by C. A. Harms
“Yes,” Clayton whispered over his shoulder. “I watched him walk in, then after he made a stop in his room he went toward the shower.”
We’d been waiting for this chance. Eli wasn’t an easy one to play pranks on; the guy was always at the top of his game. We had to take the chance whenever it came.
“Do you have the key?” I asked, and Clayton nodded his head. We’d changed out the bathroom door handle a few days ago and no one had figured out yet that the master key Eli held no longer worked.
Clayton paused next to the door and looked back at me, holding the key up and giving it a little shake. A grin spread out over his face. “You got the powder?”
It was my turn to hold up the treasure my father had shipped to us about a week ago. He was hesitant at first, but then when I texted an image of my new hairdo to Momma, she insisted that our father help us. Momma was always on our side. You mess with her boys, there was no need to explain anything more.
“So here’s the plan.” Clay leaned a little closer to the door, listening to the sound of the running water. “I’ll open the door, you dash in and toss the powder over the top of the shower curtain. Then we both run like our fucking asses are on fire, you grab our bags by the door, I’ll start the car and we get the hell out of here before we’re both bulldozed by Godzilla.”
I offered him nothing more than a firm nod as I held onto the container a little tighter. Clay placed the key into the handle and with a gentle twist, he slowly pushed the door open and the sound of running water grew a little louder.
“Go,” Clayton whispered, jarring me into action and suddenly I was like a fucking ninja. I was in there, climbed onto the toilet, and tossed the powdered substance over the top and took off in seconds.
I left behind a loud booming voice saying, “What the fuck?” and an angry squeal which instantly halted me in the opening of the doorway. Looking back over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Blake as she pushed the curtain open in a hurry. There, wearing nothing but her birthday suit, was our sweet little Blake looking murderous. “Corbin…” The way she growled my name made me shiver.
“What the fuck?” I heard a growl and then shifted my gaze to the left where I found Elijah shooting daggers out of his eyes. “You better fucking run.” And I did, but not before I heard Blake say, “Get it off, it feels like snot.”
I rounded the corner just as Morgan and Xavier exited the kitchen and I skidded to a stop. A loud booming voice echoed through the house and all three of us looked up toward the top of the stairs. Elijah appeared, holding a towel to his junk as he stared down at me over the railing.
“I thought I told you to run.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Feeling a little slimy, Eli?” He didn’t reply, only watched me with flaring nostrils. “You might not wanna leave Blake in a tiled shower with that stuff. No amount of washing is gonna get it off and it can make remaining steady fairly difficult. Slick as oil.”
“What did you do?” Morgan whispered, staying perfectly still.
“Just a little southern boy trick,” I replied loud and clear. “One that lingers around for hours, days even.”
Xavier chuckled.
“Corbin,” Blake’s voice interrupted just as she stepped up beside Eli with a towel around her body. Her hair looked wet, plastered to her face I was sure by the J-LUBE and not just the water itself. “I’ve washed my body and shampooed my hair twice, but still nothing.” Her words were more of a growl. “You better tell me right now how to get this shit off, or so help me God Corbin, I’ll—”
I’ve never seen Blake throw a fit, but that was, in fact, what she was doing. Stomping her feet, fisting her hands, and squealing as she wiped at the goo over and over.
“Pay back for shaving my head.” I bowed and started to walk backward toward the door just as Clayton blared the horn of the Explorer.
“I didn’t shave your head.” Part of me felt bad that Blake had gotten lubed too. Then I remembered all the things she’d pulled, and that guilt faded fast.
“You, my dear, are guilty by association. You sleep with the enemy so—”
I exited with both of them glaring at me like they’d already killed me twice in their thoughts. “Have a great night. Think of the possibilities. Just a little extra lube.” I winked before closing the door behind me and practically skipped toward my brother who waited at the curb.
***
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll end up here?” Emelie looked toward the now closed door as Clayton and I stood just inside her apartment. She actually looked a little terrified. “Because you do know he’ll expect you both to hide out here.”
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “Where’s Palmer?”
“Shower,” she said just before she went to express her concerns to Clay. Her words quickly became muffled, I assumed by my brother’s mouth now covering hers. The two of them were generally connected in one way or the other. I used to love hassling him and the rest of the guys about the fact they were always glued to their women, but I couldn’t do that anymore because I was the same way. Give me a million options and I would always choose the same one: Palmer. Being with her never got old. I never tired of holding her.
I set my duffle bag down outside the bathroom and twisted the knob, thankful it was unlocked. I was met with the radio playing low and Palmer’s soft hum as she sang along to the song. It was a slow rhythm with words of love and desire.
I reached over my head and began to pull up my t-shirt over my head. Tossing it to the floor, I unfastened my jeans and in one quick swoop dropped them and my boxers to the floor.
Pushing the curtain aside I stepped in behind her, and she jumped in reaction to my touch. “Jesus, you scared me.”
Smiling, I pressed a kiss to her shoulder and brought my body closer behind hers. Feeling her sweet ass against my cock made me harder than I already was, knowing she was in here naked and wet.
“Somebody’s eager.” Her ass wiggled against me.
“You do understand that in regard to you, P, there isn’t ever a possibility of me not being eager.” I used my hands, spread out low over her stomach, to tease her. Shifting my hips, I glided my hard cock in between her legs and smiled when I heard her gasp.
“What are you waiting for?” Her words were strained, and I knew it was because she was turned on. “You forget where to put it or what?”
Always taunting me, her and that smart-ass mouth.
“Maybe you should show me.” The anticipation of her gripping my cock before she guided me inside her had my legs shaking. Out of all the times we’d been together not once had we ever not used protection. I was clean, and she was too, but it had just never been a step we’d taken. She was on the pill, but again it had been like second nature for me to always wear a condom, even before Palmer.
Yet here I was, the first time in my life craving the feel of a girl’s body without any barrier. It was up to her now. I’d leave the next step in her hands.
I swear the very second she gripped me and guided me toward her entrance I whimpered. So soft, so warm, it was absolute perfection.
“Feels incredible.” She took the words right out of my mouth.
As Palmer leaned forward to brace her hands on the side of the shower, I slid my hands upward and cupped her tits. She began to push back against me hard and fast and all I could do was watch between us. The way she took me in and groaned out when my cock hit the deep place inside of her, I could almost feel my chest swelling with pride.
How the hell would I ever go back to wearing protection with her after this? So tight and the way she coated me with each thrust was fucking incredible.
“Just like that,” she directed and instead of telling her that I wasn’t doing it, I let her go on. With the continuous jerks and quick thrusts of her hips and the way she was now rubbing her clit only brought me closer to my own release.
“That’s it,” I growled, unable to control it any longer. “Touch yourself.” I leaned in and whi
spered near her ear. “Come for me, Palmer.”
She grew wetter just before she gasped, said my name in a breathy whisper, and her pussy began to pulse as her orgasm ripped through her. At that point there was no hope of holding out as I released myself deep inside a girl who I knew without a fucking doubt owned me.
Chapter Thirty-One
Palmer
“I think I’m gonna go all out and get me a muffin too.” I stepped up to the counter and laughed at Emelie when she widened her eyes and released a surprised sarcastic gasp. “Such a risk taker, I know.”
“You’re Clayton’s girlfriend, right?” I looked over my shoulder when I heard someone address Emelie and instantly I froze. Emelie was also motionless, staring back at the girl I’d sworn to myself that if I ever saw again, I’d tell her exactly what I thought of her.
“Yeah,” Emelie said, and her tone surprised me. Emelie is so sweet and gentle. Very rarely does she ever show attitude. With her arms crossed over her chest she looked at Candy the bimbo with a narrowed stare. “Why?”
“I was just wondering how Corbin was.” At the mention of his name I felt immediately territorial. “It’s been weeks since I talked to him and I was worried.”
“You’re worried?” I stepped away from the counter and placed myself between this bimbo and Em. “The same person who pumped him with pills and who knows what else is suddenly worried about him.”
Candy looked me over from head to toe and a smirk tugged at her lips. “You’re that girl from outside the cafe. The one that he turned down so that he could spend time with me instead.”
“Oh, you really are fucking delusional aren’t you?”
She waved her hand at me dismissively, which triggered a part of me I’d seen very little of lately. I blamed Corbin for making me soft and sweet, because I was a sorry bitch when I needed to be.
“Wave your hand in my face one more time, you nasty slut, and I break the fucking thing.” She had the nerve to laugh. “Go ahead and try me.”
“Palmer.” I ignored the warning in Emelie’s voice. “Not here.” I glanced around and noticed that we’d now gained the attention of a few customers who were also sitting inside Starbucks.
“Yeah, Palmer.” I try to keep my anger at bay until I heard my name fall from Candy’s lips. Something flared inside me as a flashback of Corbin hit me. At the funeral, the fraternity later, all those moments he cried out for help, even through his angry words. My heart felt as though it seized in my chest.
“What kind of person continues to feed someone with one pill after the next?” Before she could answer I continued. “Let me tell you what kind—a pathetic needy whore like you. Don’t you dare stand here and pretend for a second that you cared about him. The only thing you cared about was the idea of being needed by him. Let me reassure you,” I stepped closer to her, “it was never you he needed. Stay away from him.”
“I think he’s capable of telling me that himself, if it’s what he truly wants.”
“He needed a friend, someone to stand by him and help him.” I wanted nothing more than to knock the snarky smirk off her face. “Instead you poisoned him to make yourself feel important. Because I think we both know that had he been sober, he wouldn’t have been with you.”
“He wasn’t drunk the entire time.” She was pushing my buttons, hoping I would strike. “Tell Corbin I said hi.” She looked over my shoulder toward Emelie. “Maybe I’ll just stop by the house to see him later.”
She offered a little wave before she turned around and exited the coffee shop, with a pleased look on her face like she’d actually won.
“I hate that girl.” Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for the feeling I held for Candy. Emelie offered my arm a gentle pat.
***
“I wanted to punch her.” I tossed my purse onto Corbin’s bed. “She stood there staring at me like she shared some close connection with you. Almost like she actually believed what she was doing for you during that time helped you.”
Corbin let me vent as I paced the floor at the end of his bed.
“She could have done a hundred different things during that time, but instead she fed you one fucking pill after the next. What kind of person does something like that? ‘I’m worried about him.’ Worried my ass. If she was worried, she would have helped you, not buried the ache as often as she could. She is pathetic.”
After I left the coffee shop I drove to the fraternity and marched right inside. Finding Corbin in the living room with a group of guys I grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs. My anger had not even begun to lighten; in fact, it only seemed to intensify the longer I thought about everything she did and the things she said.
“I can’t ever remember hating someone this much.”
When Corbin said nothing, I paused and finally gave him my full attention. “What?”
He shook his head but said nothing. I could tell he had something to say but instead ignored it.
“Say it. I know you’re thinking something.”
“It’s not her fault.”
Why did I feel like I’d just been sucker punched?
“How the hell is it not?”
“Because I picked up the bottle, I drank the alcohol.” He hunched over and placed his elbows on his knees, looking toward the floor. “I took the pills and when the high started to wear off, I’m the one who asked for more. She didn’t force any of it on me.”
It was my turn to remain silent, only I’m sure it was for an entirely different reason. I was blinded by my anger.
“I can’t hate her for something she didn’t do. I made the choices I made without her influence.”
“She got the fucking drugs, Corbin,” I shouted, and he sat up straighter looking directly at me. “How the hell is it not her fault? She should have been helping you but instead she was feeding the issue. You cannot expect me to believe that she had no influence on your three-week high.”
“She got me what I asked for.”
He watched me as I fisted my hands at my side, trying to decide if I should hit him or go find that skank and hit her instead. Was he fucking serious? Was he actually sticking up for that bitch?
“I can’t lay blame on others for the choices I made. Candy didn’t force me to get high, Palmer.”
Maybe it was because I was already pissed beyond repair. Maybe it was because he was sitting before me, defending a bitch he had a past with. I wasn’t sure, I just knew I couldn’t stand there in that room looking at him any longer.
I reached out and grabbed my purse from the bed next to him.
“Where are you going?” He stood and took a step toward me before I held out my hand to stop him. “What? You’re pissed off now?”
“No, I was pissed when I came here.” I corrected him. “Now I’m furious.”
Stepping out into the hallway, Corbin wrapped his hand around my wrist to halt me. I didn’t turn around to look at him. At that point I needed to get as far away from the topic as possible and that meant getting away from him too.
“Stay.” The way he spoke made me consider it, but only for a second.
“I’m going home,” I said without looking at him. I knew if I did, I’d see that pleading look in his eyes and it would be over. That look got me every time.
“Palmer, you can’t get mad at me for laying blame where it’s deserved.”
“No, but I can be mad at you for making her out to be some type of martyr when she’s nothing more than an evil bitch.” I pulled my hand from his grasp. “You defending her and the actions she took just makes me sick.”
I walked out of the fraternity without looking back. For the first time since Corbin and I had been together I didn’t feel like I could just pick up the phone and call him. Maybe it was wrong, but somehow, I felt that by him clearing her from all fault, he was taking her side and not mine. Childish, immature, and absolutely ridiculous, I’m sure, but it was how I felt.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Corbin
&nbs
p; I didn’t like what it felt like to be at war with Palmer. Before, when we’d first met, I’ll admit I loved to fire her up, but things were different now. I fucking needed her, as in without her it felt as though I could barely breathe.
I took the advice of my brother and stayed away from her that night, even the morning after when I wanted to go to her once I opened my eyes. The day was shit, long and miserable, as though it was dragging on. I didn’t comprehend a fucking word my professor said during my one o’clock lecture. All I kept picturing was the hurt look in my girl’s eyes when I told her Candy wasn’t to blame. Or the sadness in her voice when she told me that in doing so, I’d made her feel sick.
Fuck, I felt sick. And I had from the minute I let her walk out of my room and didn’t chase after her. But I meant what I’d said before: it wasn’t Candy’s fault, I chose that route. Yes, she provided it, but I begged for it. Did I want to continue having any type of contact with Candy after that bad time in my life? No, hell no. All I wanted was Palmer.
Instead of walking toward the parking lot after I left my last class of the day, I sat outside the tall brick building that I knew was the location of Palmer’s two o’clock class and got comfortable on the hard ass bench. I watched, looking at the time on my phone every five minutes. Even though I knew when her class let out, I still kept looking.
I read the notes one of my classmates gave me on the lecture I’d just sat through. It was as foreign now as it was then, and I knew it was because at that point I could only focus on one thing.
Her.
Her voice echoed above the others as she walked side by side with two other girls. Exiting the building she turned her back toward me and began walking across the lawn. I gathered my things, shoving them in my bag as I hurried after her. The three of them continued to carry on, completely oblivious to me following behind.
They paused near the side of the road, allowing a car to pass and I looked at it as my way in. Reaching out, I circled her waist with my arms and pulled her body back against mine.
