“You are, prick,” Kell snarled, tucking Becky possessively behind his back. “Keep your grubby paws off my girl.”
Becky’s breath hitched in her throat. His girl? Since when? How dare he act this way? He hadn’t shown her any form of affection as of late. Even to the point of avoiding her altogether. Suddenly, just because Jax showed his interest, Kelley felt the need to stake his claim on her. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought she’d appreciate being humiliated in front of everyone. Even now, she could hear snickering going on in the background.
“Your girl? Does Becky know she’s yours? Because she sure wasn’t acting like it a moment ago,” Jax said with newfound courage.
“Fuck off or prepare to die, blondie,” Kell snarled.
“Kelley!” Becky shouted, freeing herself from his possessive grip. “He’s got a point!”
“Right, well, I’m out of here,” Jax said, taking the moment to escape. “Call me when you’ve figured it out, Becks.” He snuck a kiss to her cheek before slipping out of the garage.
“No, wait!” Becky shouted, frowning at Kelley before chasing after Jax.
By the time Kell came to his senses, he found himself alone in the garage. From the sounds of voices outside, he figured everyone had cleared in anticipation of his tumultuous mood. Idiot! What had he been thinking, going after Jax like that? His girl indeed. Where the hell did that come from?
Thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated, Kell didn’t dare emerge until he was sure everyone had gone home.
***
“Jax! Please don’t go,” Becky shouted, reaching him as he was about to get in his car.
Looking around nervously, Jax hesitated when she reached his side. “Becky, really I don’t want any trouble. I was under the impression that you weren’t seeing anyone. Crispin was quite adamant about that.”
“It’s true,” she said, looking a tad unsure.
“Then what the hell was all that about?” Jax asked, unconvinced. “Kell looked about ready to murder me.”
“I don’t really know.” Becky shrugged. “All I do know is that I don’t want you to leave when you’re angry with me like this.”
“I’m not angry with you,” Jax said with a reluctant smile. He thought about it for a moment then reached out and tugged on her dishevelled curls. “Want to go for a drive, Becks? Just you and me?”
“Um… sure.” She shrugged, not wanting to offend him any further. She suddenly almost desperately wanted Jax to like her. A boyfriend might be exactly what she needed. After all, wasn’t that what college life was all about, having a boyfriend? Of course, in her heart, she wanted it to be Kelley, but Jax might fit the role just fine. Besides, she was mad at Kelley for yo-yoing her along.
After driving for what felt like a little over a half hour, Becky found herself in a parked car in the middle of a forest with Jax.
“Where are we?” she asked cautiously when he turned off the engine.
“Never mind, Becks. Now come here.”
***
“Where is she?” Kell asked, having searched the entire house for Becky. He desperately needed to apologize, but couldn’t find her anywhere.
“How should I know?” Crispin scoffed, feigning disinterest.
“Becky?” Dorian said, looking up from the television. “She drove off with Jax a little while back.”
“Fuck!” Kell and Crisp muttered in unison.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Crispin corrected himself. Of course, she was fine. Jax wasn’t an animal, a little weird maybe, but then weren’t they all? Then again how much did he really know about Jax? Even with all his behind the scenes investigations, Crispin couldn’t help but worry a little. Becky was just so… innocent. God, he’d been such a fool! So selfish. She’d be in better hands with Kell, of that Crispin had no doubt. Damn his insecurities. Now if anything happened to the little dormouse, it would be all his fault.
“She’d better be fine,” Kell groaned, throwing his head back in despair, running his hand down his face. He would blame himself. If anything happened to her, it would be his own fault. If he hadn’t lost it earlier, she wouldn’t have felt the need to run off with Jax. Anyway, of course, she would be fine, he told himself. Jax wouldn’t dare force her. The mere thought crippled him. He had better not if he valued his scrawny neck!
“Want to go look for her?” Dorian asked, suddenly quite concerned, nervously adjusting his wristwatch, checking the hour. Had she really been gone this long? Perhaps he should have stopped her from going with Jax. At the time, he hadn’t been too worried since they’d seemed to be getting along fine back in the garage before Kell went all caveman on them. Now, though, seeing the looks of doubt and mistrust on his housemate’s faces, he no longer felt at ease with any of it.
***
How she ended up in the backseat of a car, straddling Jax’s lap, Becky couldn’t quite recall. All that mattered was how hot and bothered and incredibly nervous she was all at the same time. She thought he might want to talk and get to know her in private, but before she’d gotten a word in, he’d thrust his persistent tongue down her throat.
At first, she’d been hesitant, and attempted to wiggle away, but he wasn’t one to be easily dissuaded. There again, after a series of sensual open mouthed kisses, Becky became less opposed to his seductive persistence. He was quite good at this making out thing, even if he was rather rough with his enthusiasm. The lusty Goth was all hands too. Thankfully as of yet, those hands remained on the outside of Becky’s clothes.
“Becks, you are so hot,” Jax murmured with his tongue once again deeply impaled in her ear. “Baby, let’s fuck…” he groaned, holding her hips down while he pressed his hardened erection between her legs. “I can’t stand it any longer. I want inside your hot wet pussy.”
“Huh…” Shocked at his unexpected crudeness, Becky tensed and started to pull away.
“Hey, where are you going?” Jax groaned, forcibly yanking her back down on his lap. “Not the time for playing shy, you little minx.”
He wanted her. He wanted her now. Sure, he liked her quirky bashfulness, but enough was enough. A man could only be so patient. Just to be sure, though, he paused his advances for a moment.
“Hey… what the fuck?” Holding her up away from him, he studied her eyes. Damn… if not for that little quiver on her lips and the tremors wracking through her body, he would have simply taken what he had coming to him. He wasn’t an idiot, though. He could tell that it wasn’t going to happen tonight, not with Becky.
“Becks, are you crying? Damn it, girl, why didn’t say something earlier? You should have stopped me ages ago,” he snapped angrily. “Fuck!” Seeing her flinch, he instantly regretted his outburst and tugged her into his chest for a reassuring hug. “You’re a fucking virgin, aren’t you?”
Overwhelmed and shaky, Becky nodded and sobbed into the frustrated Goth’s mesh shirt.
“Damn, Crispin! He should have told me.” Holding her stiffly against him, Jax was at a complete loss. While his cock still throbbed for her, his concern for the girl won out. He did like her after all. She was undeniably sweet and all that, but damn, did he have it in him to deal with a virgin? Not bloody likely! If Kell wanted her, he could have her. Let him deal with all that virginal emotional baggage.
“S-sorry,” she stuttered. “I…”
“You what?” Jax snapped, frustrated, pissed off, and apologetic at the same time.
“It’s just…”
“Speak up, girl. You’re trying my patience,” Jax said while frantically smoothing his hands over her back. Why should he bother? She was wasting his time. He should have stuck to his Goth girls. They spoke their minds, loud and clear. They either wanted sex or not. God, he missed his ex-girlfriend.
“I’m not used to this,” she said, looking into his stormy gaze.
“Obviously!” he bit back. When he’d first found her lying across Crispin’s lap, he had assumed that she was sexually active with at least one or two
of her housemates, in a casual sense.
Hurt by his insensitivity, Becky was at a loss for what to do. She liked him, at least, she’d started to. Would he want nothing to do with her now that he knew just how inexperienced she was? Would he tell everyone? Would they laugh at her? What about Crispin? Why hadn’t he told Jax about her being a virgin? Then again, why should he have? If anything, it was her responsibility to do so. But things had happened so quickly. She hadn’t expected Jax to want sex so soon.
“What’s going to happen now?” she asked after a few shallow breaths.
Jax couldn’t hold back the chuckle that formed in his throat. “Apparently nothing. Now if you’re done with the tears, I’ll simply take you back home.”
“You’re dumping me?” she gasped with a hitch of regret to her voice. She should feel relieved at the idea, but in truth, Jax wasn’t such a bad guy after all, and he was quite handsome in the moonlight. She’d been quite enjoying his kisses until he took things too far too fast.
“Dumping you? Becks, we’re not even seeing each other. Not officially,” he scoffed. “The truth is, sweetheart, I don’t have the patience for you right now. Sorry but that’s the truth. Virgins aren’t exactly my area of expertise.”
“Oh…”
“Yes… oh. Too bad, really. We could have been great together.”
She sat up and rested her palms on his chest, studying him. “You’re not even willing to give me a little time to get to know you better?” she asked, disappointed. He’d been so into her and suddenly he turned so cold.
“What’s the point?” he said with a shake of his head. Why was she making this harder than it had to be? “You’re not ready, and you won’t be for a while. I can tell. You’ll have me climbing the walls before you let me near that precious cherry of yours.”
“You’re not being fair.” She pouted, stifling a sob.
“No, I’m being honest,” he said unceremoniously.
Without further ado, Jax delivered an intact if not emotionally tattered Becky safely back to the House of Goths. “Go on, your guardians await you,” Jax snickered, reaching over her and opening the passenger door. It was comical, really, the three shadows lurking on the front porch of the old Victorian mansion.
“So that’s it then?” Becky looked one last time at the enigmatic blonde’s profile.
“That’s it, sweetheart. See you around, Becks.”
Chapter 17
She had barely stepped out of his car when Jax backed away, his wheels spinning frantically on the gravel driveway, in a desperate attempt to hit the road before any of the guys reached him.
Sensing their presence behind her, Becky took a deep breath and stormed towards her overbearing housemates. She was in no mood to deal with any of them, least of all, Crispin!
“Becky…” Kelley reached her first, attempting to look her over for any signs of misuse.
“Get away from me!” she shouted, circling around him. “All of you!”
“Shit, what happened, Becks?” Dorian asked with a frown. “You okay?”
“Don’t you call me that!”
“Dormouse?” All hesitation aside, Crispin took his chances and approached her next.
“How could you, Crispin?” she blurted, pushing past him. “You are so cruel! I can’t even look at you.”
“How could I what?” he gasped. “I don’t understand.”
“You know what you did!” she screamed, before taking off into the house.
“Damn…” Crispin said, dropping his head down in dismay.
“What do you think happened?” Dorian asked fretfully.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Kell said with a resolute sigh before following Becky inside.
“Better you than me,” Crispin said with a shake of his head.
“I don’t know about that. Seems you’re the one who got her into this mess, whatever it is,” Dorian piped in. “You just better hope he didn’t take advantage of her or it will be on your head.”
“I’ll kill him, myself,” Crispin spat, leaning into the porch rail for support. “I just wanted her to be happy.”
“No, you wanted to keep her away from Kell, for the sake of your own selfish insecurities,” Dorian hissed at him. “She would have been perfectly safe and happy right here at home with a guy who actually cares for her if you hadn’t gotten involved!”
Without bothering to ask for permission, Kell let himself into Becky’s room and waited there until she finished washing up in the bathroom.
Becky scrubbed herself free of all traces of Jax from her body. She vigorously brushed her teeth and flossed. How could Crispin have set her up like that? She hadn’t even been interested in Jax until Crispin led her to believe that the horny Goth cared about her. Apparently, she wasn’t worth the bother. Too bad she’d fallen so quickly for Jax. The saddest part was that she would have slept with him eventually, she was sure of it. Why couldn’t he have waited just a bit longer?
Then there was that whole fiasco with Kelley. She had just convinced herself that nothing was ever going to happen between them. Suddenly, he was acting all jealous and possessive. This was all too much. Perhaps the boys were right about not wanting her to live with them. She was in way over her head. All this testosterone was definitely messing her up.
Changing into her favourite nightie, Becky gathered her strewn clothes off the floor and made her way into her room to wallow in misery.
Upon entering her room, she startled and dropped her handful of clothing. She hadn’t expected to find Kelley sitting there on her mattress, his black hair shrouding his troubled gaze, his hands in a prayer position under his chin, elbows propped up on his folded knees.
Lord, could she be any sweeter? His eyes slowly took her in, wearing a pink gauzy nightie. For a moment, Kell forgot the reason why he’d come into her room in the first place. Then seeing her so small and vulnerable, his anger at what may have transpired with her and Jax returned with a vengeance.
“Kelley…” She started to back away, seeing the anger ignite in his gaze. What was his problem? He had no reason to be upset with her. If anything she had every right to be mad at him for being in her room without permission. Then again, how many times had she snuck into his room, and his bed without being invited?
Without words, he stood up to his full height, took one step towards her and effortlessly pulled her back to sit on the bed beside him.
She started to resist but soon gave in. What was the point in fighting him? She weighed no more than a feather to him. Besides, as upset as she was, Becky realized that Kelley was her best friend, possibly her only friend in the whole world in that moment.
“Tell me what happened, love,” he said, draping his long arm over her shoulder. “Did he… hurt you?” He barely managed to get the word out.
“No, not physically,” she whispered, shutting her eyes, forcing back the unwanted tears that threatened. At her words, she felt Kelley relax and let out the breath he’d been holding.
“If not physically, then how exactly?” he persisted, suddenly so relieved that he believed he could handle anything she said next.
“I don’t want to talk about it with you.”
Except that. He could not handle being shut out.
“It’s none of your business, anyway.” How could she possibly tell him what had transpired between her and Jax without sounding like a complete ninny? They already thought she was naive. “I just want to go to sleep and forget this night ever happened.”
“He hurt your feelings?” Kell guessed, getting angry once again at the thought of anyone hurting this sweet little soul in any way shape or form.
“Yes… but I’m not talking to you about this. If anything I’m more mad at you and especially Crispin! This is all his fault, if not yours!”
“How is it my fault?” he asked, confused. “Is it because of the way I acted earlier in the garage? I’m sorry if I lost it back there. I had no right to act that way.”
“The bastard was all over you. I can’t help it if I feel protective of you. You’re my… housemate,” Kelley admitted, swallowing his pride.
“Is that all I am to you?” she blurted without thinking. “Am I too much work for you too?”
“What? No, of course not, love. What’s this all about?”
“Never mind, get out before I say something I’ll regret.”
“Just tell me how any of this is my fault?” he beseeched her.
“Because while Crispin made it happen, you let it happen,” she cried, pushing away from him and crawling in under her sheets. “Now leave me!”
Chapter 18
Days went by before Becky could even look her housemates in the eye, let alone speak to them. In her mind, she figured they already knew everything anyway. She did feel a bit sorry for Dorian. He hadn’t really been a part of all this. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head.
She felt humiliated and hurt by what had happened. While nobody brought up his name, she was pretty sure Crispin had talked to Jax. Guys stuck together in these situations, didn’t they? They’d probably even had a good laugh at her expense.
After a few days of keeping to herself, Becky couldn’t stand it anymore. Refusing to let the unfortunate event get in the way of her life, Becky made a point to join them in the kitchen Saturday morning. She was done hiding up in her room. Besides, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pastries made it impossible to resist.
When she arrived in the kitchen, still in her pyjamas as was her habit, she suddenly paused at the entrance, studying them through her lashes. Seeing them there, all dressed up for the day, sitting around the table, flipping through flyers, she couldn’t help but feel uncharacteristically self-conscious about her state of undress. Funny how before this whole thing with Jax, she’d thought nothing of walking around in her jammies.
House of Goths Page 14
