since we met face to face, and we’ve
emailed back and forth several times. Our rtionship has evolved into long emails full of random
thoughts, deep-seated feelings and life happenings. It’s nice. Even my dads are really cool about
encouraging my rtionship with her. I check the time, stuff my phone into the back pocket of my
jeans, add some lip gloss and slip into my bright pink ballet ts.
I’m waiting on the sidewalk outside my dorm just as Jase pulls up in his sleek ck car. He stops and
his face breaks into a smile when he climbs from the car to greet me.
“Beautiful…” He leans down and whispers, his lips brushing past the skin near my ear. It sends a tingle
down the back of my neck, settling at the base of my spine. As hard as this past month has been
resisting giving into the physical with Jase, I think it is exactly what we need. It gives us the chance to
actually just date and get to know each other better without sexplicating things. Things between us
are great, though. Complete open and honesty, which feels really good. But the slow build between us
physically has reached epic proportions. He will be mine tonight. Period.
Our dinner reservations are at an upscale sushi restaurant that has recently opened and has been
getting good reviews. Jase assures me that jeans will be fine, but I’d paired them with a dressy cream-
colored top trimmed ince.
Jase’s eyes slip from mine, dropping lower to survey me from head to toe. I squirm under his gaze and
mp my thighs together, praying that I’ll make it through the y and dinner without trying to rip his
clothes off. Or my own. Hmm, that could work. We have thirty minutes before the y starts…
“Avery?” he asks, pulling my mind from the gutter it has gleefully dived into.
Keeping my thoughts from wandering toter and the little scrap of ckce panties he’ll discover is
bing increasingly difficult. “Yes?”
He smirks, shaking his head as though he’s reading my mind the entire time. Jase is sex on a stick in a
pair of fitted dark jeans and a navy blue button up shirt that brings out the deep blue of his eyes. His
hair is an absolute disaster, just the way I like it – a perfect mess. My fingers could roam to their heart’s
content and it wouldn’t make the least bit of difference.
Crossing the distance between us, Jase pulls me tight against him and drops a sweet kiss to my
mouth. “Ready?” He smiles down at me, sparkling eyes yful and hungry. I’m ready to skip dinner
and get onto desert, but I merely nod. We have a y to go to first, and I can’t stand Madison and
Noah up. They’ve adopted Jase into our circle over the past month and so of course we’ll be there at
their opening show.
We arrive at the theater in plenty of time to grab seats near the front. Watching Madison and Noah in
the school’s flirty reproduction of Grease is so fun, the two hours pass quickly. Noah as Rizzo is over-
the-top-goodness, and I can’t wait to hug him for not only winning the role, but for owning it. At the end,
Jase stands and cheers for them along with me, and we fight our way backstage through the throngs of
people to give them both a hug.
Jase has taken his mission of bringing me out on proper dates seriously, and after the y, we’re hand
in hand, heading across town to make the dinner reservations.
The restaurant is sleek and stylish and the sushi is divine, but sitting across from Jase at an intimate
table for two, and feeling his eyes move across me is too much. Using my uncooperative chopsticks,
I’ve tried as delicately as possible to wrestle pieces of sushi into my mouth in the mostdylike way
possible.
Jase pops another piece of the spicy tuna roll into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he watches me.
He’s in no hurry, and I wonder if he’s feeling any of the same fire I am. But I know he is. Intensity lights
his eyes as he watches me. He finishes chewing and ces his chopsticks beside his te. “Dessert?”
I’m ready to kick him under the table, but I fix on my most polite smile. “No thanks. You?”
Jase chuckles, his eyes raking over my skin as he takes his time answering. “Yes. Once we get home,
I’d very much like some dessert.”
Gah… He is so overwhelming. Just knowing what’s going to happenter between us makes my thighs
tremble. I am more than ready for him now.
Jase settles our check, then guides me from the restaurant with his hand on the small of my back. It’s
an innocent touch, but he’s hardly touched me all night, so the contact feels like an unspoken promise
for more.
I was never like this with Brent. I’m ready, confident and sure. I’m sure about Jase.
When we get to Jase’s, we’re all hands and smiles and maybe even a few giggles on my part as we
weave through the bodies. I’m thankful that he has zero interest in hanging out downstairs where the
party rages on. He wants to be alone as badly as I do.
On our way to the stairs, Stacia ces her hand on his chest and stops him. She staggers just a bit in
her too high heels, before pulling her hand back.
“You two are back together?” Staciaughs, too shrill and obvious.
I hold my chin high, refusing to let the fact that she saw my dirty little secret make me feel like damaged
goods. If Jase is over it, then so am I.
“Drop it, Stac,” Jase warns, his voice tight and not amused.
Stacia grins devilishly, looking back and forth between Jase and I. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”
Shit. My stomach drops. “Tell me what?”
Staciaughs again. “Never mind.” She smiles sweetly, wedging herself in between Jase and me as
she passes so she can brush up against his chest.
Jase looks like he’s about to hit something.
“Jase?”
He takes my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. All the heat and passion for our night together
disappears and is reced by a terrible nagging feeling. What isn’t he telling me? What happened
between him and Stacia?