He shook his head. “You don’t understand. In that town, you’re never really alone. Someone’s always watching, waiting for you to fuck up. I should’ve known she had something in my house—I just didn’t think it’d be hidden in my room.”
I blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“I fucked up, Jaz. I fucked up bad.”
Again, with the blinking. “That much is already obvious, you know.”
“No, I don’t mean being with you,” he clarified, causing my heart to do something stupid in my chest. “I wanted that.”
“Normally, when guys with girlfriends want to sleep with someone else, they pull up some porn and jerk off,” I said. “Only the real shitty ones actually go out and find someone else to stick it in.” I was aware I was talking about myself being on the receiving end of the dick, but hey, I meant every single word of it.
Archer could only shake his head at that, which infuriated me to no end.
God, I wanted to both kill him and feel his hot skin on mine again. How wrong was that? It was like I didn’t even learn my lesson.
“Normal people don’t do what you did,” I told him, frowning. “Normal people don’t let their girlfriend make a fool out of someone else. You should’ve told me you had a girlfriend. I’m not a homewrecker—I don’t go looking for unavailable guys and throw myself at them. You lied to me by keeping her a secret, and now I’m the whole laughingstock of Midpark High.”
Archer’s blue eyes closed, and his head turned down. “I know.”
“Do you? I don’t think you do. I don’t think you feel bad at all for what you did, but me? Oh, I feel something, all right. I feel angry. I feel used. I feel so fucking mad I could strangle you.” Each and every word I spoke was a fact. Now, I was past the point of sugarcoating anything, especially for him. “I could’ve been gang-raped at that party, and you don’t even fucking care—”
That got his eyes to open, a look of pure shock on his face as he said, “What? No, I wouldn’t…Brittany said she wanted to make an example out of you—”
“Yeah,” I spoke with a nod, “by spiking my drink and making a fool out of me.”
“She didn’t spike your drink.”
“Well, if she didn’t, you did.”
Archer was vehement. “No, I never would’ve done that. I didn’t even want to bring you to the party. Jaz, I…are you sure your drink was spiked?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I don’t think a single drink would make me feel like a dead girl walking.”
He shook his head, turning away from me, muttering a soft “Fuck.”
I watched his reaction, wondering why I felt something tug on my heartstrings. I seriously wasn’t falling for this schtick, was I? I’d already fallen for his shit once; I did not need to add a second time to the roster.
“I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t think she’d go that far…” Archer mumbled under his breath, sounding like he was talking to himself more than he was talking to me. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering everything she’s done already.”
At this point, I didn’t know what to think. Either Archer was a good actor—which I already knew he was, since he’d conveniently never mentioned his girlfriend at all during the time we were together before our hookup—or he was being completely serious.
Was Brittany the one who drugged my drink at the party? Was she the one pulling all of the strings? Were Bobbi’s words true: did Brittany have something on Archer to make him her lapdog?
And, perhaps the heaviest of questions racing through my head: if Brittany was the one at fault, if she was some evil mastermind behind everything, would that change anything between Archer and me?
I…I couldn’t say.
Finding my voice, I muttered, “I don’t understand.”
Archer shook his head, finally returning his gaze to me. He wore a conflicted expression, one that made me actually ache deep inside. “You wouldn’t. You’re new here. You don’t understand how cruel everyone is around here.”
“Actually, I think you showed me.”
“I never wanted this. I just…you were new. You didn’t know anyone. You had no idea of any of Midpark’s history. I could close my eyes and pretend with you, feel what I wanted to feel and not what someone else wanted me to. I could be who I wanted to be.” Archer’s wide chest fell with a sigh. “I never wanted to hurt you, Jaz. Please, if there’s one thing you should believe, it’s that.”
At this point, I didn’t know what to believe. “So, you slept with me because I was new?”
He could not shake his head no fast enough. “No. I wanted you because you were fun, nice—and so beautiful it hurts to look at you. I like you, Jaz, and it sucks to know I’m the reason Midpark is against you. I knew better. I should’ve done better, but I didn’t…and now you’re paying the price for my mistake.”
I ran a hand through my hair, incredulous of everything he was telling me. “Why couldn’t you have told me any of this before? Why wait until now?” God, I didn’t understand anything, did I? It didn’t matter if I believed him; a seed of doubt had planted itself in my head, in spite of myself.
“There are eyes and ears everywhere. She’s got friends everywhere, and her family knows everyone. If one of them saw me with you, talking to you, they’d run and tell her. I thought my house was safe, since I’m always with her when she’s over, but I guess I was wrong.” Archer breathed out a long, hard breath. “I was wrong about a lot of things.”
I’d be lying if I said I understood this. “I don’t get it. If you’re not happy with her, if she’s spying on you and everything, why are you with her?” I wasn’t saying him breaking up with Brittany would solve all of our problems, but it would be one less.
Though, I supposed, she’d have the entire town at my door with torches and pitchforks immediately after.
“I have to be,” Archer muttered, clearly unhappy with the whole situation.
Ditto, buddy.
Frowning, I said, “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I just…I have to be. She’s been obsessed with me for years, and last year she finally figured out how to trap me, okay?” Archer shrugged, looking absolutely helpless. The look did not suit his handsome features. “There’s no way out of this for me.”
“If you tell me what she has on you, I can help—” Me, offering to help Archer, the boy who I swore vengeance on not too long ago. Couldn’t everything stay the same for a fucking week? Like, take it easy, Midpark. I could only handle so much at once.
“No,” Archer spoke, stepping toward me. Less than a foot separated us now, but moving away from him was the last thing I was thinking about. “You can’t help me. You’ll only get hurt worse than you already were, and I don’t think I could take it.”
I tried putting it all together, but it was hard, and I still thought there were a few pieces of the puzzle I was missing. “Is that why you brought me here, away from town? So you could tell me half of the truth and try to get me to give up? I’m not going to stand back and let you or Brittany walk all over me. Even if what you say is true…you still hurt me, Archer. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I don’t forgive easily.”
Or, you know, ever.
Truth was, I’d never been in a situation like this before, never been on the outside looking in. Not once in my entire life had I had a whole school at my heels, nipping and biting, waiting to watch me fall.
Archer took yet another step closer to me, his words heavy as he spoke, “I’m sorry.”
Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, sometimes being sorry wasn’t good enough. You couldn’t change the past, no matter how hard you tried. Some things simply were. I’d get back at Brittany, regardless of what he’d just told me, and I’d figure out a way to get back at him, too.
Maybe it was wrong of me. Maybe Archer wasn’t lying when he basically said Brittany had him by the balls, but I didn’t care.
I would make them both miserable.
> “Noted,” I said, and it was all I said. Anything else I might’ve thought to say in that moment didn’t matter. I’d heard him out, which was more than I thought I’d do half an hour ago. He didn’t deserve anything from me, even if he was just as trapped as I was.
A long breath came from his lungs, and Archer inched closer to me still, murmuring, “If things were different…” Too close to me. Far too close. Because that’s the thing, wasn’t it? If things were different—but they weren’t. You could live in denial all you wanted, but it wouldn’t change facts.
And right now, the fact of the matter was…I was so terribly confused.
I shook my head once, whispering, “But they’re not.” My gaze snapped up to his, and my breath caught in the back of my throat. I could feel his body heat radiating off him; he stood less than four inches away.
Way too close, and yet, at the same time, not close enough.
“I know,” he spoke quietly, leaning his forehead against mine, the touch of his skin causing mine to flush immediately. His hands found my hips, holding me softly as he murmured again, “I know.”
He knew, and yet he could not keep his hands off me.
It was wrong. I should push him away, be the bigger person. I should not fall for anything he played, and yet I felt myself growing weaker for him as the seconds wore on. Why didn’t I think to push him away when I had the mental capacity to realize how foolish this all was? It was something I should’ve done a minute ago, but now I feared it was too late.
“If things were different,” Archer whispered, the hands on my hips becoming firmer, steadier, now that he knew I wasn’t going to push him off, “I would make you feel like the only girl in the world.”
My eyes shut of their own accord, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, threatening to bust out and run away. To be the only girl in the world, to be Archer Vega’s front and center, his one and only. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, it sounded amazing.
But that was something I would never admit out loud, to anyone. Hell, I doubted I’d ever admit it to myself again.
Archer’s grip on me forced me backward, and before I knew what was happening, my back collided with a tree just off the gravel pathway. He pinned me there—not hard, but enough strength behind the gesture that I couldn’t just walk off.
At this point, I didn’t think it mattered. Somehow, I’d fallen under Archer’s spell again. God, what was wrong with me?
So many things, apparently.
His heat flooded into me, his forehead still against mine. He was breathing hard, which caused my mind to wander in a bunch of different directions, directions I should not let my mind go. Alas, if there was ever a weak moment in my life, it was now.
One of his hands left my side, moving to lean on the tree behind me. It was a wide thing, its bark digging into my back through the fabric of my hoodie and shirt. His other hand moved downward, to the button on my jeans.
I should stop him. I should yell at him. I should do something—anything other than what I was currently doing, which was nothing. Yeah, I was doing absolutely nothing, as if I’d never learned my lesson when it came to this sexy blonde.
Did his words get to me? Did I believe anything he just told me? That was the thing…I didn’t know if I did, and that painted me in an awful light, didn’t it? Just a girl who was a slave to her body, to her instincts, someone who was weak when she should be strong.
His fingers worked at the button, then the zipper, undoing it just enough so he could slide his hand between the fabric of my panties and my needy skin. Oh, God. Oh, fuck. I should stop him. I only had a few seconds before all hope was lost completely.
Needless to say, I didn’t stop him. I didn’t do anything besides stand there and close my eyes as his fingers curled along me, touching me in my most sensitive place. A short breath escaped me, and I leaned my head back on the tree. Archer’s head was still against mine; he wanted as much contact between us as he could get, apparently.
This was wrong. So wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t let him touch me like this…but damn, it just felt too good.
His fingers circled my clit, putting pressure on the small nub and instantly sending tingles all throughout my body. I had no idea if his eyes were open, if he watched me as he worked me, and I didn’t care. It was too late to pretend his hand was powerless here, too late to tell him that I would never stoop to his level again.
Look at me, willing to crawl through the mud and the dirt just to be with Archer Vega. It was stupid. I was stupid. Now that I knew the truth, this would only serve to poke the bear.
My hips started to move of their own accord, an involuntary reaction of my body. It only served to further increase the pressure between Archer’s hand and my apex, which only made me get hotter.
Made me get hotter, and made me want more. So much more. More that Archer could never give me, because he wasn’t mine. He would never be mine. To stand here and let this happen was irresponsible, but for once, I didn’t want to be the logical one. I didn’t want to sit back and follow directions.
I wanted to be bad. So, so bad. And letting Archer touch me like this was as bad as I could get.
Archer’s hand dipped back, and one of his fingers circled the wetness just outside my entrance. With my eyes still closed, I heard him exhale a shaky, trembling breath, as if he couldn’t believe I was that wet. Like he wanted to tear off my clothes, then his, and have me right here and now.
Alas, no protection, so that definitely couldn’t happen.
His hands, though? Oh, his hands and his fingers could be put to work, definitely.
He brought that wetness up to my clit, his fingers moving smoother against me. My body practically hummed, my nerves on overdrive as he touched me. My heart was a wild thing, pumping blood everywhere in my body, my veins on fire.
If I could block out the world and all of its problems, if I could forget all of the complications I had here in Midpark, I would. I would gladly throw it all away and simply live in the moment, lose myself in Archer like I had that day in his room. It was remarkably easy to.
But maybe that was the problem.
One of his fingers dipped back down, but instead of just spreading my slickness, it slipped inside me, filling me up in a way that made my inner core ache for something bigger, something thicker.
“God,” Archer breathed out, his breath hot on my face, “you feel so good. I wish I could be inside you.” A desperate plea that we both wanted, and yet it could not happen. Never again, really. This whole encounter would have to be our last.
Because, you know, wrong.
With his palm applying pressure to my clit, his finger worked my pussy, sliding in and out, curling just a bit inside and rubbing a spot that made me lose it almost instantly. A low moan left me, and I felt the pressure building inside of my body, a storm ready to be unleashed. As much as I hated Archer, he could pull the pleasure out of me like a master. He was the orchestra, and I was a slave to his song.
Soon enough it was too much. I could no longer hold it off, nor did I want to. The pleasure exploded within me, and I felt it touch every nerve in my body in the explosion of bliss. I cried out, my nose touching his as my body tensed and flooded with heat from his handiwork. It was quite literally the best feeling in the world, one that could never be replaced by anything else.
Just as his finger slipped out of me, just as I ran my hands down Archer’s chest, biting my lower lip as I wondered if I should give him some relief, something strange happened.
A big, black figure tackled Archer off me, bringing them both to the ground. I was still riding the high of my orgasm, my gaze a little hazy because I didn’t want to snap back into reality, but when I saw the two struggling figures in front of me, I had to let the tingly feeling go.
And button my jeans as quickly as possible.
“What the fuck—” Archer could barely get out the words before the attacker punched him square in the jaw.
>
Really hard, too. Sounded like it hurt.
My mind immediately went to a mugger, but then when I saw the shaved head, the brown mop of hair on its top and the tattoo encircling the skull, I knew exactly who it was. The leather, the wide shoulders, the strength…yeah, only one guy I’d met had a frame like that.
Dante Storm.
“Get off him,” I growled out, shocked at the sudden turn of events.
What the hell was going on? Had he followed us? Was he waiting this entire time to attack, watching Archer touch me like that? And, perhaps most of all, I wondered: who the hell did Dante think he was? It wasn’t like I was his girlfriend, and he caught me cheating on him.
No, the one with a bitchy significant other was Archer.
They were all limbs and grunts for a while, both guys trying to be the one with the upper hand. Dante landed a few more punches on Archer—one to his stomach that looked like it hurt something fierce. Archer had been too caught off-guard, as was I, to retaliate much since the leather-clad Dante was in the superior position.
“I said,” I repeated, moving toward them, “get off him.” It was an order, followed by me grabbing the worn collar of Dante’s jacket and pulling.
Dante let me take him off Archer, practically leaping to his feet as I released his collar. He jumped in front of me, glaring at Archer as he got up and adjusted himself—his erection was fading fast. Getting attacked would do that to you, I guess. The two pairs of blue eyes met, both guys exchanging the vilest looks they could muster.
And, because he was Dante and a little off his rocker, Dante reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his knife. The same shiny switchblade that had gotten me to go with him that morning. The blade clicked out, and he held onto it confidently, like he wasn’t afraid of hurting Archer worse than he already had.
And Archer already had a bloodied nose. Ew.
“What the fuck is going on?” Archer spat. “Jaz, get away from him—”
Right. He didn’t know I kind of knew this messed-up psycho. How to explain that, hmm? Oh, Archer, this is Dante. He, uh, sort of kidnapped me by threatening me and my mom last week. But it’s all good now, we wrestled a little, we bonded. We’re pals.
Defiant: A High School Bully Romance (Midpark High Book 2) Page 14
