Chapter 12: Old Habits Die Hard 

 

It had been five days since Sebastian Phillips’ party, and Taliana still hadn’t found the ring.

She’d gone back to both the hotel and the club where the party had been held, hoping someone from the management had found it and was keeping it safe, but no one had seen or heard anything.

By then she was beating herself up for having been so careless that night, wanting nothing more than to turn back time and make it so she’d never gone to the party. The calls from her mother weren’t helping much either, since all Andrea had to say was how upset she was with Taliana for losing such a priceless item. Luckily, she hadn’t disowned Taliana yet, but if that thing didn’t turn up in the next week or so, Taliana was pretty sure her name was going to be erased from the Colton family tree.

“I hate my life.”

The boy stretched out on the chaise to Taliana’s left turned his head to shoot her a pitiless look. “Would you quit it with the dramatics?” Jude sighed, obviously tired of her bitching. “Really, Talia, it’s not very becoming.”

The only good thing that had come out of the entire situation was Jude, who was helping her out every step of the way. While the twins only lent a hand whenever it was convenient for them, Jude was determined to help—and pull her back from the edge when she was on the verge of completely freaking out. She’d expected him to ditch her by now for someone more interesting, but he didn’t leave even when Sebastian texted him with his own emergency. Jude had turned off his phone before his cousin could explain his dilemma. Out of everything he’d done for Taliana in the past few days, the fact that he was choosing her over Sebastian was enough to cheer her up a little.

Currently, they were outside enjoying the summer sun in Taliana’s backyard, their chairs placed a couple feet from the glittering pool, soaking up the last bit of the strong August rays. She was trying her hardest not to stare at his bare chest and glistening abs, but it was practically a lost cause. Jude was too gorgeous for his own good, and Taliana was sure anyone would have agreed. The boys he was interested in had no idea how lucky they really were.

Jude’s deep voice drew Taliana out of her admiration, and she looked back up at him in surprise, not having heard a word he'd said. “Huh?”

He rolled his eyes, looking playfully annoyed. “I asked if you had any more ideas about where your ring could possibly be.”

“None at all,” she grumbled, sliding lower in her seat. “I still think that guy I went back to the hotel with has it. I just wish I knew who he was.”

“I could always ask Seb for the guest list,” he offered, rolling onto his side to face Taliana. “Your boy would probably be on it.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want Sebastian getting involved with this. That asshole would never let me live this down. Besides, I doubt even having the list would help since I don’t know the guy’s name.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jude admitted. “Hopefully this guy will be at the party tonight. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he was?”

“What party?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

Jude frowned and adjusted his sunglasses. “The twins didn’t tell you about it?”

“They haven’t said a word. What kind of party is it?”

“Typical house party,” he said, waving a hand as if it were nothing new. “It’s Trinity tradition that a senior throws an end-of-summer party so we can all savor the last few days of freedom before we have to go back to that hell hole. School starts on Tuesday, you know.”

Taliana cringed at the thought of returning to school, especially since she was going back to the very place she’d been expelled from not so long ago. She’d begged and pleaded with her father to let her go to one of the other private schools in the area, but Trinity was the only place he’d been able to procure her a spot at. She was surprised they’d let her back in, especially since the boy who’d gotten her expelled was still there. Sebastian Phillips was the main reason she didn’t want to go back, and she wasn’t looking forward to picking up their rivalry where it had left off.

“Four days left of summer.” Taliana sighed wistfully, wishing it would last just a little longer. “I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it,” Jude chuckled as he sat up and grabbed a nearby towel. “Are you gonna go to the party?”

She shrugged. “It depends. Who’s throwing it?”

“The most popular guy at school, of course.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be talking about yourself, would you?”

“I’m not that vain,” he teased. “You’ve got the right bloodline, though.”

Taliana’s lips twitched into a grimace. “I’m not going if Sebastian’s throwing it. I managed to avoid him at his birthday party, and I don’t feel like pushing my luck.”

“You can’t stay away from him forever, you know.”

“I can and I will,” she said defiantly, hitching her chin up. “I’m not going, Jude.”

Jude wrapped his hands around Taliana’s wrists and pulled her up from her chair. “Come on, I promise it’ll be fun!”

She couldn’t help but groan as she attempted to free her wrists from his grasp. “How could a party thrown by Sebastian ever be fun?”

“You seemed to have plenty of fun at his birthday party...”

“Low blow, Jude.”

He took a long look at Taliana before releasing her. She was milliseconds away from letting out a relieved sigh, but it lodged in her throat when her feet were suddenly swept off the ground, and she found herself slung over his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?” she shrieked as blood rushed to her head.

“What do you think I’m doing?” he laughed as he began walking toward the house. “I’m kidnapping you.”

If anyone else had demanded she attend a party at Sebastian’s not-so-humble abode, she would have told them no and the conversation would have ended there. However, this was Jude Phillips, and he didn’t take no for an answer regarding social situations. She could scream, kick, and threaten to her heart’s content, but he always won in the end.

Even after a brief fight, numerous insults regarding his mother, and a thwarted attempt at running away, a few hours later, Jude had crammed Taliana into a pair of jeans and shove her into the backseat of his car. By that point, she was really wondering why they were even friends.

After a ten-minute drive and lapping the block twice, Jude finally found a place on the street and somehow squeezed his rather large Audi into a space that looked like it shouldn’t have fit a Mini Cooper.

He shut off the engine a moment later and glanced back at Taliana. “Ready to go?”

She didn’t bother with a verbal answer, deeming the death glare she sent him good enough.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Jude slid out of the car and opened the back door for her, motioning that it was time to exit. Knowing this was her last chance to save herself, she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head like a stubborn child.

He was having none of it. “You are such a brat,” he complained as he reached inside and grabbed her ankles. “You’re lucky I like you.”

Before Taliana could land flat on her ass, she shooed him away and got out of the car on her own. She briefly contemplated making a run for it, but given the fact that Jude could probably take down a person three times her size, Taliana reconsidered. So instead of seizing the opportunity to escape, she blew out a sigh and took his arm.

He flashed her something between a smug and reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine.”

For his sake, Taliana hoped she would be.

Jude guided her across the street and up the pathway to the slightly ajar front door of the Phillips’ residence. After shooting her a confident smirk, he pushed it open and ushered her inside the dimly lit foyer. Taliana wasn’t exactly sure what she’d been expecting, but the sight that greeted her definitely wasn’t it.

The girls decked out in designer clothes were the first thing to catch Taliana’s eye, most of them draped on the arms of their handsome male counterparts. Some people were dancing, others were standing around talking, but it was clear everyone was here to see and be seen. The music was at a deafening level, and it seemed like every inch of the house was already packed, making Taliana wonder just how many people Sebastian knew.

“Isn’t this amazing?” Jude shouted in her ear. “Kids from every prestigious private school in the city are here.”

“I didn’t realize Sebastian was this popular,” she shouted back.

Jude shot her a grin. “I bet you he doesn’t even know half the people here. But yeah, the guy’s certainly got a fan club.”

Judging from the squealing group of girls that had just surrounded them, Sebastian wasn’t the only one with a fan club. As greetings and loud double-cheek kisses were exchanged, Taliana found herself being gently nudged out of the way by people who didn’t look twice in her direction. Jude glanced down at her when she slid her arm out of his grasp and motioned that she was going to explore the rest of the house. He gave her a brief nod before throwing his arms around a girl who he obviously hadn’t seen in a while.

It took some clever maneuvering to escape the mob around him, but Taliana eventually made it out. She watched from the sidelines as Jude launched into an animated story that had his hangers-on laughing, and Taliana finally came to realize that no matter what this guy did, it was impossible not to like him.

She watched for a moment longer before deciding to go do a little exploring. Based on how gorgeous the foyer was with its high domed ceiling, intricately carved molding, and sweeping marble staircase, Taliana was willing to bet the rest of the house was just as amazing.