Megan arched an eyebrow, looking dissatisfied that she had to tolerate my presence, and Liam hooded his eyes, totally not laughing with me.

I immediately straightened. “Wow, I’m sorry.”

“Excuse me?” Megan snipped.

“I mean, I’m sorry in advance. For when he cheats on you,” I explained. “Do you really think that he won’t?”

She smiled, looking smug, as if she knew something I didn’t, and I locked my hands behind my back, fingering my scar.

“Men who are unsatisfied cheat,” she taunted me. “And from what I hear, you were very unsatisfying.”

And I stared dumbfounded as she pretended to take a dick into her mouth and start gagging.

I barely saw Liam give her a dirty look. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears while her pompous smirk leveled me. She was imitating me. Liam had told her …

No.

The room was too crowded, and I rubbed my upper arms, trying to erase the chill even though embarrassment warmed my cheeks. They just stood there, staring at me, and it was my turn to act, but I locked my mouth shut, searching my blank mental arsenal for what I should do next.

But I had nothing. I was unsatisfying. I was pathetic to him. What was I supposed to do now? What was I supposed to say?

Tate. She would know what to do.

“You couldn’t even give a decent blow job, huh?” Megan baited me.

Say something!

Goose bumps broke out over my arms, I was so cold, and I blinked long and hard. So cold.

But then a rush of heat hit my back, and I gasped, my eyelids fluttering with the sudden warm relief.

“Liam,” Jax’s voice greeted him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and engulfed me in the soothing furnace of his skin.

“Jax,” Liam muttered, his voice unfriendly. I opened my eyes to see his gaze shooting between me and the man behind me, probably wondering what the hell was going on.

Hell if I knew.

Glancing down, I saw Jax’s same beautiful hands and long fingers, smeared with grease, locked in front of my waist. I brought up my hands and clasped his forearms, much thicker than they were last time I’d seen him.

I didn’t know why he did it. All I knew was that I wasn’t hurting right now, and I wasn’t alone and feeling stupid.

He took my movement as an invitation and pulled me closer into his chest.

“How’s it going?” he asked Liam.

“Fine,” Liam answered, still looking between Jax and me suspiciously. “You?” he asked back.

I noticed Megan staring over my head at Jax, the hint of a smile on her lips.

“Fine,” Jax answered in a flat tone. “But your new girlfriend is acting like a bitch, and it’s pissing me off. If she upsets K.C. again, she’s out.”

A breathless laugh escaped my chest, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. Oh, my God!

Megan’s eyes flared, and Liam just stared at Jax, shaking his head as though he wanted to lunge for him.

But he knew better. This was Jax’s house, Jax’s party, and Liam knew if it came to a fight, no one here would be on his side.

Heat spread across my face, and I dropped my eyes, knowing damn well they looked too pleased at what was happening. I wasn’t supposed to like a guy throwing his weight around for me. I shouldn’t want Jax to protect me. I should do this myself. But what the hell?

Liam looked between us and then grabbed Megan’s hand, twisting around and leaving.

As they both disappeared out the front door, Jax dropped his arms slowly, his hands running down my bare arms before his touch disappeared altogether. I couldn’t help feeling disappointment.

I was cold again.

Turning around, I folded my arms over my chest, putting on my game face. And forced down the sudden golf ball lodged in my damn throat.

Shit.

My eyes used to meet his neck, but now I stared at the wall of his chest. His strong-looking pecs and wide shoulders made me feel very, very small. No wonder I’d felt so warm a minute ago. His body would be like a blanket on mine.

And then my stomach flip-flopped, seeing that his nipples were pierced.

Well, that was definitely new.

He sported two barbells, one on each pec, and I suddenly felt as if I were on a roller coaster.

I scowled, wondering why I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I didn’t like nipple piercings, so what the hell?

Then I forced my eyes into a convincing—I hoped—little scowl and finally looked up.

Blue Hell arched an eyebrow at me, and I deflated. Not a damn thing had changed. And yet everything had changed.

While I was away, Jaxon Trent had become a man.

CHAPTER 3

K.C.

Only his hair was the same. Still as dark as black coffee but with a gorgeous shine. His face was still smooth and clean-shaven, but now it was more angular with chiseled cheekbones, a straight, narrow nose, and full, sculpted lips.

And his straight black eyebrows only emphasized the bluest eyes ever born to a human being. You could see those jewels from fifty yards away.

I knew that for a fact.

He was bare-chested, of course, and the cuts and dips of his abs and slim waist were hard to look away from. But I’d look away, scowl, glance back real quickly, and then look away again. His arms were a lot bigger than the last time I’d seen them.

He was huge.

And nineteen.

And a troublemaker.

And scary.

I dug in my eyebrows as deep as I could manage and met his gaze again.

His lips were tilted in a smile. “Don’t worry. I know.” He sighed, cutting me off before I could speak. “You’re an independent woman who can fight her own battles, blah, blah, blah, and et cetera. Just say thank you.”

Oh.

He thought I was mad about the Liam episode. That worked. I arched an angry eyebrow for extra effect, not saying thank you.

He smiled, probably amused by my defiance. “You looking for your cousin?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Come on.” He took my hand.

The car grime on his hand rubbed into mine, and I held him firmly, a smile that I wouldn’t set free tickling the corners of my mouth.

I liked how it felt. Sandy, gritty, alive.

Everything had always been clean for me. Every moment of my life had been manicured, pedicured, and scrubbed. My clothes always matched, my fingernails were always clean, and my biggest decision was whether I should buy the silver ballet flats or the black ones.

Now Jaxon Trent’s dirty hands fused with my sweaty palms, and I wondered how good his dirt would feel everywhere else on my skin.

I glanced around me, noticing people noticing us. Their eyes visibly taking in the sight of Jax holding my hand behind him, at which point a confused look would appear on their faces. A couple of people seemed surprised, and a few others—women, mostly—scrunched up their noses or looked away, annoyed.

I squeezed his hand one last time—hard—because I never wanted to let it go, and then I yanked my hand quickly away. Jax only looked back for a second, probably to make sure I hadn’t run off.

“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled as I followed him through the kitchen. “Isn’t there a maximum capacity in a house like they have for restaurants and elevators?”

Jax ignored me as if I’d asked a rhetorical question. We slithered through the crowd, stepping aside as three young men crashed through the back doorway.

“Shane comes around quite a bit,” he said. “But don’t worry. No one messes with her.”

“Not even you?” I ventured, following him into the backyard.

Please say that you haven’t screwed my cousin. Please, please, please.

He kept walking, turning his head only slightly. “Especially not me.”

I exhaled, trying to keep my cool and my thoughts together. Until I took a look around. The backyard was insane, and I couldn’t help gawking.

“Uh, I …” Was that a Jacuzzi? “I just came to take Shane home. Back to Tate’s, I mean.”

“I figured.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I knew he was nodding. His ponytail rose and fell on his spine. “See?” He turned and gestured through the gate. “She’s fine.”

But I barely registered my cousin sitting in a lawn chair, talking closely with another girl.

“What the hell?” I burst out, my eyes burning from not blinking.

No wonder it felt as if Tate’s house was shaking! The party next door had spilled over into her backyard.

“K.C.!” Shane smiled with eyes full of mischief as she sat cross-legged on the lawn chair. I noticed that she had a Solo cup in her hand, but to be honest, my head was elsewhere now.

The old wooden fence that had separated Jared’s and Tate’s backyards was now gone.

It had been replaced with an awesome-looking wall of aged red bricks, pierced to leave small empty spaces for looking through. Each three-foot section of the brick wall was interrupted by a brick column, a lamppost sitting on top of each one. Where you would have to hop the old dowdy wooden fence before, you could now simply walk through a solid wooden gate to venture into the next backyard. Thus making two spaces into one.

Apparently Jax was using both yards for his party tonight. How had I not noticed the new fence when I got here? And how had I not noticed the party practically on top of me when I was inside Tate’s house working? And how was Jax, who was only nineteen years old, getting all this liquor? And how the hell was he paying for all this stuff!