Knox laughs and for the first time it isn't a tight, little smirk but a full on belly laugh that makes him look younger, almost boyish with his eyes crinkling at the sides and that smatter of freckles on his nose that softens his appearance.
“Ha ha ha. No. Eww! Margaux, did you hear this?”
The blonde cheerleader captain walks closer to us with a little amused laugh of her own.
I think it’s the first time I see Margaux smile.
“Is that what you think? That Knox and I are dating?”
I’m confused.
“Aren't you?”
“Yeah, no. Knox’s right. Eww. He’s my brother!”
“Your brother?”
Margaux shoots her brother a provoking look but I notice a soft glint in her eyes and the affectionate way she touches his arm.
“Yup. And no, before you ask, we aren't twins, I’m way too good looking to be his twin. Knox turned eighteen at the end of January and my big one eight is at the beginning of November.”
Knox laughs again.
“Yeah, she's the good looking one and obviously the hilarious one. I’ve got ... other skills.”
His voice dips down by a full octave and his grey eyes look suggestively down my body.
He manages that without looking creepy: something in the way he looks at me makes my heart beat faster and I say yes to going out with him without even thinking.
“Awesome! If you give me your phone number, I’ll ring it so you’ll have mine. Drop me a text with your address and I'll pick you up at seven?”
“I don't mind driving to your house. After all that's where the party is?”
Knox winks at me again, it seems to be a habit of his.
“The party actually starts at nine. I thought we could go grab something to eat beforehand?”
Knox and I make arrangements to see each other later and when he hugs me goodbye, I pick up on his scent of soap, mixed with something spicier, like clove. How can he smell so good after a workout?
I walk straight to my car, deciding to take my time to shower at home, maybe even take a bath and relax before my date.
There's a little part of me that feels guilty, as if going out with Knox is wrong because of Devon.
But I silence that part of my conscience because Devon has been acting as if we didn't even know each other, so I don't owe him anything.
“Hey smalls! At what time can Teague and I come to pick you up to go to tonight’s party?”
Landon and Teague catch up with me as I’m about to get in my car and I look at their smiles, Landon’s open one and Teague’s sexy, barely there one.
I noticed that Teague smiles more with his eyes. His lips only quirk up the tiniest little bit.
I feel really embarrassed, they hadn't even mentioned the party, I didn't know about it until Knox asked me to go with him.
So I tell them that I already have a date.
“Aww, man! It's all your fault!”
Landon complains to his friend and then explains that they’ve spent the last two days arguing about who’d get to ask me out and they only just decided to ask me together since neither of them was prepared to back down.
“Can I ask you who's your date?”
Teague's eyes get suddenly serious and intense and I realise that this isn’t just a joke to him.
He really wanted to go out with me.
When I tell him that my date is Knox, he shakes his head.
“I see.”
I get it that he's disappointed but Landon's smile is gone too.
“Why? What's wrong with Knox?”
Landon's the first to talk.
“Nothing. Just... Knox's a serial dater. He's been out with every pretty girl at school. Except for his sister, obviously. He doesn't seem to keep his attention on the same girl for more than one or two dates.”
There's a veiled warning in his voice and it totally rubs me the wrong way.
It reminds me of the way Abi warned me on my last night at the beach, right before I went out with Devon.
It doesn't matter that Abi was right about Devon's intentions, I just hate that everybody treats me as if I were an idiot.
So I nod curtly.
“Ok, duly noted. See you at the party.”
I get in my car and drive off seething about the fact that everyone wants to tell me who to date: my parents, my sister and now Landon and Teague.
3.
A Kissing Game
Aubrey
I LOOK AT MYSELF IN the mirror: I’m wearing a chiffon black dress with a pattern of tiny white flowers.
It has an A line and it hits a few inches above my knee.
It shows off my generous cleavage without being too slutty.
High black wedge sandals complete the look and I decided on minimal make-up and my long, dark brown hair is flowing freely down my back.
I’m excited and nervous about this party for so many reasons: not only the fact that my date is super sexy looking but quite closed off, but also the knowledge that Devon will be there too.
And no, I’m not using Knox to make Devon jealous.
First of all it wouldn't be right and secondly, I doubt that Devon will even give a shit about who I see, considering how he made a point of ignoring me all week.
He actually pretended that I was invisible, he wasn't just refusing to acknowledge me.
Another thing that makes me nervous is Landon and Teague's behaviour: Landon seemed really upset that I had a date to the party and Teague didn't say anything but I saw the disappointment in his blue eyes, even if he was trying hard to conceal it and act cool about it.
But how would I know that they wanted to ask me out if they never even mentioned it, despite having had lunch with me every day this week?
And also, I mean, surely I could go out with only one of ‘em and not both?
How were they planning to solve that problem?
Unless they didn't mind you going out with both of them ...
I shake my head: the little voice in my head sounds like Abi.
But I know it's just my fucking subconscious because deep down I envy my sister.
I know it isn't fair because before meeting her guys, she had the shittiest possible childhood known to man, growing up basically secluded in a convent.
But she has the hottest, sweetest, sexiest, most amazing boyfriends ever!
Including my all time biggest celebrity crush, Chaz Atwood!
Abi’s a sweetheart, so she deserves the doting way all four boys love her but I can't help wishing something similar for myself.
Damn, even one fucking boyfriend would be awesome!
Honestly the fact that the only guy I’ve ever felt anything remotely close to love for, is basically pretending that I don't even exist after I gave him my virginity doesn't really do wonders for my confidence.
I look at my own reflection one last time and tell myself that I can't let one asshole determine the way I feel about myself.
It doesn't matter if I thought that I was falling for him.
And this is actually one of the things that hurt me the most: the fact that he said that he was falling for me just to get in my pants and I believed him.
The doorbell interrupts my reveries and I realise that it's seven, so I run downstairs and open the door to my date.
And hot damn!
If I thought that Knox was hot in his academy uniform and in his football gear, it's because I’d never seen him in his street clothes.
He’s wearing a tight, sleeveless black t-shirt that shows how cut and defined his chest and abs are and leaves his powerful arms uncovered, showcasing a complex black tattoo on his left shoulder and arm that reaches all the way down past his elbow.
White slacks and black skater style shoes finish off his unpretentious but really sexy look.
His smile reaches his grey eyes when he looks at me and he doesn't hide his slow perusal of my body.
I like the confidence that Knox exudes: he is wh
o he is and he isn't sorry about it.
It's sexy together with his brooding and slightly ironic attitude.
“You look beautiful, Aubrey. Come on, we have a reservation, we can't be late for dinner.”
He drives a sleek gun metal coloured convertible Bentley and his driving is fast but confident and relaxed.
We don't talk much until he stops in front of a casual looking restaurant with an amazing beach view.
The building is entirely made of wood and glass: it looks like a giant veranda, all open and airy.
We’re ushered to a table outside on the patio: the restaurant decor is rustic but welcoming and the relief in my smile must be obvious, because Knox asks me what's up.
“It looks like you were holding your breath? Do I drive too fast?”
His eyes are intense and his lips quirk up in a little smile.
Part of me wants to brush it off but I decide to tell him how I feel.
“I’m just relieved that you didn't choose a super fancy restaurant. My last date was like that and ...”
The edge of his hand touches mine on the table: it's intentional and the contact with his warm skin causes a stronger reaction than I’d have expected.
It’s like a tingling, buzzing little wave that travels up my arm and then down again, flooding me with warmth.
Knox doesn't say anything, waiting for me to explain further and when I don't, he asks.
“I assume that it didn't go well? Or you’d be out with him right now, right?”
His tone isn't taunting, just matter of fact but there's a softness to his deep voice, as if he weren't judging either way.
For a second, I think about telling him everything about my fling with Devon but then I decide against it because Devon couldn't have made it any clearer that he doesn't want anyone to know that we even know each other.
Not that I owe him anything but if ignoring me is what he wants, two can play that game.
“Yeah, it didn't work out. It was a summer fling anyway, I guess.”
Those words make me sound a lot more blasé than I feel about the whole situation, they hide the disappointment, the heartbreak.
Knox smiles, his grey eyes taking on a silver shimmer as the sky gets darker and the restaurant staff begins lighting candles on every table.
“There's nothing wrong with a fling, as long as both people know that's what it is.”
I nod, wondering if he's trying to tell me that this is what we're gonna have.
And he seems to guess what I’m thinking because he sets me straight on what's going on.
“Look, Aubrey, I know you must've heard the rumours about me dating a lot and sleeping around ...”
If we aren't beating around the bush, I guess I might just admit it.
“Yeah, I heard.”
His grey eyes are fixed onto mine and he doesn't look worried about what people are saying about him.
“I’m not telling you that it isn't true. After all, dating is getting to know people, right? And I’ve never promised anything I wasn't prepared to give to any of the girls I took out. It just so happens that up until today, I haven't met anyone I wanted to get to know more. Some girls go out with a plan to get attached. And it doesn't even matter if they like the guy, as long as he's suitable on the surface. If he ticks all the boxes: rich, popular, athletic ... whatever! If that's what I see, I naturally lose interest.”
I nod.
So what he's trying to tell me is that he doesn't promise me anything.
He isn't looking for love but he wouldn't say no to it if he found it.
That's fair enough, at least he isn't telling me that he cares to get in my pants and then pretend that I don't exist.
When the waitress brings us the menu, Knox informs me that he loves this place because the food is super fresh.
“They make their own tortillas every day, so anything in a tortilla is to die for. Do you wanna order lots of different tacos and try a bit of everything?”
I agree to his plan and the food is absolutely delicious.
We both tuck in enthusiastically and the vibe between us is easy going and fun.
Knox touches me a lot but not in a creepy way: he offers me bites of food and the conversation is interesting and relaxed.
I discover that he has two sisters, Margaux and an older sister and that he loves the sea, and he sails and surfs.
We eat and talk and as I chew on the last bite of steak taco, he looks at me with a satisfied little smile and a glint in his grey eyes.
“What?”
I squirm a little under the intensity of his gaze and he tells me what's making him smile that way.
“Nothing. We ate everything we ordered. You must be my favourite dinner date so far: you enjoyed the food and you didn't mention calories at all. I hate girls that ask for a salad with everything on the side. That makes me instantly decide against a second date.”
“Are you asking me for a second date?”
I tease and he chuckles, leaving a few twenties on the table, and offering me his hand to walk out of the restaurant and back to his car.
“Your prospects for a second date are looking promising. Let's see how the rest of the evening goes, shall we?”
He whispers that in my ear: his lips don't quite touch my skin but his breath is warm and his scent of soap and clove invades my senses, making me wonder how his lips would feel against mine.
Devon
I PARK MY NEW CORVETTE at the end of a huge driveway, crowded with so many expensive cars that I’d probably have to work every summer of my life and wouldn't even be able to buy one.
My car is brand new and I still feel weird about the fact that I didn't have to save for it and that now expensive stuff, like this car, is at my disposal.
I fought tooth and nail to get recruited by BHPA on a football scholarship and now I wouldn't even need to play ball anymore to afford the school and then whichever Ivy League college I choose to attend.
It doesn't feel real, I still feel like a complete fraud and I’ve been watching my back as if expecting that my new teammates or any of the other students at the academy would see that I don't belong, that all the luxuries and money they grew up with are very, very new to me.
“Hey, Devon! Come on in! We’re playing beer pong! You're my partner!”
Margaux opens the door in a tiny white bikini top and a pair of shorts so microscopic, that she could've probably shown less skin by not wearing them.
She's short, barely five feet and has really big tits but the softness in her body ends there: you can see that Margaux works out, she’s probably fitter than me and most of my teammates and she’s obviously determined to flaunt her perfect body.
She has long blonde hair with same tone highlights and pale blue eyes.
She's a very pretty girl but for a second, as I follow her into the house, I think about another pair of blue eyes, but those are dark and intense, shadowed by long, dark lashes.
I shake my head: when I met Aubrey, I didn't know who she was and when I learned how rich she really was, I thought that all we could ever be was a summer fling because we were from completely different worlds.
So I convinced myself that it was harmless to flirt with her, to kiss her and love her because when her holiday was over, she’d go back to her world and I’d go back to mine.
Of course I didn't know how much my life was gonna change when I got back to California.
I scan the garden and I don't see Aubrey anywhere, so I relax a little.
It's crazy how this is what I’ve gotten used to doing this past week, looking for her every time I enter a room.
And I wanna see her but I also don't.
When she's not around, I can forget for a moment how much I let her down and how she could make things really hard for me at school, if she told people where and how we met.
I hope that if I don't acknowledge her, she’ll feel as ashamed as I do and not mention fucking the lifeguard at a rich people's resort
in the summer.
But maybe this is just what I was: a sport fuck with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
And hopefully she doesn't wanna flaunt it and won't give me away, hopefully I’ll stay her dirty little secret.
So, this is the deal with beer pong: unless I’m already drunk, I never fucking lose.
My aim is just too good.
I get one cup after the other and every time the little ball lands in a cup, Margaux hugs me with a shrill little squeal.
Once there aren't any opponents left to obliterate, I pour myself a beer from the keg set up by the side of the pool and look around to decide if I wanna swim, go in the hot tub or head inside for a game of pool.
And this is when I see her walk in with Knox.
He has a hand on the small of her back and as he guides her towards the drinks table he leans down to whisper something in her ear and she giggles.
Then she stops walking and says something back to him, putting a hand on his chest and looking into his eyes.
I’m too far away to hear what they're saying but I can imagine the look in her eyes, that soft curve her upper lip has when she smiles.
I clench my fists when I realise how much that rubs me the wrong way.
But what am I gonna do about it?
I let Margaux drag me away from them, and just as I’m turning away, Aubrey’s eyes settle on me.
I can't hold her gaze, I can't stand to look at that disappointment, that hurt, because I know I put it there.
Margaux drags me towards a huge outdoors table surrounded by wrought iron garden chairs and then yells at everyone else:
“Hey peeps! Party games time! Get your asses here!”
I flinch a little at how high pitch her voice is, I noticed that straight away but now that she's tipsy it definitely got worse.
I got Margaux’s message loud and clear: she wants to fuck me.
And she's hot and there's really no reason why I shouldn't do it, other than the fact that I can't stop thinking about Aubrey and that I can't let her get close enough to see where I come from.
“Ok guys, now that we're all sitting here let’s play ‘suck and blow’!”
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 66
