by Eve, Jaymin
“Doesn’t matter,” Dylan muttered, sounding just a little bit sour. “Everyone with eyes can tell they’re fucking, even if they’re not making out in public.”
“True shit,” Jasper laughed. “The sexual tension is electric.” He poked me in the arm and made a zapping sound, which made me grin like some kind of loved up fool.
Damn it. Beck was totally ruining my chill.
“Besides,” Beck added, reaching around me to snag some fries for himself. “My dad already has us figured out. Not much point in hiding it when the biggest wolf of all has our scent.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” I commented. The tension seemed to have faded from Beck, but I gave him a quick glance to check he was cool with me getting off his lap. At his small nod, I slid over into my own seat.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved sitting in my boyfriend’s lap as much as the next girl, but given all the heavy shit going on in our little crew, I preferred to feel like an equal player, not a cheerleader.
“So, did we make any progress on accessing Huntley’s files?” I posed the question to Jasper, and by “we” I really meant him. I’d found out over the weekend that the back door they planned to use to access the files was actually some genius hacker chick that Jasper had hooked up with a while back. The holdup wasn’t in gaining access to the server, it was in Jasper convincing this chick to actually help in the first place.
“Uh, yeah, it’s getting there.” His cheeks flushed pink, and he suddenly became very interested in his lunch for some reason.
Evan covered a grin with his burger, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “Spill it.”
“Jasper tried his usual routine on her this morning in economics, and she slapped him.” Evan was practically gleeful with the information, and Jasper’s face darkened further.
“Wow,” I said, a bit shocked. “Is that a first for you, Jas? Your face says this is maybe a first, which kinda surprises me.”
Jasper looked genuinely offended at that. “What the hell does that mean?”
I shrugged. “Just that I figured you’d been slapped plenty of times. You’re kind of a man-whore.”
At this, even Dylan and Beck laughed. Or ... as much of a laugh as either of them were capable of in public, which was more of a smile than anything. Still. Enough to have Jasper outraged.
“Harsh, babe,” he commented, defensive. “This is the first time I’ve been slapped. Supposedly after I hooked up with Layla last year, I stood her up on a date and then she found me in bed with her roommate.”
I spluttered a laugh. “I’m not even surprised. You deserved that slap, so good for her.”
Jasper scowled. “I don’t even remember doing it. There was a rough patch with some shit at home... I was drinking a lot, among other things.”
“Well...” I wrinkled my nose and tried not to laugh at his sulking face. “You better get down on your knees and grovel. If this chick can hack a system that none of you three James Bond wannabes can hack ... then we need her. Fast. Dante’s hearing is set for this Friday.” It actually should have happened already, but Beck was using his influence to push it off as long as possible. Yesterday—which was what sparked our argument—that influence had run out.
“I know, I know,” Jasper moped. “I’m mostly pissed at myself for doing that in the first place. When she stopped flirting with me, stopped going out of her way to run into me in the halls, I figured she was just one of those, you know?” As he said this, he gave a subtle head jerk toward the gaggle of girls whose skirts were always too short, their shirts too tight, and their eyes permanently lingering too long on my guys. I hadn’t really interacted enough with other students in Ducis Academy to know them by name—except for Brittley, of course—but I got his point. He thought this Layla was just a social climber who wanted to tick off “fucking a Delta heir” on her list.
“It never occurred to you that you’d fucked up?” I pressed then regretted it when Jasper grimaced. Maybe he actually liked this girl more than the rest? Either way, he needed to start making amends.
Wiping all traces of teasing from my face, I reached across the table to take his hand in mine. “How can I help you, Jas? I could be a pretty great wingwoman.”
“It’s fine.” He sighed and gave me a grateful smile. “I’ll sort it out. Don’t worry, all we need is enough reasonable doubt that they drop the charges. I’m sure a whole death threats file will do that.”
My stomach twisted with worry. “I hope so.”
Under the table, Beck reached over and took my hand in his, threading our fingers together. It was a small thing, but it reminded me that we were in this together.
14
The afternoon passed quickly, and as I was exiting my last class, I spotted the bathroom and nodded my head. “Be right back,” I said to Dylan.
He just grunted, and I paused. “Dude, I’m going to need you to stop fucking grunting at me and start using your words. Clearly something is going on with you, and I’m here if you need to talk about it.”
Dylan just shook his head. “Not ready to talk about it, Riles. But I will try my best to limit the grunting.”
I sighed. “Cool with me.” Even though it really wasn’t. On instinct I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him. Hugging him tight. I loved Dylan like a brother, he was a solid friend and a loyal person, but whatever was up with him bothered me. He’d been acting weird for days. Instinct told me that I needed to get to the bottom of it before it escalated any further.
Dylan’s arms tightened around me, lifting my feet off the ground.
“Whore,” someone coughed as they passed us, but I didn’t give a fuck. They could think I was fucking all four guys as much as they wanted. Even if I was, that didn’t make me a whore—I loved the Delta heirs, every single one of their spoiled, entitled, dangerously scary asses, so it would never just be about sex.
Unfortunately, I didn’t love the other three like I loved Beck.
He was it for me; I was a fucking goner.
Dylan held on longer than I expected, and I didn’t try and break his hold. He needed this hug a whole lot, and I was here for him. When he finally let me go, I headed into the bathroom, desperate to pee. When I was done, I washed my hands and straightened up my mess of hair. It was everywhere—probably had been since Beck mauled me at lunchtime. No one was in the bathroom with me, courtesy of Dylan no doubt, and I was actually expecting it to be him when the door opened and a figure stepped inside.
It wasn’t.
It was Sami.
She met my gaze in the mirror before quickly checking every stall, and then she pulled out some sort of small devices that she ran around the room. I stood there wide-eyed, wondering what the fuck was going on, when she stopped at my side.
“Sorry for all the cloak and dagger bullshit,” she said quickly. “My father is paranoid at the best of times. And when it comes to Delta, he’s paranoid on steroids.”
I nodded quickly, because that sort of paranoia might just keep us all alive.
“You have some information for me?”
She nodded. “Yes. The body was taken care of and has been linked to another crime. The NYC police department already have it filed away and nothing should come back to you.”
I swallowed, thinking of poor Carl.
She pulled some files out of her satchel and handed them over. “He also found some stuff that he thinks might help with Dante and also with whoever killed your driver.”
I glanced at the plain yellow folder with not a single identifying mark on it. “Is this Delta stuff?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I’m just the messenger. But I got the feeling that maybe your driver had nothing to do with your company at all. Dad seemed to indicate that it might be something related to you.”
The folder seemed to burn hot under my hand.
“He wants another meeting soon with your progress,” she said. “I’ll let you know.”
I nodded, and then she spun and disappeared. My hands
trembled as I stared at the folder again. I wanted to rip it open and see what he’d sent me, but I also knew the boys would be pissed if I looked without them.
Case in point when Dylan stuck his head inside the door.
“Everything okay in here, Riles?”
Taking a deep breath, I slipped the folder into my own bag and nodded. “Yep, all good. Just some girl talk.”
I winked, but no doubt he could see the serious expression hidden behind my pretend.
“That’s good,” he said with his own fake grin. “There’s a bit of a lineup out here though. You ready to go?”
I snorted at the fact that he kept everyone out so I had privacy. And safety, no doubt.
“Yep, let’s do it.”
I received multiple glares when I emerged, but all of them managed to keep their mouths shut. Dylan’s scary scowl probably had something to do with that. But I like to think it was me.
“Thinks she’s the fucking queen,” some bitch muttered near the end of the line. “Nothing but a used up whore.”
She glared at me from under her platinum blonde hair and thick black eyebrows, and maybe it was the fact we were dealing with so much shit and these cunts would just not stop with the fucking name calling, but I’d had enough.
Spinning away from Dylan, I advanced on her. My expression must have clued her in on how angry I was … that they’d pushed and pushed and now I was about to show them what happened when Riley went over the edge.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I bit out when I was a few feet from her.
She opened and closed her mouth before turning to her friend. Clearly hoping for some support, but the friend was already backing away.
My hand snapped out and grabbed her chin, holding her tight as I forced her to look at me. “You shouldn’t call other women whores,” I said softly. “We should be sticking together in this fucked up world, not dividing amongst ourselves through petty jealousy. My shine doesn’t dim yours, love.”
Some fire came back into her face as she struggled to free her chin from my grip.
“I call it like I see it,” she snarled. “You’re fucking four guys. You had a fucking group of guys at school get a shot with you. You. Are. A. Whore.”
A rumble from behind told me that Dylan had had enough of this bitch. He wasn’t the only one. I released her, and just as the guys had taught me, I swung my body forward and slammed my fist into her face, knocking her back and to the ground. She started screaming and crying, pressing her hand to her cheek as she scrambled away.
I followed, not giving her an inch. “Anything else to say?” I asked. “I mean, any chick that talks about gang rape as having a ‘shot’ at me, doesn’t really deserve to speak, so I can break your jaw. If you’d like some help staying quiet.”
She shook her head frantically, eyes still filled with angry tears. Now though, there was a healthy dose of fear in there as well.
In fact, as I turned around, none of the chicks in the hall looked directly at me. Like they were afraid to catch my eye. That made me grin because apparently the psycho gene was in all Delta heirs.
Linking my arm through Dylan’s, we strolled out of the school to find Beck, Jasper and Evan waiting for us by their cars. All of them had their phones out, and I wondered what the fuck they were watching, until we got close and I heard my voice.
I jerked my head to Dylan. “You filmed me? Asshole.”
He shook his head. “Riles, it was hot as fuck. The guys needed to see you in action.”
I shrugged, not really caring. When I looked again, Beck’s eyes were on mine, and his eyes were blazing hot. He dragged his gaze across my face and down my body, and I actually shivered. My knees felt a little weak, and Dylan was half carrying my weight by the time we got there.
“Butterfly…” Beck drawled.
Jesus. Just … I really needed a come to Jesus talk because I was basically fucking Beck in the parking lot. With my eyes. But if we didn’t get out of here soon, the “whore” slurs would be coming a lot more frequently.
Beck reached out and lifted me clean off the ground before he deposited me in the passenger seat of the Bugatti. His fingers brushed across my nipples as he clicked the belt in, and I groaned, this low breathy, needy sound.
We’d been fighting a lot lately, but in no way at all had that diminished our attraction. If anything, it was heightening it—we were just that fucked up. Beck slid into the car, and the throaty engine roared to life. I moaned again because I wasn’t sure I’d been this turned on for a while, and this car … it was basically my aphrodisiac.
“Hold on, Butterfly,” Beck said, shooting me his perfect smile.
“Bastard!” I bit out, clenching my thighs. “You started this at lunch time.”
He chuckled, and I moaned again as he spun out of the parking lot, slamming his foot down as soon as we straightened. I had to close my eyes and think unsexy thoughts, or I was literally going to climb onto Beck’s lap and fuck him in a speeding car. Both of us would probably die, but it’d be worth it.
The only thing that wouldn’t be okay was if we killed an innocent bystander, so I’d have to keep it in my pants until we got home. Beck’s hand slid across my thigh, and I thanked whatever gods there were that I hadn’t worn tights today. His fingers caressed the bare skin, sliding up to brush across my aching center. Stroking my clit through the silky fabric.
I arched my back, letting my legs fall open as much as I could. “Beck, please.” I was all but begging as he teased and played with my body like it was one of his guitars. An expert at using his fingers to create art, magic, beauty.
His finger slid in under the side of my panties, and I was so wet that his fingers glided across my body like we’d used lube. He circled my clit once, and then again, and I cried out. He increased the movement until I was a writhing, sobbing mess.
“Come for me, baby,” he whispered in a low husky voice, and I shattered, riding his hand the best I could, all the while craving more. It wasn’t enough. I needed Beck inside of me. I wanted him to fuck me over and over until I forgot our mess of a world, and all I could think about was the way he destroyed my body.
And my soul.
He worked me until I was basically dead, my body falling limply in the seat. “You’re really good at that,” I whimpered.
Beck lifted his finger and licked across it, eyes hooded. He dropped that gaze to mine, and I shivered at the heat there. “Next time it’s my mouth,” he promised, and my pussy basically jumped to attention, ready for everything he was offering.
His gaze went back to the road, and mine went directly to the very obvious erection straining against his pants. Shit. That was not going to waste. Just as I reached out to wrap my hand around him, Beck cursed, his face hard as he stared out to the left. I turned in that direction too, frowning at the sight of the police cars lined up in front of our building.
This can’t be good.
Somehow, I managed to push my sexual urges aside, straightening myself so that I didn’t stumble out of the car, vagina flapping in the wind. Beck had on his “Delta face,” and since I still hadn’t perfected one, I worked to just appear normal and unfazed.
We parked in our normal spot in the secure garage. Dylan entered a minute later with everyone else, including Eddy, who was back living with us. I loved having my best friend close, but knowing we were putting her in danger tainted it slightly. When she’d been in Texas, she had been out of the line of fire.
“What’s with the PoPo?” Eddy asked, dragging herself out of the car, her school bag coming with her. “There were police and detective cars out there.”
Dylan lifted a hand, his phone pressed to his ear as he listened intently, and nodded a few times. We waited, and when he finally hung up, he turned grim faced. “That was the Delta board. The flowers we sent in triggered something in the police database and they’re here now to question us. We’re not supposed to say a word until our lawyers arrive, but I figure it’s safe to
suss out what they know.”
The other guys nodded, none of them at all concerned about being questioned by police. They were the fucking experts at lies and deceit, so this was an average day at the office for them. “You should get out of here, Edith,” Jasper said, turning to his sister. “This isn’t about you.”
She crossed her arms. “The fuck it isn’t. Anything to do with you five is about me. You might consider me an outsider because I’m not a magical fucking heir, but I am your family. All of your family. I won’t be left out any longer.” She jabbed a finger in my direction. “Like what you did to Dante and Riley. I should have known about that!”
The anger I’d seen earlier in her face returned, and it all made sense now. “You found out. How?”
She snorted, arms once again bound tightly over her chest. “Fuck yes I did. Our cousin told me that the four heirs had fucked over the fifth heir to get her to join their group of fucking assholes. Hurt her friend. The whole family was impressed with how brutal you all are. Shares are going to skyrocket on Delta apparently.” She looked disgusted. “It all makes sense now. Dante’s injuries. The way Riley hated you all. Her anger. “
She snarled at them. “How could you do that to her? How? I encouraged her to go back to you guys when I should have been encouraging her to stab you all in the chest.”
Stepping forward, I wrapped my arms around my best friend. “I love you, and I appreciate your anger on my behalf, but we’ve moved past it. Just trust me when I say that the guys are as much victims of Delta as I am. We’re working toward ensuring this shit never happens again.”
Her face remained furious as she stared at me, trying to discern if I was lying to her. Finally, some of the anger died away. “They’re still assholes,” she finally said.
I nodded. “They absolutely are. The biggest assholes. But they’re our family and we need to accept that while they may act like dicks at times, they always have our backs.”
