Reckless Torment: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Crimson High Book 2)

by Bella King

  I turned the water too hot, placing my hand underneath it as it ran between my fingers. It felt scalding on my cold hand, but when I stepped in, it was chilly on my warm skin. That’s the struggle of getting into a shower right after being out in the cold.

  I stepped in, taking a long breath in and out as the water washed away my thoughts. Getting in the shower was a way for me to collect my thoughts. I did a lot more thinking than cleaning myself there. The last few minutes were when I actually cleaned myself.

  I think that was true for many people. In this world, it can be difficult to get time alone. When you’re at school, you’re surrounded by an unnatural amount of people, and then upon going home, your parents want to bombard you with needless questions about your day, prying into the details about your grades and relations with the other students.

  The time I spent alone was precious to me. I often felt like an introvert posing as an extrovert for acceptance. It worked, but it wore me the fuck down. Escape was just months way once the school year ended. I wouldn’t have to live at home, at least.

  I was only a minute into my shower when a knock interrupted my daydreams.

  “Yes?” I called out.

  “Yo, I need something.”

  Anthony. I wasn’t going to let him in.

  “No, Anthony, you’ll have to wait.”

  “But I can’t. I left my phone in there. It was streaming video,” Anthony said.

  “What?!” I leaped out of the shower and looked around the bathroom. Sure enough, Anthony’s phone was sitting on the shelf.

  I covered myself with a towel, frantically flinging open the door. Anthony stood outside with a silly grin.

  “What the hell? Are you live or something? I was naked,” I said, waving out hand around the air frantically as I held up my towel with the other.

  “Nice,” Anthony said, stepping into the bathroom and grabbing his phone.

  “Delete that,” I demanded.

  “Relax, I was lying about the streaming thing. It’s off,” Anthony replied casually.

  “I don’t believe you,” I said, squinting at him suspiciously.

  “We don’t have internet out here, remember?” Anthony said. “I just wanted my phone and I didn’t want to wait for you to get out of the shower. I know how long women take.”

  I groaned. “Get out,” I said, pointing to the doorway. “You’re letting the cold air in.”

  “Maybe I could stay and watch,” Anthony suggested.

  “Out!” I shouted.

  He took a step back, holding his hands up. “Fine, chill out.”

  “Out,” I said again, pushing him back.

  Anthony walked slowly out of the bathroom, looking me up and down like I was nothing more than a piece of meat. The amount of disrespect he had showed me during this trip was astounding.

  I slammed the door in his face, turning the brass bolt to lock it again and climbing back into the shower. I swear to god, if he had pictures of me on his phone, I was going to kill him. I mean, literally kill him.

  The foggy glass in the shower reminded me of the windows at school, permanently fogged up on purpose so that you could only make out colors and movement. At Crimson High, it hadn’t been on purpose. The school was just too old to have proper windows, and they were warped to the point where you could barely see out of them.

  I grabbed a bar of pale green soap from the dish attached to the shower wall. It smelled like eucalyptus as I rubbed it over the pink loofah that I had brought with me. I didn’t typically use hotel soap, but this was a chic resort and I forgot to pack my own.

  Despite the posh atmosphere of the shower, I was unable to relax until nearly half an hour’s worth of steaming water had rolled down my sore muscles. Anthony may have been right about women taking too long in the shower just this once, but it had been his fault. If I weren’t so wound up than I would have been out a lot faster.

  When I finally did get out, everyone was getting ready to leave for lunch. I wasn’t especially interested in going to lunch with them this time, so I hung back. Unsurprisingly, so did Anthony.

  “Aren’t you going to lunch?” I asked him, opening the fridge in the kitchen and surveying my options. Places like this were usually fully stocked, and while it was more expensive to eat from the provided fridge than to go to one of the many upscale restaurants around the resort, money wasn’t an issue with either of families.

  Anthony ambled over to me and peered into the small fridge with me. “Nah. They always have all this weird-ass food at the place they’re going. It’s French. Like, I don’t want to eat snails.”

  I laughed. “French food is pretty normal though.”

  Anthony shook his head. “Yeah, if you’re in France it is, but not at fancy French restaurants in America. It’s a whole different level of weird.”

  I had to agree with him. The more expensive the place, the stranger the food they served was. One time I had been served alligator at a restaurant and refused to go back. My dad loved the place.

  “So, you want to go back to the spa after lunch? I’m going to roll another joint,” Anthony suggested.

  I wasn’t ready to trust him there again. “No thanks,” I replied, pulling out jam and a loaf of bread. I had just gotten out of the shower anyway. I had no business jumping into more water. My skin would be ruined.

  Anthony frowned. “Why not? Is it because you don’t like me anymore?”

  “Anthony, I never liked you,” I said, annoyance creeping into my voice. My chest tightened in anticipation to his reaction. It was stressful to defy him.

  Anthony crossed his arms over his broad chest, taking a quick breath in. I knew what was coming before it happened. There was an outburst looming on the horizon.

  “You think you’re better than me because of your perfect happy family. You don’t understand what it’s like to be in my position.”

  I could feel the heat rising in the room. It was time to tone it down, least I end up getting thrown from the window again. Snow wasn’t the ideal lunch.

  “Anthony, I didn’t mean that. I know it’s tough for you. I’d like to hear more about it if you want to talk. I just don’t want you on my case all the time. You need to ease up. Yesterday you were pretty rude to me,” I explained.

  Anthony couldn’t decide whether to sink further into his stubborn anger or lighten his mood. I saw from his face that he was conflicted.

  “I don’t need to talk about anything. What you need to do is stop being such a prude.”

  His words came down hard. There he was again, trying to pull my sexuality into the picture. I was on the defensive since Kain’s death. I was reluctant to return to my old ways and he was trying to push me toward that again.

  “I’m not a prude, Anthony. Stop bringing that up. Are you bitter because I won’t let you touch me like that?”

  Anthony was up behind me faster than I could blink. One hand found my waist while he leaned down, pushing away my wet blonde hair with the other hand to gain access to my ear. “Touch you like what?” He grumbled so close to my ear that I felt his lips brush my delicate skin.

  His smoky scent coupled with the deepness of his voice caused a stir within my lower belly. I was pushed up against the kitchen counter, both hands solidly against the marble. I could push back, but I let him stand, pressed close against my body.

  “Is this what you want?” I asked angrily, refusing to enjoy it.

  “This is what you want,” Anthony stated, running his hand up from my waist slowly, wrapping it around the front of me and finding a braless breast hanging beneath my shirt.

  His hand was on top of the fabric, but I was certain that he could feel my firm nipple through it. I was embarrassed by how much I was turned on by his actions.

  Anthony pressed closer against me, sinking his crotch into my soft curves from behind.

  “I never said I wanted this,” I replied, but similar to the hot tub incident, I didn’t stop him.

  My head rested back
on Anthony’s broad chest, padded by the muscle that was piled onto his frame. I titled it up, looking at him. “What are you doing?”

  Sexual intent crept into Anthony’s dramatically sharp facial features as he looked down at me. His dark pupils grew large with interest as he squeezed my breast hard. I felt the hot breath from his nostrils against my forehead as I studied his handsome face.

  Anthony put another hand around me, gripping my breasts in both hands as he pushed in from behind me. I was pinned against the counter by his hips as he pressed the hardness between his legs into my ass.

  “This is wrong,” I said softly, making a feeble attempt to defuse the sexual tension.

  “I’m often wrong,” Anthony stated, his eyes piercing into me, “But I like it that way.”

  It was happening again and I wasn’t doing anything to stop it. I couldn’t halt the tension when it coiled within me like a spring ready to explode under the weight of my arousal. It was impossible to break away from Anthony’s aggressive allure.

  I reminded myself again, repeating it over and over in my head that Anthony was a bad person. He was violent, his family was fucked up, and he was a terrible influence. His cruelty shouldn’t have made me horny like this. I was excusing all this just because he was attractive? I questioned my intelligence in the moment, but sometimes feeling good wins over doing the right thing.

  Anthony was the wrong choice. He was the man that would lead me to ruin, and yet, I was choosing him by not resisting. I was letting him win by being passive.

  If I let him continue to touch me so aggressively, he would continue to escalate his movements until I was sprawled across the kitchen counter, legs miles apart for him to take as he wished. Maybe that was my fantasy, but it would have to stay that way.

  I pushed against Anthony with my ass, unsure whether I was pushing him away or turning him on further. It was a push without direction or meaning.

  “Mmm,” Anthony moaned into my ear as he pinched my nipples through my shirt and dug his hips in further against my ass. “That’s better.”

  I spun around in the small area I had between Anthony’s large body and the kitchen counter, breaking free of his grip. My eyes net his, staring at me, almost glaring at me with the flames of sexual desire flickering within.

  I recoiled from him, but his lips came down on mine. I tasted his last cigarette, and I pushed him back. “No,” I finally managed to say. “Not here.”

  That wasn’t a final dismissal and I knew it. Location was the least of my worries and more of a distraction, buying for time that I didn’t have.

  My heart pounded against my ribcage, banging on the cage that it was buried under in an attempt to leap out at Anthony. My heart followed him, beating fast as he got closer again. I wasn’t ready but my body had different ideas.

  I watched Anthony’s hand slither down to my pants, pulling at the silver button that held them in place. It popped open, letting me breathe a little deeper. With a firm tug, he pulled the zipper open and revealed the bright pink fabric that separated me from his danger.

  I was watching a movie unfold in 3D, observing his decorated hand pushing down in the front of my jeans, feeling for something private between my legs. He found the moisture, rubbing a single long finger gently against it.

  I moaned. I couldn’t stop myself. His touch was like a spark against a dry grass after years without rain. I needed it more than I knew.

  “We should stop,” I protested, but we didn’t.

  Chapter 13

  Anthony’s touch against me was wickedly powerful, causing me to fold under pressure and give in to his bad boy charm. It was all out of my control, sweeping me up in an ocean of fire, pain, and denial. No, I wasn’t going to do this with Anthony. Anyone but Anthony.

  Anthony massaged between my shaking legs, staring through my soul into a deeper part of my being as he did so. I was locked into his gaze, pulled into a world of forbidden sexual delight.

  We were both adults, capable of making our own decisions, and yet it felt like something I was doing was wrong. It wasn’t okay for me to give in to the man that was tormenting me. He couldn’t win this battle so easily.

  I squirmed away from Anthony, and his hand slipped out of my pants. I back up away from him. “I don’t want this,” I said.

  Anthony shook his head. “You have no clue what you want, Amy. Sending me mixed signals isn’t going to get you anywhere. Be real with me,” he growled.

  I saw anger in his eyes, but also pain. I had rejected him again and he didn’t like it. Was it my fault?

  “I just don’t know, Anthony. I don’t know,” I said softly. I felt tears coming up again, and this time I couldn’t push them down.

  I was an emotional wreck, unable to think straight every time Anthony was around me. He kept pushing me further than I wanted and tormenting me nonstop. I wanted to run away back to the safety of my home. I didn’t want to be at the ski resort any longer.

  Anthony let out a heavy sigh. He was pissed off more than before. I could see color rushing to his cheeks as he glared at me bitterly. “You don’t know anything Amy. You want to tease me with your body and pull back at the last second. It’s insane the way you behave. Blame it on Kain, or blame it on me. At the end of the day, it’s your fault. You’re the one whose making your own life hard.”

  There was some truth in his words, but I wasn’t ready to hear it.

  I ran.

  I ran as fast as I could out of the door, flying down the stairs fast enough to break my neck if I fell, floating over the pavement toward the nearest building. I had to get away.

  The cold bit at my skin, reminding me that I was sorely underdressed to be dashing through the snow like this. All I could think about was getting away from Anthony though. I would suffer through a blizzard just to get time to myself to think things over.

  It wasn’t fair to me that he had all the power. He was the one constantly calling the shots. He harassed me, used violence to intimidate me, and manipulated me by confusing me emotionally. I didn’t like him at all, but I was beginning to think that I couldn’t avoid falling for him anyway.

  I needed to separate myself from all of this. I thought about what I would do as I flew into a nearby fitness building. I slowed my pace now that I was in the warmth. My heart beat slower now that I was away from Anthony, even though I had been running. That man really fucked me up.

  The feelings that I was experiencing weren’t welcome, but that didn’t take them away. It was my own battle, not against Anthony, but against myself. Coming out on top would mean having the strength to continue saying no to Anthony. Right now, I didn’t have that strength.

  A few heads turned as I hurried through the fitness facility. I had no plans of doing anything there but take a few laps through the halls of the building to cool off, but people were watching me like I was insane.

  I finally realized that my pants were still partially unzipped. Ugh. I yanked up the zipper and buttoned them back in place. I looked like a damn fool out here like this.

  I wanted to go back to the cabin after just a few rounds in the building, but I didn’t want to be confronted by Anthony again. I needed to make a plan so this wouldn’t happen again.

  My stomach grumbled. Shit, I hadn’t eaten anything today. All I had was a cup of coffee. Getting food meant returning to the cabin. I suppose I had no choice then.

  I made a 180 and left the fitness building, bursting out into the cold again. It felt harsher outside this time now that my bad mood had begun to fade. I was more aware of my surroundings. I walked quickly back to the cabin to find Anthony humming away in the kitchen, making sandwiches.

  “These are for you,” he said, pushing a plate stacked high with PB&J sandwiches toward me.

  I squinted at him, grabbing one off the plate and examining it. He had cut the soft white sandwich bread into clean triangles and removed the crust. I breathed out of my nose in slight amusement before taking a bite. Cute.

  I f
inished the first piece quickly and scarfed down another before grabbing the whole plate to take with me to the living room without thanking Anthony. He wouldn’t fool me into forgetting his actions again so quickly. I hadn’t forgiven him.

  Anthony joined me in the living room after a few minutes. I had the TV on to the nature channel, one of the few things playing out here in the mountains. It was funny because we were already out in nature at the resort.

  “I’ll leave you alone if you want to,” Anthony finally said. He was reclining in a soft leather seat in the corner while I sat on the couch watching the TV.

  I sighed. “I asked you to do that before.”

  “I didn’t think you actually wanted me to,” Anthony said. “We’re stuck here together for like five more days.”

  “I don’t care. You don’t have to talk to me,” I replied.

  “We sleep in the same room,” he offered.

  “So?”

  “We see each other every day.”

  “So?!”

  “You want me to keep quiet the entire time we’re here? I can’t do that,” Anthony said.

  “I’ve noticed,” I grumbled. “I just want you to chill the fuck out. You don’t need to treat me like I’m either the enemy or your fuck toy. I’m a person. Do you understand that?”

  “I guess,” Anthony said, but I could tell he hadn’t gotten the message. I doubted he ever would.

  I didn’t take my eyes off the TV while I talked to him. I didn’t want to look at his smug little face or the way he moved his eyebrows when he talked. I was getting too familiar with his mannerisms for comfort. I needed to build a wall between us, and it started here.

  “I’d like it if you didn’t touch me anymore. I know that’s hard for you, but you need to keep your hands to yourself,” I said.

  Anthony chuckled. “Sure.”

  “I’m serious,” I replied. “And another thing. Stop bringing up my past. I’m not the same person I was last year. I don’t sleep around anymore.”

  “Sure,” Anthony said again, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice.

  “And another thing,” I began, but I was interrupted when Mr. Cadwell burst into the house.