Liar: A Dark College Romance (Hillcrest University Book 6)

by Candace Wondrak

  You know, together.

  I crawled into his bed, beneath his sheets. He only wore shorts, no shirt, and my palms ran along his flat, smooth chest. Not an ounce of fat on him, but not overly-muscled, either. Declan was, simply, Declan, and I loved him for it…even if there was something he wasn’t telling me.

  I supposed, in the end, since there was something I wasn’t telling him, we were even.

  “I want to fuck you,” I repeated. “Now as long as that’s okay with you, I’m going to get started.” My hands traveled to the waistband of his shorts, and I found it was more than okay with him. His dick was already hard, poised and ready to please me.

  With a yank, I tore down his shorts just enough to expose him beneath the blankets. I wore a thin tank top and booty shorts, no underwear, so all I had to do was position myself just right, and I could ride him with my shorts still on.

  As I sank onto his length, Declan let out a low groan. His dick hit the spot, literally. I became lost in the sensations filling my body, rocking myself along him, dragging his cock in and out with a quickening pace that fanned the heat spreading through me. My breathing grew ragged, and I threw my head back and closed my eyes.

  My body did all of the work, and I felt Declan’s hands find my thighs, holding onto me as I rode him. Combine how my body felt right now with how stimulated my mind was from that dream, and it didn’t take me too long to find my release.

  Pleasure washed over me in a fit of fire, and I cried out, riding him harder. My whole body tensed, my inner walls clamping down on his cock, and I pushed through the blissful high of the orgasm, rocking along him with a greater intensity. Greedy, horny me wanted Declan to come, too.

  And he did. Oh, he did. When he came, the hands gripping my thighs turned to steel, his lean body shuddering beneath mine. If the light was on, I knew he’d be flushed, his pupils dilated in desire, his mouth parted slightly. Declan always wore the same look when he came, and I loved it.

  I loved him, I did. Caring for Sawyer didn’t negate any of the feelings I had for him.

  Sawyer might be the reason Declan’s dick was currently inside me, emptying into me, but that was it.

  Before pulling off him, I leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thank you for your service,” I giggled out, moving my hips up and letting him slide out. I really should go clean myself up, but now I was extra tired.

  Declan didn’t let me crawl out of his bed, didn’t let me leave his side. He pulled me down beside him and kicked off his shorts completely, pushing them to the foot of the bed. With his arms around me, his breathing hard behind me, how was I supposed to deny him and leave him to go back into my own bed?

  Cuddling with Declan after sex wasn’t the worst way to fall asleep, and when that sweet unconsciousness came after me again, I fell into a deep slumber, not waking once until the morning sun came through the windows.

  Chapter Sixteen – Sawyer

  Getting ready for a date was not something I was used to. Sure, I’d taken Ash on a date before, but that was when I was trying to use her, to sway her to my side. Tonight was different. Tonight…actually meant something. I liked her a lot.

  Liked. Loved. Whatever.

  When Ash was in the picture, my mind was a mess. I wanted to do right by her, and not once in my life had I ever really wanted to do right by anyone. Anyone other than Sabrina, but I failed her. I would not fail Ash.

  I was about to step into the shower and rinse off the day’s grime—after my classes were done for the day, I worked out like a maniac to try to calm my nerves—but the moment I took off my shirt, I heard the doorbell ring.

  That was weird. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and I didn’t get any texts from Ash. I’d told her I’d be picking her up anyways; I wouldn’t have her skating here like some freak. This was going to be a normal date. No blackmailing or skateboards necessary.

  Still, my curiosity got the best of me, so I hurriedly slipped my shirt back on before exiting the bathroom and heading downstairs. Whoever it was only rang once, and I wasn’t expecting any packages, so I honestly had no idea who it could be.

  I peered out of the window beside the door, not seeing anyone standing there. My brows creased, and I unlocked the door and threw it open, glancing all around. I saw no one walking nearby, no one on the sidewalk, though there were a lot of cars on the road. It neared rush hour, so traffic was pretty bad.

  Still, no people. It wasn’t like I immediately ran down here to catch them, so I supposed if it was someone going door to door trying to sell something, they would’ve had plenty of time to give up and move on to one of my neighbors.

  Something wasn’t right.

  My eyes dropped to the flat square of concrete that sat before the front door outside. A small step up from the pathway that led from the sidewalk. Someone was here, and whoever it was left me a present.

  My nerves were instantly on edge, and it took everything in me to bend down and pick up what I saw.

  A tiny bag. Just a tiny, small, plastic bag that could hold a lot of things.

  Of course, this fucking bag held the one thing I shouldn’t see, shouldn’t think about, and definitely shouldn’t have resting in the palm of my hand. Pills. Didn’t know what they were, but a teeny part of me didn’t care. There was a time in my life when I would’ve tried anything, days when I’d gladly try to kill myself with whatever combination of shit I could get my hands on.

  But today…today was not one of those days, and if I had a say about it, those days would never make their return. I was done being that Sawyer.

  If that was true, though, I wouldn’t have lingered. I wouldn’t have inched inside my house, closed the door, and breathed out a shaky breath. I wouldn’t have let my mind go there—wouldn’t have thought about it, even for a split-second, but I did.

  I thought about it. Who wouldn’t?

  To forget all your worries, to not let the world’s problems get to you. To relax and have not a single care in your mind. It was freeing, in a way, but it was an addictive feeling that I knew I’d regret if I caved.

  No.

  New year, new me; and this me wasn’t going to fuck up my one chance with Ash.

  Even though it was hard, even though that dark, latent part of me wanted to peel open the tiny baggie and take one of the pills to see what they were, I walked myself back up to the bathroom, lifted the lid to the toilet, and dumped its contents out. I watched as they fell into the water, and once the baggie was empty, I flushed.

  I tossed the bag into the small trash can hidden under the vanity, and I leaned on the counter, letting out a ragged sigh. My skin felt itchy, my nerves jittery. Who the fuck was it, leaving me shit like that? My old contacts only brought me shit after I sent payment, and I hadn’t given them a second thought lately. Everyone who used to come to my parties had found out over these last few weeks that I was no longer into that scene, unless they were trying to drag me back to it? Unless they wanted me back to my old ways?

  My eyes met with my reflection, and my face hardened at the thought.

  Well, at the new thought accompanying that one.

  What if wasn’t one of my old ‘friends?’ What if it was someone closer to home? Travis had proven he was capable of getting between Ash and me, so what if this was his game again? What if he wanted me to fail? I wouldn’t put it past him.

  Actually, I wouldn’t put it past any of them. I’d hurt Declan a lot this past year. For him to want me to fail wasn’t so crazy. And Will? Everyone knew Will wasn’t my biggest fan.

  Each and every one of them had a reason to want to see me crash and burn when it came to Ash, and as I realized this, my shaky nerves hardened to steel. My mouth thinned into a line, my reflection glowering. I swore to myself, right then and there, that I would not fail. I would not fall. Regardless of who tempted me, regardless of who wanted to see me lose Ash forever, I wasn’t going to let it happen.

  Fuck them. Fuck them all. The only one that mattered was
Ash.

  I’d play nice, until I knew who tried to set me up. Once I figured it out, they’d be so fucking dead.

  I spent the next hour getting ready, trying to cool down. I had to pick up Ash soon, and I had to make sure I wasn’t freaking out or letting my rage get the best of me. Ash was the only innocent one in this—I knew she’d never do something like that. She might chain me to my own bed and dye my hair an ungodly electric pink, but to place a baggie of pills in front of me was another level of twisted.

  Hair dyeing was a prank. Pills were serious.

  When it was time to pick her up, I texted Ash I was on my way. The weather was a bit cool out, fucking winter, so I had to throw on a jacket before heading to my car. All the while, I kept tossing looks everywhere. Even while I was driving, I paid extra attention to the sidewalks and roads around me.

  I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary, and if it was one of Ash’s current boyfriends, they’d probably be wearing a disguise or something. They all knew I had a date with her; one of them wanted me to fuck up.

  And if it wasn’t one of them, I honestly had no idea who the hell it could’ve been. As a dealer, you didn’t just drop off pills. You didn’t give product without payment. No, the pills had an ulterior motive here, and I refused to fall prey to it.

  Within minutes, I was pulling into the turnaround in front of Ash’s dorm. I didn’t need to text her again, because she was already outside, waiting. Ash got in my car with no hesitation, and she immediately tossed me a smile as she buckled her seatbelt. Even though she wore her holiest pair of jeans and what had to be her oldest hoodie, she looked amazing.

  I supposed if anyone could pull off that style, it was her.

  “Don’t you look handsome,” Ash muttered, eyeing me up.

  I knew I did. I also put on a bit of cologne, going all out for this little date. If Ash was an insect, I wanted her in my web. I wanted to weave a web so tightly around her she’d never be able to leave.

  “I would say you look good, but, you know,” I spoke, shrugging.

  She blinked. “Are you insulting me, Sawyer? I will get out of this car—” At her words, I locked the doors and started driving.

  “It’s fine,” I told her, glancing both ways before making a left from the turnaround. I had a special destination planned for us before our movie. It wasn’t a normal place for me, but I knew she’d love it. It wasn’t that far from where we were now, actually. “It just means I won’t feel bad when I tear those clothes off you later.”

  Ash let out a laugh. “Sorry to inform you, but we aren’t having sex tonight.”

  Hey, a guy could hope. I tossed her a grin that was probably halfway to sleazy. “Nothing’s off the table when it comes to you.” Fuck, I hoped whoever had dropped those pills off was watching this entire date. I hoped I proved him wrong.

  I could be good for Ash. I would do anything for her, for God’s sakes. I went to rehab for her, not for myself. Not for my family and their threat that I’d be cut off from the Salvatore coin purse.

  “When you see where I’m taking you for dinner, I think you’ll change your tune.” Ash scoffed at me, but the moment I pulled into the parking lot of the local McDonald’s, I couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression.

  “You told me to dress nicely for McDonald’s?”

  We got out of the car. Above us, the sky darkened with each passing minute, a sign that night would arrive soon. Even if she pretended to be miffed and annoyed with me, Ash skipped to the door, tossing me a look over her shoulder.

  “You are buying me like a thousand chicken nuggets,” she declared, walking in. She didn’t even hold the door open for me.

  Rude.

  God, I didn’t know what it was about her, why she was like catnip to me, but she was. Every little thing she did. I supposed that was the thing about love sometimes: when faced with someone demanding an explanation, you could give none. It just was. My feelings for her simply were; there was no changing it.

  “I never offered to pay,” I said as we entered the fast-food chain, earning myself an annoyed look from her. We had to wait in line for a while, before we were up next to order. Ash still glared at me, and I relented, waving at the cashier, “Fine, fine. Order a thousand chicken nuggets if you want.”

  Ash grinned, and the cashier behind the counter appeared confused. She only ordered one meal, and I ordered mine. It’d been a long time since I’d had McDonald’s, but I knew Ash loved their nuggets, so here we were. Not really a fancy dinner date, but one she’d hopefully enjoy anyways.

  We sat down in a booth in the corner. Ash chose the seat that overlooked the restaurant, while I sat facing the windows, able to see most of the outside from where I was. No stalkers. No one hiding in the shadows that I could see, but maybe I wasn’t too good at picking them out. Ray had apparently made some visits to my house and I hadn’t had a clue.

  Ash filled up the top of her chicken container with ketchup, and I watched her dip her chicken in the red sauce before bringing it to her mouth. I hadn’t even touched my burger yet, mostly because…chicken and ketchup. That was like turkey and ketchup. Just no. I’d heard some people dipped any sort of meat in ketchup, but…yuck. That shit needed barbeque sauce or something.

  “You going to watch me all night, or are you going to eat?” she asked. “Or is it too fatty for you to eat? Since you’re a work-out freak.” She gave me an unimpressed look as she sipped her drink—Dr Pepper, because apparently that was the best type of brown pop there was, according to her.

  “I was just watching you smother your chicken with ketchup,” I said, opening my Big Mac container. “And thinking about how nasty it is.”

  “It’s not nasty—it’s good. It’s the only way to eat chicken.”

  “I think I’ve met a million people who would disagree with that.”

  Her grey gaze narrowed, her lips quirked into a smile. “You have not.” Just to disgust me more, she literally scooped ketchup onto her next chicken nugget.

  I wanted to gag, not going to lie.

  “Mmm,” she murmured, her cheeks puffy like a chipmunk with her mouth full, “it’s good. You should try it.” Ash swallowed, carefully dipping her next nugget into the ketchup and offering it to me. “Have one. It’s not every day I offer to share my nuggets, you know.”

  That was probably true.

  The last thing I wanted to do was eat the nugget in her hand, but I found myself taking it anyway, my fingertips brushing against hers. Our eyes met, though I was pretty sure she stared at me to see my reaction about the chicken and ketchup thing, and not because we’d touched.

  I brought it to my mouth and took a bite, ketchup-dipped side first. I chewed…and swallowed, which was hard for me.

  Ash laughed. “If you really hate it, that’s fine. I guess it’s not for everybody. Now, French fries and ice cream? That’s a winning combination to everybody, even the ones who haven’t tried it yet.”

  Ice cream and French fries. That was a new one.

  After we filled ourselves up with fast food, I drove us to the movie theater one town over and purchased the tickets to the movie she’d sent me. We got more junk food in the form of buttered popcorn and some candy, which Ash complained was way overpriced, but I didn’t care. Hell, if she’d ask me for the whole concession stand, I probably would’ve bought the whole thing for her. Every last piece of overpriced candy would be hers. Pocket change to a Salvatore.

  But she’d never ask for something like that. Ash wasn’t like that.

  I was tasked with holding everything while she ran to the restroom before we handed over our tickets and were ushered into our theater. She’d chosen some action flick, but frankly, I couldn’t care less what we were seeing. Stupid as it sounded, I was merely happy and content to be with her. The movie could be literal shit, and I’d still be excited about tonight.

  Excited, and angry. Excited for Ash, angry because someone thought they could tear me away from her.

  Fuck them.


  And fuck her, for an entirely different reason. I’d been dying to get my hands on her ever since seeing her again in January. I’d been patient, so patient, and each day that passed that I didn’t know how Ash felt under me I died a little more inside.

  Dramatic? Definitely, but so true.

  Ash chose two seats in the middle of the theater, not the highest up and not the furthest down…mostly because there were a bunch of people already seated, and sitting directly beside someone else would’ve been awkward.

  The previews started not soon after we sat down, and with the loudspeakers talking about whatever animated flick was being advertised on the screen, Ash leaned over the armrest and whispered, “I had a dream about you last night.”

  I nearly knocked the popcorn bin off my lap, my face giving everything away, apparently.

  She grinned. “It was a good dream, in case you’re curious—which I know you are. And, before you ask, no, I will not give you any details.” Ash got a handful of popcorn from the top of the bucket, stuffing her face as she settled in and began paying attention to the giant screen before us.

  Problem was, of course, how the hell was I supposed to focus on a movie after she said that?

  A dream about me. A girl didn’t dream about me being nice and playing with puppies. No, they dreamed about me taking them, about me owning them and making them cry out my name while I was buried inside of them. If Ash dreamt of me, I couldn’t help but wonder what position we’d been in. I was down for damn nearly every position when it came to Ash.

  Damn it. I was getting hard thinking about it.

  Speaking of hard, it was immensely hard for me to focus on anything other than the lithe, pretty blonde beside me. Even though she looked like a ragamuffin, like she just rolled in off the streets, she looked good. There was a slight kink to her yellow and pink locks, her eyes lively and warm. Ash was just as content beside me as I was her.

  There was no denying this. No fighting this. There could only be giving in.

  The movie started, and the other people in the theater hushed. I tossed quick glances her way every few moments, watching her react to the movie on the big screen, my gaze taking in her sly smiles and her soft chuckles. When she’d catch me looking at her, I threw a piece of popcorn at her, which only made her frown.