Damaged Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 2)

by Jaxson Kidman

  “Noah isn’t meant to walk in his father’s footsteps,” Xavier said.

  “But Henry is?” I asked.

  “That’s right,” Easton said. “Sometimes it gets the best of Noah. And being drunk like that doesn’t help.”

  “So what do we do now?” I asked. “Just hide up here?”

  “That’s the point of the masks, Winter,” Xavier said. “You get to hide tonight. Which, by the way, you can take your mask off now.”

  I completely forgot I was wearing the thing.

  I hurried to rip if off my face.

  I dropped it to the floor.

  I shook my head.

  “I’m hungry,” I said.

  “For what?” Easton asked with a grin.

  “Want me to be honest?”

  “Sure,” Xavier said.

  “I want chicken tenders and fries,” I said. “In the worst way.”

  “I’ll make a call,” Xavier said.

  I looked at him. “You can get that kind of food here?”

  Xavier slightly grinned. “For you, Winter, I can make anything happen.”

  I had a drink with Easton and Xavier in the kitchen.

  The food came in record time and was absolutely amazing.

  I rolled one of the large, greasy fries around in ketchup and dangled it over my mouth.

  I was eating like a total slob and didn’t even realize that I was until I was too far into eating to stop myself.

  I was kind of comfortable near the guys.

  “Food good?” Easton asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’m going to gain about ten pounds by morning after this.”

  Easton leaned back and looked right at my ass.

  “Hmm,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I can see it,” he said. “Ass and hips… works for me.”

  “Shut up,” I said.

  I threw one of the fries at him.

  Xavier jumped from the counter and drank right out of a bottle.

  He grabbed a handful of fries and threw them down in one big bite.

  “So this is what we’re doing?” I asked. “All these rich people around us and we’re eating like we’re Trocs.”

  They both laughed.

  “Trocs, huh?” Easton asked. “That was smooth coming from your mouth. Any chance you remember some shit now?”

  “No.” I ran right through the lie with ease. “Nothing.”

  “How long are you going to live like this?” Xavier asked.

  “As opposed to what option?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  “Neither do I, Xavier.”

  “I like you like this,” Easton said.

  “But you didn’t like me before?” I asked. “I thought you fucked me in the backseat of your car?”

  Xavier snorted.

  They were both a little drunk. And they were both gently letting their guards down.

  “Shut up,” Easton said.

  “Just admit it,” I said. “Come on, Easton… admit it…”

  “Fine,” he said. “We never fucked.”

  Now I had Xavier laughing.

  “Why did you lie about it?” I asked.

  “Fuck this,” he said.

  He pushed from the counter and left the kitchen.

  “I needed that laugh,” Xavier said. He quickly moved toward me. He touched my cheek. “Thanks for that, Winter. You should get some sleep soon. Tomorrow we have to mingle some more. And then I get to see you in the dress I picked out.”

  “You think I chose your dress?” I asked.

  “I’m confident in it,” he said. “Goodnight, Winter.”

  He slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me toward him as his mouth came down to mine.

  We kissed.

  Passionately.

  His lips and tongue were… they were… they were like the music under the tent. The movement and rhythm and the way he did it…

  Xavier pulled away and our lips made a smacking sound.

  My knees buckled for a second and hit the counter.

  And he just walked away.

  I put my hands to the counter.

  I still had to endure one more night of this?

  I opened the spare bedroom door and saw the figure of Noah in the bed.

  I crept through the room to check on him.

  Damn me for having a heart, but I kind of cared about him. He was in pain. That was for sure. His home life hadn’t been as easy as it looked. Financially, sure, he was well off. But emotionally, he was poorer than a Troc.

  His parents didn’t love him.

  His father took care of another kid right in front of him.

  In a way, I understood that kind of pain.

  My mother left and I always wondered why she did it.

  I still didn’t have the full answer, even with living with her.

  My mother was an evil bitch.

  And I had some of that in me.

  I also had plenty of care and honesty in me too.

  I stripped away the emotion and hatred for Noah as I stood at the side of the bed.

  He was out cold.

  His mouth partially open.

  There was dried blood on his top lip.

  I reached down and touched his shoulder.

  I moved my hand to his cheek.

  My fingertips moved up and down his cheek.

  What are you doing, Winter?

  I wasn’t sure.

  I was a tiny bit tipsy.

  I was feeling emotions.

  Yet that voice and fire in the back of my head reminded me that Noah - along with Easton and Xavier - had wanted me to die.

  My nails curled and I dug into Noah’s cheek.

  My lip curled.

  “Motherfucker,” I whispered. “You were going to tell me the truth. I fucking hate you, Noah.”

  He moved his head to shake my fingers away, but he didn’t wake up.

  I moved my hand away and just stared at him.

  I blinked fast, almost wanting to cry.

  I didn’t want to hate. I didn’t want to seek revenge. I didn’t want to be the person I was. I didn’t ask for this… any of this…

  My bottom lip quivered.

  I sucked in a breath.

  And a hand moved over my mouth.

  I was pulled back a few feet before I started to thrash.

  My entire body had completely frozen up.

  All I could think was that they were right. That whoever had been following me was here at this rich persons gathering thing, and they were coming to get me. They were going to kidnap me, hurt me…

  I kicked my legs and threw elbows.

  When that didn’t work, I resorted to biting the person’s hand.

  “Ouch!” Easton yelled.

  He let me go and I jumped forward and spun around.

  “Easton?” I asked.

  “Shhh,” he said. “Don’t wake him up.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I growled in the best whisper I could manage.

  “What?”

  “You scared the hell out of me,” I said. “You asshole.”

  He put his pointer finger to his mouth and nodded to the door.

  We exited the bedroom and Easton went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of something to drink.

  “Come on,” he said. “I want to show you a secret.”

  I walked with Easton toward the large master bed at the end of the room.

  The entire room was quiet, telling me that Xavier was asleep on the couch.

  Right next to the bed there was a window.

  Easton handed me the bottle and then opened the window.

  “There’s a big ledge out here,” he said. “We can sit out here and relax. Nobody will see us.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Why not? Live a little.”

  “And if I fall and break my neck?”

  “Hey,” he said, pointing at me. “Maybe if you fall and hit your head,
you’ll remember everything again.”

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” I said. “Because if you did, I’m going to throw you out of that window. And I don’t think anyone would really mind.”

  “Well, that’s just really mean to say.”

  “I’m mean,” I said.

  Easton climbed through the window.

  I hesitated but followed him.

  I first stuck my head out just to see what was there.

  The ledge was huge enough for me to climb out without being too afraid.

  I then sat next to Easton.

  I could just faintly hear the music coming from the tent.

  “This is the only good part about this,” he said.

  “It’s not all that bad,” I said.

  I waited a few seconds.

  “Hey,” I said. “What happened down there…”

  Easton and I looked at each other.

  “What about it?” he asked.

  “That got tense. And then it exploded.”

  “That’s just Noah,” he said.

  “I’m talking about you, Easton. Something was said…”

  “Don’t worry about my life, Winter. I know how to navigate through it. Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  Easton leaned closer to me. “I’m smarter than most people think. I don’t need to hurry up and act. I don’t need to pump it twice and blow my load, you know?”

  “Good to know,” I said.

  “I can hang back, think and watch. I see more than most see. I feel more than most feel. I know more than most know. Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

  “My lips are sealed,” I whispered.

  “I hope not…”

  Easton made his move, gently kissing me.

  It was such a sweet kiss that I was going to end up with a cavity or two.

  His right hand gently touched my cheek.

  We sat there and kissed each other for a few minutes, sometimes soft and sweet, sometimes getting a little into it.

  His hand moved from my face to my shoulder. Then from my shoulder to my chest. Over my shirt, his right hand started to knead. His hand inched back up, his fingertips grazing the skin of my neck.

  He pulled away and stared at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Just taking it all in, Winter,” he said.

  This was a different side of Easton. He was being himself. Open. Honest. Looking like the kind of person who secretly planned things out and didn’t tell anyone about it.

  Was he the one who was the mastermind behind my accident?

  “You like the attention, don’t you?” Easton asked.

  “What?”

  “You like the three of us looking at you. Touching you. Kissing you. I bet you didn’t bring any of the dresses we gave to you. Just to prove a point. Right?”

  I grabbed Easton’s wrist and pulled his hand away. “For someone who does a lot of thinking, you didn’t think this all the way through.”

  “No?”

  “You were just kissing me. Your hands all over me. And you gave it up to ask about a stupid dress?”

  “That just means I’m right,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, Winter, your secret is safe with me.”

  “Goodnight, Easton,” I said. “I’m going to get some sleep.”

  “I’m going to have a smoke,” he said.

  I hurried through the window, grabbed my bag and went to the bathroom.

  I changed into something more comfortable for sleep - a big t-shirt and some comfortable shorts.

  Then I got into the massive bed.

  I shut my eyes and wanted sleep to come instantly.

  My heart was beating a little faster than normal.

  When I took a deep breath I smelled the hint of cigarette smoke.

  I thought about Noah sleeping off all the drinking.

  I thought about Xavier on the couch.

  I thought about Easton and everything he said.

  I really needed sleep.

  Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day.

  Chapter 21

  the almost morning

  I slept way better than I ever thought I would.

  The bed basically swallowed me up. It was soft, warm, and that was the end of Winter. I could have probably slept for two days straight. Which would have been a nice welcome compared to the way I had been sleeping since the accident.

  My life existed around finding ways to hurt the guys.

  And I was getting there.

  Noah was the easiest to ruin.

  I always figured Easton would have been a close second, but not after last night. Not with the way he acted and talked. The sound of his voice - so stern and firm - proved he really did have more to offer than he showed everyone on a daily basis.

  That was some serious planning on his part.

  As far as Xavier went… his family was a mess. I was sure that other rich and powerful families had plenty of skeletons in their closets, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it was revealed that Xavier wasn’t his mother’s son. That Xavier belonged to a woman like Gia’s mother… which, oh by the way, meant Xavier and Gia were brother and sister.

  The mess of it was just…

  I let out a long groan as my mind ran through all the scenarios with my eyes still shut.

  I pulled at the covers that I was wrapped up so tight in and groaned a second time, wanting to go back to sleep.

  My nose then picked up on the smell of coffee and food.

  Okay, fine…

  I slowly opened my eyes.

  The first thing I saw was the window where Easton and I had snuck out last night.

  I smiled.

  There was no denying what was happening.

  Feelings were officially involved.

  That was part of the risk, but oh well.

  I could have my feelings and still focus on my revenge.

  Whatever happened in between those two was for me to feel and do and nobody else needed to know about it.

  I stretched my legs and my arms.

  I yawned.

  I rolled to my back and looked up to the ceiling.

  It wasn’t some boring white ceiling.

  Not in a house like this.

  The ceiling had some kind of faint pattern on it.

  My eyes wanted to figure it out and follow the pattern but I suddenly had the feeling that someone was watching me.

  I turned my head and sucked a breath.

  Noah was next to me in the bed.

  “I’d give you some coffee but it’s cold by now,” he said.

  “Noah. How are you feeling?” I asked as I sat up.

  I pulled at the covers to keep them under my chin.

  I wasn’t naked or anything, but I still felt a little exposed.

  “Where’s everyone else?” I asked.

  “Uh, well,” Noah said. “Easton is still sleeping. Xavier went for a run and to workout. He’s probably getting in the shower soon. I don’t know. As for me, I’m here.”

  Noah lifted his coffee cup and smiled.

  “That was crazy last night, Noah. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “How I’m feeling and if I’m okay are two different things,” he said.

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Shit happens,” he said. “I had a little bit too much to drink.”

  “You started heavy, Noah. Right after you talked to your-”

  “Shh, don’t say it,” he said. “Don’t bring them up.”

  “Okay. What about Henry?”

  Noah’s face dropped. “Really?”

  “I asked and refuse to give up.”

  Noah put his coffee cup down. He then slipped under the covers and slid down to put his head on the pillow. It was like we had slept together.

  “Come here,” he whispered.

  I swallowed hard and inched down.

  I put my head on the pillow and we faced each other.

 
Under the same covers together.

  His hand touched my arm.

  I shivered.

  “You want to know about my past now, don’t you?” Noah asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “You care about me, don’t you?”

  “Only as much as you care about me,” I said.

  Noah inched closer to me.

  He kissed my forehead.

  I caught myself shutting my eyes and wanting to melt into him.

  Ohgod, Winter, what are you doing?

  His fingertips moved up and down my arm, sending chills through my body.

  My toes curled a little as I fought the urge to throw my leg around him and pull him closer.

  If Easton was still sleeping and Xavier wasn’t here…

  No, no, no, no, no.

  I opened my eyes and Noah’s eyes were right there.

  Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…

  I brushed my lips to his.

  Together, in bed. Under the covers.

  Noah and I…

  He then slipped his hand to my back and pulled me against him.

  His chin touched the top of my head.

  I smelled his shirt and I smiled.

  Just for a minute I wanted to forget about the accident and what they had done just so I could have this moment of normal.

  Nothing will ever be normal, Winter.

  “Whatever they told you is true,” Noah said. “I don’t like coming here, Winter. I don’t like the reminder of it all. Everyone sees rich and powerful and thinks that’s all it is. They see the nice shirts, or the blood on the shirts, and they think I’ve got it all worked out. Maybe that’s the way I like it and need it. Just so I can breathe. It’s a fucked up thing to feel, but have you ever felt like you couldn’t breathe even though you were in a wide open space?”

  “All the time,” I said. “I mean, right now I can’t breathe all that much because you’re hugging me so tight…”

  Noah laughed. “I can’t help it when I’m with you, Winter. Especially right now.”

  “Why right now?” I asked.

  Noah took a deep breath and didn’t answer me.

  He just moved back to what he wanted to talk about.

  “Sometimes it gets a little dark. I shouldn’t run to drinking like I did last night. But sometimes it’s the only thing that helps.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “Just as long as it’s not all the time. Then you’ll end up in big trouble.”

  “Does that matter to you?” Noah asked.