Page 26 of Roses & Ruin

From across the bar, a loud, raucous voice yells for Charlie and Naomi. Frowning, they turn around, and their eyes light up. Charlie waves.

“You guys wanna go hang out with them? Bianca, I think you’d dig my friend Chris.”

“I’ll go!” Bianca smiles, biting her lip.

We grab our drinks and head over to their enormous group of friends. “Okay, here we go. Right to left.” Naomi gestures to a half circle of five other first-years, every one of them attractive and dressed in trendy clothes. “This is Mack, Theresa, Tati, Crystal, and Chris.”

I squirm, fighting to remember the already-forgotten first two names of the group.

“Don’t worry.” Charlie waves her drink at me. “You don’t have to remember all that.”

The entire group dissolves into conversation and laughter. I give Delia a smile, but she’s giving me a very guilty look.

“Sorry, Rose,” she says. “I’ve been sort of making eyes with the dude with the dangly earring at the very back of the bar. Would you mind if I…?”

I laugh. “Go,” I say sincerely. “If it doesn’t work out, you can come back and buy me a red wine.”

She smiles and brushes a quick kiss across my cheek, then slips away into the crowd. I realize I’m running low on my mojito, so I tell the girls I need a refill and head to the bar. The place is packed now, bodies pressing around me, and I’m waving my hands at the bartender, trying to get his attention, with no luck.

And that’s when I see him. On the other side of the bar. A flash of perfection: sharp cheekbones, tousled dark hair, piercing amethyst eyes.

Hayden.

Chapter 9

He’s in a sleek leather jacket, leaning against the bar top. My body goes numb. God, he’s so tall. And his fingers are so long, and he’s—

He’s not alone. A gorgeous girl with a sleek ponytail and lotus leaves tattooed on her bare shoulders presses into his side, gazing up at him, her shiny lips parted. Hayden’s smirking down at her.

Why does it feel like someone’s just punched my solar plexus?

“What can I get you, sweetheart?”

Oh, thank god the bartender’s back. I could really use a drink.

“Get me the drink with the most alcohol,” I demand.

Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see Hayden’s head twitch in my direction. But when I chance a look his way, he’s making eyes at stupid, perfect Lotus Leaves.

The bartender plops down an icy glass of Coke-colored liquid in front of me. There’s a slice of lemon on the rim.

“Long Island iced tea,” he says.

“Perfect,” I say, grabbing the drink. “I love sweet tea.” I suck a huge gulp from the straw. It’s disgustingly strong, and it takes everything in me not to spit it back out.

I don’t mean to, but I look Hayden’s way. I’m shocked to find that he’s already looking at me with the strangest expression on his face. Of course, as soon as my eyes find his, he turns back to his beautiful date. She leans up to whisper something in his ear, and he laughs, a deep, velvety rumble that finds me across the bar.

I don’t care how disgusting this drink is. I forgo the straw and take a long, deep gulp of my Long Island iced tea. By the time I’m slamming the glass back down on the bar, my head feels bubbly. The lights are fuzzy and pink, and when I let out a breath, it feels like some of the painful clenching in my chest leaves too.

I know it’s a bad idea, but I glance Hayden’s way.

He’s gone. So is Lotus Leaves. I swallow hard. There’s only one reason for two hot people to sneak away together. They’re off somewhere putting their hands on each other, their mouths on each other. Not that I care.

I reach for my drink again, but I’ve set it too close to the edge of the bar, and I accidentally knock it to the floor. The glass shatters, Long Island iced tea splattering in a big, sharp puddle.

“Oh, come on,” I groan, sliding to the ground on my knees. Delia’s dress is too short for this operation, but I don’t care. No one’s looking at me anyway. I reach for the biggest piece of broken glass first.

Strong fingers clasp my wrist, stopping me. I look up to find Hayden’s eyes blazing a fiery blue. It sends a wave of heat up my bare arms and neck, down through my stomach and hips. His gaze drops to my mouth for half a second before his eyes narrow, snapping up to mine.