“Does Derrick ever skip classes?” Wyatt asks, the tiniest lift happening at the edge of his mouth. Is he just trying to make conversation so that it’s not awkward? Maybe he can sense that I feel ridiculous.
“No,” I blurt, swallowing hard before continuing. “No…I mean, I don’t either. This is the first time.”
“I thought so,” Wyatt inclines his chin, that rugged angular edge sporting a prickly kempt beard. I wonder what it would feel like on my skin, and with this curiosity, my body grows rigid with chills.
“Derrick’s a good kid,” I say, and immediately wish to retract it. I sound like I’m trying too hard. What girlfriend calls her boyfriend a kid?
“You both are,” he agrees, tone curt.
I notice that he takes a deep breath as we drive down a long stretch of forest road. His fingers are lax on the wheel, and he tries to hit the brakes and then push hard of the gas to see if any strange noises pop up. Luckily, nothing does. Relief washes over me.
“So, why not wait till after school to bring it by the shop?” he asks me simply.
I fidget for a moment and then cross my arms over my chest.
“My dad said I’d have to take care of this car on my own time. It’s easier this way.”
He gives me a strange look but lets it slide. It’s easier because I won’t have to explain to my dad that the car I just bought is having problems. He’ll berate me continuously if he finds out, insult me, harass me—the issues will be less if I deal with it alone.
“Easier,” Wyatt repeats stiffly as if trying to piece together my meaning. His dark brows lower over his sharp hazel eyes, ever concerned, ever thoughtful.
“Yeah.”
“So, any plans for college?” he asks.
I look out the window at the passing trees, pondering this question. This is something that I myself have puzzled over endlessly. It’s the acceptable route of departure from this town, the one that I can and will take. Otherwise, I’ll be stuck here with my dad, Derrick, the same friends, and the same maddening walls closing in around me. I need to be able to breathe, thus, I need to find somewhere far away from here. Still, I know that the comfort of remaining safe in a place where you have a guaranteed life outcome can be more than persuasive.
“I’ve applied to a few. I don’t think I’ll have a hard time getting in, really. But choosing where to go when all I’ve ever known is this town will be hard,” I explain.
He nods in false sympathy, showing me that at least he can pretend to care.
“I’m sure Derrick will miss you,” he says, voice as steel as his jaw.
I make a noise of agreement but don’t say much else.
“Well, you have time. You don’t have to decide for at least another eight months,” he adds, making my stomach sink. Eight months of my final year in High School and I’m already dreading it.
The wind whistles through the trees as I crack my window, listening to the air rushing past, smelling the clean forest scent. It’s fragrant, the pine, oak, and fir trees densely crowding around the town so that we’re smacked in the middle of a container of fresh woodland, shunned from the rest of the world by long winding roads and the ocean on the other end. It curbs us in so that we are an island unto ourselves.
Summer is long gone, even the tendrils of heat that had been here a few weeks ago now recede into the background, ready for October to take over with its crisp air and chilly breezes. I love fall. It’s my favorite season. Sweaters and leggings are my lifeblood, just like our local Rose and Thorn Café’s best steamed hot latte’s.
“What do you want to do?” Wyatt’s voice permeates my listlessness, and then I’m drawn back to him and his commanding presence. “As a job, I mean? What are your interests.”
I glance at him and settle back in my seat, the leather cool beneath my legs.
“I always thought I wanted to be on the news,” I tell him. “A news anchor.”
It’s strange to tell someone something so private. I haven’t really mentioned this to anyone, other than Derrick. Yet, I think that perhaps this is typical. Cheerleader, straight-A, preppy girl wants to become a news anchor. It sounds so cliché. So utterly boring. But I like the idea of being on the air with thousands of eyes upon me. I imagine that it would fill that secret thrill-seeking side of me that grows hungry for more. That grows hungry for the edge.
“That would be perfect,” he comments, his voice going slightly husky. I notice the change as if it were needles in my flesh, and then he clears his throat and adds. “You’ll be successful at whatever you choose. Just promise me one thing…”
I hold my breath and look to him. We search one another’s eyes, an inferno of tension stretched between us.
“Just don’t hold yourself back for anyone. Do what you want because you want it, not because everyone else wants it for you.”
I stay very still, hoping and praying that he doesn’t see the shift in my mask. The crack in my armor. Because these words torture me right in the sweet spot of my soul. This hollow space inside me that corrupts and feeds the glassy smiles and neglected dreams. It addresses my greatest weakness and my strongest enemy.
“Yeah,” I say, and then exhale a long breath through my nose. “Easier said than done, Mr. Draper.”
He grunts in agreement and makes a U-turn, speeding off down the road in the opposite direction.
“I know I’m just your boyfriend’s father, but I’d like to give you advice. You seem like a good girl. Don’t let anyone ruin your future because they’re too selfish to see what they’re doing to you.”
Does he mean Derrick? Does he mean that I shouldn’t be with his son? Or does he know that deep down I want so much more out of life despite my prison sentence? It thrills me to think that he can read me. It would be nice to have someone who just gets me, even if I don’t say what I’m thinking or what I want. It would lessen the burden of existing to have someone who understands because of their own experience.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, and feel, for the first time, like I’m breathing the same air as the rest of the world.
Wyatt
“Well, it sounds like it was your oil,” I tell her, glancing over at her smooth gold legs. She sits primly on the seat, her back forced straight. She’s the epitome of a beauty queen or Victoria’s Secret model. Something impressively flawless. I have tried my hardest to keep my eyes on the road, but it’s difficult.
“Good. At least it’s that and not something…”
Interrupting her response, the growling noises start again. Damn.
“Maybe I spoke too soon,” I mutter. Then I have an idea. “Hey, why don’t I drop you off at school. I’ll give you my number and you can text me yours so that I can call you when I’ve finished with your car.”
Is this too forward? Does she suspect something? Will she just write me off as a creep and be on her way?
“Okay, let’s do that,” she says, and I swear I catch the thread of smile on her plump pink, glossy lips. I find myself wanting to trace her delicate cupid’s bow with my tongue. God, I’m such a sick fuck.
“I appreciate what you said.”
I’m surprised when she says this, and glance at her, my expression inquiring.
“About the ‘doing what I want for myself, and not for others,’ and ‘not letting anyone hold me back.’ I think I needed to hear that.”
Her voice is caramel, rich and melodic in my ears. I wish I could fall asleep to that voice. Right now, all I’m focused on is trying to contain my devious cock, but it’s become easier the more that I sit with her. Though I know that one wrong move, one wrong look, and I’ll be rock hard and straining against my pants. I wonder if she’s ever even seen male parts. I’m sure her and Derrick have done more than just kiss, but I don’t know just how far they’ve gone.
“Doesn’t your dad talk to you about things like that?”
I take a breath, trying to keep myself in check. Asking her personal questions is like delving
into a mine full of gemstones. I never know what I will find, and my stomach is tense with excitement.
“Um, no. Not really,” she tells me, gazing out the window with a thousand stars and dreams in her eyes.
“Well, he should. It’s not healthy for young girl’s to be alone in the world. Without guidance.”
She swivels her neck to look at me, eyes softly narrowed.
“Would you say the same if I were a boy?” she asks simply.
“Yes,” I growl, staring straight out at the road ahead. “I mean anyone. Kids need support, especially teens. It’s hard to make it through High School without it.”
She’s silent for a moment, so I glance at her. She’s been staring at me, trying to figure me out. I wish she wouldn’t look at me with those innocent eyes all bunched up with calculation. It makes the dangling appendage between my legs throb. My Savannah. I wish I could take away every single last drop of pain inside her, to give her the key to the gateway that leads to her dreams. I wish I could kiss her aches away. But this will never be. My desire for her will always be like a snake in the grass, always snapping at my heels.
“Do you want to guide me, then?” She asks innocently, but when I look at her she licks those luscious lips, and my cock demands attention. I shift in my seat, trying to shield my offensive reaction.
“If that’s what you need…” I am curt.
“Why should you care about what I need? I’m your son’s girlfriend,” she says, now more brazen. “I’ve only ever felt like you hated me every time I was at your house.”
“Hated?” I blurt. “No.”
She gesticulates wildly with her arms and then slaps her hands down on her legs.
“I guess I just don’t know you well enough,” she says.
Well enough. It bears the same weight as if she’d have said: yet.
“I have a feeling no one really does,” she adds thoughtfully.
This is true. I keep everyone at arm’s length. There are too many scars. Too much darkness inside me to call myself one of the same upstanding citizens of Thornwood. But I’ve made my peace with this. I’m happy to be one of the outsiders. What I have is decent, and I’m just glad I didn’t end up somewhere worse.
I shrug.
We pull up to the school quickly, and before she gets out, I reach out and touch her arm. Electric shots jolt through me, and she seems surprised by the unexpected connection. Her skin is obscenely soft, and I know that the rest of her will match.
“Hand me your phone.”
She complies, and I enter in my number. She swiftly texts me “hi,” so that I have her number, and then grabs her backpack and swings herself out of the car.
“I’m counting on you,” she calls over her shoulder with a smile.
On school ground she becomes meek, sweet, and subtly flirty. This is her space, and this is where all students bow to her. Maybe she expects me to bow to her, too. I would, without a question. I’d bow and give that girl anything she desired.
Once she’s gone, I take her car back to the shop. The rest of my day proves to be uneventful compared to my morning. The entire time my thoughts are solely for her. If she knew what a powerful hold on me she had, maybe she’d act differently. She’d be afraid of me. Our age gap is too large, and she has an entire life that definitely doesn’t have room for the stigma of me.
When I head home for the night, my body is wound tight. First, I head home to take care of Nuke. But once I’ve fed him, given him fresh water, and a few pats, I realize that these are one of the nights that I’ll need release. My cock is stiffening in my pants at any stray thought of Savannah, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get rid of this unless I take care of it.
Just then, there’s a knock at my door. I stroll to the entryway and sigh deeply. I wish that it was her, and when I crack the door I halfway expect to see her standing there. But it isn’t. It’s Jade, shuffling her feet as she peers up at me.
“Jade?”
“Can I come in?” she asks, her voice strong.
“I thought you were on duty tonight?” I ask, before letting her past the threshold.
“No. Not tonight,” she informs. When she enters, I take in her outfit. Small white shorts, and a loose workout top. Her eyes are puffy and her hair is loose around her shoulders, bearing the kinks of the braid she always has in.
I nod once in understanding, but before I can stop her, she throws herself toward me. Her lips crash against mine, her arms wrapping around my neck. My body is already prepped, and I draw her against me, cradling her back as I imagine that this is Savannah, ready and willing to offer herself up to me. It doesn’t take long for reality to set in, and I grab her arms and push her away.
“Wait. You know that I don’t want a relationship,” I remind her, searching her darkly lustful eyes. “I’m not capable.”
She shakes her head, nearly breathless.
“I don’t care,” she lurches forward and kisses me again, her mouth warm upon mine, her tongue plying at my own. I hold back a growl. When I shut my eyes, it’s easy to pretend. It’s easy to use my imagination, and every time I breathe her in it becomes more believable.
Maybe it’s the loneliness inside me that makes me so damn ready, or the fact that I’ve been celibate for years. Or the buildup of pressure in my cock from my conversation with Savannah earlier. From all the times I’ve thought about her while wishing I could plunge myself deep inside her wet cunt.
I kiss Jade back, releasing the tension, giving her everything I want to give to Savannah. I shove her back against the wall and kiss her deeply, hooking my fingers into the flesh of her thighs. I force her legs apart. I feel bestial, like a madman unable to stop himself. And maybe I wouldn’t be able to. Maybe it’s better that I’m doing this to Jade, not Savannah. I don’t know if I’d be able to stop myself.
“Wyatt,” she whispers through my hard kisses, and I ignore her. I yank down her white shorts and expose her pussy, the flat part of her pelvis above it, and the dark triangle of hair she sports. I lift her out of them and then flip her around.
“Is this what you wanted?” I ask her, hissing in her ear. Maybe she understands my question, maybe she doesn’t. I let her silence fill the gaps between the sound of our skin and clothes brushing together.
She leans against the wall of my entryway and she parts her legs for me willingly. Too fucking willing. I wish she wasn’t here. I almost grab the back of her neck and throw her out the front door, but the need is too strong inside me. Her small ass beckons me, a free meal in years of starvation.
“No relationship,” I unzip my pants and push them down, leaning so that I can align myself with her opening. “But, this, I can do.”
I shove myself inside her and she cries out, fingers trying to grip the wall. I hold onto both of her hips and watch her ass bounce as I slap myself inside her, pump after pump, her flesh rippling as I take what I need. Smacks resound through the air.
Savannah…my body quakes as I think about being so close to her today. This obsession becoming something that’ll ruin me. I fuck Jade as hard as I possibly can, imagining my beautiful Sav. I imagine what she’d sound like, her moans, her cries, her whimpers of ecstasy as we both take what we want.
“Wyatt!” Jade shakes as her channel begins to tighten over my cock. I drive myself into her, closing my eyes and tilting my head back as I think about Savannah in her towel.
“Oh…” I grunt as my cock surprises me by suddenly tensing, and I come, the pleasure cracking through me as I quickly pull out and watch my semen spurt out all over her ass and legs. “God.”
If this were Savannah, I would turn her around and pull her into an embrace, kiss her lips and tell her how much I care for her. I’d carry her to the bedroom and lay her down with me and cradle her, kiss her forehead and cuddle her the entire night.
But it’s not, so I pull myself away from Jade and draw my pants up again. I didn’t even fully take them off. She spins around, breathless, and smiles at me.
Guilt eats me whole when I see that smile, because I know that she’s enjoyed herself too much. She’s the type of girl who likes to be taken advantage of. Too bad I’m the kind of man who takes advantage, and this will never end well.
“Do you want to…”
“No,” I snap, and wipe my hand over my face in frustration. “I mean, I’m sorry. Would you like to watch a movie?”
She nods, and her hopefulness lights up her face. Her standing there with cum on her thighs and a naked pussy makes her look obscenely vulnerable. She really isn’t an ugly woman, she’s just not my type.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket, and I draw it out once Jade’s padded off to the bathroom.
How’s my car? Comes Savannah’s text.
It’s fucking nine o’clock at night. Why is she texting me so late? I blow out a breath, both exhausted and sated. But now anxiety floods through me, and I can hardly think.
It’s fine. I haven’t had a chance to work on it much yet. I text back once an appropriate amount of time has passed.
Jade and I settle on the couch in the living room, the couch where Savannah had slept soundly only a few weeks ago. She sits closer to me than I want, but she gives me enough space so that I can still see my phone screen without worrying that she’ll see who I’m speaking to.
Okay. Is all she texts, but I see the three dots that indicate that she is still typing. Then, nothing. My heart lurches maddeningly in my chest. I don’t know what to say, I just don’t want her to stop.
“You’re really hot,” Jade twists to look at me, the T.V. lighting up her features as images pass across it.
“Thank you,” I grunt, and try to give her a look that she can take as encouraging.
The Prom Queen's Sinner: Thornwood Small Town Forbidden Romance Book One Page 5
