Every Hidden Truth (Far From Ruined Book 2)

by Nikole Knight

  With pink cheeks, he thwarted my attempt to leave the porch, instead slipping his arm around my waist to anchor me against him. “Rainbow suspenders aside, you look amazing.”

  “You’re just saying that because I didn’t wear my pajamas,” I whispered as he leaned in and brushed the tips of our noses together.

  “No, I’m saying it because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  We both flushed red at his admission, but he didn’t give me a chance to deny the girly compliment. His lips smothered mine, and I barely sucked in oxygen before his tongue slipped into my mouth. Peculiarly dominant, he gripped the back of my neck to angle my head where he wanted and proceeded to kiss the shit out of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed us together as I took everything he offered, giving it back tenfold.

  When we finally parted, our breath fogged the cold air between our mouths, and a solid bulge pressed to my hip.

  “Is that a rocket in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” I asked, breathless.

  He grinned wickedly. “Nope, that’s my penis.”

  Barking a laugh, I raked a hand through his hair as he nuzzled my cheek, his lips teasing my piercing. “Keep this up, and I’m dragging you inside, dance be damned.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” he growled, and I shuddered as he nibbled on my earlobe.

  “Benjamin.” I kissed his strong jaw, trailing my lips down his throat, and he separated us forcefully. I pouted.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  Fingers twined, we clomped down the porch steps and crunched across the day-old snow. His car idled in the driveway, and I fussed as he opened my door for me. A gentleman through and through, he waited till I settled in the passenger seat before shutting the door with a soft click. His chivalry was wasted. I wasn’t a chick.

  With Ben’s phone in my hand, I controlled the music, and I sang boisterously along with Eye of the Tiger as we drove to the restaurant. I was a terrible singer, but he didn’t care, laughing and singing with me.

  The music hiccupped as a text came through Ben’s phone. My thumb hovered over the message as I paused in swiping it to the side.

  Patrick: Well, if you want, you can call me after the… it read before the rest of the message was cut off from view.

  A terrible part of me instructed my thumb to open the text completely to read it, but I refused. I didn’t want to invade his privacy that way, even if he was texting a guy I’d never heard of. If Patrick was important, I had to believe Ben would tell me. It was probably just a friend from the swim team.

  Forcing myself to be good, I slid the message alert away and refocused on what Ben was saying—something about a swim meet against Central, our rival school. I nodded, agreeing to something I hadn’t heard, and he smiled widely, pleased with my answer.

  Shit, what did he say?

  We pulled into the restaurant parking lot, some hoity-toity joint my hick-self didn’t belong in.

  I gripped Ben’s hand and angled my body behind his as we entered. A hostess with too much makeup was all teeth and giggles as she led us into the dining area to a table where Kim, Harris, Caroline, and her date already sat. Shockingly enough, I recognized the guy.

  Cute-But-Straight from the food stand in Oxbow Park laughed at something Caroline said, but his response drifted away as we came upon the table. His white teeth gleamed against his dark skin as he offered a hand, and Caroline introduced us as we shook.

  “This is Silas and Ben. Guys, this is Devon. He goes to Concord.” She sent me a giddy smile and smoothed her hands over her pale pink gown as I shot her a subtle thumbs-up.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” he said to both of us as we took our seats.

  “You, too.”

  Hanging my coat on the back of my chair, I startled when Kim squealed in delight, pointing at my suspenders. “Absolute perfection!”

  Jordan showed up soon after with his date, a mousy girl from theater with jet-black hair named Amber, and Julian and Iris appeared moments later. Ronnie and Esther were the last of our group to arrive. When she allowed Ronnie to take her coat, revealing the strappy lavender dress under a black cardigan, I waltzed over and hugged her in greeting.

  “You look beautiful,” I whispered in her ear.

  She surprised me with a chaste peck to my cheek. “Thanks. Love the suspenders.”

  We settled into our seats for a posh meal. None of us really fit in with this fancy place, but we had fun, nonetheless. We laughed too loud, garnering our fair share of dirty looks from the more refined clientele, but we were young and didn’t care.

  After our meal, we split into our separate vehicles and headed to the school. Light snow drifted from the black sky as we parked in the already full lot. Overall, I didn’t love Indiana winters or snow, but a white Christmas was always better than dreary rain—the usual alternative.

  Last year, it had rained the entire winter break. Will hadn’t come home, leaving Dad and me to celebrate the holiday alone. Since we couldn’t cook worth a damn, we’d found a Chinese restaurant that was open and ordered in. Dressed in our pajamas, we’d watched It’s a Wonderful Life while eating chicken lo mein and egg rolls.

  To some, it seemed depressing, but I liked that memory.

  “I miss the warmth of California.” Ben stared into the sky as the snow dusted his hair like powdered sugar. “But the snow here is beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it is,” I agreed as I gazed at his gorgeous self, the snow melting in his curls until they glistened. He caught me staring and blushed.

  Without preamble, I snagged his tie and tugged him down to my height, kissing him soundly. He returned the affection, his thumb grazing my jaw.

  Something flashed behind my closed lids, and I pulled back to investigate. Headlights from passing cars illuminated us periodically. I ducked my head shyly, hoping no one was secretly watching.

  “They don’t care, Silas.” His reminder was clipped, and I seized his face and smashed our mouths back together.

  Our foreheads met, and I sighed. “I know. It’s not that. It’s just… This—” I motioned between us. “This is ours, and I don’t like sharing it with people who spent the last three years being dickholes. I’m not ashamed of you or of us. But these people have been invading my privacy for years and mocking it. And I don’t want them being a part of this. This is mine.” I rubbed his chest, pecking the corner of his mouth. “You’re mine. And I don’t want to share.”

  As I spoke, his lips widened into an adoring smile, and I frowned. I wasn’t trying to be mushy, and I didn’t appreciate him making fun of my honesty, not when it was so difficult to voice.

  Ever the mind reader, he cupped my face and kissed my cheeks, then my nose. “That’s possibly the sweetest thing you’ve ever said. You’re my favorite.”

  And just like that, my annoyance evaporated, and I was filled with light warmth. Floating, I grinned and wiggled into his arms until there was no space between us. We kissed again, lazy, leisurely, like a walk in the park on a summer day.

  “You’re my favorite,” I echoed against his lips, and he kissed me again.

  “Enough softcore porn!” Ronnie bellowed across the lot, ruining our tender moment, and Ben grimaced. “Get your asses inside.”

  Waving my middle finger in Ronnie’s general direction, I grumbled, “Your friends suck.”

  “My friends?” Ben laughed as we disentangled. “You’re friends with Jordan.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me,” I whined as our hands linked, and he hauled me toward the school where a bass rhythm pumped through the open doors.

  The cafeteria had been decorated as a winter wonderland, sparkling paper snowflakes twirling from the ceiling as glittery gauze draped over the columns storing the room partitions. It looked nice considering.

  Music pulsed through the room, and in the center of the linoleum, swarmed a sea of dancing bodies. A table stood to the side holding various hors d'oeuvres. Our principal hovered over the punch
, eyes sharp as a hawk. I pitied the fool who even contemplated spiking the drinks.

  Two round tables had been claimed by our party, and Ben and I joined the chattering group, taking the two seats between Esther and Julian. Sipping at punch, we talked and laughed with the group, playing a subconscious game of musical chairs as we moved around to mingle. Eventually, Caroline and Kim dragged their dates onto the dancefloor, and Jordan followed, yanking a rather unwilling Amber behind him.

  Ben waited me out, asking if I wanted to dance every fifteen minutes or so, but I continued to refuse. The more enthusiastic party people hid from the chaperones in the center of the huge throng of dancers. I grimaced as they gyrated suggestively; it was practically vertical dry-humping. Under the hypnotic beat of the music, inhibitions were thrown out the window.

  It was not my scene, at least not when I was sober, and Ben finally stopped asking. Offering a hand to Esther, he swept her onto the dancefloor with a disappointed glance over his shoulder. Guilt draped over me as I focused on Ronnie and Julian’s debate, both taking opposite stances on the socialist ideals of the far-left activists. I tuned them out, not wanting to tackle the debacle that was our government.

  Ben and Esther danced modestly compared to their classmates, and I smiled as Esther’s laughter was drowned out by the thrumming bass. Annoyed at their stalemate, Ronnie slapped Julian on the shoulder and stood.

  “Let’s stop before I strangle you, you commy.” Ronnie winked to communicate his jest, and Julian chuckled. “Gotta take my girlfriend back before Ben woos her away from me.”

  Harris collapsed in the chair next to me, face red and sweaty. He chugged his punch as he shook his head. “I just can’t keep up with her.”

  “Well, that’s Kim for you.” I knocked his arm as I stood. “If Ben asks, I’m in the bathroom.”

  The men’s restroom wasn’t overly full, and I used the stall quickly, ignoring the shuffling of too many feet coming from the one next door. Someone giggled and dress fabric peeked from underneath the partition as a girl knelt on the dirty floor. Ick!

  I escaped the bathroom quickly, gagging as two younger boys hovered near the occupied stall to listen to some nameless girl giving head. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t against blowjobs, but doing it in a messy bathroom with numerous people creeping around was not my idea of a good time.

  Exiting the restroom, I hesitated at the sight at the end of the hall opposite the cafeteria. The familiar meathead from Boyt’s posse, Thing One—or was it Shawn?—towed a tall, lanky girl down the corridor. She wasn’t resisting him, but the pressure he had on her arm appeared too tight. And she was shaking her head.

  It wasn’t my business, yet I couldn’t walk away. I stood rooted to the spot as the girl dug in her heels. “Shawn, not here,” the girl was saying, her tone more annoyed than frightened. “You’re hurting me.”

  “Come on, baby, don’t be like that. You’ve been teasing me all night, and you look so fucking hot in that dress.” He leered at her, leaning for a kiss which she dodged.

  “I want to dance. Can’t we go back?”

  This time, she tugged out of his grip, and his face darkened. “Erin, I swear to God.”

  He grabbed at her again, and her cry of protest thawed my frozen feet. “Shawn, no.”

  “Stop being a prude.”

  “Hey!” I barked, and the duo stilled, rubbernecking in my direction. “Dude, she said no.”

  Erin flushed in embarrassment, and she stepped closer to Shawn as she eyed me distrustfully. Shawn, on the other hand, glared. Cementing her to his side with an arm around her waist, he squared his broad shoulders.

  “Mind your own fucking business,” he snarled, and Erin’s eyes jumped between us, indecisive.

  My fists clenched, and I took a hesitant step forward, unable to truly separate myself from the girl across the hall. Ben had stepped in for me that night, and maybe I could pay it forward. I didn’t know this girl, but it didn’t matter. If she needed someone to back her up, I would do it.

  “No means no, asshole. If she doesn’t want to go with you, then let her go.”

  Her expression was conflicted, and I met her eyes briefly, cocking my head in question. She just needed to push him away. All she had to do was come with me. But her eyes dropped submissively, and she snuggled into Shawn’s chest.

  “Yeah, faggot, mind your own business,” she muttered with little heat in the insult.

  Shawn grinned victoriously, and my stomach dropped. “That clear enough for you? Now get lost before I rearrange your face.”

  Without awaiting a response, Shawn led Erin around the corner and out of sight. I wanted to follow and force her to come back with me, but I couldn’t. She had the right to choose, even if she chose wrong. Maybe I’d misread the situation. I hoped so.

  When I returned to our table, Harris and Jordan were talking animatedly, shouting over the music to be heard. Jordan’s date was nowhere in sight, and Kim must have still been on the dancefloor. Julian and Iris had disappeared, and I spotted Ronnie’s tall frame dancing jerkily to the music with Esther tucked in his arms.

  I searched through the masses for Ben’s familiar blond curls, but I caught sight of Kim first. With her ass smashed to some guy’s crotch, she ground, unconcerned that her date was sitting at a table while she undulated in some other guy’s arms. For someone wanting to get Harris to go out with her, she was doing a bang-up job. Even if Harris got tired of dancing, she shouldn’t have snagged the first hot, blond guy she—holy shit, that was Ben!

  My jaw dropped as I witnessed my boyfriend dancing snugly with my best girlfriend, hips attached and hands wandering. What the actual fuck?

  Tilting her head back, Kim’s mouth moved, and Ben laughed silently at whatever she said. Ugly jealousy erupted in my chest, and I was halfway across the room before blue eyes met mine. With a Cheshire smile, Ben winked then dropped his hands to Kim’s waist to continue their dance.

  Son of a bitch, he was doing this on purpose!

  Annoyed, I ground my teeth and stalked toward them, intent on ripping Kim from my boyfriend’s arm before punching said boyfriend in his perfect teeth. Of course, I didn’t extract my violent revenge when I reached them.

  Instead, I invaded their space and trapped Kim between us, smirking as Ben’s eyes widened. Kim being Kim merely spread her lips in a sultry smile and accepted me into the sandwich.

  “Every yaoi lover’s dream,” she cooed, closing her eyes and losing herself to the music.

  Glaring daggers at Ben, I swayed to the rhythm, hands on Kim’s thighs where her short, white dress met skin.

  “It’s on like Donkey Kong, bitch,” I yelled over the music, and Ben roared with laughter.

  The three of us danced, tangled in a mass of sweaty limbs as I did my best to piss Ben off. I ignored him completely, focusing solely on Kim. After several minutes, Ben’s cheek started to twitch. To add insult to injury, I captured Kim’s jaw in my hand and kissed her square on the mouth.

  Both her and Ben jolted, and I released her just as quickly as I’d arrested her. “Next time, think long and hard about dancing up on my boyfriend, you ginger devil.”

  Entirely unrepentant, she giggled. “Not if this is my punishment.”

  She flounced away with a wink, and then it was just Ben and me, glowering at each other.

  “I didn’t kiss her,” he growled.

  I shrugged. “You were being a prick. Now I’m being a prick. How’s it feel?”

  “You’re being a drama queen,” he countered, and I attacked his chest in search of his nipple, giving it a hard twist when I found it.

  We struggled for several seconds, Ben laughing outright as I did my best to hurt him, but he finally won. Spinning me, he held my wrists and crossed my arms over my chest, holding me in place like a straitjacket. With a snicker, he framed my back with his torso.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I was just teasing.” He kissed the spot beneath my ear, the spot that always made me melt. “I just w
anted you to dance with me.”

  Sulking, I dropped my head back onto his shoulder. “You’re an asshole.”

  “Sorry.” He curbed his amusement, dropping his tone to sincerity. “Forgive me?”

  I grunted wordlessly, allowing him to sway our bodies in tandem. He released his latch on my wrists. Circling my waist, he held me close to him as the music changed in tempo, slowing to a seductive beat.

  “Dance with me.”

  As usual, he was impossible to resist, and I banished my irritation as his hips cradled my ass. Looping my arms around his neck, I slouched into his hold, and we danced. We dipped and swayed, gyrating to the pulse of the bass until sweat collected on my skin. His arousal rubbed against my ass, and I quickly sported wood in response.

  Falling victim to the music, I lost myself, clinging to Ben as I tried to remember why I hated dancing so much. In this moment, I couldn’t recall. Perhaps Drunk Silas was right about some things. Or maybe Sober Silas was simply a damn traitor.

  Fifteen

  It was almost eleven by the time Ben parked his silver Impala in my driveway. His black tie hung loose around his neck, his curls mussed chaotically from my fingers, and his cheeks remained candy-apple red even though we’d stopped dancing an hour ago.

  I had to hand it to him, Ben was a great dancer. Unfortunately for me, I’d been left with a raging hard-on and the tempting images of sneaking Ben into an abandoned classroom, bending him over a desk, and fucking him till he screamed my name.

  Regrettably, such fantasies were not to be. What a pity.

  But now that we were here with an entire night to ourselves, I didn’t want him to leave. Sure, it might not be wise to invite him in, but I didn’t want to waste a good opportunity. Maybe I could break down his stubborn chivalry, and he’d finally let me blow him.

  “Do you wanna come in?” I asked as he shifted his car into Park.

  He studied me for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah, I wanna come in.”

  My heart leaped, my semi stirring back to life as I swallowed thickly. “Cool.”

  Exiting his car, I crossed the packed snow, careful not to lose my footing. His car beeped as he hit the lock on the fob, and I grinned madly as I hurriedly unlocked the front door.