The Boyfriend Series Box Set (Books 1-6): YA Contemporary Romance Novels

by Christina Benjamin

  “Not for you! I’m sure you’ve done it a thousand times.”

  “I haven’t!” Cody shouted grabbing Hannah’s arms roughly as trying to force understanding into her.

  Hannah’s heart pounded as she tried to wrap her fuzzy mind around what Cody was saying. “Haven’t . . . as in ever?” She stared at the blazing truth in his eyes, barely aware she was only wearing her bra and panties. Her efforts remained on staying upright and making sense of what Cody was saying. She cursed herself for drinking so much champagne. Everything was swaying.

  “But I thought . . . I thought Elena was pregnant . . .” she stammered. “Cody, what are you saying?”

  “Elena was pregnant. But it wasn’t mine. That’s what our fight was about the night . . .” He couldn’t finish his sentence. His eyes darted around the room looking for something solid to cling to. When they settled on the bottle of Jack he moved toward it, knocking back a huge gulp.

  “How do you know it wasn’t yours?”

  Cody laughed and sank down onto the bed. “Because I never had sex with Elena. I’ve never had sex with anyone. She was cheating on me because I wanted to wait.”

  “What?”

  He took another long swig and shook his head. “That’s right, Casanova Cody is a fraud.”

  “Do you know who . . . who the father is . . . was?”

  Cody grimaced and collapsed back onto the bed in frustration.

  Hannah sighed thinking Cody was done with the subject until she heard his voice, barely above a whisper. “I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

  She leaned back on the bed, bringing her face close to his. “Have you ever told anyone?”

  He continued to stare at the ceiling. “I can’t prove anything. And who’s going to believe me. I’m just another fuck up.”

  “But it’s the truth.”

  “It wouldn’t matter.”

  “It would matter to me,” she said softly, slipping her hand into his. He pulled away and sat up again. Grabbing for the Jack on the nightstand. Hannah sat up too. She watched him take another long drink from the near empty bottle, trying to grasp these revelations. “Cody, it might matter to a lot of people. Like Elena’s family. Your family.”

  He snorted. “Thanks but you don’t have to say that.”

  “I’m not just saying it. You’re being blamed for more than driving drunk. Everyone thinks you got her pregnant and then killed her to get rid of the problem. Don’t you want to set the record straight?”

  Cody laughed a bit hysterically, prompting Hannah to take the bottle from him. “You’re gonna need it,” he snorted. “You ready for the best part? I wasn’t even the one driving. I’d been drinking but I still knew enough not to get behind the wheel. But Elena . . . she was wasted and screaming about the pregnancy and her life being ruined and saying everything was my fault. She just wanted to get away from it all.” He laughed sadly. “I don’t blame her. She was scared and lashing out. I was just the closest target. We hurt the ones we love the most, right?”

  A sobering thought dragged its icy claws down Hannah’s back.

  No. It couldn’t be true. No one would suffer as he had if . . . if . . .

  “Cody, if you weren’t driving that night . . .”

  “It was Elena. She was hysterical. I’d driven us to the party and she wanted to leave. I told her I couldn’t drive and she just got in my car and started to drive off. I couldn’t let her go like that. Not by herself. I jumped in and begged her to calm down and talk it out, but she wouldn’t hear me. She’d just worked herself up, ya know?” Cody’s shaking hands scrubbed at his face, wrestling with the crippling truth. “I loved her. I just wanted to be there for her.”

  Hannah’s hands shook as she covered her mouth, fighting the taste of bile at her realization. “Elena was the driver. She crashed and you covered for her.”

  Cody’s voice was strangled to a whisper. “When we hit the tree, we were both thrown from the car. She was already dead when I found her. Killed on impact, they said. When I crawled over to her she was so ruined. I just didn’t want her to suffer anymore. Her reputation was trashed by the pregnancy, she didn’t need drunk driver added to her headstone. When the police showed up, it was my car so they assumed I was the driver.”

  “And you never corrected them?” Hannah asked incredulously.

  “I loved her. You do stupid things for love.”

  Hannah’s vision was clouded with unfathomable rage toward Elena.

  Elena cheated on Cody.

  Elena got pregnant by someone else.

  Elena drove drunk.

  Elena caused the accident.

  Elena nearly killed Cody.

  Elena. All of it was Elena’s fault.

  And Elena left Cody to deal with the fall out as if he caused it.

  “Cody, who else knows this?”

  “Just you,” he admitted nonchalantly. “Guess that’s pretty messed up, huh?”

  He lifted the bottle of Jack and Hannah gently stopped it from meeting his lips.

  “That’s the understatement of the year,” she scoffed.

  Cody laughed and passed Hannah the bottle. “You look like you could use this.”

  “Cody, we can fix this. We need to go to the police. You’ve been wrongfully accused—”

  “Leave it, Hannah. What’s done is done.”

  “How can you say that? This is your life we’re talking about.”

  “Right, my life.”

  “Well if you want to keep it a secret, fine. But I’m not living with your ghosts.” Hannah got up, quickly gathering her clothes.

  “Don’t you dare!” Cody bellowed. “You don’t get to be all high and mighty and fuck up my life just to clear your conscience.”

  “Look around you! It’s already fucked up.”

  “Exactly. So just leave it alone.”

  “No! Not when we can fix this!”

  Cody threw the bottle in frustration. “Not everything needs to be fixed, Hannah! We don’t all need to be perfect like you.”

  Anger spiked in her heart. “I’m not perfect, Cody. But at least when I make a mistake I admit it. You have made a huge mistake and it’s hurting everyone who cares about you.”

  “No one cares about me!”

  “I do!” she screamed, her face wild with heartbreak. “I’ve tried so hard not to. But I care about you, Cody. And I hate that you can’t see that.”

  Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, baring their souls. It was too much for Hannah. She needed to get out. She was suffocating from the pain that had been unleashed in Cody’s room. She tried to push her way passed him but he blocked her path to the door.

  His hands slid up her arms, agony painted his gorgeous face as he gently brushed Hannah’s hair back, whispering her name. “I’m not worth it.”

  Tears burst from her eyes and she pushed him away trying for the door again.

  “I’m not letting you leave like this, Hannah.”

  “Cody, I want to leave. I mean it.”

  “Not until you promise me you’ll sleep on this. All of it. We can talk tomorrow. When we’re not so . . . messed up.”

  “This will still be messed up tomorrow.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Cody, if you make me keep this secret there can never be anything between us. It’ll ruin everything.”

  Cody shook his head, sighing with sadness. “Don’t you get it. That’s what I do. I ruin things. I tried to warn you.”

  Hannah choked back her sobs. “I wish I’d never met you.”

  Just then the door flew open, shoving into Cody’s back pushing him into Hannah. They both stumbled back, clinging to each other to stay upright.

  Harrison’s face took in the scene. Hannah half naked clutching her clothes, cheeks streaked with tears. Cody shirtless and reeking of booze, his paws all over Hannah’s pale skin. Harrison’s rage erupted, hailing profanity and fists.

  Hannah screamed, but her voice dissolved into the din of their brawling bodie
s.

  “Stop, please stop!” she wailed as they scuffled around the room overturning everything in their path.

  “She doesn’t want you!” Harrison growled, leveling Cody with a punch. “Why can’t you ever get that through your thick skull?”

  “I know that!” Cody yelled scrambling to his feet only for Harrison to knock him into a wall.

  He shoved his forearm into Cody’s throat. “So you thought you’d get her drunk and force her anyway, you sick prick.”

  “I didn’t touch her!” Cody gasped.

  “I saw your hands all over her!”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  For a moment the boys stood still, in some sort of egotistical standoff. Hannah saw her chance and pushed her way between them “Harrison. Please. He didn’t hurt me. It’s all a misunderstanding. I just want to go home. Can you take me home? Please?”

  Harrison snapped out of his fury and recovered his composure. He let go of Cody, who crumpled to the floor like a rock. Harrison smoothed his clothes. His mouth quirked into a tight smile as he smoothed Hannah’s wild hair. “You’re okay?”

  “Yes. Can we please go?”

  “Sure. Grab your things and meet me in the car.”

  Hannah hesitated.

  “I’m right behind you,” Harrison assured her.

  Hannah gave Cody a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

  Cody nodded.

  “I just need to discuss something with Cody, man to man. I promise. No more fighting.”

  Unable to fight her nerves any longer Hannah fled to the car, her sobs chasing her the whole way.

  Once Harrison was sure they were alone he turned to Cody and gave him a smug grin. “You’re pathetic, Matthews.”

  Cody didn’t respond. He was busy sopping up the blood that trickled from a cut above his eye.

  Harrison walked closer towering over Cody. He knelt down and handed Cody a handkerchief from his pocket. Unable to resist a final dig, Harrison leaned in so he could whisper in Cody’s ear. “You never learn.” Harrison laughed and patted Cody’s shoulder. “I almost admire you for it. But in the end they always choose me.” Harrison stood not even trying to restrain his smirk. “Hannah’s mine now.”

  He sauntered to the door, giving Cody one last look before leaving. “You can keep the handkerchief,” he called. “We’ll call it a memento.”

  35

  Harrison pulled up to Hannah’s. The ride home had been tense—Hannah’s sobs the only sound over the engine. Once in her driveway, Hannah grabbed the door handle ready to make a quick exit. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

  “That’s it?”

  Hannah sighed. She just wanted tonight to be over. It had spiraled into some sort of bad dream. And from the way her vision blurred she wondered if maybe that’s all it was. If only she were that lucky.

  “Hannah, what were you doing at Cody’s?”

  “Can we talk about this tomorrow? I really don’t feel well.”

  Harrison’s jaw muscles twitched with restraint. He looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. “Sure. Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Relieved to finally be alone, Hannah’s body sagged. She barely made it to her room before she sank to her knees. She crawled to her bathroom and threw up as sobs racked her body.

  She spent most of the night curled up on her bathroom floor. Her head was spinning and her lungs couldn’t seem to give her enough air. She couldn’t get Cody’s words out of her head. How could he be so stupid? He’d let his love for a dead girl ruin his life! None of it was his fault. He’d endured probation, rehab and vicious rumors . . . all for what? To save Elena? Why would he even want to? Elena cheated on him. She threw his love away.

  Hannah’s heart broke—partly for Cody and partly for herself. She’d been drunk tonight, but in the darkness of his truth, she’d found her own. She was unable to deny her feelings for Cody. Every time they’d kissed or touched her body responded in a way she couldn’t explain—an explosion of desperation and completion. But none of it mattered now. The secrets between them could snuff out the fiercest of bonds, let alone a vulnerable bud of fledgling love.

  Hannah dragged herself to bed, her head swimming with the events of the night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Cody’s face—defeated and raw. No wonder he thought no one cared about him. The people who were supposed to always let him down. His parents, his girlfriend, his friends. But Hannah made up her mind, she wouldn’t be another disappointment to him. Maybe he couldn’t see it now, but telling the truth would set him free.

  She glanced at the clock. It would be hours before she could do anything to help Cody. She pulled her pillow over her head, willing her mind to let her sleep. This mess would be waiting for her in the morning. And Hannah wanted a clear head when she told her father everything. He would know what to do.

  36

  Cody woke with a splitting headache and a crushing ache in his chest. He’d finally shared his dark secret. But it hadn’t changed a thing. If anything he’d only managed to push Hannah further away. Good. She’s safer this way, he thought. But then he found himself wondering, if that were true, why did it hurt so bad?

  Watching her leave with Harrison hurt worse than any of the physical blows he’d taken. He couldn’t get the image out of his head. Cody took a long shower, replaying the events of the night. He wished it were as simple as washing it all down the drain. But it never was. And despite the disastrous way the night ended, Cody didn’t regret it. There had been fleeting moments with Hannah that felt real. He closed his eyes, relishing the way their bodies had fit together. Mouths, hands, skin—all molded perfectly, like two halves of a singular unit. Like there was only the two of them in the world and nothing else mattered.

  It had never been easy like that with Elena. They had an inevitable chemical attraction, but they’d always been fighting to fit, like magnets of opposite charge.

  The water finally ran cold, pulling Cody back to reality. He exited the shower, grimacing as he gingerly patted himself dry. His whole body hurt and his face was swollen thanks to Harrison mistaking it as a punching bag. The makings of an epic shiner had already started blooming around his blood shot eye. He looked dreadful. The last time he’d seen himself so beat up was after the car accident.

  Cody’s mind flashed back to the gruesome memories that haunted him from the night that changed his life—Elena’s broken body, the weight of her motionless in his arms, the blood. There was so much blood . . .

  A wave of nausea hit Cody like a tsunami. He braced himself over the toilet and heaved. But his stomach was empty. For once, he was grateful he’d filled it with nothing but Jack.

  He stared his reflection down in the mirror and found himself thinking of Hannah—wondering what she saw when she looked at him. How had he let her get so close? To see under his carefully fabricated exterior? A bittersweet smile twitched the corners of his lips. Who was he kidding? He’d never been able to fool Hannah. She’d always seen him. It was Cody who’d been blindsided. He never saw her coming.

  He closed his eyes, letting the image of Hannah wash over him, invading his mind—quieting it with her soft features. He pictured the concern in her eyes as she hesitated to leave him last night. She’d been worried about him. But then Harrison stepped between them, cutting off Cody’s view of the steady blue sea of Hannah’s eyes. She’d been reaching out to him, offering him a lifeline to keep him afloat. And he’d pushed her away.

  Clarity seized him, and Cody made a snap decision. He wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Not to beat Harrison in their twisted competition that had grown from childhood rivalry into something dangerous, but for Hannah. And for any chance they might have together.

  Cody dressed quickly and padded his way to the kitchen to remedy his empty stomach. The cook took one look at his bruised face and left the kitchen. The staff had seen him like this before and they knew the drill—stay out of the way. He threw together
a sandwich and downed a coke on his way out the door.

  He needed to see Hannah. They had things to discuss.

  37

  Light knocking at Hannah’s door pulled her from her slumber. Sunlight filled her bedroom. Her body caved to exhaustion and she’d slept much later than she’d intended. She sat up in bed letting the groggy veil of sleep lift from her mind.

  “Hannah,” her father called outside the door.

  Just the person she wanted to see.

  She opened the door and her face fell. Her father’s features were devoid of his normal morning cheer. He looked extraordinarily upset. “Get dressed and come down stairs, please. We need to talk.”

  “Dad? What’s wrong?”

  “There’s someone here to see you. I’d like you to ask him to leave, and then we need to have a serious discussion.”

  “Who?”

  “Cody Matthews.”

  Hannah’s heart pounded to life. “What does he want?”

  “He won’t say. I’ve asked him to leave and he’s refused. I’m hoping you can talk some sense into him. If not, I’ll be forced to contact the authorities.”

  “Dad!”

  “Be quick, Hannah.”

  Her father closed the door and she leapt to action, throwing on her Brown sweatshirt and black leggings. She peered out the window but couldn’t see Cody. No car either. He must have walked. She took a quick survey of her appearance. She looked like hell. Her eyes were puffy and the ghosts of run mascara clung beneath them. She splashed cold water on her face and did her best to rub the sleep and sorrow from her eyes.

  She ran downstairs and skidded to a stop in the hall. Her father stood, arms crossed, by the front door. Through the glass Hannah could see Cody’s silhouette, perched on the front steps, his shoulders slumped.

  She pushed the creaking door open and Cody stood.

  “Hey.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you . . .” he paused and looked passed Hannah to where her father had followed her out to the porch.