Chemistry Lesson

 

“Morning, loves,” Liam said cheerily when Jessica and I made our way into the living room the next morning. “What mischief do you two have planned for today?”

“Mischief!” I exclaimed with exaggerated disbelief. “You must have us confused with someone else.” I gestured between me and Jess. “We’re angels.”

“Is that right?” Liam asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder while staring at the top of my head. “And what happened to your halo?”

“I loaned it to Theo; his is at the cleaners.”

Knox appeared from one of the bedrooms and grunted. “If Theo’s an angel, I’m Justin Bieber.” He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, his blond locks falling over his forehead and into his eyes. His usual scruff was almost long enough to be considered a beard, somehow drawing my attention to his mouth more than ever. His sweats hung low, and when he stretched to reach a coffee mug from the cabinet, I got a tantalizing glimpse of the skin below his belly button. If he’s Justin Bieber, I’m officially a Belieber.

“Holy hell,” Jess said under her breath.

“Tell me about it,” I muttered back, unable to stop my ogling.

“I can’t believe you get to wake up to that every morning,” she said in awe.

“You should see him mid-workout.”

Liam, his arm still balanced on my shoulder, chuckled quietly. “You are my kind of angel, gorgeous,” he said with his most charming smile before heading to his room. “Be right back.”

I should have been embarrassed that Liam was listening to our whispered comments, but for some reason I wasn’t. If he had been one of the other guys, it would have been a different story. But, Liam’s obvious amusement at our totally unapologetic perusal of Knox just made me smile. Knowing Liam, he was most likely proud.

“Long night?” I asked Knox while Jess grabbed a cup of coffee.

“Yes,” he groaned. “It didn’t help that Theo dragged in early this morning and started his tossing and turning and kicking routine.” The team had been hired as private security for some uber-wealthy client who was in Vegas for the weekend, and they were working in shifts, which meant crazy hours for some of them.

“You didn’t set up your famous wall of separation?” I asked, referring to his offer to create a pillow barrier between us when we’d shared a bed in San Francisco.

“I should have.” Knox ran a hand through his hair, finally pushing it out of his face. “Of course, I didn’t need it when sleeping with you,” he added with a roguish grin.

Jess choked on her coffee, and I bit my lip, having almost forgotten that she was standing a mere foot away. Knowing she would have a field day with that remark, I was relieved when Liam re-entered the room and Knox excused himself.

“Are you ready for your surprise, ladies?” he asked, handing over a small, rectangular box wrapped in shiny blue paper.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll find out if you open it.”

“Okay . . .”

When I didn’t immediately rip into the paper, Jess grabbed it from my hands. “Oh, just give it to me.” She unwrapped the gift and shrieked at what she found. “Two tickets to ‘O’—the Cirque du Soleil show I’ve been dying to see!” Jess gave Liam a side hug and kissed him on the cheek. I gaped at them both, stunned by the gift and Jess’s easy affection with my Liam . . . um, Liam.

His smile was playful. “Jessica sure knows how to show appreciation, don’t you agree, Haley?” He tapped his cheek and watched me expectantly.

Suddenly overcome with the irrational need to show Jess up, I stepped in close to Liam and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in tight. Inching my head back enough to look up into his slate-colored eyes, I said, “Thank you, Liam,” and kissed his cheek dangerously close to his mouth.

When I started to remove my arms from his neck, he caught my hands and held them in place. His usual lighthearted expression had become downright fiery, and I found myself unable to look away, my pulse throbbing almost uncomfortably. “If that’s the thanks I get for a simple ticket, may I please buy you a car? Or perhaps a house? I believe the penthouse next to mine is on the market.” Although I knew he had to be teasing, his tone was utterly sincere, making me more than a little apprehensive. “Or you could move in with me,” he murmured just loud enough for me to hear.

“Penthouse?” I heard Jess say from behind me, finally snapping me out of my Liam-induced trance.

I let out a nervous laugh, avoiding Jess’s wide-eyed stare. “Yes, Sir Liam lives in an amazing penthouse.” I couldn’t believe I’d flirted with Knox and Liam right in front of her. What had gotten into me?

“Well, I hate to hug and run, but I have to get to work. Have fun at the show,” Liam said with a wink before leaving the suite.

“Come on, it’s time for sightseeing,” I told Jess as I grabbed my crossbody and tossed my cell inside the zipper section.

“Not until you explain to me what the hell I just witnessed.”

I rolled my eyes at her like she was being ridiculous. “Nothing,” I said, pulling her out of the suite and dragging her toward the elevator.

Jess eyed me warily. “What was the name of my childhood dog?”

“Huh?” I asked, taken aback by the unexpected change in topic.

“Answer the question,” she said rather forcefully.

“Goldilocks,” I replied slowly, concerned that she was losing her mind.

“The name of the first boy I kissed?”

“Jake Pearce. In second grade. On the playground, next to the monkey bars.”

“My favorite Hemsworth?”

I scoffed. “Chris, obviously.”

“That one’s too easy,” she said with a frown. “He’s everyone’s favorite.”

“Is there a point to these insane questions?”

“Yes, I had to make sure that your body hasn’t been taken over by an alien parasite like in The Host.”

Laughing, I said, “I can assure you that it has not.”

“Can you? Because the Haley that I’ve been best friends with for years lacked the confidence to do and say . . . any of that.” She waved a hand through the air, gesturing wildly. After studying me for a few more moments, her smile turned delighted. “I freaking love this new, feisty Haley.”

Having survived Jess’s grilling, we emerged in the lobby, ready for sightseeing. While we couldn’t linger on the casino floors due to our under-twenty-one status, Jess suggested we at least wander through a few of the mega-hotels and check out the shops, restaurants, and other sights. Even this early in the day, a number of people milled around the walkways, and it seemed like Vegas was always humming with activity.

Walking through The Venetian felt like a mind trick, from the stone floors to the ceilings mimicking the sky. The shop and restaurant facades elaborately imitated Italian-style buildings, and the canal running throughout offered gondola rides, making me long to visit Europe.

Jess was convinced the Bellagio would be my favorite, and once we entered the lobby, I understood why. Oversized glass flowers protruded from the ceiling in a rainbow of colors and a mosaic tile floor lined the walkway of the conservatory garden space, where lush and colorful plants were all designed to fit the current theme. When we reached the chocolate fountain—the largest of its kind in the world—I gawked in appreciation. Multiple streams of white, dark, and milk chocolate flowed down from above the ceiling, pouring from one glass platform to another. We purchased a variety of treats from the store, debating whether we’d share some with the guys.

 

*  *  *

 

“Okay, Haley, you’ve delayed long enough. Let’s talk about this whole pact situation.”

I glanced idly around, attempting to delay my response. We reclined under a large umbrella on plush lounge chairs next to an oval-shaped pool—one of two connected by a bridge. These pools, like all of those at the Wynn, were tiled in a dark blue trellis pattern and were surrounded by inviting lounge chairs, lush landscaping, and scantily-clad bodies. Access was restricted to Tower Suites guests only, and Theo had hinted that we might even see a celebrity or two.

Knowing I had to face the music sooner or later, I slowly spilled everything that had happened at the coffee house, from our warm reunion, to Chase’s nervous behavior, his revelation about the pact, and finally, wanting to tell Jackson about our (potential) relationship. Shockingly, Jess remained silent through the entire story and even for a minute or so after I was done.

“Wow,” she breathed, finally. “That is a lot to digest.”

“You think?”

“I know you won’t tell me much,” Jess said, “but why is it up to Jackson? Is he like the boss or something?”

Since there was no way to explain the dynamics of Zenith teams, and especially Team Jaguar, I replied, “Something like that.”

“Okaaay. So, you decide you want to start dating Chase and then you two go to Jackson, and what, get his blessing? It’s not like he’s your father or your priest. Sounds a little cray cray to me.”

I snickered but shook my head. “It’s not like that, exactly. More like Chase not wanting to ruffle feathers by breaking the rules. If he tells Jackson that we want to date, he’s probably hoping that Jackson will be fine with it.”

Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Still seems strange to me, but let’s move on. What are you thinking? Feeling?”

I groaned. “I wish I knew. Right now, I’m still having trouble getting past the fact that they’ve kept this from me for the last six months. It’s annoying and, honestly, a little embarrassing. I can just imagine the six of them sitting around and discussing how innocent, sheltered little Haley can’t handle a romantic relationship. Forget embarrassing and jump right to humiliating,” I said bitterly.

“Hales, you know I’m one-hundred percent on your side, but I think you might be wrong about this. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like they were being respectful of you by deciding not to put any kind of pressure on you to date them or whatever. They probably did see how sweet and innocent you are and didn’t want to chance overstepping. It’s pretty gallant, actually. I don’t think you’d find that many guys our age, and a little older, who would put your virtue, so to speak, above their own desires.”

Laughing, I sputtered, “Their desires? I seriously doubt that had anything to do with it.”

Ice cold water drops landed on my bare legs, and I looked over to find Jess with her water glass in hand and an evil smile.

“Did you just flick me?”

“Yes, and you totally deserved it.”

“Excuse me? What did I do?”

Jess sighed loudly and flopped back against her lounge chair. “I never thought you were naive, but now I’m starting to wonder. Do you not realize how those guys look at you? How all of them look at you? Chase may have been the only one to make a move, but that doesn’t mean that every single one of the sexy six pack hasn’t fantasized about it.”

“Jess!” I yelled in a loud whisper. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“No,” she said firmly, “you don’t be ridiculous. I’m not kidding. They are all into you. Theo all but admitted his interest when we were walking the Strip last night. And, I’m guessing that, if nothing else, they were all attracted to you when they made the pact. I think that they were honestly trying to do what was best for you . . . at least at the time.”

Stunned, I considered Jess’s words. Was it possible that they’d all, or even some of them, been legitimately attracted to me from the beginning? I had seen signs but lacked the experience needed to trust my intuition about such things. And, if they were trying to protect my “virtue,” what did that mean for my future with them? Is that what the team (besides Chase) still wanted—to stay away from me for my own good?

“So, what are you going to do?” Jess asked, interrupting the whirlwind of thoughts swirling through my head.

“I have no freaking clue.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, you described your kiss with Chase as ‘perfect.’ So, are you still interested in him?”

“Of course,” I responded quickly, feeling my lips tip into an unconscious grin. “I mean, you’ve seen him, so you know how attractive he is. Plus, he’s sweet, and we have fun together; I feel comfortable with him . . . at least, I used to. Right now, things are kind of awkward.”

“Awwww,” she beamed, “you totally love him.”

“What? That is not what I said, Jess,” I retorted, feeling heat creep up my cheeks.

“Maybe not, but I was watching your face while you talked about how smokin’ hot and sweet and fun he is. And, if that wasn’t a look of love, then I don’t know what is.”

“I did not say smokin’ hot,” I grumbled, unable to completely deny her statement. Is it possible that I’m in love with Chase? I hadn’t allowed myself to even consider it before, but now that the idea had been put out into the universe, I felt a sudden shift, like the Earth’s tilt was becoming unbalanced.

“So you admit that you lo—”

“Okay, yes, I have feelings for Chase,” I interrupted. “But, if I was truly in love with him, I wouldn’t also have feelings for other guys,” I countered smugly, almost like I needed to prove to Jess it wasn’t true in order to convince myself.

“And when you say guys . . . you mean five other guys?”

Knowing she was right, I covered my face with my hands and nodded. “It sounds really bad when you say it out loud,” I murmured, the words coming out muffled from behind my hands.

Jessica whistled. “You have gotten yourself into quite a pickle, chica. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally jealous of your fan club of drool-worthy men, but I’m not envious of your decision.”

“You could just tell me what to do,” I said hopefully.

She laughed so hard that I noticed a couple of guys on the other side of the pool eyeing us. It wasn’t surprising considering the movement was making things jiggle inside Jess’s rather skimpy bikini top. Worried that they might come over if she continued, I smacked her on the arm. “Okay, fine. I’ll figure it out myself. Can we change the subject now?”

“Finally,” she said dramatically. “All of this talking about you was getting old.”

“I’m so sorry,” I replied sarcastically. “Please, tell me all about Jessica World.”

Jess, never too shy to talk about herself, went into great detail about her plans to meet up with friends from Coleville over spring break. Even though I had never met any of them, of course, I felt like I knew them since she’d basically shared every detail of her high school experience with me. She always said it was for my benefit, and although I was grateful, the truth was that Jess loved to talk. All things considered, it was rather shocking that she’d managed to keep me a secret for so many years.

She was in the middle of a story about two of her friends who had broken up and were maybe getting back together when she stopped mid-sentence, staring over my shoulder. “Damn, I was so right about the smokin’ part.”

I turned to find Chase headed our direction in a pair of swim trunks and flip flops, a towel slung over his bare shoulder. Between his perpetually golden skin, blond hair, and ripped body, heads were literally turning as he walked past. I felt a flutter of excitement before the flutter transformed into an all-out rumble of nerves. This would be the closest I’d come to being alone with him since the coffee shop, and having his perfect torso on display was definitely not helping my skittishness.

“Hi, Haley. Jessica,” Chase said with a warm smile as he hovered, clearly unsure whether he should sit.

“Chase! Join us,” Jess said enthusiastically, ignoring the cautious look I was throwing her. “But, you should put on a shirt before we’re surrounded by hordes of giggling females.” Oh my god, did she really say that?

Settling onto the lounge next to me, he laughed, but I could tell that he was embarrassed by Jessica’s comment. “I didn’t bring one, sorry.”

“Well, that is too darn bad,” Jess responded. “I guess Haley here will have to protect you.”

“And how do you propose I do that?” I quipped, immediately regretting it, especially when I saw the impish glint in her eyes.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think if the two of you started making out, other girls would get the idea.”

“Jess!” I hissed, my face instantly flaming. “Please ignore her,” I said to Chase without meeting his gaze. “Apparently I can’t take her anywhere.”

Thankfully, a waitress—who had been ignoring me and Jess for the last hour—chose that moment to appear. “Can I get you anything?” she asked Chase with a flirtatious toss of her red hair.

Chase waved his hand, indicating that we should go ahead, and Jess haughtily ordered lemonades for us both.

“I’ll take an orange juice, please,” Chase said politely, giving no indication that he’d even noticed her interest. Then, he turned to us and said, “I am so messed up from this crazy work and sleep schedule. I just woke up, and it’s already late afternoon. I can’t decide if I should eat now or hold out until dinner.”

“Jess and I were planning on an early dinner at one of the casual hotel restaurants before we get ready for the show, if you want to join us,” I offered, not taking time to think it through.

Chase smiled. “That would be great, thank you.”

Awesome idea, Haley, I thought. Now I would have to spend even more almost one-on-one time with him. Then, I remembered that Theo had the same schedule as Chase and grabbed my phone. “I’ll let Theo know the plan.”

“So, Chase,” Jess said while I typed out the text, “how much time do you spend in the gym every day? I’m guessing a lot.” I nearly dropped my phone. Seriously, Jess?

He ruffled the back of his hair. “Umm, I don’t go every day, but I try to do something active most days.”

“Chase is a swimmer,” I cut in, hoping to move the conversation to safer ground.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot that you mentioned it,” Jess said, before addressing Chase again. “Are you on your college swim team?”

“No, I don’t have time between classes and work. But, I competed all through high school and try to keep up the training as much as possible.”

“Well, that explains your Ryan Lochte body,” she said, shooting me an obnoxiously innocent grin. So much for safer ground.

Chase let out a nervous laugh. “I’m not anywhere as fast as him, but thanks. Speaking of swimming,” he said as he stood, “I was hoping to get in a few laps.”

Yes, run away, Chase. Run while you can.

“Go ahead,” I told him, “we’ll stay here and be lazy.” Once Chase was out of earshot, I turned to Jess. “I can’t believe you would purposely embarrass him like that,” I said disapprovingly.

“What? It’s just so cute when he gets flustered. And even more so when you both get all rosy-cheeked . . . better than watching The CW.”

“Wow. Did you honestly rate my real-life drama above The Vampire Diaries? I’m strangely flattered and offended all at the same time.”

“Admit it, Hales; TVD ain’t got nothin’ on you. I mean, Elena only had to juggle the eternal love of two gorgeous men—you have six. Maybe I should change my major to film studies and pitch your story to The CW.”

“Ha. Ha. No, thanks.”

After dinner with Chase and Theo, which was pleasant and not at all awkward—probably because I’d threatened Jess within in an inch of her life not to embarrass me or the guys—we went back to the suite to get ready for our night out. Since it was still hot, we took a cab to the Bellagio for the show.

The theater was large and filling in quickly, the audience eager for the show. Glancing at the program, I had to admit my excitement as well, having never actually attended a live performance of any kind. Jess and I settled into our plush seats and I glanced around, my eyes drawn to the domed ceiling lit in blues and purples.

As soon as the lights dimmed and the show began, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the stage, constantly amazed by the incredible acrobatics surrounded by air, fire, and, more often than not, water. When the show concluded, the audience applauded enthusiastically and loudly; the buzz of conversation filled the air as we filed out of the theater.

Still high on the excitement, I came to a sudden halt and swayed on my heeled sandals when a towering form stepped in my path. I looked up to find Ethan smirking down at me. “You should watch where you’re going.”

“You should not get in my way,” I bit back.

He had sent me a text earlier to say he would accompany us back to the hotel after the show, and despite my protests that it wasn’t necessary, he insisted. However, once we reached the crowded sidewalk, I was exceedingly grateful for his presence. We’d walked the Strip the night before, but it had been earlier in the evening and not nearly as busy. Wow, is it always like this on Saturday nights?

Although there were still plenty of tourists out, many of the people appeared decidedly seedier. There were men handing out fliers to clubs—all kinds of clubs—and most of the women we passed were tipsy, if not already drunk, talking or singing loudly with their companions. A group of raucous men whistled at me and Jess, and one of them shouted an obscenity.

Ethan glared at the men and moved to my side, slipping an arm around my waist. “Still annoyed with me?” he asked smugly, already knowing the answer.

“Fine,” I said reluctantly. “You were right.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? Not sure that I heard you with all of the casino noise.”

“Don’t push it,” I replied.

Noticing that Jess was watching us intently, I wondered what she was thinking. “Ethan, did you know that Haley was obsessed with White Fang when she was younger?”

I gave her an odd look, unsure where she was going with this. “I did not,” Ethan responded, his expression appearing similarly confused.

“Yep. She swore to me that she was going to marry Ethan Hawke someday. Obviously, he’s way too old and not nearly cute enough for her, but you . . . you would make an excellent replacement.” She smiled widely, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “It would be so cute if you ended up with an Ethan after all. Don’t you agree, Haley?”

I glowered at Jess, suddenly wanting to smack her, but Ethan just laughed. His hand snaked up my back and swept through my hair, which was hanging in soft waves down my back. “See, Starburst? Told you I’m Mr. Wright.”

Jess’s mouth opened in shock, then she mouthed, “Starburst” and “Mr. Right,” a question mark in her gaze. Knowing I couldn’t explain the Wright/Right wordplay without revealing Ethan’s last name, I sighed. After Theo’s playful mood at dinner and my banter with Liam and Knox this morning, Ethan’s flirting was clearly the icing on the cake for Jess.

When the crowds forced Ethan to draw away from me, she leaned in close and said, “I can’t believe you forgot to mention the crazy chemistry you have with Ethan.”

I can’t believe I forgot about the crazy chemistry I have with Ethan.