by V. Darling
“Look at you, not plotting my demise for all of three seconds. Don’t tell me you’re growing fond of me, Cub?”
“Not likely.”
“Still, your ass looks good on my bike. Care to lift that little skirt and show me just what I’m missing?”
She sits up and rights herself, smoothing her skirt into place. I pout, but that doesn’t stop me from touching her. Sometimes it’s as if I can’t help it, like I have to touch her, just to prove I can. It’s a dangerous game to play, especially here, where my brother could drive up at any second and catch us alone, or where King, River, or Saint could find us.
Who am I kidding? The two of us together are dangerous, period. And it won’t take long for someone to find out. We can’t keep doing this and expect it to end well. We need to put a stop to it, but everything she does just feels so good. I stand beside her and trace a finger down her sleeve, leaving a smear of black grease in my wake.
She scowls. “You’re making a mess.”
“Don’t I know it.” I lean down and capture her chin in my thumb and forefinger.
“We shouldn’t.”
“You’re right. We shouldn’t.” I kiss her anyway, my lips finding hers and my tongue pushing inside her mouth. My hands trail down her pristine clothing, ruining the fabric with grease. I lift her skirt, and slide my hand along her thigh to the black lace of her panties. She jerks when I graze my thumb over her clit.
“Know what my favorite color is, Cub?”
“No.” She shakes her head, and I’m surprised I can even form words.
“Pink.” I grin and she spreads her legs wider.
“I’m not ...” She swallows a moan. “I’m not wearing pink panties.”
“I wasn’t talking about your panties.”
I shove her skirt up, so I can see better and she spreads wider. I remove my hand and grip her ankle, tugging her down on the bike. She flails and almost falls over the side. I turn on the bike and she jolts, but she throws her head back, her eyes closed and a sinful smile on her face, no doubt enjoying that delicious rumble between her legs. I thought the ride home from Justin’s party was pure, delicious torture, but this? This is so much better. Her ass on my bike, my hands on her body, ruining her expensive, designer clothing with my greasy fingers, coaxing pleasure from her alongside the vibrations from the powerful engine. I rev the throttle, and she gasps as the engine purrs. “Oh, God.”
“I never took you as a sucker for a beast between your legs.”
She sits up and uses the edge of the seat to take her all the way, grinding her hips against the hard seam of the leather. I can’t take my eyes off her as I rev the throttle over and over.
Her whole body convulses as her hands grip mine on the handlebars and she cries out and slumps forward. Scout laughs as she sits up. Her cheeks are pink and her eyes glitter like diamonds.
I’m hard as stone, and she licks her lips as she reaches out to stroke me through my jeans.
The automatic garage door buzzes and begins to open.
“Shit.” Scout shrieks and climbs off the bike.
Nav drives his Hummer into the large space and I run a hand through my hair and school my features into a bored expression as he gets out of the truck.
“Hey, baby. I didn’t know you’d be here waiting for me.”
“Well, I was, but you took too long.” She pouts and skips out of the way when he tries to kiss her. He can probably smell her arousal in the air, because I sure as hell can.
“But I’m here now.”
“Sorry, I have to change before I meet Nova.”
He rubs his fingers together. “You’re covered in grease.”
She shrugs. “I was helping.”
His brows practically fly off his damn forehead. “You and Lev were working together?”
“Well, I had to do something to fill my time.”
“Then how ’bout you cancel with Nova and come hang out with me in my room?” He presses his lips to her hair and inhales. “Mmm, you smell good.”
If he keeps talking, I’m going to fucking rip his goddamn head off.
Cub darts her gaze to mine and then slips out of his grasp. “Sorry, hoes before bros.”
“Tease,” he whispers, just loud enough for the entire goddamn house to hear. “Will you come over later?”
“Can’t. It’s an all-night thing.”
“When are we making time for an all-night thing?”
“Would you even know what to do on a sleepover?” I say, just a hint of malice in my voice because he’s talking about fucking the girl whose pussy juices are still smeared all over my motorcycle.
“Shut the fuck up,” Nav says. He doesn’t focus on me for long. His attention is right back on Scout. And why wouldn’t it be? She is where my eyes stray every time we share a room.
He kisses the tip of her nose, and her lips. She doesn’t open her mouth, and I thank Satan for that because I might have actually committed fratricide if he’d shoved his tongue down her throat in front of me.
Scout skips away and darts out through the garage door. We both watch her go—him none the wiser, and me quietly chuckling to myself because my douchebag brother has no idea I’ve been claiming what’s mine every chance I get for the last month.
“What the fuck were you doing, Lev?” Nav says, focusing on me, and for a beat I think I’ve just jinxed myself, but he rolls his eyes at my blank expression and pulls his football gear from the front seat. “I could hear your engine revving all the way down the street. Dad’s gonna be so pissed at you when he finds out.”
He’s right. Dad’s gonna tear me a new asshole, but it was so worth it. Now just imagine what he’d do if he knew I was making your girlfriend come whilst providing the street with that noise pollution. Worth every fucking punch.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Lev
I lick the paper and seal the joint. I’m getting extra high tonight because I’m not getting anything else. For the past three nights I’ve climbed in through Scout’s window in the wee hours, but tonight, Scout and her friends are having some bullshit pussy posse party, so I’m stuck listening to my brother and our teammates drone on about football. Like we don’t hear enough of that shit twenty-four-seven.
“So what gives, man?” King says to my brother. “I heard you and Scout finally did the deed and you didn’t wanna tell us?”
My whole body stiffens. I grit my teeth and my hand balls into a fist around the joint I just rolled.
“What the fuck? Who told you?” Nav says.
“Scout told Blythe, and Blythe told me.” King drains the rest of his beer and crushes the can with one fist. “Which begs the question, why the fuck you holding out on us? You finally got some ass, bro.”
“He’s probably holding out because the piece of ass you’re referring to is my goddamn sister,” Saint says through gritted teeth.
“Oh, shit. Sorry, dude,” King says. “I forget sometimes that Fox here is boning your little sis.”
“Don’t fucking talk about my girl like that,” Nav says.
His girl. Bullshit she’s his girl. She can’t belong to both of us, and he might have gotten lucky, but I was there long before he was. I have her firsts.
“Yeah, don’t think I didn’t hear you in my sister’s room last night, asshole,” Saint says, glaring at Nav.
“What? I wasn’t even there last night. Your sister’s complicated enough when she’s not PMSing. I don’t need to be there when she’s horny and can’t f—”
“Ahhhh!” Saint covers his ears. “Don’t ever say the words ‘fucking’ and ‘my sister’ in the same sentence again.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. I wasn’t in your house last night.”
Saint’s brow furrows and he exhales long and slow, his eyes meeting mine. I don’t look away. I hold his gaze the way I normally would when someone challenges me, but this is my best friend, a brother who knows me better than my twin. His eye twitches, and I know he’s going to beat the s
hit out of me when he gets the chance. Or he’s going to try to beat the shit out of me. No one’s ever bested me yet, not even Nav.
I lift my beer and take a deep pull, finishing the Coors Light and crushing the can. Fucking light beer. I need something stronger. I need a hit, but not of any drug. I need a hit of Scout. She’s the kind of poison that kills you swiftly, with all the venom of a Black Widow, and it’s the sweetest death any man could ask for.
It’s an apt description for my little Cub, and I don’t realize I’m grinning from ear to ear until Saint slams this beer down on the table and stalks away. Fuck. It’s about to go down.
“The fuck’s wrong with him?” Nav says.
“Probably on his period too,” I mutter, rising from my seat and tossing my empty can on the table. “I’m out.”
“Pussy,” Nav taunts.
I flip him the bird. “Suck it.”
“You crashing tonight?” I ask Kingston. Not that I actually give a shit, but I’d like to know I’m not going to run into two hundred and twenty pounds of linebacker when I sneak out to visit Scout.
“Yeah, man.”
“Well, thank fuck the wicked stepmom is no longer here. I thought I was gonna puke watching her make eyes at you. I know she was offering you food and shelter, but you didn’t need to whore yourself out for it.”
“What can I say? I like me some cougar.” Kingston’s deep chuckle follows me all the way to the door of the pool house.
Before I can reach the manor, I’m pulled into the bushes, and a fist flies at my face, hitting me square in the fucking jaw.
“You’re fucking my sister?” Saint’s voice is like ice, a whisper meant to carve me right to the core.
The strong metallic taste of blood fills my mouth and I spit on the ground. Fuck. The dickwad actually drew blood. “Yeah, I fucked her. Seems she has a thing for the Fox men.”
“I should skin you alive.”
“You could try.”
“Don’t test me, asshole. Why are you fucking my sister? That’s your brother’s girl.”
“No, it’s not.” I sneer.
He frowns as he studies my face, and for the first time in my life, I do look away when I’m challenged.
“Jesus Christ.” Saint flexes his fist and exhales. “You’re in love with Scout.” It isn’t a question. We both know it. “Does she know?”
I laugh. “Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to give her that kind of ammunition?”
He scoffs and shakes his head. “No, you wouldn’t. So what the hell are you going to do?”
“Pretend this conversation never happened, for one.”
Saint glares at me. “If this gets out, it will ruin her.”
I narrow my eyes. “We’re aware of the consequences.”
“Are you? She rules that fucking school. At. Our. Side. What happens when we go off to college next year? You and Nav won’t be there to fight her battles.”
“Has Scout ever needed anyone to fight her battles for her?”
“This hurts more than just her if it comes to light. This affects all of us.”
“Which is how I know you won’t say anything.”
“He’s your fucking twin.”
I slice my gaze to his and growl. “And he took my girl!”
“She wasn’t your girl. She’s never been—”
I bunch my fist in his shirt and yank him closer, spittle flying from my mouth as I hiss, “She’s always been my girl.”
“Funny, your brother says the same thing.” Saint shoves me away from him and walks backward. “I don’t give a shit which one of you she’s fucking, but if either of you hurt her, I’m going to fucking kill you.”
He walks away and I exhale and stare at the stars through a canopy of trees.
Is he right? Will this destroy her when it comes out? Not if, when, because neither of us are foolish enough to believe this won’t.
Secrets are never hidden for long at Scarsdale High.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Scout
Saint bursts through my door as Nova stands in her bra, shimmying out of my pink Dior haute couture tulle skirt. “Oh my God!”
I glare at my brother. “Um ... knock much?”
His eyes are glued to my best friend. As gross as it is to entertain the idea, Saint has never had any shortage of girls to ogle. Like the rest of the Scarsdale Royals, his bedroom has been a revolving door for vapid girls who can’t get enough of popular high school D. It’s really rather sickening, but it’s different with Nova. She’s the first girl Saint has shown any interest in. If you can call his vacant, glazed-over expression interest.
“Saint!” I demand.
Blythe chuckles from beside me on the bed, and Violet grins like a crazy person as she watches my brother drool over my best friend.
That snaps him out of it. “Can I talk to you?”
“I don’t know. Can you even form words after seeing Nova almost naked? Jeez, those aren’t her eyes, asshole.”
“It’s fine,” Nova says, clutching her silk chemise to her chest, her cheeks bright pink. I roll my eyes at her, because she’s too goddamn nice, and she knows nothing about boys. Treat them mean, keep them keen. That’s been my motto since I was five years old, and it’s never done me any harm. Unless you count the fact that I’m falling for my boyfriend’s twin brother. Fuck my life.
“My room,” Saint says. “Now.”
“Are you talking to me, or Nova? Because only one of us responds to demands, and it’s sure as hell not me. No offense, Nove.”
My best friend scowls. “Um ... offense taken.”
“Meow,” Blythe says, rolling onto her back with her phone glued to her hand as she scrolls the latest sugar baby app. She probably needs another pair of Gucci slides and is hoping a new Daddy will buy them for her. Her family is just as wealthy as the rest of ours, but Blythe is all about the danger. And she’s a diehard fan of the D too.
“Scout,” Saint snaps. God, why is he still here?
“What?”
“I need to talk to you.” His tone is almost begging.
I climb off the bed and stalk toward him because it’s clear someone needs to break up this awkward fest.
His gaze slides over me from head to toe. “Jesus Christ, do you girls not own pajamas?”
“These are my pajamas.”
“No. This is lingerie.”
“Well, duh! What the hell else would I sleep in?”
“Something that covers your body,” he says through clenched teeth.
“You sound like Dad. Besides, Nav loves it when I wear my silky little delicates to bed. It makes it so much easier for him to slip insid—” He grabs my arm and drags me toward the door. “Ow, you’re hurting me.”
“Apparently I’m not the only one,” he hisses, but doesn’t relinquish his hold until we reach his room at the end of the hall and he shoves me inside.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
“Have you?” He slams the door and leans against it. “Wanna tell me why you’re fucking the Fox brothers?”
My jaw drops. How does he know? How did he find out? Holy shit, does Nav know too?
My brother glares at me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Saint this angry, except for when he first found out about Navrin and me. He’d beat the shit out of Nav, and my new boyfriend had let him because he knew he deserved it. He broke the “don’t touch my fucking sister” code; he deserved to pay. They were back to smoking weed together within the hour, so I got everything I wanted, and Saint forgave us both, because he loves us.
But this is different angry. This Saint is ... hurt.
“How could the two of you do this to Nav?”
“It wasn’t intentional.”
“So, what? You just slipped on the wrong twin’s cock?”
“Will you keep your voice down? What if they hear?”
What if the letters I had found in my locker were from one of my friends? At
first, I thought they were twisted little love notes from Lev, but yesterday I’d received two more. The first had been tucked into the front pocket of my bag—probably as I walked through the crowded halls.
I know what you did, Scout Taylor.
Trust me when I say I’m going to make you pay.
The second arrived in the mail, addressed to my house with no return to sender.
Meet me at dusk in Saxon Woods Park by the tree where you fucked your boyfriend’s brother and we can make all of this go away.
I know I don’t need to tell you to come alone so you can come all night long.
I didn’t go, of course. I’m not completely crazy, but I am starting to regret that decision. Maybe if I had, I’d be able to get to the bottom of this, but on the other hand, in no way am I prepared to hand over that kind of power.
Scout Taylor doesn’t scurry to meet clandestine creeps in the woods. If whoever it was truly does have something on me, they’ll find another clever way to expose that truth. If I show up, it’s as good as admitting my guilt.
No. Those letters weren’t from my friends. Clearly, they are from some stalker loser who’s obsessed with me.
“They don’t know?” Saint’s question jars me from my thoughts.
“About Lev? Are you crazy? Why would I risk telling them?”
“Why do it at all if you know what’s at stake?”
I close my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat.
“Scout?” He prompts. I open my eyes; a single tear escapes and tracks down my cheek. “Ah, shit.”
Saint pulls me into a hug, and I rest my head against his chest. For siblings who were born only a year apart, you’d think we would have been in constant competition for our parents’ affection, but that’s not who we are. We’ve always been close. Saint is probably the only person in the whole world besides Lev who gets me, who sees deeper than the cruel rich-bitch façade I show the rest of the planet. Maybe that’s why this hurts so much—because I may not care about the rest of the world, but I do care if my brother is disappointed in me.
“What are you going to do, Peaches?”
I smile, despite the sadness in my heart. “I have no idea.”
