Tell Me Pretty Lies

by Charleigh Rose

  Valen raises one of her perfect eyebrows. “She’s my best friend. Get your own.”

  “She’s my sister,” Holden slings back. “Get your own.”

  I roll my eyes at their bickering. “I want to stay close to my house until the window’s fixed, but I have a feeling I’ll be taking you up on your offer soon.”

  “Fine.”

  “So, when are you going to see Liam?” I ask, desperate for a change in subject.

  “Today. I’m going to leave early to make the drive.”

  “Douchebag,” Holden coughs into his fist and I elbow him in the ribs, making him wince.

  “Is he going to make this lingering thing a habit?” Valen asks, sending him a dirty look.

  “Unfortunately.”

  “Get used to it, baby.” Holden smiles wide, showing his pearly whites.

  “Get a life, baby,” she mocks.

  “Bitch.”

  “Lurker!”

  The bell rings, putting me out of my misery, and Valen stands from the table, dumps her tray, then stomps off toward her class.

  “Be nice to her,” I say as the three of us stand, heading for the main hall.

  Holden jerks his gaze away from her retreating ass. “I’d be very, very nice to her if she’d just let me.”

  I snort out a laugh. “I’ll see you after class.”

  Once Holden’s out of sight, I jog to catch up with Christian who’s a few paces ahead of me. “Hey.”

  He stops, turning to face me as the hall clears out.

  “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  He frowns at me, but there’s a sadness in his eyes. A heaviness to them, and I can’t remember if it was always there, or if it’s a recent development. “I’m fine.”

  That’s what he said that night, too.

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “I know.”

  “But I don’t like keeping this secret,” I admit.

  “Don’t worry about me, Shayne. I’m a big boy.”

  I shake my head, frustrated. “You’re putting me in a shitty situation.” I try a different approach.

  “Yeah, well, no one asked you to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  I frown and he rolls his eyes. “I have it handled.”

  I nod, walking away, knowing we’re at an impasse.

  “Shayne,” he calls out.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” he says, his tone uncharacteristically sincere.

  “Back at you.”

  Class after boring class, I try to do what Thayer said. I try paying attention to my surroundings, but I don’t notice anything different from any other day. Taylor still gets her jabs in when she can, and if anything, with Holden and Christian flanking me, I draw even more attention than normal. This is exactly what I wasn’t looking forward to. The icing on the cake is when Thayer’s waiting for us in the parking lot, standing in front of his car after school. “That’s definitely going to feed the rumor mill.”

  “See you at home.” Holden laughs, nodding his chin to acknowledge Thayer before he heads toward his Rover.

  Home.

  Those stupid butterflies are back at the sight of Thayer standing there in black jeans and black shirt, his lightning tattoo on full display, hands stuffed into his front pockets. I walk over to him, holding my binder to my chest. “I could’ve caught a ride with Holden.”

  “You could’ve,” he agrees, opening the door for me.

  “People are going to talk.”

  He shrugs. “Let them.”

  Shayne

  That’s pretty much how things go for the next week. Holden takes me to school and Thayer picks me up most days. They come to my games and even tried to go to my practices until Coach made them wait outside on account of distracting my teammates. Thayer had someone out to fix the window and it was like new after two days. Surprisingly, the only loss was my grandmother’s expensive rug, which we tossed, and a burn mark on the hardwood. I’ll worry about how to explain that to my mom later.

  Every night we hang out together, sometimes with Christian, sometimes it’s just the three of us. Thayer brings me into his room after everyone goes to sleep, and every morning, I slip out of his bed, thoroughly fucked, before Holden and Christian wake up to get ready. We don’t talk about my brother. We don’t talk about Danny. We don’t even talk about who has it out for me after the first couple of days. It’s become our new normal, and I’m starting to dread going home in a few days.

  The bell rings, announcing the end of the day, pulling me from my thoughts. I stand, gathering my things, and when I walk out into the hall, I’m surprised to find that Holden’s not magically there, waiting for me. Good. Maybe he’s finally realizing I don’t need security detail at school, of all places. I make my way through the crowded hallway, heading to get my jacket out of my locker. It’s Friday, so I don’t want to leave it over the weekend.

  People start to whisper and laugh, all eyes on me. Dread unfurls inside me. What now? I roll my eyes, pushing past them, but I stop short once I see why they’re reacting.

  Brother Fucker is spray-painted in bold black letters across my locker. Instinctively, I search out Taylor. She might not have thrown a firebomb through my window, but this…this is her brand. And when I see her smug face, I know I’m right.

  “Defacing a locker with spray paint and slut shaming? Lacks creativity and originality, but it is a classic mean girl move. I give it a solid C.”

  “If the shoe fits,” she preens.

  Anger boils in my gut, and I feel myself reaching my breaking point. There’s only so much a person can take before they finally snap. I crowd her space, backing her up toward the row of lockers on the opposite side of the hall.

  “You’re pathetic.”

  “Me?” she shrieks, her eyebrows hitting her hairline. “You’re the one who’s obsessed with your stepbrother. Seriously, Shayne. It’s creepy.”

  Heat crawls up my neck and to the tips of my ears. I drop my backpack and shove her shoulders. Her back slams against the lockers, eyes widening, mouth dropping open in shock. “Fuck with me again, Taylor,” I say through gritted teeth, “and I promise you, it will be the last time.”

  Don’t hit her, don’t hit her, don’t hit her.

  “What, are you going to have your brother kill me, too?”

  I’m going to hit her.

  I curl my fingers into a fist before sending it straight into her perfect little nose. Taylor’s head slams against the locker, and then she’s cupping her nose in shock as a chorus of gasps and cheers alike fill the halls. She looks at me in disbelief for a second, then she snaps into action, screaming like a banshee as she lunges for me.

  A pair of arms come around my waist, pulling me away.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Holden says. “Calm down, killer.” He bends down to scoop up my backpack, throwing it over his shoulder. All eyes are on us as Taylor stands there, chest heaving. She’s embarrassed. Most likely infuriated. But she crossed the line.

  “You’re done,” he says, pointing a finger in Taylor’s face.

  “Holden—”

  “Let’s go,” he says to me, ignoring her as he ushers me down the hall with his hand on my lower back. A teacher pokes his head out of a classroom, looking for the source of the commotion, but we keep walking toward the double doors that lead to the student lot.

  I push the door open, but the heavy wind blows it open even wider. The sky is dark with an impending storm, the clouds rolling in. Thayer’s car is noticeably absent, and I’m relieved that I have a few minutes to collect myself before I have to see him. My heart is pounding. I’ve never hit anyone like that before, and I hate that I did. Not because she didn’t deserve it, but because that’s exactly what she wanted from me. She wanted to get under my skin, to get a reaction from me, and I handed it to her on a silver platter.

  We jump into Holden’s Range Rover and pull out of the parking lot, making the short d
rive to Whittemore. Thayer’s Hellcat is parked in the circular driveway and Holden pulls up behind it, throwing the car into park before looking over at me.

  “How’s your hand?”

  “It hurts,” I grumble.

  He chuckles, stepping out of the car. I open my door and jump down, my shoes crunching against the gravel as I follow Holden up the steps. He heads straight for the kitchen where Thayer stands at the counter, eating a sandwich.

  “The fuck happened?”

  “Shayne punched Taylor in the face,” Holden says with all the glee of a five-year-old tattling to his mom.

  Thayer’s eyebrows jump, his expression amused.

  “She deserved it.” I shrug.

  “She had it coming,” Holden agrees, reaching over to steal the remaining half of Thayer’s sandwich, but he smacks his hand away.

  “What’d she do?”

  Holden relays what happened from the locker to the comment about Grey, and Thayer’s dark green eyes meet mine in silent question. I shrug. I don’t think she actually knows about us. I think she’s bitter that I’m in their good graces again and threw out a rumor that just happens to be true.

  “You good?” Thayer asks.

  “Of course.” I gnaw on my lip, nodding. Why wouldn’t I be good? It’s not like I’m having a secret affair with my ex-stepbrother who thinks my actual brother killed his brother while someone is out to get me, and catty bitches are calling me brother fucker in front of the entire school.

  I’m fine.

  Thayer

  The moment Holden walks out the front door, I’m heading up the stairs, seeking Shayne out. I hear the shower running and slip inside the steamy bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I planned on talking to her about what went down at school, but the moment I see her standing there naked, her back to me as the water pours over her, I lose all coherent thought.

  She’s fucking beautiful. So different, yet so similar to the girl who moved in three years ago. She’s stronger, but still vulnerable. Confident, but humble. Hot as fuck, but inherently innocent. As if she can sense my thoughts, she glances at me over her shoulder.

  “Thayer!” Shayne scolds me, whipping around, bringing her arms up to cover her chest. Water from the shower ceiling falls around her, dripping from the ends of her hair, droplets hugging her curves as they slide down her body. She’s fucking perfect.

  “He’s gone.” I strip down in record time, and Shayne’s gaze falls to my cock, realizing I’m already hard. I walk up behind her, cupping her tits as I dip my head to kiss her neck. She shivers, leaning into me.

  “Turn around,” I murmur against her skin.

  She does as I say, eager for what I’m about to give her. Dropping to my knees, I bring my face level to her smooth pussy and pull my lip rings between my teeth, admiring the view.

  “Lift your leg.”

  She does, propping her foot against the built-in bench. I run a hand up the back of her other leg, bringing my lips to her inner thighs. My teeth nip at the soft flesh, teasing, never going quite where she needs me. Shayne loses patience, spearing her hands through my wet hair, and jerks me toward her. Fuck, that was hot. When my tongue slides against her little clit, she bucks against me, unable to keep still. I groan into her, taking her foot and placing it on my shoulder. Sliding my palm over her ass, I hold her to my face, licking and sucking until her legs are shaking with the need to come.

  “Turn around,” I order in a strangled voice.

  Breathless, she does as I say, and then I plant a palm on her back, pushing her forward.

  “Ass out. Hands on the wall.”

  Shayne arches her perfect heart-shaped ass out and I slide my hands over her flesh, squeezing. I spread her, leaning in to lick her. Shayne jerks away with a gasp, not expecting it, but I hold her hips in place. I lick her from clit to ass and everywhere in between. She moans the sexiest fucking sound, pressing her tits against the shower wall, and I know she’s so drunk on the feeling that she’d let me do just about anything.

  “You gonna let me do whatever I want?” I ask, my voice thick with lust. She tenses at my words.

  “Not that.”

  I laugh against her thigh. “I promise I’ll make you feel good.”

  “Okay.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

  I flip her around once more, her back against the wall, and slip a finger inside her pussy.

  “Yes,” she says as my mouth comes down on her clit as I fuck her with my fingers. It’s not long at all before her movements speed up, becoming frantic. I know she’s about to come, so I slide a finger to her back entrance. Shayne tenses up again, but I rub at her as my mouth works her clit. Soon, she’s pressing her ass against my finger, wanting more. I gladly give it to her, gently working my middle finger into her ass.

  “Oh, fuck,” Shayne gasps, and I look up to see her eyes squeezed shut, lips parted.

  She’s so tight around my finger. I go slow at first, letting her get used to it, but then I move faster as I pull her clit into my mouth, sucking hard. Her taut, little stomach tightens, and her body locks up with her impending orgasm just as I slide my index finger inside her pussy.

  She screams—literally screams—and her legs give out. I use my forearm to pin her to the wall, keeping her upright as I pump into her. She contracts around my fingers, legs shaking, as my tongue laves her clit.

  “Holy fucking shit,” she pants, sliding down the shower wall.

  “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  “Ditto,” Holden’s voice says from behind us.

  Shayne’s horrified eyes snap over my shoulder, and I shield her naked body with my own.

  “What the fuck!”

  “She was screaming! I thought she was being murdered! I mean, I guess she was, just not in the way I th—”

  “Holden! Get the fuck out.”

  He walks out, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

  “I thought he was gone,” is all she says.

  “So did I.”

  I step out of the shower, handing her a towel before grabbing one for myself. She wraps it around her, knotting it at her chest. When we step into the hall, Holden’s standing in front of my bedroom door with his arms crossed.

  “I just have one question,” he says, looking between us.

  “What?”

  “When did you get your nipples pierced?”

  “Oh my God,” Shayne said, her cheeks turning bright pink. She pushes past him, walking into my room. We follow her in, watching as she disappears into my closet. When she comes out, she’s wearing one of my black t-shirts that hits her mid-thigh.

  “Why don’t you seem mad? Or even surprised?” she asks, pointing a finger at him.

  “Wait, did you two actually think you were slick?” he asks, chuckling. “You both disappeared for two days, she sleeps in your bed every night, you eye-fuck each other any time you’re in the same room, oh, and let’s not forget the night you went down on her while I was on the couch next to you. Thanks for that, by the way.”

  “But you said—” Shayne exclaims, her face turning even redder.

  “I lied.” He winks.

  “Oh my God,” she says again, dropping down onto the edge of my bed.

  “All right, well, now that I’m horny as fuck, I’m gonna go find someone to play with. You kids have fun.”

  Holden walks out and I walk over to my closet, throwing on a pair of grey sweats before I sit next to Shayne on my bed.

  “So. That happened.”

  “It did.”

  “Are you okay with that? With people knowing?”

  “Are you?”

  She lifts a shoulder. “We’re still figuring things out. I just don’t want anyone to ruin it before we have a real chance.”

  I take her chin between my thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at me. “Fuck everyone else. It’s you and me.”

  She smiles and I feel it like a jolt in my chest. I miss seeing that smile every
day. They don’t come as easily as they used to.

  “You didn’t get to finish.”

  “You don’t need to remind me,” I say, adjusting my half-hard dick in my sweats.

  She bites down on her lip, dropping to her knees between my legs.

  “We should do something about that.”

  The sound of wind whipping branches against my window pulls me from my sleep. My room is dark, the TV we fell asleep watching earlier no longer on. I slide my arm out from under Shayne’s head, careful not to wake her, then I reach for the lamp on my nightstand, but it doesn’t turn on. Power must be out. I roll out of bed, blindly feeling around for my phone. When I find it, I turn on the flashlight, heading for my door. I swing it open, finding Holden standing on the other side.

  “Check the breaker box?” I ask him. It’s probably due to the high winds, but with someone fucking with Shayne, my paranoia is on high alert.

  “Not yet. I forgot where Dad left his keys for the basement.”

  “They’re in his desk. Come on.”

  Holden follows me down the hall and around the corner, into Dad’s office.

  “So you and Shayne, huh?”

  I ignore him, rounding my dad’s massive desk, pulling open the top right drawer. I use one hand to shine the light inside and the other to sift through the numerous sets of keys, pens, and other random shit. I finally find the one I’m looking for, pulling on the ring, but it gets caught on something. I shine my phone into the drawer once more, and that’s when I realize that one of the keys has slipped beneath something. Something that looks a whole lot like a false bottom.

  I clench my jaw tight as a bad feeling hits my gut hard and fast. Somehow, I know whatever’s under there is about Danny.

  “Come give me some light.”

  “What is it?” He comes up behind me, shining his light over my shoulder, and I set my phone down onto the desk.

  “Let’s find out.” I take one of the keys and stick it between the board and the drawer front, popping it up, then fit my fingers in between the gap to lift it.

  “What the fuck,” Holden says as I pull out an orange folder. He leans in closer, shining more light to see the words on the front of it.