by L. E. Bross
Baz takes it, sinks down onto a bench and pulls a chord from his pocket. “This should take about ten minutes. Go make sure no one comes in.”
That wasn’t the plan.
“How exactly do I stop them? And what if it’s Trey?”
“Figure it out,” he says distractedly, already hitting letters on the keyboard.
Figure it out, I mouth as I make my way back outside the room.
The school is still silent but I can hear the crowd cheering. I get my phone out and text Meri.
Machine ate my money. Janitor is trying to help. Give me ten.
Luc pitched a no hitter this inning!
Great!
I have no idea what that even is, but it sounds good. I glance at the door every five seconds, hoping Baz gets what he needs.
I don’t want to break into Peter’s safe tomorrow night.
There’s a Sudoku app on my phone, so I open it and start on the easy level. What the hell could Trey even want in Peter’s safe? Baz said that Peter keeps cash in there, but that’s it. Is this about money? How is stealing money going to hurt the guys?
Holy shit do I suck at Sudoku.
I try another easy game, but can’t quite figure out what number goes where. It has to have been ten minutes, but when I check, only five have passed. I’ve just started a new game when voices echo down the hall.
I stand up straighter as two players come around the corner, but they stop when they see me hanging out outside the locker room. I think one of them is Justin, but I don’t recognize the other one.
I tap out a quick warning to Baz, then pocket my phone.
“You turning into a cleat chaser now?” Justin asks with an interested grin. “I’ve seen you with Luc and Riot had his tongue down your throat this morning. Hell, I saw you with Trey the other day, too. You making the rounds? ‘Cause I wouldn’t say no if you are.”
He gives me a wink and I shove off the wall. I let my gaze run up and down him and he sticks his chest out.
“Nah, nothing I see interests me.”
His face darkens and he takes a step toward me. The guy with him claps him on the back. “Man, she’s wrapped up with the LB, you really want to go there?”
“She’s not too wrapped up if her boys are fucking Aine and her crew.” The sneer on his face makes me want to punch him, but I pretend his words don't affect me. “And where the hell are they then? Nah, they’re just playing with her and I’ve had their leftovers before. Don’t matter much to me,” Justin says.
He pushes into my space and his friend throws up his hands and mutters your funeral then walks away, leaving me here alone with Justin.
“What’s so fucking special about you anyway? You’re really not that hot. The short hair makes you look like a guy, but maybe that’s what they like. That why they’re so close? Sticking it to each other?”
“Why, you jealous they don’t want you?” I goad. “’Cause you’re not good enough?”
“Bitch,” he growls. “I’m better than you. After they pass you around a few more times, you won't be worth much.”
I hate that his words remind me of Nate. How he used to say almost exactly the same thing and I believed him. But not anymore.
“Get the fuck out of my face, Justin.”
“Oh, so you do know who I am?”
“You’re the guy who put his dick in that walking STD, Aine. Yeah, I know who you are and I suggest that you back the fuck off.”
His gaze rakes over me and he surges forward, pressing me into the unforgiving wall. “Who the fuck’s gonna make me?” he growls. “I could snap you in half and no one would care.”
He’s big like Trey and I hate the way his body dwarfs mine. I have no doubt he could break me and so much more, but he’d have to get past X first.
My eyes meet furious gold-flecked brown. I’m not a damsel in distress, but I’m damned glad to see X.
“How bout I snap your ass in half, Mills.”
The growl comes from behind him and he pales and steps away from me.
Not giving Justin time to recover, I slam my knee up and into his balls. He squeaks and drops like a sack of potatoes at my feet, then rolls onto his side, cupping his junk.
“Try that again, asshole, and I’ll cut it off next time.” I step around the writhing idiot on the floor and wrap my arms around X. He looks better tonight. Whatever demons were dragging him down are gone for now.
“Remind me not to piss you off, sweetheart.” X presses his lips to my temple as Justin stands and hobbles away in the opposite direction.
When he’s gone, X pushes the locker room door open and yells, “Wrap it up, man!”
Baz mumbles something but the door swings closed and cuts him off.
“You look better.”
He shrugs and leans back against the wall. “Just needed to process this shit.”
“If you want to talk, I’m here.”
He nods and I lean next to him.
“Where’s Ry?”
“Keeping an eye on Trey. You didn’t think we’d let you do this alone, did you?”
My heart thumps at the way he’s looking at me.
“Sweetheart, I told you, and Ry reminded you today, you’re with us now. We’ve got your back and nothing is going to touch you. You need to trust us.”
He pulls me in front of him and kisses me softly. I sink into it, laying my palms on his chest. X and I haven’t taken that next step yet, not like I have with Ry and Baz, but there doesn’t feel like there’s a hurry. X is the steady one. When I first met him I thought he was the goofball, the one out for a quick laugh, but he’s so much more than that.
He’s desperate for a connection that means something. I only hope I don’t let him down.
The door swings open next to us and Baz comes out.
“Yeah, keeping an eye out my ass.”
“You get it?” X asks and I hold my breath.
“Yep. Followed the trail right to his school laptop. After that it was easy to destroy the pictures of Ever. May have completely wiped his phone, too, after I made a copy of every email and image he had.”
“So it’s done? No surprises. No more blackmail. It’s over?”
Baz smiles at me. “Yeah, baby, it’s over.”
I twist and throw my arms around Baz and he swings me around in circles. I laugh freely for the first time in a week. I can’t believe he did it. Trey is out of our lives and there’s nothing he can do to me now.
He can’t hurt my boys any more.
X sends a text to Ry to let him know and we head outside together.
Things are finally looking up, which means I have some hard choices to make now. That dark cloud follows us all the way to the bleachers where we watch the entire game.
When it’s over, I tell Luc the good news, and the Lost Boys and I go home.
Chapter Fourteen
Friday morning at breakfast, I tell the guys about Belle.
About what Peter did, getting me custody if I signed the paperwork, and then I tell them about the check and the stipulations attached to it.
If I want to get custody of Belle, I have to walk away.
“So everything we did last night was so that you could, what? Leave?” Ry grinds out, pushing up from his chair.
“Sit the hell down,” I bark at him. “And stop putting words into my mouth, I’m tired of it.”
“What about other things in your mouth?” X asks with a wink, but I can see the strain around his eyes. He’s worried I’m going to cut and run, too.
What we did last night should have made us stronger. We slayed a dragon together. But I’m the weak link and I hate it. I can destroy everything.
“I just… I need to talk to my sister first. I have to listen to what she wants.” I meet Riot’s unwavering stare and see understanding in his eyes.
What he said affected me more than I admitted.
“I don’t want to leave…”
When I pause, Baz sits back and pushes his glass
es up his nose. “But?”
“But I did all this to be with Belle. All the lying, all the pain, it was so that I could find her. I never expected all this.” I wave my hand around the table, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “You guys screwed it all up,” I choke out on a half sob, half laugh.
All three are uncharacteristically quiet.
“I don’t know what to do,” I whisper brokenly. “If I don’t take Peter’s deal, where does that leave me? I can’t stay here. I won’t have any money. I don’t even know if I can finish school because he pulled the strings to get me in there.”
The repercussions of staying fall at my feet. I’m not prepared for any of it. Half a million dollars could set me and Belle up for life if I’m careful.
“Fuck that noise,” X says. “You stay here. This is our house, too. You stay and we find Wendi and we straighten this shit out. If you want Belle, then we’ll go get her and bring her here, too. Let Peter try to fucking kick you out. We have leverage now.”
X’s glare is fierce and I’m at a loss. The determination is reflected on all the boy’s faces. They will fight for me, with me. No one has ever had my back like these guys do.
“Stop making me fucking cry,” I grit out, swiping my hand over my wet face. God, these boys make me such a girl.
“Wanna skip today?” X asks.
“Hell no.” I get up and grab a paper towel and wipe my face. “Today I get to tell Trey to go to hell, I am not missing that. The blackmailing asshole is done and I want to be the one to tell him so.”
“Does that mean I can punch him now?” X asks a little too hopefully.
While I’d love nothing more than to see Trey with a black eye, I don’t want X to get into trouble. They may be academically untouchable at school, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get suspended for physical violence.
“Maybe at the track. Isn’t racing a contact sport?” I ask innocently.
When I wink, he jumps from his seat and grabs me around the waist, hefting me up until we are nose to nose.
“I’m going to teach you to swim and then we are totally skinny dipping every night.”
I don’t know where that came from but I nod my head with a laugh.
“If you had made that deal to start, I’d probably be as good as Baz by now.”
“Oh, you’re already very good in the pool.”
Baz walks past and trails his hand over my lower back, sending a spiral of heat right to my core. He’s actually the one who’s the best, I just get to lay there and enjoy it.
“We should get going if we’re going, or we could stay home…” he says with an enticing grin, then he steps close and kisses the back of my neck. I’m the filling in an X and Baz sandwich and oh my god, it’s almost impossible to keep from groaning.
My skin is alive and every nerve ending tingles at the ready.
With a deep chuckle Baz steps away, brushing his fingers over my arm.
I love that they touch me constantly. I’m not even sure they realize they do it honestly, but none of them can walk past or be close without reaching out for me.
It’s thrilling and terrifying to have these boys in my orbit. X lets me slide down slowly and by the time he sets me on my feet, I can feel the hardness pressing at his pants.
He leans down until we are forehead to forehead, the gold and green flecks reflecting the light. I love his eyes. They change every time I look into them, like a kaleidoscope.
“I know you’ve had some fun with Ry and Baz,” X murmurs. “And I’m not saying I don’t want to, I just want you to know that there’s no hurry for us. I like you, Ever, and I like being around you. You settle me and I feel like I can breathe when you’re around. I’ve used sex as a distraction too many times to know that I want it to be different with you. I want it to mean something more.”
I cup his face between my hands and softly press my lips to his.
“It already does,” I whisper, locked in the sincerity pouring from his eyes.
I clear my throat and blink away the burning that’s happening again. Ry is watching us, his face strangely peaceful. Content. But I don’t miss the hunger in his eyes either.
X smacks my ass, breaking the moment. “Let’s go.”
I return the gesture when he walks past and he sends a saucy look over his shoulder. Ry moves to my side as we leave the kitchen and leans in close.
“He doesn't speak for me, Peep. I can't wait to be inside you.”
If a body could spontaneously melt, I’d be a puddle. As it is, I have a hard time walking the first few steps. Ry’s low chuckle tells me he knows what he did.
X and Baz walk ahead of us. Why have I never noticed how amazing their asses look in the school uniform? When Ry catches me I wipe invisible drool off my chin. He rolls his eyes and I grin.
I wish I could bottle this exact second to remember it always. It feels comfortable, like this is where I belong. It feels right. I’m truly happy in this moment. Ry tangles his fingers with mine.
“I want you to remember this, Peep,” Ry says in my ear as if he can read my thoughts. “It could have been like this from the beginning if you would have trusted us. No more secrets, got me?”
“I got you.” I roll my eyes and bump him with my shoulder, then he ducks down and swoops me up off my feet bridal style. He sprints to the garage while I hold on for dear life until he stops.
“Ry stop. You’re going to drop me.”
He dips his head until our lips are only a whisper apart. “I gotcha, Peep. I’d never let you fall.”
He steals a quick kiss then sets me on my feet. I’m breathing faster and there’s an excited flutter going on in my stomach that has nothing to do with being carried across the driveway.
He’s not even winded.
“Tell me you feel me,” he says, cupping my chin. Out under the bright sun, his eyes are a softer grey, but I can still see the darker streaks hiding around the edges. It’s like looking into his soul.
“I feel ya, Ry. We’re doing this together. Whatever this is.”
“Damn straight we are,” X calls out from inside the garage.
Ry grins at me. “Too late to run now, Peep.”
But I have a feeling it was too late the moment I laid eyes on these three boys.
Chapter Fifteen
We hear the rumors as soon as we get out of the car.
After the game last night, in the locker room, Luc allegedly punched Trey in the face. Nobody seems to know why.
Not only do I get to tell Trey to eat a bag of dicks today, I also get to see him with a shiner. This might be the best day I’ve had at Neverly Prep.
I walk into school with my boys, this time with my head held high. Today I feel like a fucking queen. Everyone turns to watch us walk down the hall. We stop at Luc’s locker on the way in and his wary gaze travels over the guys before settling on me.
“Did you really punch Trey?” I ask, unable to hide my huge grin.
A smile teases the corner of his lips. “Maybe. Was just him and me in there. He might have tripped or something.”
Ry huffs out a laugh. “Into your fist?”
“Been wanting to do that since I found out what he’d been doing to Ever.”
Ry surprises us all when he holds out a fist. It takes a minute for Luc to bump it.
“Thanks, man.”
I’m not sure who’s more surprised, but the tentative smile on Luc’s face warms my heart. There’s still a lot of shit between them that we need to figure out, but for right now, it’s a step in the right direction.
I slide my arm around Riot’s waist and he pulls me close enough to kiss my temple.
“See ya at lunch,” I toss out and Luc’s eyes go wide.
Yeah I might have just invited him to sit with us, and the guys better be okay with it. He punched Trey for me. That deserves an olive branch. As they pass him, Baz and X fist bump him too, and I can’t help but notice Luc’s grin long after we walk away.
“I know wha
t you’re doing,”Ry whispers in my ear.
I widen my eyes innocently. “You means walking? With you? A for observation skills, Ry.”
He shakes his head but I see the smile teasing his lips.
“You’re trouble.”
“Oh, another A. And you’re on a roll.”
“Just call me butter.”
I stop in the middle of the hall and my jaw drops. “Did you seriously just make a joke?”
His eyebrows dip down but X sidles up next to me. “Why are we watching him?” he asks in a theatre whisper.
“He just made a joke,” I say from the corner of my mouth.
“Yeah, Ry used to crack jokes all the time.” X glances down at me. “You’re good for him, Sweetheart.”
I watch the expressions flicker across Riot’s face. He feels so much guilt, takes so much responsibility for what happened and none of it is his fault. I wish I could reach inside him and pull it out.
“Let’s go.” Riot’s gruff voice pulls me from my thoughts.
When I look in his eyes, hope ignotes in my chest. The darkness from before is a little lighter. Maybe I can help him.
I step to his side and duck under his arm. He drapes his over my shoulder again like it’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s hard not to wrap my arms completely around him and show him that he’s not alone.
His eyes burn with hunger as he looks down at me.
“Get a room,” X teases. “We should go to mine though, Ry is kind of a pig.”
Riot knocks him with his elbow and we start to walk again. I catch Baz’s gaze and he smiles. This is how it should be. I can feel it.
“Lucas Hook and Trey Stuart to the office, please.”
Everyone turns to look at Luc when an announcement comes over the intercom. Now they know the rumor is true. Luc saunters down the hall toward the office like he doesn't have a care in the world.
More than one guy claps him on the back. Guess Trey wasn’t as important as he thought he was. I just hope Luc doesn't get into too much trouble though. There’s only a few more weeks of school left.
Meri’s at her locker and I nudge the guys to keep going so I can talk to her. She barely said a dozen words to me last night while we watched the game. I’m not sure if it was because the guys were with me when I got back, the fact that Ry couldn’t keep his hands to himself, or that Luc pointed to me after he hit a home run.
