Forbidden Ties

Chapter 13: Tangled Desires.

I’d spent the entire day keeping my distance from Sam, partly to avoid the inevitable tension but mostly because I didn’t know how to deal with the fact that she was actually going to that damn party tonight. After everything that had happened between us—after we’d shared a bed, after all that closeness—how the hell was I supposed to watch her flirt with some other guy, like it didn’t mean anything to her?

I couldn’t shake the image of her smiling at that guy in the hallway earlier. A total stranger. How quickly she could slip back into being someone else. I’d been doing everything I could to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal, that we were just playing the part of normal teenagers who were pretending to date other people. But none of it felt fake. Especially not the way I’d held her in my arms that night, the way her body fit against mine, the way her breath had mingled with mine.

Now, here we were, heading home together, and I could barely look at her.

She turned to me, a soft smile playing on her lips as if nothing was wrong. "You okay?"

I bit back a laugh. "Yeah, I’m fine." My voice was cold, rougher than usual, but it was the only way I could keep it together.

"You sure? You’ve been quiet all day."

I shrugged. "Maybe I’m just tired of pretending."

Her brow furrowed, and for a second, I almost felt bad for how I was acting. But I quickly shut that feeling down. I had to. If I didn’t, I was going to lose control again.

"Well, if you’re going to keep being like this, maybe I’ll just go to the party early." Her words stung more than I expected.

"Maybe you should," I snapped. "At least you’ll be with someone who actually wants to be around you."

Her eyes widened, hurt flashing in them before she looked away. I instantly regretted it, but I didn’t apologize. I wouldn’t.

I had to keep her at arm's length, no matter how badly I wanted to pull her closer. This was the only way to protect myself, to keep myself from breaking apart.

"You know, Jax," she said after a long pause, her voice barely a whisper, "I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to want you like this."

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, fighting the urge to pull over and kiss her until neither of us could breathe. Instead, I just shook my head. "Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter. We’re both playing a game we can’t win."

The silence that fell between us was thick. Neither of us said anything more, but I could feel the weight of her words hanging in the air.

I sat back on the couch, trying to focus on the game, but my mind kept drifting. Dad had his eyes glued to the TV, but I barely registered the plays. Then, Sam walked in.

Her presence hit me like a wave, stealing my breath. She was dressed in something simple, yet somehow... stunning. My eyes lingered on her, as if she were a vision I couldn’t pull away from.

"Sam, you ready?" Her mom’s voice called from the kitchen, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, just need to grab my purse," Sam replied casually, but her words did nothing to stop the chaos building inside me.

That’s when the doorbell rang. Kyle, the guy hosting the party, stood on the other side. I could feel the annoyance rising in my chest before I even saw him. The kid had been all over Sam since they met, and now here he was, showing up to take her to some stupid party.

I forced my gaze away from Sam and tried to look like I wasn’t paying attention, but my jaw clenched.

"Why aren’t you going to the party, Jax?" Dad asked, surprising me with the question. “I thought you were all about parties.”

I snorted, a little too loud. "It’s going to be lame. I don’t need to waste my time with that crap." I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, but there was no hiding the irritation in my voice.

Dad glanced at me with a raised brow, then back to the game, clearly unimpressed.

I could feel my blood boiling as Kyle greeted Sam at the door, all smiles and charm. I wasn’t having it. This was ridiculous. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

As Sam left, her perfume lingered in the air, but so did my frustration.

I stood up without a word, excusing myself from the living room. I needed space. I had to be away from them all—away from her. I retreated to my room, slamming the door behind me.

There, I grabbed my phone and went straight to social media. Staring at Kyle’s latest post, I could feel the storm brewing again. The party had just started, and it was going to be the longest night of my life.

The familiar rush of anger hit my chest as I scrolled through my feed. I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it. Kyle’s post showed Sam laughing, her smile bright as she stood beside him, his arm wrapped around her like she was his.

Each new photo just fueled the fire. I couldn't stomach it. Why the hell did it bother me so much? I shouldn’t care. She wasn’t mine.

But it ate at me, gnawing at my insides. My fingers hovered over my phone screen, and before I knew it, I was out of my room and out the door.

The cold night air hit me like a slap, but I didn’t care. I needed something to kill the rage building inside me. I wasn’t going to sit around sulking like some pathetic fool.

I ended up at a dive bar a few blocks away, the kind of place where I could lose myself in the noise, the drinks, and the people who didn’t care about my problems. A few shots in, and the anger started to dull.

But then the thought of Sam on Kyle’s arm crashed into my mind again. My fists clenched.

I wasn’t done yet.

I found myself standing outside the party less than an hour later. The music and laughter echoed from inside, but all I could think about was showing up, making my presence known. I wasn’t going to let her have all the fun, or worse—let her think she could just walk away from what had happened between us.

I pushed the door open, stepping inside with a sense of purpose. Time to make everyone else as miserable as I felt.

The second I stepped into the house, heads turned. The music faltered for a split second, and I could feel the eyes of every person there on me, sizing me up. I didn’t care. I had one goal.

I spotted Sam instantly. She was in the middle of a group, laughing with Kyle, her smile too bright, too fake. Every laugh she shared with him sent another jab of fury through me.

Without thinking, I pushed my way toward her, not caring who I bumped into. Kyle saw me coming and immediately stood up straighter, his arm instinctively going around Sam’s waist.

“Jax,” he said, his tone cool.

Sam’s eyes widened, the color draining from her face. She wasn’t expecting me here.

“Nice party,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Too bad I wasn’t invited.”

I turned to Sam, ignoring Kyle. “So, this is what you’re doing now? Laughing it up with him?”

Sam opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

"I came to take you home, parents are getting worried."

Sam blinked, her mouth snapping shut as if the words she planned to say died in her throat. Kyle didn’t seem fazed, but I felt the tension between us, thick with everything we weren’t saying.

“Jax, I—” Sam started, but I wasn’t waiting for an explanation.

“I’m serious, Sam,” I said, my voice low. “It’s late, and your mom’s expecting you.”

Her eyes flashed—relief? Anger?—I couldn’t tell. But she wasn’t moving. Just staring at me.

Kyle gave me that look, like I should stay out of it.

Not this time. “Come on,” I snapped, cutting through the party noise. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Sam finally stood, fingers gripping the edge of the table. But she hesitated. “I’m not ready to go yet.”

“Don’t make me drag you out of here,” I said, my anger flaring. “You’re not staying here, Sam. Not like this.”

Her eyes met mine, sharp. “Fine,” she said coldly, then turned to Kyle. “I’ll be back soon.”

His look was irritated, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t here for his approval.

We left without another word. By the time we reached the door, Sam was walking ahead, her posture rigid. The distance between us grew with every step, and I had no idea what I was doing anymore. But I couldn’t let her slip away.