Jules, the Bounty Hunter

  For once I didn’t have a smart ass comment. The two of them together in front of me sent my throat closing up. Just as I wanted to bolt out the door, Wyatt’s hand appeared on my lower back. “Hey babe, aren’t you going to introduce me?” he asked.

  Jackson stared at Wyatt like he was some alien life form before finally glancing over at me. “I didn’t know you brought someone.”

  When I still remained speechless, Wyatt thrust out his hand for Jackson. “I’m Wyatt. Great party by the way.”

  Jackson eyed Wyatt’s hand warily hand before shaking it. “Thanks. Glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  His eyes widened when Wyatt slid his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “Come on, babe. Let’s go dance.”

  I made a mental note that when I could actually process thoughts again, I would smack the shit out of Wyatt for using the loathsome “babe”. But at this moment, I couldn’t do anything but let him drag me along. When we were out of sight of Bryn and Jackson, I made a beeline back to the kitchen. I grabbed up the first cup I came across and downed it. Rum once again burned a warm trail down my throat. It was when a stabbing pain criss-crossed through my forehead that I realized chugging a frozen margarita was probably not a good idea.

  “Julesy, are you insane?” Wyatt asked behind me as the top of my head continued to feel like it would rocket off.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and moaned. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a Goody Two Shoes drinking dumbass. I get it!”

  Wyatt’s hands started massaging my shoulders. “Easy now. That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

  When the jabbing knife pain stopped, I glanced up at him. “I’m such an idiot. Here I thought he was really inviting me when all along Bryn was here.” I snatched up a foamy beer and swigged some. “God, that tastes like horse piss!”

  Wyatt took the cup away from me. “I don’t think you need to drink anymore.”

  “Oh really? And did you see the douchebag way he treated you? Looking at your hand the way he did.” I reached up on tip-toes for the beer, but Wyatt still held it away from me. “I never thought Jackson was a snob. An asshole who leads girls on, sure, but a snob, never!”

  “Jules, he looked at my hand the way he did because it had just been on you, and he didn’t like it! Do you really think he cares that Bryn came back? Hell no. He only cares about the fact you’re here with some dude who doesn’t deserve you.” Wyatt then downed the rest of the beer I had been drinking.

  Through the windows, I saw Jackson outside with some of his friends. Following my gaze, Wyatt said, “Come on.” He took my arm and dragged me across the kitchen and out the back door. We pounded down the stairs and started out into the yard. Wyatt led me out into the circle where the others were dancing. “I really don’t—” I started to protest before he jerked me against him.

  His breath was warm against my ear. “Use me, Jules.”

  My head snapped back like a rubber band as I stared at him. “What?”

  With his jaw clenching and unclenching, Wyatt said, “Do whatever you have to do to make Jackson jealous. If it’s to get information to nail his dad or if it’s just to nail him, I don’t care. Just do what you have to do.”

  The outrageous dose of tequila I’d just consumed was spreading through my veins and fortifying the courage I would otherwise never have had to take him up on his offer. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jackson had a prime view of us. It was now or never.

  So I didn’t respond verbally—instead, I let my body do the talking. I threw my arms around Wyatt’s neck and twisted my body to the manic rhythm pounding out of the speakers. I pushed the thoughts of cops busting up the party or how ridiculous I looked dancing completely out of my mind, and instead, I focused on the beat of the music and the gyrations of my body.

  Wyatt reached out and grabbed my hips, grinding them against his own. His fingertips scorched against my skin through my dress, and I almost gasped at how good his hands felt on me. Our motions were as frantic and as crazy as the song. It was amazing what a little alcohol could do to your inhibitions. Even in my hazy mental state, I made a note to never, ever drink again.

  I dared to look over at Jackson. He no longer talked to his friends. Instead, he stood frozen, staring at Wyatt and me. His face was a mixture of disbelief and anger. When the song started winding down, Wyatt’s voice panted against my cheek. “You wanna give him a real photo finish?”

  From the way his lips were inching towards mine, I knew the finish entailed a kiss. As the silver of his tongue ring gleamed enticingly at me, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’d only kissed one other guy in my life---my asshat ex, Ryan. Plus kissing Wyatt to make Jackson jealous would be too much like totally prostituting myself. More than anything, I wanted Wyatt to kiss me because he really wanted to. My stomach twisted and made me slowly turn my head.

  “I’ve got to go the bathroom,” I mumbled before spinning around and sprinting into the house.

  I didn’t stop until I had locked myself into the half bath downstairs. Splashing cold water on my face, I tried processing what had just happened. My mind spun like a Merry Go Round on crack as I still reeled from the way Wyatt’s body felt against mine, the way he smelled, the way his hair fell across his face when he was dancing. Was it really just the alcohol or was I totally drunk on him?

  I shook my head at myself in the mirror. “Would you get a grip?”

  A bang at the door made me jump. “Hey, what’s taking you so long in there? I gotta go!” someone shouted on the other side.

  That was just the reality jolt I needed. Forget focusing on Jackson or Wyatt. I needed to focus on Emmett Marshall, and that entailed snooping.

  When I opened the door, an irate looking girl glared at me. “About freakin’ time!” she snapped before pushing past me.

  I made my way past the partygoers and then down the long hallway. Jackson’s house was smaller than Mom’s, but it had a somewhat similar floor plan. I imagined somewhere downstairs there was an office and or study that might hold some important documents about Emmett’s whereabouts.

  Past the sitting room, I found a closed door. I jiggled the doorknob, and mouthed a silent YES! that it was unlocked. I pushed on inside. A flowery smell invaded my nostrils, and I knew Lynette had some serious potpourri going on.

  I headed over to the mahogany desk in the middle of the room. Lynette wasn’t as OCD as Mom, so there were papers strewn all over the place. Feeling extremely nosy, I flipped through her datebook. There was no mention of Emmett.

  At the sound of footsteps outside the door, I froze. I threw a panic stricken look around the room for somewhere to hide. Besides the desk, there was only the leather couch and two leather chairs. Then the floor to ceiling drapes drew my attention. The thought of hiding behind them gave me a flashback to Ms. Blair’s English class and reading Hamlet. Since I didn’t feel like playing Polonius tonight, I drew back my shoulders and stood my ground.

  The door swung open to reveal a highly inebriated friend of Jackson’s. He blinked a couple of times like he was trying to decide if I was real or just a drunken hallucination. When he finally decided I was real, a smile curved on his lips. “Well, hello there.”

  “Hi,” I said, moving out from behind the desk.

  “Did you think this was one of the bedrooms, too?”

  “Not exactly.”

  He pointed his finger at me. “Hey, I know you. Jackson was telling me about you. You’re Bryn’s cousin from Vegas.”

  “Texas,” I corrected.

  “That’s right.” His gaze trailed down me, and he licked his lips. “Hello, Tex-ass.”

  Great, just what I needed tonight. A drunken douchebag who thought he was a major player.

  “I’m Austin.”

  I glanced behind him at the half-open door. I started inching towards it. “And you already know I’m Jules.”

  He lurched over to me, blocking the door. “Hey now, no need to run outta here just yet. We’re just getti
ng to know each other, Tex-ass.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” I replied, moving past him.

  Before I could anticipate him, he snatched my arm and molded me against him. He became a one man octopus; his hands seemed to be everywhere. When one hand latched onto my butt, I got pretty pissed off.

  As Austin leaned over to kiss me, I spun around, bringing my elbow hard into his gut. While my arm was still in his abdomen, I brought the back of my fist hard into his nose. He fell onto his back. “I said, I think I’ll pass,” I shouted, standing over him.

  Moaning, he rolled into a fetal position. Blood seeped out of his nose onto the hardwood floor. The office door burst open, and some of the partygoers came spilling inside. “Damn,” a guy muttered, as he glanced between me and Austin.

  As I backed up, the full enormity of what just happened crashed down on me. Oh man, I had just taken out Jackson’s friend. This was bad. So very, very bad.

  I knew I needed to get out of there ASAP. I pushed past the crowd, trying desperately to get out into the hallway.

  “Dude, that chick totally took out Austin!” someone said as I passed them by.

  “Seriously, don’t mess with Texas,” another replied.

  I had to find Jackson so I could explain what had happened with Austin. “Hey, have you seen Jackson?” I asked the first person I found.

  “Last time I saw him he had a bottle of Cuervo Gold and was headed outside,” the guy said.

  “Wait, what?”

  The girl next to him widened her eyes. “You didn’t hear what happened?”

  I gulped. “With Austin?”

  “Huh?” She shook her head. “Jackson caught Bryn dancing with another guy.”

  Another girl lurched forward, spilling a little of her beer on my toes. “No, no, no. He caught her screwing another guy!”

  Oh shit. This was bad. Very, very bad. “Which way was he going?”

  “Out the side door. He’s probably hiding out in the pool-house.”

  “Thanks,” I called over my shoulder. I made my way outside, and then across the yard. The pool-house was as silent and dark as a tomb. I slid open the glass door and peered inside. I could barely see two feet in front of me. If it hadn’t been for the party lights, I would have had to use my cell-phone as a flashlight. “Jackson?” I called, my voice echoing off the walls. “Jackson, are you in here?”

  A moan came from a chaise lounge in the corner. My arm felt blindly along the wall for a switch. Finally, I found one, and the room filled with light.

  Jackson sat hunched over on one side of the chaise. Beside him, the half emptied bottle of Cuervo swayed precariously close to the chair edge. I hurried over to him. “Are you all right?”

  His glassy green eyes stared up at me. “Hey, Jules, I’m just peachy. How bout’ you?”

  I sat down on the chair across from him. “No offense, but you don’t look too peachy.”

  “That’s cuz I’m drunk.” He thrust the bottle of Cuervo over to me. “Want some?”

  “Um, no thanks.”

  “Good, cuz I think I need a little more.” After taking a long swig, he shook his head. “She cheated on me, Jules. After everythin’ we’d been through and tryin’ to make it work and me puttin’ up with all her shit, she goes and cheats on me.”

  The expression on his face broke my heart. Any girl in the world, including myself, would have killed to have had a guy as sweet and caring and incredibly hot as Jackson. But Bryn was such an epic bitch that she couldn’t even appreciate what she had. At that moment I knew if I could’ve gotten to her, I would have punched her perfect face in. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Pitching forward, he gestured wildly. “And she made me look like such a tool by cheating on me in front of everybody. That’s why I had to break up with her.”

  Oh shit. “You did?”

  He bobbed his head emphatically. “Then I really got her by telling her I liked someone else.”

  My heartbeat accelerated in my chest. “Y-You do?”

  His eyes met mine. “Yeah, I do.” He leaned over to where our faces were almost touching. Then he lurched over and fell face forward on the tile floor. The smack echoed around the room.

  “Jackson!” I squatted down beside him and pulled his head over to my lap. Blood trickled down his forehead. At his snores, I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. He’d completely and totally passed out.

  My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug it out and saw it was Wyatt. “Hey, where are you?”

  “Looking for you,” he replied.

  “Come out back. I’m in the pool house.”

  “Good. We need somewhere to hide out cause the cops just got here and everyone’s scattering.”

  “Fabulous.”

  A few minutes later Wyatt appeared in the doorway. “Jesus, what happened to him?” he asked, motioning to Jackson’s crumpled form.

  “He drank a bottle of Cuervo Gold after finding out Bryn was having sex with another guy.”

  “We weren’t having sex.”

  Every molecule in my body jolted to a stop. Wyatt had been with Bryn. Wyatt liked Bryn. Everything with a zipper liked Bryn…over me.

  I leapt to my feet, leaving Jackson on the floor. “Excuse me?” I demanded, in a strangled voice.

  Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Wyatt said, “I swear it was only a kiss. Not even tongue.”

  “Are you telling me that it was you with Bryn?”

  “Yeah, after you bailed on me, I figured you needed some alone time with Jackson. So I just asked her to dance as a distraction. I didn’t realize how drunk she was until she kissed me. But then when she touched my junk, I totally pulled away.” He glanced over at Jackson and shrugged. “I guess he must’ve seen us.”

  “How about half of the party saw what happened, you dumbass!” I shook my head. It was part out of disbelief and part that I wanted to shake out the mental image that had been seared into my mind of the two of them dry humping on the dance floor. “I can’t believe this. I can’t freakin’ believe this!”

  Wyatt narrowed his dark eyes at me. “What can’t you believe? That someone like Bryn would want to be with a loser like me when she had a stud like Jackson?”

  “No, I—”

  “Look, I get it. I’m not rich or charming and I don’t have a trust fund or parents with a beach house. And I’m not the hot guy that every girl throws her underwear at. But you know what? Some girls actually want to be with me, not just as a pretend boyfriend or bounty hunting sidekick!”

  His expression might’ve been dark with anger, but there was hurt in his eyes. It was the hurt that caused something deep within me to shift. And I saw things clearly maybe for the first time in a long time.

  Without really stopping to question the feeling or what the hell I was doing, I just reacted. I grabbed Wyatt by the shirt and jerked him to me. His eyes widened a little, like he was expecting me to deck him or something. But before he could say anything and totally ruin the moment, I crushed my lips to his.

  They were warm and soft and tasted sugary sweet. He must’ve been drinking a daiquiri along with dancing with Bryn. And maybe he was drunk because he didn’t stop me or protest. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing me against him. I jumped when I felt his tongue ring moving against my lips, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I just kept right on kissing him and enjoying the dizzying feeling crashing over me. I brought my arms around his neck, so I could run my fingers through his hair—the same hair that didn’t seem so shaggy or unkempt anymore. It felt silky to the touch.

  Releasing my lips, Wyatt kissed along my jaw line. He tipped my head back and kissed down my neck. When the stud in his tongue scrapped along my skin, I shivered and pressed myself tighter against him. “Jules, you drive me crazy,” Wyatt murmured against my ear.

  “You drive me crazy, too,” I panted.

  His breath scorched against my neck. “Not that kind of crazy. I mean, crazy when you…like someone.”

  ?
??I know.” I drew in a deep breath. “That’s what I meant, too.”

  He pulled his head up to stare into my eyes. At the pleased grin on his lips, I shook my head. “If you make some smart ass comment right now, I swear I will smack the crap out of you.”

  A deep laugh rolled through his chest. “Besides the fact that I’m stoked as hell that you like me too, I was thinking more about how what you just did—kissing me like that—was so incredibly hot and sexy.” He pushed my hair back away from my face. “You’ve come a long way, Julesy.”

  “I guess you’re waiting for me to say I must’ve had a good teacher, right?”

  Wyatt grinned. “Nah, you can’t beat natural instinct like that.”

  “Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have been so stupid to not get why I was pissed about you and Bryn.” I shuddered. “I’m still not thrilled that you kissed her.”

  “Dammit, she kissed me. How many times do I have to say it?”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “Besides, her lips ain’t got nothing on yours, Julesy.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  I fought the cocky grin that wanted to spread across my face. Instead, I leaned over and kissed Wyatt again. Just as we were getting hot and heavy, Jackson groaning at our feet brought me back to reality. I pulled away from Wyatt. “Um, I need to check on him,” I replied, motioning to Jackson.

  Wyatt moaned in frustration. “Man, this dude continues to be an epic cockblocker tonight!”

  I swatted his arm. “Oh shut up, and help me get him inside.”

  We both bent over. Wedging Jackson between us, we each took an arm and put it over our shoulder. “Ready?” Wyatt asked.

  “Yeah,” I replied

  Grunting, we rose to our feet, pulling Jackson up with us. His head lolled to one side, and he glanced up at Wyatt. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Trying to get your drunk ass in the house.”