The Touch of a Villain: An Enemies to Lovers High School Romance (The Boys of Clermont Bay Book 1) by Holly Renee (best book recommendations TXT) 📕

“It’s nice to meet you, Allie.” He gave her the exact same smile he had been giving me.

“You too. Wait.” She snapped her fingers. “I think I know you. Did you play baseball last year?”

“I did.” His grin became even larger.

“I thought so. We almost smoked you guys.”

I couldn’t stop smiling as his fell.

“You a Clermont High girl?”

“Guilty.” She did a little curtsy, and God, I was so glad she was here.

“Captain.” Carson walked up behind Chad and slapped him on the back. “I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight.”

If Carson was here, that meant Beck wouldn’t be far behind. I couldn’t stop myself from searching behind Carson for him. I didn’t care if he knew what I was doing. I just didn’t want to be surprised when he walked in. I didn’t want to be caught off guard.

“Let’s go grab a drink.” Allie pulled her gaze away from Carson to talk to me, but Carson was staring at her. He looked pissed off. Like he didn’t want to see her here, maybe us, but I didn’t really care what he thought.

I linked my arm in Allie’s. “It was nice to meet you, Chad. I’ll see you around later?”

“For sure.” He smiled again, and now all I could think about was how different it was from his. He was already ruining this for me, and he wasn’t even here yet.

Allie and I walked arm in arm through the party, and I was surprised by how many people had accumulated so quickly. I had no idea where Cami was. She had disappeared the moment she dropped Chad at my feet.

“Where did you find him?” She looked at me like I was insane, but I thought he seemed nice.

“Cami.”

“Of course, you did.” She rolled her eyes. She hadn’t said anything about Cami when I told her that she had been friendly to me at school, but I could tell that she wasn’t her biggest fan.

“He seems nice.”

“He seems like a douche.” She pulled me to the table and grabbed a bottle of liquor. “Plus, he went to Prep.”

“I go to Prep.” I chuckled.

“Semantics.” She waved me off. “You’re nothing like the rest of them.”

She had a point there.

“I can find you a nice, hot Clermont High guy if you’re interested.”

“I’m not interested.” I grabbed the drink she handed me and took a sip. I had no idea what it was, but it tasted far better than what Cami had made.

“Because of Beck.” She waggled her eyebrows, and I slapped her arm.

“No. Because I’m not interested.”

“Okay.” She winked at me because she knew better than anyone else how I was feeling. I hadn’t told her the full extent of what had happened between the two of us, but she knew enough.

“Plus.” I leaned closer to her. “Beck is off-limits, remember?”

“Not according to him.”

“He’s a liar.” That fact was plain and simple.

“Who’s a liar?”

We jumped at the sound of Beck’s voice, and I whirled in his direction. My heart skyrocketed without even seeing him.

“No one.” My answer came out so quickly that even I felt suspicious.

“Okay.” He looked between Allie and me. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

I took a long sip of my drink to try to calm myself down. “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve been busy.”

He was looking me over, checking me out without even trying to hide it, and Allie was smiling like a fool. “Doing what?”

“Work. School. Hanging out with your girlfriend.”

Allie snorted out a laugh and almost choked on her drink. But Beck didn’t seem affected.

He didn’t care that I knew about her.

He apparently thought I wouldn’t care, but he was wrong.

“You look gorgeous tonight. Has anyone told you that?” His eyes looked so possessive. He looked at me like he wanted me, like he didn’t care that I had just mentioned his fucking girlfriend.

Even though both of us knew the truth. But that truth didn’t stop the butterflies from taking off in my stomach.

“Don’t.” I started to speak just as Allie did.

“Chad Johnson did. He was practically drooling over her when I got here.”

I wanted to punch Allie.

“Chad Johnson?” Beck made a face and part of me thought he might be a little jealous. “He’s almost twenty and still hanging out at high school parties.”

“So, what?” I pushed some hair behind my ear. “His opinion must be wrong?”

“No.” He shook his head, and I noticed his eyes seemed darker than before. Chad’s eyes weren’t only duller than Beck’s, they were nothing compared to his. “I said you looked gorgeous.”

He needed to quit saying that. I couldn’t think straight when he said things that he shouldn’t be saying.

“There you are.” Cami wrapped her arm around Beck’s shoulder and smiled. He tensed under her touch. It was minute, but it was there. I didn’t know if it was simply because I was watching or if it was something more.

He had to know that I would see them together tonight.

He had to know that I wasn’t going to just sit here and let him tell me I was gorgeous, then have to watch him with her.

“Josie, what’d you think of Chad?” She didn’t seem to notice or care that Beck was tense. She ran her fingers through the base of his hair like it was the most natural thing for her to be doing. Like her hands were so used to touching him.

“He seems nice.” It wasn’t a lie. He did. He just wasn’t my type. I was apparently into men who were a bit more toxic.

A lot more toxic, actually.

“He really liked you.” She winked at me. “He asked me for your number.”

Beck was staring straight ahead at me, and I felt like his eyes were burning. If he was angry, he had no right to be. He had no right to anything when it came to me.

“I gave it to him, of course.” She smiled.

“Of course.” Allie said it so quietly only I could hear.

“Thanks.” I smiled and tried to avoid looking back at Beck. She was still touching him,