by Mina Thorne
"I guess, it's up to you," I replied and turned to walk away but had to add, "as long as you don't expect me to trust you any time soon."
I kept walking and heard him say, "I wouldn't expect it. But I'll help figure out who did this. I'll help you nail them to the fucking wall."
"I'm counting on it," I replied and kept going.
I didn't look back until I was up the stairs and at the front door, but by then he was gone.
I decided to check in on Barrett, allow myself some time to wind down from the insane events of the night, and then crash in my big, cozy bed.
But first thing in the morning I had a job to do. I had to figure out who had set me up.
And then I had to make them pay.
Chapter 19
Barrett was fine, according to the two doctors and nurses who arrived at the house within a short time of us getting home.
Once I knew he was safe, I padded upstairs and tossed my boots into the back of the closet. I wasn't going to wear them any time soon, my feet were still burning from having to walk so far in them.
I decided to sneak a glass of wine and took it to my room where I curled up in an overstuffed, gold velvety chair and texted Maddy and Brie.
For once it was awesome having them three hours behind. They were still up and partying and more than sympathetic.
"I wish I knew who did it," Maddy texted when I told them what happened. "I'd fucking kill them."
"That's horrible. Any idea who it is?" Brie asked.
I replied no, but I had a couple suspects…Becca being at the top of the list.
"Destroy the bitches," Maddy texted.
"Fucking ruin them, girl. You can do it, you're one tough chick," Brie added.
And I felt like it then, like one tough chick. I would fucking ruin them when I found out who it was. Nobody fucked with a California girl and got away with it, nobody.
"Do any of them have hot Dads? You could do it that way," Maddy said with a laughing emoji.
"Good plan, fuck their Dads and break up their parents' marriage," Brie agreed with several more laughing emojis.
They had me giggling my ass off at the thought and we carried on like that for a little bit, plotting our revenge by fucking the bitches' hot dads. It was exactly what I needed to help sooth my hurting heart.
But it also made me realize how much I missed them. Or how much I missed having friends around at all. I'd never felt so lonely in my life.
Our chat started to die out, they were partying and getting drunker so the texts were making less and less sense. I decided to curl up under my covers and go to sleep.
As the fatigue took over me, I let the events of the evening finally flow away.
I woke with a start, it was the middle of the night and I had been dragged out of my dreamless sleep by something. A noise perhaps, or just the sense that I wasn't alone in my room.
I lay absolutely motionless in my bed as I assessed the situation.
I thought I heard the slightest snap of somebody sneaking across my floor and hitting the raised area around my bed, but it was too dark to see anything.
"Hello?" I whispered into the darkened room.
The bed dipped and I yelped, pulled the covers tighter and sat up.
"It's just me," Barrett said quietly. "I wanted to know how you were doing."
"You're crazy. What are you doing here and...how are you?" I asked, every inkling that this was wrong erased by the fact that his concern touched me. It was exactly what I needed just then, exactly what he could give.
"I'm okay. A bit of a headache but nothing else," he said and I saw movement in the inky darkness. He shifted his weight to sit closer to me. "I want to hold you, Stephanie. I want to curl up in your bed and hold you in my arms tonight."
"Won't we get into trouble?"
"From who? Our parents are long gone doing their own things. Your dad is off on business and my mother is probably fucking her tennis coach. There's nobody here who gives a shit about what we do," he whispered in the dark.
"Nobody will know?" I asked quietly.
"Nobody but us, Steph," he replied.
And for once the way he said Steph wasn't with derision. He didn't spit it out with such vehemence that I could envision his twisted mouth when he said it.
"Okay," I said, my will weak and my desire strong. "Just hold me, nothing else."
"I promise just to hold you tonight," he said and rolled across the bed and under my covers to come up behind me. As much as he promised, there was a part of me that hoped he'd break that promise. That he'd kiss me and make the trauma of the night disappear.
But Barrett seemed to be a guy who kept his word. His arms wrapped around me from behind, he nuzzled the back of my neck where my braided hair had fallen to the side, and in no time, he began to fall asleep.
I felt his hot breath on my skin and I could feel every place where his body touched mine. It was on fire, heated up to the point that I doubted I'd never get back to sleep.
But I began to drift off again, listening to him, feeling him and relishing this time with him.
The morning light blazed across my closed eyelids and I fluttered them open to complain about being woken up.
And it all came flooding back to me, the party, the right, Whitt and Barrett.
Barrett!
I sat up in bed and found him across the room playing with my curtains.
"I'm trying to get them closed so we can sleep in," he said in a grumpy tone. "Why did you leave them open last night, for fuck's sake?"
"I forgot," I apologized. "What time is it?"
"Too fucking early," he said and tugged on the chord to release the fabric. "It's only seven."
"Come back to bed then," I said. "Unhook the chord from the wall there and let the curtain drop down."
"This is wrong," he replied and turned to look at me. His face was a mess of bruises and his nose still looked sore but in this light, it no longer looked broken. He did have dark bruises under each eye though, and that didn't diminish his attractiveness like I would have thought. It made him seem tougher, like an old school punk boy getting in street brawls.
A wild boy, untamed unless he found the right woman.
"Why is it suddenly wrong?" I asked and glowered at him. "Stop being an asshole and come back here. I'm not begging you to fuck me, Barrett. I just don't want to be alone right now."
He bit his lower lip, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and just when I thought he was going to deny me and walk out, he turned. He loosened the chord, the blackout curtain fell across my ceiling height window, and I saw a shadow of him striding back towards my bed.
"Is this what you wanted?" he asked as he slid back under the covers with me. I tried to edge away but he pulled me against him, face to face, and rolled to his back.
I found myself on top of him, his arms around me tightly and his hard dick pressed against my hip.
"Is this what you wanted?" he breathed and thrust forward just enough to make me gasp as desire blossomed in my stomach and spread like languid fire through the rest of my body.
"I...I just wanted to—"
I couldn't finish my sentence though, because I no longer knew what I'd wanted from Barrett.
Had I truly just wanted to cuddle with him, or had I secretly been yearning for this exact thing? Something more?
It didn't matter either way though, because he pulled himself up to meet me partway and kissed me.
I fell down onto his chest and allowed his thick hardness to press against my thigh as I moved upwards to kiss him harder.
The kiss consumed me, his lips were so soft and yet so demanding. I could still taste the iron acrid blood from where Whitt had split his lower lip, and I went softly because of it.
I hesitated so I didn't hurt him, I didn't want to cause him any pain.
He didn't seem to feel anything but pleasure though, he kissed me harder and I let him take the lead.
He made that little growling noise in the back
of his throat that drove me so insane with lust I didn't know how I could contain myself. I began to move on top of him and he drew in a sharp breath as our lips were together.
His tongue slipped against mine again and I loved the sensation. Waves of bliss rolled off every part of my body where we made contact until I felt as if I was on a boat, rocking on the ocean. I wasn't moving in waves, but it felt like sailing. It felt so good.
I did deliberately move my thigh across his hard shaft, silently thankful for the pajamas we were both wearing so I didn't do anything stupid. So I didn't give up the V card to my stepbrother the day after I'd been slut shamed out of my first Harrisburg party.
Only a week after starting Westview Academy.
I had to hold out longer, not just for my reputation but for myself. For my own self-preservation. As much as I wanted Barrett to ravage me, slide into me and claim me as his woman, I had to hold back.
I had to make sure he was on my side.
I had to be certain he wasn't just using me because I was convenient.
He thrust against me though, and the logic was bumped out of my head along with the jolt on my body.
"Fuck, Steph," he growled and dug his fingers into my hips, not hurting me but clinging to me as if he was realizing how good we felt together.
"Barrett," I exhaled and twisted my hips, wiggled on top of him and brushed my rock hard nipples against his chest. "Oh god, this is so wrong but it feels so good..."
"It's so right, babe," he said and pulled at me again until I slid and our bodies lined up perfectly. I was grinding against him, dry humping him as he frantically lifted my top like he needed to see me naked or he would die.
I felt like I would die if we didn't get something done.
I rode his hard dick through our clothes and gasped in surprised lust as he sat up, cupped one of my breasts in his hand and kissed my nipple. Jolts of fiery joy erupted out of it, spreading to the other breast and straight down to my pussy. Heat boiled over inside me and I could barely contain it.
I was so close to an orgasm, just from Barrett's mouth locked on my nipple and grinding myself against his thickness, that I didn't hear the door open.
Neither did he.
And when Kit said, "What's going on in here!" I thought I was going to die.
Again. All over again. Of shame and humiliation.
Barrett pulled away from my breast, sneered at Kit and yelled, "Get the fuck out!"
Kit hesitated, our eyes met, and I nodded just the smallest nod to let her know it was consensual.
But the horror in her eyes killed the mood as she looked down and backed out, slamming my door behind her.
"You really gotta lock that door," Barrett said, looking up at me. "Now where were we?"
"You were the last one inside, you should have locked it," I replied and knew the mood was dead.
I couldn't get into it now, not after Kit walked in on us.
Not after we'd been interrupted.
He sighed, rested his hands on my hips and seemed resigned to the fact that nothing else was going to happen.
"I guess I did promise to keep my hands off you," he said, then gave me a crooked grin. "But that was last night, I didn't say a damned thing about the morning. I was true to my word."
I rolled off him and laughed, glad that we could still be relaxed around each other even after Kit the cock blocker had fizzled out our passion.
Maybe she'd done us a favor, neither one of us seemed to need yet another complication added to our lives.
Now if I could just convince my pussy of that fact, I'd be aces.
Chapter 20
Barrett and I went our separate ways after Kit burst into my room, but not before he held me close and promised me he had nothing to do with the leaked photos from last night.
He swore Becca never got his phone and he had no idea how they could have been accessed.
I believed him. He was sincere in his conviction, his words didn’t falter and he had proven himself to be a man of his word.
I had a shower and walked downstairs to find Kit and figure out what she'd needed to tell me so early in the morning.
She was sitting at her desk in the office at the back of the mansion, past the kitchen and prep kitchen and caterer's kitchen.
Yeah, I know, three kitchens. It was a bit much.
"What did you need me for?" I asked and she looked up, startled.
"Oh," she said and red heat flooded her cheeks. "I um...I wanted to let you know that your father was coming home this afternoon."
"Where's Elaine?" I asked.
"She's..." Kit's voice trailed off and I immediately knew that Barrett had been right. Elaine was fucking around on my dad behind his back and for some reason that really pissed me off.
"Is she with her tennis coach?"
"Yes, she had an early morning lesson," Kit said, her face breaking into a relieved smile. "She went there very early. Before anyone woke up."
"That's funny because she had such a late night. How does she manage to stay out so late and get up with just a couple hours sleep?"
Kit looked like she was about the throw up, like her nerves were already shot and I felt bad being the one who might push her over the edge.
"I guess she must be a young soul," I said softly, giving Kit a way out.
She looked up, gratitude present in her eyes and said, "Yes. Elaine has so much energy. She's a really remarkable woman if you give her a chance and don't cross her."
"I'm sure she is," I replied, Kit's warning received loud and clear. She was basically telling me to keep this knowledge to myself.
And I would, as long as Elaine didn't cross me. If she did though, I'd work on proving to my dad what a whore he'd married and see about breaking up their marriage.
Then Barrett and I wouldn't be related at all, that would be the added bonus.
After lunch I lounged by the pool and worked on my tan. It was a hot day for the east coast and I wanted to catch as many rays before they disappeared under the gloomy winter skies.
My phone was buzzing off the hook nonstop. Between Maddy and Brie, I barely had time to set it down and then Whitt texted to let me know he was coming over.
At first I wanted to tell him no, but I hadn't seen any sign of Barrett around the mansion so I let Whitt come for a visit.
"No fighting. If you see Barrett, promise me you will apologize and be nice," I texted him
"I promise. I still feel like an asshole about last night."
It wasn't long before his shadow fell across mine and he asked, "How's the water?"
"That didn't take much time at all, were you texting from my driveway?" I looked up and he was wearing shorts that showed off his muscled thighs, with a tank top that gave me a full on look at his broad shoulders and bulging arms. He was mighty fine, and the way the sun hit his hair made the rich brown gleam with golden highlights that were unfair on him. Women spent hundreds of dollars just to get that exact color.
Even his injuries, he had bruises on his chin and a swollen lower lip, didn’t diminish his sexiness.
"Maybe," he laughed, and his warm, brown eyes lit up with amusement. "I actually came by to drop off Barrett's jacket. He left it in the back of my Rover last night. Is he going to be okay?"
"He's fine," I replied and had a flash of Barrett's mouth on mine and the heat between my legs startled me with its intensity. I transposed Barrett’s face with Whitt’s and the effect was the same. Instant liquid desire blossoming deep inside. "He's not around though, if you were looking for him."
"I kinda wanted to tell him I'm sorry. For the fight, not for defending you," he added quickly.
"I didn't need defending from Barrett...but thank you. Do you still want to help me figure out who did it?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun shining behind him.
He flopped in the chaise lounge next to me and said, "Yeah. I asked around today but everybody is still recovering. Apparently it was quite a blow out, multiple kids passing
out, puking in the hot tub, an orgy on Mason's parent's bed. We missed quite the show."
"So there's hope for me, my video might not be the only thing kids talk about,” I said.
Whitt laughed. "Yeah, you're in luck. Slutty gang bang Larissa is the talk of the night. But you come in a close second."
"So me being dragged out of a party while drunk and having a couple pics taken without my knowledge is suddenly the same as a girl who actually sleeps with a bunch of dudes? I'm still a virgin, for fuck's sake. This is ridiculous."
His eyebrows went up in surprise. "A virgin? For real?"
I hadn't realized I'd blurted that last bit of information out so loud. I didn't know where to look, if I should look him in the eyes or look away. I didn't usually disclose the state of my virginity to guys I was attracted to.
Or any guys at all, actually.
"Yup," I replied and grinned. "Can you believe it? I'm like the last high school senior who hasn't been banged like a broken door in a windstorm."
"Well, when you put it that romantically," Whitt laughed. Then his face grew serious and he said, "There's no reason to be embarrassed about it, Steph. I think it's kind of sexy."
I thought he was going to kiss me again, he wanted to kiss me again and even though I surprisingly wanted it too, I didn't move towards him.
He edged closer to me, put his hand on the handle of my chaise and brushed my hair away from my face. "Do you need me to help you apply your sunscreen?"
It was a cheesy line, but it worked. I wanted him to touch me. I was about to reply when Barrett came out of the back of the house and called out, "Yo, Whitt. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"B man," Whitt said and leapt to his feet. "I brought your jacket back, dude. How are you feeling?"
Barrett reached us and didn't even glance down at me. He looked good too in shorts and a gleaming white tee shirt that once again made him look like he'd stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine in spite of his bruises and black eyes.
His hair was left tousled and I wondered if it was still from me running my fingers through it this morning. His cheeks still had stubble from being unshaved, and I remember how it had felt kissing him and feeling them brush roughly against mine.
