Coco's POV
I held his gaze for a moment longer—daring him to move, to do something—then finally turned away with a scoff.
"Come on, Evan," I said lightly, brushing invisible lint off my dress. "Dance with me?"
He blinked, surprised for only a second before a grin tugged at his lips. "Thought you'd never ask."
I heard a sharp intake of breath from the table behind me.
Perfect.
Evan held out his hand, and I took it, letting him lead me onto the dance floor. His grip was warm, steady. we fell into a comfortable rhythm as the music slowed into something dreamy and golden.
"So," he murmured, turning us gently, "how much of this is to make him mad?"
I looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Who?"
He chuckled. "Cute. Real cute."
I glanced over his shoulder—yep. Xavier was still seated, jaw tight, knuckles white around the glass in his hand, murder in his eyes.
Good.
"You're really playing with fire, you know," Evan said, his tone lower now. "I've seen what he's like when he loses control."
"I'm not scared of him."
"Maybe not." He looked at me carefully. "But you confuse the hell out of him. That's even more dangerous."
I looked away for a moment, something tight flickering in my chest. "Well, he confuses me too. One second he's acting like I'm the most annoying thing alive, and the next…he's helping me with assignments. Sitting in my room. Asking me to the ball."
"And yet," Evan said, spinning me slowly, "here you are. Dancing with someone else."
My smile returned. "Maybe I like complicated."
Evan laughed under his breath. "You're gonna be the death of him."
"Good," I muttered, letting my gaze drift back to where Xavier sat.
Still watching.
Still fuming.
Checkmate.
---
Xavier's POV
The moment I saw her tonight, I had to fight every urge not to claim her right there and then.
She looked like sin in silk, like temptation wrapped in blue.
My little spitfire.
Coco Millers was driving me insane.
Every word she said, every flutter of her lashes, every smile she gave to someone else lit a fire in my chest that I couldn't put out. I watched her glide through the ballroom, clinging to Sid, laughing with that human boy, Tyler, talking to Nathan like she didn't know exactly what she was doing to me.
And maybe she didn't.
Or maybe she knew too well.
I gritted my teeth when Nathan leaned in too close, I nearly snapped the crystal glass in my hand when she laughed at something he said. And then Evan—my friend—invited her to the table and she said yes, like it didn't matter that I was sitting there, already one second from losing it.
James watched me with that cryptic smirk of his. Evan leaned over and said something I didn't hear. Michael stared at Sid like he was trying to figure out her soul. But I was only focused on her.
When she got up and asked Evan to dance?
That was it.
The smile on her face. The way she reached for his hand. The way she looked at him.
I felt something primal rip loose inside me.
She laughed. Tossed her head back, carefree, beautiful, and completely unaware that she was toying with a monster on a fraying leash.
I stood, ignoring the pointed looks from the others, and crossed the floor without a word. She noticed me a second too late. Her smile faltered, her body tensed, and Evan—wise Evan—saw the storm in my eyes before I even opened my mouth.
"Step aside," I said, voice low, cold, final.
" Yep. I was already wondering how long it would take." He winked at me, smiled at coco than walked away smugly.
And just like that, I was standing in front of her.
" What is wrong with you. If you wanted to dance, you could have waited and asked me to the next dance like a normal person." She spoke.
" Enough, little girl. You've had your fun, now it's my turn."
She gulped.
Her hand trembled slightly in mine, just for a second—barely noticeable to anyone else, but I felt it. Like a jolt to my already fraying nerves. I held her close, too close for a public dance, but I didn't care. I couldn't care.
She looked up at me with that maddening mix of irritation and curiosity, like she wanted to fight me and kiss me in the same breath.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice soft, guarded.
My fingers flexed at her waist, the silk of her dress like water beneath my palm.
"What does it look like?" I murmured. "I'm dancing with you."
"You don't dance."
"I do tonight."
Her brows narrowed, lips parting with another smartass remark she probably wanted to throw at me—but it didn't come. Instead, we just moved, slowly, perfectly in rhythm even when my entire body felt like it was at war with itself.
Being this close to her was hell.
Because I could hear her heartbeat. Fast. Uneven.
I could smell the warmth of her skin, the sweetness of her perfume mixed with something uniquely her—something that drove me insane.
And her eyes… God, her eyes. Every time they flicked up to mine, it felt like she was peeling back layers I didn't want anyone to see.
"You're angry," she said.
I didn't answer.
"You've been angry all night," she pushed, tilting her chin up with that defiant fire in her gaze that made something deep inside me snarl. "Let me guess—because I talked to Nate?"
My jaw clenched. I didn't respond.
"Or Evan?" she went on, a teasing lilt to her voice now, like she enjoyed poking the beast. "He was making me laugh, I'll give him that."
My hand slid lower on her back, pulling her flush against me. She gasped softly, her breath hitching.
"Careful," I growled. "You don't want to test me tonight."
She smiled then—sweet, innocent, deadly.
"Too late."
The music swelled around us, but it felt like we were dancing alone in that room. The world had narrowed to the curve of her waist beneath my hand, the heat of her skin through that cursed dress, the hitch in her breathing every time I got too close.
I leaned in, my mouth brushing the shell of her ear.
"Do you even know what you're doing to me?" I whispered.
She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes again. "You're not the only one good at playing games, Xavier."
Games.
I didn't play games with her.
I couldn't.
Because every second I spent near her—every look, every word, every goddamn breath—chipped away at the wall I'd spent centuries building. She didn't even realize the kind of power she had.
Even I don't understand.
Fuck.
---
Coco's POV
The music faded, but my pulse didn't.
I stepped away from Xavier the moment the final note hit, my breath shaky and uneven. His hand lingered on my waist a second too long—warm and firm and possessive. I didn't dare look up. I couldn't. If I met those eyes again, I might not survive it.
So I turned on my heel and escaped.
The crowd clapped, some couples lingering, others heading off as the stage lit up. The talent show was beginning, and as excited as I normally would've been for something so dramatic and fun, I had one thing on my mind.
"Sid," I muttered, pushing through the throng of students in search of that familiar head of red hair.
I spotted her near the snack tables, nervously sipping from a punch cup, twisting the ends of her dress belt between her fingers. She looked up when I approached, and her eyes lit up, even as she tried to cover it.
"There you are!" I breathed, "I've been looking all over for you."
"I—I was just… grabbing a drink," she mumbled, clearly flustered.
I pulled back and scanned her quickly. She looked beautiful—still a little tense, but the green dress really brought out the brightness in her eyes. A few people had definitely noticed her, judging by the lingering looks we got walking past. She didn't seem to notice.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded too fast. "Y-Yeah. Totally fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I danced with Nathan freaking Lawson."
I grinned. "And you didn't spontaneously combust. You're doing great."
She let out a laugh, still red in the face. "You saw?"
"Sid, everyone saw."
She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm going to die."
I looped my arm through hers and started steering her back toward the stage where students were already gathering. "Nope. Not allowed. You're staying alive at least until the end of this ridiculous talent show. Who's up first?"
"They said Tyler's doing some spoken word thing about love and broken pencils or something."
I laughed. "Of course he is."
As we made our way toward the row of seats, I could feel a particular set of eyes burning into the side of my face. I didn't even have to turn to know it was him.
Xavier Cage.
Still watching me like he wanted to devour the air between us.
I took a deep breath and smiled brighter.
Screw him.