Forever Golden: Dark High School Bully Romance (Kings of Cypress Prep Book 3) by Rachel Jonas (books like beach read txt) 📗

take a deep breath to avoid gushing about him like I really want to. “I don’t know he’s just—”

“Amazing? Thoughtful? Sexy as hell?” she interjects.

I smile even bigger now. “All those things and then some.”

She lets out a silent squeal and pushes me deeper into the kitchen after making sure no one else had come in.

“This is the first time I’ve been around you two since you made things official, and OH MY GOD!”

She whispers that last part, fanning herself like she’s going to die of a heat stroke.

“Shut up,” I say with a laugh.

“You two are so hot together! And it’s only been like five minutes! Has he said the ‘L’ word yet?”

I pause simply because I know the wait will drive her crazy.

“Blue!”

“He said it a little over a week ago,” I admit.

“Ah! I bet it was perfect! Tell me all about it!”

“Later.”

“And I want all the details,” she insists. “Gah! I wish I could’ve convinced my parents to let me go down south with you guys. Just so I can drool over you two drooling over each other.”

But before I can say I wish she’d gotten a ‘yes’ from her parents too, a tall messy-haired guy darkens the doorway—both hands tucked in the pockets of faded jeans. West slinks into the room like he knows we were talking about him. Chances are he heard Jules’s big mouth.

“Need some help?” he offers.

Jules shoots me a look and quickly speaks up. “Actually, you two can cover this. I’ll go join the party.”

Her brows bounce at me before she exits, leaving West and I alone.

“I’ll pour. Mind opening the pack of plates and napkins?”

“Whatever you need,” he answers.

My teeth sink into my lip when I can’t help but check him out. The mere thought of him sends my temp soaring.

In my peripheral, I watch as he does what I asked. Then, when he’s finished, his massive body emits heat like a furnace as he approaches from behind. Still pouring, my eyes flit to where both his hands come to rest at either side of me now, sandwiching me between his body and the counter. I feel his breath on my neck and, right away, I’m flashing back to the quickie we snuck in the other night.

“So, I was thinking. We’ve hung out, you’ve been to my games… we’ve fucked,” he adds with an amused rasp, “but we’ve never been on an actual date. What do you say we change that?”

I feel flush all of a sudden, which is strange considering how much less intimate a date is in comparison to the other things we’ve done.

“Blue Riley, more affectionately known as Southside,” he teases, “would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Snow Ball next weekend?”

I was with him right up until he mentioned the dance—all the hoopla, all the people.

“She accepts,” Scar beams.

Apparently, she’d been spying from the doorway. I could only hope she missed some of the conversation, but…

“I know everyone looks at me like I’m some toddler or whatever, but I’m putting my foot down,” she asserts. “Blue will be going to that dance if I have to chloroform her and send her out the door in a bathrobe.”

Despite still being on the fence about this, I smile, remembering something she said. About needing me to be okay so she can be okay. Maybe this—seeing me behave like a normal eighteen year-old for once—is part of that.

Glancing back over my shoulder and into West’s eyes, I respond to his request. “I accept.”

He lays a very PG-rated kiss on me and leans away.

“Good. Otherwise, I was gonna take Scar up on her offer,” he teases.

He heads to the living room with the first round of drinks, and I hear the door open. I get there just as Dane and Joss are being let in and she’s obviously been crying—red-rimmed eyes, flushed cheeks. Our eyes lock for a moment and she forces a tight smile, but she’s definitely not okay.

Dane’s at her side like the loyal friend I’ve seen him be to her, but whatever family drama she has going on looks heavy. Still, she seems determined not to let it ruin her night, and I can definitely relate to that.

If she needs tips on how to fake being okay, I’m her girl.

Between pizza, chips, and cake, I think we all ate more than we probably should’ve. Hence the reason we each struggled to keep our eyes open through the second movie. Things livened up, though, when it came time for Scar to open presents—the phone case I promised, a sweater from Jules, earrings from Joss, and a $300 gift card from the triplets for new video games to go with her system.

All in all, it was a great night thanks to the help of these five.

“I’m gonna catch a ride home with Ruiz,” Jules announces, peeling herself off the couch when a horn honks once outside. She and Shane both get to their feet and I stand to walk them to the door.

As soon as she’s in her boots, I squeeze her tight. “Thank you so much. I would’ve passed out halfway through the cleaning if it weren’t for you.”

She squeezes back. “Anything for you, BJ. Always.”

I let go so she can shrug into her coat, then watch as she and Shane take careful steps down the icy porch and sidewalk.

“We should take off, too,” West announces. “Joss can’t be out all night.”

I glance at her when her name’s mentioned. She doesn’t look as broken as when she first walked in, but I still see it—the sadness, the disappointment.

“Call you when I make it in.” West’s words are muffled against my neck when he draws me close.

“Don’t forget.”

My collarbone tingles when he kisses me there. “Like I’d ever fucking forget you.”

With Scar completely engaged in conversation with his brothers, he kisses me deep this time, squeezing my ass tight with both hands, making me wish we were alone, and he didn’t have anywhere he