13. Chapter 13

Jade

Dmitri nods in response and my stomach flutters. I want so badly to talk his ear off, to ask a million questions, but time is close to running out.

"You'll help me then?" I ask, chewing on my lip. "We don't have much time?"

A small hum tells me he understands. "How do you want me?"

My mouth waters at the sound of his voice. There are so many ways I want him. Fuck, think about the game!

"Um, how do you feel about taking your shirt off?"

Smooth as can be, he lifts an eyebrow and sheds his shirt with one hand. The fabric glides off of him with no issue, and my eyes widen. Rippled muscles decorate his torso, along with several jagged scars ranging in size. Is it wrong that I want to trace them with my tongue?

He smirks at me, recognizing the desire in my eyes no doubt. "Time," the mystery man reminds me, tapping his watch.

"Right!" I bristle. "Thank you. I have an idea, do you care if I write on you? It's just lipstick, totally washable."

"Okay," he says simply.

He has an accent that I can't quite place, but I assume it has to do with him being Russian. English must be his second language, and I'm curious to know if that's why he's more on the quiet side. I'm curious about everything to do with him if I'm being honest.

With little time to spare, I shake out my hair, rustling my blowout so it's a bit mused. Using the same shade of red on my lips, I carefully begin to pen on his chest.

The red letters are creamy and fluid. Perfection.

Unbuttoning a few of my blouse buttons, I perk up my cleavage and peak up, finding his eyes blazing down on me.

"And in three, two, one… pose!"

"Loom over me and put a hand in my hair," I tell him quickly, scrambling to my knees at his feet. "You can't touch my skin but they said nothing about hair."

He complies, threading a hand into my brown locks behind my neck. His thumb drags along the skin of my nape before lifting off. A secretly shared touch—hopefully one of many to come.

Whispers float around us as party-goers observe the posed couples. I look up at my mystery man and drown out the noise around us. In my writing, his chest reads one simple word.

Mine.

I want that word to be true so badly, but I'll take it even as a lie. Right now, when it's just us, he is mine, and I want everyone to know it. He offered to do this with me, and god, I want to kiss him for it. He made me look perfect with so little work.

We remain still as the judges and Clara find us, already having seen her pose at the five-minute mark. I didn't have time to see it myself, so I have no clue what I'm competing with, but given the shock on her face, I assume I did pretty well.

"Fuckin' hell," Cole says, observing the pair of us from the side.

Without so much as a visible muscle twitching, Dmitri's hand tightens in my hair. With that, my eyes get drawn back to him, and my thighs clench closer together when I get a look at him. His heated gaze says what he can't loud and clear.

Eyes on me.

"You can drop the pose now," Javier tells us, and I release a long breath.

Dmitri offers me his hand, helping me climb to my feet. The simple contact lights me up, and my heart begins to race. I don't want to let his hand go, drawing out the release of the touch. Our fingers brush until they part, and we both turn to the guys.

The music is turned down low while the judges deliberate silently, and the room feels like it's buzzing. I have the stronger urge to tuck myself into Dmitri's side and hide my face. The anticipation is eating at me, and it's barely begun.

"So?" Gabbie asks, sipping on something from a red plastic cup. "Who wins?"

The guys all share a look. I swear they take longer just to build suspense.

"By a unanimous vote," Colton begins to announce, drawing out his words to tease the crowd. "The new girl has it."

I blink, hoping I haven't misheard.

The group around us cheers, apparently agreeing with the decision.

Holy shit, I won!

I gasp, looking up at Dmitri with an excited smile. My lips remain parted, breath stalling in my lungs as I find him already looking at me. His eyes are warm and admiring, so much so that I want to rub my own and look again just to be sure I'm seeing clearly. He could lean down right now and I'd fully expect his lips to touch mine.

We hold onto the moment, not saying a word.

Our moment is just that, a moment.

"Seriously?" Clara screeches with outrage. "Her? She just put lipstick on him and got on her knees, not very creative!"

"Does it need to be creative if it's seriously fucking hot?" Cole Knight drawls, clearly bored with her complaining.

"He touched her," she argues, stomping her foot. "A-and she was practically blowing him!"

I wish.

"Not her skin," Colton chimes. "No rules against a fist full of hair and or making sex eyes at his dick."

Gabbie cackles, clearly very pleased with the results of this encounter. "How's it feel being beaten out by Miss Innocence?" she asks, using Clara's earlier intended insult toward me back against her.

Clara fumes, the angry girl letting out a high-pitched groan. "Javi?" she tries, grabbing his attention. "What do you think?"

"Dmitri and whats-her-name win," he says, waving her off.

"My name is Jade," I toss in, unwilling to be called whats-her-name for a whole semester.

Javi gives me a glance. "Why should I care?"

"The Guards and The Outfit are good friends," I state, taking the challenge and meeting his eye. "I know you already knew my name, Javier."

A beat passes before his lips lift. "I like this one." He moves to leave but gives me one last look before he goes. "See you around, friend."

"Fuck this stupid game, and fuck this party," Clara growls, spinning on her heels and storming away in a pissed-off rage. I have a feeling this isn't the last I'm going to hear of her. The thought is not something to look forward to.

Everyone seems to go back to their own business, but Colton doesn't leave. Instead, he gives Dmitri an assessing look. His eyes pass between the two of us, and he tilts his head to the side.

Seeming to approve of whatever he finds, he gives Dmitri a nod. "I'd get her back to her room soon if I were you. Armani should be done with his stuff in like twenty minutes. It doesn't take long when all of them are working together."

My eyes widen. "You think they'll be done that soon?"

"Wouldn't put it past him," Colton confirms. "I know he doesn't love the thought of you alone in your room. He definitely wouldn't love knowing you came tonight."

I touch my face, hiding behind my hands. "Oh god."

"Don't worry too much," the charming cowboy says. "I got you covered. Any rumors about you being here tonight will be taken care of."

"Why would you do that?"

"Between you and me," he starts, leaning in to hide his voice from prying ears. "This is me trying to make a good impression on my future sister-in-law."

My jaw drops open. Did he just…

No way.

"What? Who?—"

"No time to gossip, girl," he cuts in, grinning. "Dmitri will get you to your building safely. Won't you, Dmitri?"

"He can't, actually," a light, manly voice interrupts. "Business to attend to that he's about to be late for."

Dmitri sends a warning look to his brother, and the pair start speaking back and forth in Russian. Their words are sharp but quiet, keeping their conversation mildly private. I'm sure there are other people here who speak their language. Handsome as he is, Dmitri doesn't look happy the more he speaks and eventually sighs.

"My brother will take you," he tells me firmly. "I will walk you both out."

"It's really not a far walk, I can just?—"

"Let him take you," Colton encourages. "Short walk or not, there's a bunch of intoxicated people out and about tonight. Having an escort is best."

"Right," I say, reluctantly agreeing with him. It's not that I don't want Dmitri or his brother to walk me back, it's that I don't want them to feel obligated to.

The three of us exit together, Dmitri reluctantly leaving us with a quick goodbye. There's definitely something he needs to deal with because he runs in the direction of whatever it is, rather than walking.

Even though we're in a hurry, we pause while crickets sing and the air chills around us. Luckily, the silence melts away quickly.

"I'm Ivan," he introduces himself. "Nice to meet you."

Blushing, I offer a smile. "You too."

"Do you feel safe with me walking you back? If not, I can grab Dustin too," he offers. "He'd take the opportunity to leave early, believe me."

"No, that's okay," I rush out. "I trust you." He smiles, and I let out a breath. "Um, my room is just up there," I say awkwardly, pointing to the building just ahead.

"Got it." He nods, and we begin our short trip. "So, you and my brother, huh?"

"I hope," I admit.

Ivan bobs his head, leading me further away from the party. "No hope needed, Jade. Just keep showing up. Dmitri is cautious, but I can tell he likes you."

My face burns. "You can?"

"Oh yeah," he confirms. "He'd never have volunteered for the game if he didn't."

Well, that's great news!

Hell yeah, talk about a successful night.

Ivan is really sweet, getting me into the building and waiting below my window for me to give him a thumbs up that I'm safe and in the clear. Only then does he make his way back to the party house.

Rushing to change and remove any lingering smell of smoke or alcohol from my skin and clothes, I hop into the shower. I can't take long, scrubbing fast and keeping the water hot. I put my dirty clothes under my used towel in the laundry basket and get into clothes for sleeping.

Tying my wet hair up in a spare T-shirt, I slip my feet into some loafers and leave my room, locking it behind me. Using my key to the boy's place, I let myself in and lock the door behind me. I find Matteo's bed immediately, knowing it's the messy one with mismatched blankets and pillows. His little sound machine is on his side table, and I flick it onto the rain setting.

The soothing nature music helps calm my heart rate, and I let out a sigh. Climbing into Matteo's bed, cozy in my pajamas, I snuggle deep under the covers. It doesn't take long before I hear keys jingling and the bed dips beside me.

"I'm so tired, you have no idea," Matteo groans, rolling onto his back. "Armani worked me to death."

My fingers press against the side of his neck. "Nope, not dead, your heart's still beating."

"Damn," he mutters. "I guess I'm just asleep then."

I laugh to myself.

Well, he's about to be.