The Crush List

Chapter Eight – Kissing Someone You Shouldn’t

The house was a sprawling Spanish-style estate nestled into the Los Angeles hills, lit up like a jewel against the night sky. Emery had barely stepped inside when she realized just how different this party was from anything she’d ever experienced.

The music pulsed low and sexy through the space. Laughter rang out over the clink of glasses. The place smelled like expensive perfume, sea salt, and something faintly sweet—like champagne and sugar.

She tugged at the hem of her short, sparkly dress. It shimmered every time the light hit it, just as Lianne had predicted. “It’s not about the dress, it’s about how you feel in it,” her friend had said.

Emery felt… exposed.

She spotted Cal almost instantly. He stood near the terrace doors, talking to someone she vaguely recognized from a movie trailer. He looked maddeningly good, like he always did—dark hair swept back, sleeves rolled to his forearms, suit jacket draped effortlessly over his shoulder. Relaxed, charming, completely in his element.

And when his eyes landed on her—when he actually saw her walk into the room—it felt like the breath had been knocked clean out of her.

He smiled.

Not the usual polite curve of his lips he gave people at events. No—this was slower, softer, like he saw right through the sparkle and the makeup to her. She felt it in her spine.

As she made her way toward the bar, a tall man with a glass of bourbon leaned in with a friendly grin. “So,” he said, nodding toward Cal, “are you his date tonight?”

Emery blinked, heart thudding. She turned slightly, eyes flicking toward Cal.

He’d heard.

His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t speak right away. Instead, his gaze dropped from her face down to the glittering hem of her dress, slow and intentional.

Then his voice cut through the noise—low, smooth, undeniably possessive. “She’s with me.”

The man laughed, stepping back with a wink. “Lucky guy.”

Emery’s pulse was wild. Her cheeks burned, but not from embarrassment.

She turned back to Cal. He was still watching her, his smile edged with something unreadable. Something that made her feel like her skin was glowing under the dress.

Maybe Lianne had been right.

The tension clung to her skin like heat. Every time she caught Cal watching her from across the room, it sent a little thrill through her chest. He wasn’t trying to hide it anymore—his gaze lingered a second too long, his smile a little too intimate.

It was dangerous. And she was toeing the edge.

He moved through the crowd like it parted for him, slow and easy, a glass in each hand. When he reached her, he held one out. “Gin and tonic,” he said, smirking. “Your usual. Still not a wine girl?”

She took it with a smile, her fingers brushing his. “I don’t think that’ll ever change.”

They leaned against the terrace rail together, sipping their drinks while city lights twinkled below them. Emery found herself laughing more easily than she had in days. Cal was telling stories from his early acting days, and she had no idea if they were true, but they were good. They had another drink. Then a third. She wasn’t drunk—but the edges of her thoughts were soft now, wrapped in warmth and music and the way Cal kept glancing at her like she was the most interesting thing in the room.

The music shifted—something upbeat, wild, reckless.

“I love this song,” she whispered more to herself than anyone, already moving to the rhythm.

Cal raised a brow. “You going to dance?”

Emery didn’t answer. She just slipped from the terrace and into the crowd. She danced like the night belonged to her—uninhibited, laughing, her dress catching the light as she spun and swayed.

And then she felt him.

Behind her. His hand found her waist, grounding her. His body aligned with hers like it was meant to. She leaned back into him without hesitation. Every move she made, he followed. She couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.

She turned in his arms.

Their faces were close—too close.

She didn’t think. Didn’t need to.

She rose on her toes and kissed him.

Right there, in the middle of the crowd, with music pulsing around them and champagne laughter echoing like a blur.

His mouth was warm and sure against hers. His hand slid to the back of her neck. He kissed her like he’d been holding back for years.

And for the first time, she didn’t stop to think if it was a mistake.

Because nothing had ever felt more right.

The kiss still buzzed on her lips like static.

Cal’s hand lingered on the small of her back. His chest rose and fell a little faster than before. His eyes were still on her—searching, intense, as if trying to decide whether to speak or kiss her again.

But before either of them could move or say anything…

“Emery?”

Her name—that voice.

She turned her head, heart dropping into her stomach.

Jace.

In a black jacket and his signature smirk, the rockstar himself had just walked into the middle of whatever this moment with Cal had been. His dark eyes flicked from Emery to Cal, brows slightly lifted, just enough to register that he’d seen everything.

She blinked, stunned. “Jace? What are you—?”

He stepped closer and smiled like they were old friends, not people who’d only just shared a tangled, unforgettable night.

“I was invited. Lianne thought I should come.” His eyes dipped briefly to her lips, then rose again. “Didn’t expect to find you... busy.”

Her breath caught. She opened her mouth to explain—but before she could say a word, Jace reached out and took her hand with an easy, practiced confidence.

“Come with me,” he said lowly, his thumb brushing her knuckles.

She hesitated. She felt Cal’s hand tense slightly on her back. The air snapped between them—raw, fragile.

She should’ve said no.

She wanted to say no.

But something in her—something awkward, stunned, confused—let Jace lead her through the crowd and away.

She glanced back once. Cal hadn’t moved. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable. But his eyes—God, his eyes—held something that made her want to run back and finish what they started.

Instead, she disappeared into the crowd with the wrong man… and a heart that had never been more torn.

Jace led her through a quieter part of the house, out onto a balcony that overlooked the city lights. The thrum of the party faded to a low heartbeat behind her.

She folded her arms, partly from nerves, partly to stop herself from fidgeting. “So… surprise appearances now?”

Jace leaned against the railing, eyes fixed on her like she was a lyric stuck in his head.

“I tried to forget,” he said plainly.

She blinked. “Forget what?”

“You.” His voice lowered. “That night. The way you looked at me. The way you felt. It wasn’t just s*x, Emery. You lived in my mind for days after. Hell, you still do.”

Her cheeks flushed, breath catching as the weight of his words sank in. She hadn’t expected this kind of honesty from him.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I’d never had a night like that,” he went on, his tone suddenly vulnerable. “I’ve had good times before, yeah, but you—” He shook his head. “You were different.”

The night spun a little. She looked down at her glittering dress, the same one Lianne had told her to wear like armor. But there was no armor now. Just the truth.

“Well…” She inhaled. “You gave me orgasms I didn’t even know were possible, Jace.” She gave a small, embarrassed laugh. “So yeah… I haven’t forgotten either.”

He smiled at that—slow, sure, satisfied. But there was a wistfulness behind his gaze too. Like he knew this wasn’t going to go the way he wanted.

And neither did she.

Because even as her heart fluttered under the weight of his words, she couldn’t stop thinking about the man still inside. The one she’d kissed like she meant it. The one who made her feel seen.

The one she might actually be falling for.