“Of course. Where else? You said you wanted casual, and it doesn’t get any better than Aces.”
Shit.
I don’t need to say anything, he must be able to sense my tension.
“It’ll be okay. Plus, I refuse to hide you. I couldn’t give a fuck what everyone thinks. I know that wasn’t you in that photo and so do you. We also know that I’m not paying you to be with me, so fuck the rest of them and their small minds.”
My fingers twist together in my lap as I try to believe what Shane’s saying, but I can’t help feeling like this night is only going to get worse.
Thankfully, Aces looks pretty quiet as we walk up to the entrance.
“Over here.” Shane reaches out and takes my hand, pulling me over to an empty booth. I keep my head down but I don’t miss the silence that descends around the diner. Quiet whispers soon start up but the buzzing in my ears means I don’t hear any of it. I do however feel Shane’s hand squeeze mine tighter so I can only imagine what gossip is going around right now.
He leads me over to the booth and almost immediately a waitress comes over to take our drink order. I’m relieved that it gives me something to focus on other than the multiple stares I can feel tingling my skin. I’ve never felt more unwelcome in my life.
“I’m sorry, maybe you were right to be concerned.”
“It’s fine. They’ll get bored eventually.” Thankfully my voice sounds much stronger than how I feel about the situation.
Risking a glance up, I find Chelsea and her little gang of bitches at the table they were at the first time I came here. Most of them are staring at me but Chelsea has her head in her phone. I manage to contain my groan, knowing that she’s probably summoning the rest of her troops including one I really have no intention of seeing tonight.
Things quieten down for a bit and we manage to eat our burgers without being interrupted, although at no point do I lose the interest of the rest of the customers. Even the ones I’m pretty sure don’t attend Rosewood seem interested in me. I guess that photo didn’t stay within the school population.
I’m just ordering a sundae for dessert when a shiver runs down my spine. I don’t need to see the look on Shane’s face as he glances at the door behind me to know who’s about to walk in.
I tell myself to keep my eyes down on the menu, giving him any attention will only spur him on but my traitorous body has other ideas because only seconds later I find myself looking over my shoulder.
His piercing stare is directed right at me. The moment he realises that I’m staring right back at him, his eyes widen in surprise before they drop down my body. He can’t see much seeing as I’m sitting in a booth but that doesn’t stop them darkening.
“Well, well, well, isn’t this cute.”
“Leave us alone, Thorn.”
“Or what?” he taunts, causing Shane to slide over to the edge of the booth toward him. “You gonna make me?”
“Shane, just ignore him,” I plead, but it’s too late. He’s already standing toe to toe with Jake. Standing alongside them, I place my hand on Shane’s forearm much to Jake’s horror if the widening of his eyes and gritting of his teeth are anything to go by. “Sit back down, please. He’s not worth it.” I’m not above begging right now so that we don’t cause more of a scene than we already are.
Taking a step back, Jake turns his eyes on me. They drop down my now exposed body and slowly take in every inch of my bare legs. Without looking over, I sense Shane’s muscles tense as he prepares to physically remove Jake’s eyes from my body, but he doesn’t get the chance.
“Wasted on him, Brit. Wasted.” He slowly steps back, taking his time to run his eyes over me once again before turning and going to join his gang of douchebags, which as usual these days seems to be minus Mason.
27
Jake
Why the hell am I even here? I was asking that question before I even walked through the door but the second I got Chelsea’s message telling me that she was here with him I didn’t have a choice but to see it with my own eyes.
I thought it would be fun to come and taunt her but one look at her sitting there, dressed up all pretty for him and I knew I’d made a huge fucking mistake. A sharp pain pierced my chest as the image of pressing her up against that tree fills my head. My mouth waters as the memory of how sweet she tasted hits me. My muscles tighten with the need to feel her body against me and her tongue dueling with mine once again. The little summer dress she’s wearing is just begging to be ripped away from her lean, sexy body and that’s not being done by anyone’s hands but my own. Teammate or not, Shane needs to understand who she belongs to.
My eyes widen as she reaches her hand out to stop him squaring up to me, the sight of a fresh bandage wrapping around her upper arm makes my stomach twist. Please tell me I didn’t cause that?
I desperately want to ask her, the words are right on the tip of my tongue but thankfully her words about me not being worth it are the dose of cold water I need to remember what the fuck I’m doing, and admitting that anything happened between us can’t happen again. It was a mistake, a mistake I might have been dreaming about repeating since, but a mistake nonetheless.
Sitting down with my friends, I fight to keep my eyes on the table in front of me and not the couple on a date just a few feet away. Why the fuck is he dating her anyway, I thought I made it pretty clear she was off limits.
“Who the fuck does she think she is? Does she think she’s something special because she’s got a fancy accent and famous, rich parents,” Chelsea fumes.
“Dead parents,” Victoria chips in.
“That don’t give her the right to come storming in here and taking the guys right out from under our feet.”
“Why, did you want Shane for yourself?”
“Fuck no. He’s too much of a goodie-two-shoes. I bet he’s a fucking virgin too.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Who she’s going to go after next is my issue. She’ll soon realize he’s a square and move on.”
My skin prickles as Chelsea turns her gaze on me. “What?”
“You got plans tonight?” Her eyes flit between my eyes and lips.
“Yeah, and they don’t involve you.” I push her from my lap.
“Ouch.”
“Fuck off.”
Chelsea seethes, turns her back on me to give another of my teammates some attention.
The movement of Shane getting up and heading to the restrooms catches my eye. As tempted as I am to follow him and ensure he’s unable to return to his table, I ignore him and zero my eyes in on Brit, who’s stirring the remnants of her ice cream around the dish like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
Unable to help myself, I push off the chair I’m sitting in and drop down on the bench opposite her.
“I think we should get—what the fuck are you doing?” she asks in a panic when she lifts her head and finds me staring back at her. “Shane’s only gone to the toilet.”
“Shame. What did you do?” I nod toward the bandage on her arms and she tries twisting away so I can’t see it. “No point hiding.” I drop my eyes down to where the juncture of her thighs are beneath the table and delight in seeing the color of her cheeks redden.
“It’s nothing. You need to leave.”
“Did I do it?”
“Why do you care? You want to hurt me, remember?”
“Not physically. Fuck.” Rubbing my hand over my face and rough jaw, I stare into her soft blue eyes. Eyes that not so long ago I never wanted to see again but I’m starting to realize that they’re nothing like the ones in my memory and everything like ones I want to look into over and over again. “I’m sorry.”
I’m taken aback when her only response is to laugh at my apology.
“What’s funny?”
“You apologising. That’s a joke, right?”
My mouth opens to respond, although I have no fucking clue what to say when a shadow falls over us.
“Do you mind? You’re sitting in my seat.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re actually taking my place right now.”
“How’s that exactly? Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you the one who just sent a very questionable photo around the entire school just to shame her? So why exactly would you want to be sitting here if you hate her so much?”
Isn’t that the fucking million dollar question?
“You’re right. She’s all yours.” Bile burns my throat just saying the words, but like fuck am I letting anyone know how I’m really feeling about this little date I’m witnessing.
“Wanna get out of here?” Shane asks Brit, totally ignoring that I’m still sitting here.
“Yeah. The unwanted company is kinda ruining the mood.”
I have no idea if she says it for my benefit or because something really is developing between the two of them. Either way, I’m not fucking happy about it.
Reaching his hand out, I almost lean over and slap it away but to my horror, Brit reaches out and allows him to pull her from the booth and hand in hand they walk out of the diner. My stomach turns over like I could puke right on Bill’s checkered floor, that is until she turns back and looks over her shoulder at me at the very last minute. That one look tells me everything I need to know. She’s not with him, not in the slightest because just like me, her head’s still in those trees and the body she wants next to her is mine.
“You want to get out of here and get drunk?” Ethan’s voice filters through the haze that had descended and when I glance up, I find him staring at me with concern written all over his face.
“Yes.”
Jumping into his car, we take off and I feel like I can breathe once again now I’m nowhere near her. But at the same time images float around my head about what she could be doing right now... with him. Is she allowing him to touch her, is she going to let him kiss her?
My teeth grind as the images keep coming. I should be the one fucking kissing her. She’s mine. The sudden realization of how much truth is behind those two words hit me like a truck. Lifting my hand to try to soothe the pain radiating from my chest, I suck in a deep breath.
“You okay?” Ethan asks, glancing over at where I’m fighting to breathe.
“Yeah, just keep driving. You’d better have some fucking good weed.”
“What the fuck’s that girl doing to you, man?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“You want me to try to track them down so you can claim what’s yours?”
“She’s not fucking mine,” I grunt.
“Riiight, Thorn. Whatever you say.” He grins, making me want to wipe it off his face. “I’m starting to understand what Mason’s problem is, you really are fucking blind, dude.”
“Are you just about finished?”
“Not getting involved, man. Whatever you need, I’ve got your back.”
I appreciate that more than I want to admit seeing as Mason’s fucked off. He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember, the calming influence to my hot head. He’s followed me around like a fucking dog forever, I didn’t think I’d ever piss him off. Seems I got that wrong. I miss him, but not enough to go fucking groveling. I’ll have to come up with something else to get him on my side.
“Not going to yours?” I’m disappointed when Ethan takes a turn toward my place instead of his.
“Na, my parents are back for a few days. It’s gotta be yours if you wanna light up.”
“Great.”
I tell myself that being so close to Brit won’t be an issue. That at no point tonight am I going to want to go through the trees to find out if he brought her home safe.
Fuck, I need a drink.
Relaxing back, I allow the weed to flow through me, chilling me the fuck out while the beer warms my belly.
“You think they’re back yet?”
“Who?” Ethan asks sleepily from his side of the couch.
“Shane and Brit.” I roll my eyes like it should be fucking obvious.
“How should I know? If things went well, then he probably took her up to Head Point to get busy in the back seat of his car.”
My entire body locks up tight at the suggestion. “He wouldn’t… would he?”
“If he doesn’t, then he must have a pussy because she’s—”
“Do not finish that sentence.”
“Fucking hell, Thorn, you’ve really got it bad, don’t you?”
“I haven’t got anything, I’d just rather not think about what they might or might not be up to.” It’s a barefaced lie and we both know it. Thankfully, Ethan drops it, he shrugs and goes back to his joint and whoever it is he’s messaging.
I’m so lost inside my own head that I don’t realize how much time’s gone by or that Ethan’s passed out next to me, snoring like a motherfucker.
Glancing over, I take in his peaceful sleeping face as he drools on my couch. My mind once again wanders to Brit and I find myself jumping up without putting much thought into my actions. I look back at my sleeping friend when I get to the door to make sure he’s still out cold, then I push it open and step out into the night.
The weed and beer means my legs are a little unstable as I head toward the trees, but now I’ve started, I won’t turn back until I find what I need to shut my imagination off.
I maneuver my way to my homemade gym without much consideration, I’ve made the trip a million times. But I find myself having to pull my cell from my pocket to make use of the flash when I trip over a stick as I try to make my way out the other side.
My cell illuminates the space just enough that I don’t end up on my ass and before long I’m walking up an unfamiliar back yard toward a tired looking bungalow.
Walking up to the closest window, I find exactly what I was hoping for, Brit fast asleep in her bed. Glancing to my left, I spot a door that I assume leads directly into her bedroom.
Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I gently push down, my heart pounds as I wait to find out if it’ll open. A soft click fills the air around me and my stomach twists in anticipation.
Slipping inside the dark room, I’m as silent as possible as I make my way over to her bed, the room only illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through her open curtains.
Crouching down beside her, I take in her beautiful, sleeping face, her long, light eyelashes rest down onto her cheekbones, her cheeks are a rosy pink, almost as if she knows I’m here, and her full lips are parted just slightly as her soft breaths slip past.
My eyes run over every feature, my cock hardening more with each second that passes. Unable to stop myself, I reach my hand out and tuck a lock of hair that had fallen onto her cheek behind her ear.
The moan she emits when our skin connects makes my balls ache and my veins fill with fire. It would be so easy to take what I need with her like this. I might be an asshole but that really isn’t my style, even as much as I want to feel her body pressed up against mine right now.
Brushing my knuckle down her cheek and across her lips, she shifts and moans, and I panic, that is until I hear something that has my body frozen to the spot.
“Jake.” Her voice is a breathy whisper, just like it was when I had my fingers inside her, and I almost come on the spot. Is she fucking dreaming about me?
But why? I’ve been nothing but an asshole to her since the day I first laid eyes on her. It’s bad enough that I take up any thoughts in her head during daylight hours, but at night as well? That’s fucked up. Just like how she never should have allowed me to get a taste of her the other night. Just that one taste has turned my slight obsession with her into something I’m now struggling to control, hence the reason I’m standing inside her bedroom like a creep while she sleeps.
She stirs again and reaches out. Her light fingertips trail down my t-shirt covered chest and my entire body shudders at the contact. I stay stock still, waiting for her to wake up and freak out at any moment but that doesn’t happen. Instead, she drops her arm a
nd drifts back off into a deep sleep.
Knowing I need to get out before I’m caught, I stand and make my way toward the door. Spotting a pad of paper and pen on her desk, I stop at the last minute and leave her a note.
28
Amalie
Waking the next morning, my entire body is burning and covered in a light sheen of sweat. My nipples brush against the fabric of my tank and my core aches. The lingering images of my dream come back to me and my face heats with embarrassment as the picture of Jake sneaking into my room and taking exactly what he needed slams into me. It was so vivid, so much so that if I didn’t know I’d just woken up, I’d be questioning if it really did happen.
I need to do something to get him out of my head. I had a great night with Shane last night, why isn’t it him who can be starring in my naughty dreams? Why’s it got to be the school’s arsehole who’s set on ruining my life?
After we thankfully left the diner and Jake’s angry eyes behind, Shane took us for a drive around the town before we ended up back at Gran’s. Knowing she was out, I invited him in and we sat out in the garden with some of her homemade lemonade and chatted away about school, our friends and other nonsense topics. At no point did he try to bring up my past life or my parents, or even Jake, and I was more than grateful to not have to think about such heartbreaking and painful subjects for an hour or two.
If he thought that me inviting him in was code for something more happening between us, then he didn’t give them away and he also didn’t look disappointed when the night ended with only a friendly hug between us. Even still, I went to bed with a heavy heart knowing he was feeling more for me than I was for him, but I can’t help it, I can’t force myself to fall for him.
I fell asleep like I have done every night this week with memories of my time in the trees with Jake playing on my mind. Those memories are to blame for the vivid actions of my dirty mind during my sleep and just another reason why I need to block the whole thing from my memory. Nothing good can come from obsessing over it. It’s not like I’m going to allow it to happen again even if the opportunity presented itself.
THORN: A High School Bully Romance (Rosewood Book 1) Page 14
