by Mae Doyle
Clay wasn’t at school yesterday, and he wasn’t there again today. Normally, I’d be happy to be free from him.
But something feels off.
Ted left town without warning and my mom’s been an absolute wreck waiting for him to get back. He’s not been calling and he didn’t even say goodbye to me.
Normally, he’d want me to give him a special goodbye. Normally, he wouldn’t leave me alone until we were alone. But this time, he was gone before I got home from school. Bethany had driven me to school and then back home after practice and he was already gone.
It was kinda wonderful, actually. Well, except for the park where my mom’s a complete wreck. She’s not gotten off of the sofa and keeps her phone next to her all day in long in case he calls. At first I thought that he was arrested, but now I’m wondering if he bailed on her.
Either one gives me a nice break.
Teague has been keeping a close eye on me, which isn’t really anything new, but when I realized that he’s my best bet for finding out what’s going on, I decided to corner him after class.
He turns the corner after me as we both head to the locker rooms, but instead of walking down the hall, I’ve ducked into the door of the science lab. As soon as he catches up with me, I jump out and grab him by the arm.
We’ve never really spent time alone, and I’ve certainly haven’t ever reached out and touched him before, and he starts.
“Elle, what the fuck are you doing? Get to the locker room and change for cheer practice.” He tries to pull his arm away from me, but I hang on. He’s not as strong as Clay, but I still have to grip his arm tight to keep him from slipping away from me.
“Not yet. You have to tell me what’s going on.” Farther down the hall I see Robby and Brett watching us, but they don’t move any closer.
“Nothing that concerns you.” With one good yank, he pulls his arm free from my grasp and turns to me, his eyes dark. “Now get along, little kitten, before something bad happens to you.”
“I’m not afraid of you.” It’s a lie, and he can see right through it. My heart pounds in my chest as we square off in the hall. He’s not as big or strong as Clay, but he’s a linebacker, and I know that I couldn’t hold him off if he wanted to do something to me.
The thought of what Clay would do to him if he were to harm me flashes through my mind and gives me some bravery. Why the hell am I drawing strength from that asshole?
Teague sighs and turns to wave at Robby and Brett, who disappear into the locker room. “Clay’s just laying low for a few days. We paid Ted a visit and he’s just making sure that everything blows over.”
“What are you talking about? When did he talk to Ted?” I frown at him, trying to decide if I heard him correctly.
I can’t lie, it fills me with some joy to think that Ted and Clay faced off and Ted was the one to leave town, but I’m still not sure what happened. It would explain Ted’s sudden absence, but I’m dying to know what was said.
I’m also dying to know why he would do anything to help me.
“The other night we all went over there and talked to him. Now listen, Elle, you gotta get to practice.” He grabs my arm and squeezes so hard that his thumb digs into my skin. “Don’t tell anyone about our conversation. Clay doesn’t want people to know that he talked to Ted, and you don’t want to bring it up, okay?”
“Were you there?” I know that he and Clay are practically inseparable, and it only makes sense that Teague would go with him. “Did you help Clay?”
Teague pauses for a moment and I think that he’s going to be honest with me, but instead he gives me a shove on the shoulder, pushing me towards the locker room. “Go get changed, Elle. Quit asking questions that you don’t really want to know the answer to.”
I want to argue, but instead I nod and walk to the locker room, him a few feet behind me. I have no intention of actually going to cheer practice, but I’ll let him think that that’s what I’m doing. The door shuts behind me and I wait, counting to thirty, before I crack it open and peek out.
Nobody. Carefully, I slide out from the room and dart down the hall, my heart pounding. I don’t know what Teague would do if he catches me, but I certainly don’t want to find out.
Once I’ve turned the corner, I take a deep breath.
He didn’t see me. Now I just have to worry about how to get to Clay’s. Before I can worry about that for too long, however, someone taps me on the shoulder.
My heart drops. How the hell did Teague catch up with my that quickly? Before I can even think of an excuse, however, the person speaks.
“And exactly where do you think you’re going? Don’t think that cheer practice is important enough for you?”
Bethany. Thank God. I never thought that I’d be happy to see her, but she’s definitely the better alternative when compared with Teague.
Slowly I turn around and she releases my shoulder. “I need to go talk to Clay.”
She snaps her gum and eyeballs me before she speaks. Already changed for practice, she looks preppy and hot, but she smiles. “Okay, loser, I’ll take you.”
“Wait, what?” I fully expected her to argue with me about leaving school and skipping practice. “Why would you do that?”
“Well, it’s not because I like you, that’s for damn sure, so don’t get the wrong idea.” She loops her arm through mine and guides me down the hall. “It’s only because I’m damn tired of Clay locking himself in his stupid suite this entire time. If you’re the only person who can get him to come out, then maybe you should come see him.”
Glancing behind me, I check the hall for Teague. He hasn’t come around the corner yet, but I’m positive that he’ll come looking for me to walk me to practice.
“Great, but we better hurry.”
She stops and looks at me. It’s maddening. I want to scream.
“You want to suck my brother’s cock so bad that you are just dying to get there?”
“No! I just…Teague is gonna see us and he won’t let me go.” Someone’s coming down the hall. I can hear their footsteps echoing, but they still haven’t turned the corner. If we hurry, we can make it before they see us.
“I’m just fucking with you, Elle. And fuck Teague. He doesn’t scare me.” She turns and grabs me to drag me through the doors to the parking lot.
***
“There you go, bitch.” Bethany stops the car at the front of her house but doesn’t put it in park or make any move to get out.
“You’re not coming in?” I hesitate, my door on her handle, and look back at her. She laughs.
“Yeah, I don’t want to be anywhere near the two of you. Clay knows that he did something stupid, and for some reason, he put himself on the line for you. I thought he hated you, but you must have some magic pussy or something.” She revs the engine until it purrs hard enough for the seats to vibrate. “Get out of my car.”
I scramble out and barely get free from it before she gases it and tears back down the driveway. Turning, I look at their house. It’s huge and foreboding. Tall windows overlook the gardens, and the front porch steps are lined with huge planters.
I should go straight to the front door and see if his parents are home, but I don’t.
Instead, I walk around the side, cutting through the lawn. I know that Clay has an exterior door from his suite that opens up in the back. I don’t want to see his parents. I don’t even know that I want to see Clay.
I’m terrified, but every time I think about running and saving myself, I manage to put my other foot forward. Slowly I make my way around the house, picking my way through a garden so impressive that it looks like it belongs in a magazine.
Late summer roses are still holding onto their blooms, and the fragrance is intoxicating. I’d love to stop and spend some time in them, but I need to talk to Clay. As I get closer, though, my feet slow a little.
I don’t know what I’m walking towards.
I just know that I don’t have a choice.
Clay
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I pause my video game and crane my neck to see who the fuck has knocked on my outside door.
Nobody ever comes around to see me this way. All of the guys know that this is private. I’ve never let a girl come in that door, only out, and that’s when I’m done with them.
There’s only one person who’s stupid enough to try to get to me this way. Kitten.
Elle’s rapping lightly on the glass, her nervous face close to the door so that she can peer in. For a moment, I think about just staying where I am and letting her knock the afternoon away. I love the idea of her out there, trying to get in, trying to get to me.
Sighing, I turn back around and restart my game, but before I’ve played for a minute, she calls out.
“Clay! Are you in there? It’s me, Elle. I need to talk to you!”
Christ, her yelling like that is bound to piss off my parents. Pausing the game again, I toss my controller onto the sofa and vault over the back of it, landing with a loud thud and then running to the door. Her hand is raised to knock again when I unlock the door and yank it open.
“What the fuck are you doing here, kitten?”
Never mind that I’m glad to see her. Never mind that she’s all I’ve thought about since I put myself in exile. I don’t know why she’s here, I don’t know how the fuck she got here, and I don’t like it.
“I…I came to see you.” She glances down but then looks back up, locking her gaze onto mine. “I wanted to check and see if you’re fine.”
I hold out my arms. “In one piece. Bye.” Before I can shut the door, though, she catches it with her foot and then pushes it back open.
Brave little kitten seems to have learned some new tricks.
“What the fuck are you doing now?”
She bites her lower lip. “I need to talk to you. I think that I owe you a thank you.” Slowly she slides in the crack of the door, her body pressing up next to mine as she does.
I feel my cock twitch in my pants, but I try to ignore it.
“I didn’t do anything that you need to thank me for.”
“You did, though.” She reaches past me and shuts the door. Elle’s now so close that I can smell her perfume. As much as I want to lean forward and take another whiff, I hold myself back. “Ted’s gone.” She searches my face for any flash of recognition or surprise.
I stay as neutral as possible. “He seemed like an ass.”
“He is. But he’s also not the type of guy to just leave if he thinks that he has something good going on. You know anything about him leaving?” She steps forward, closing the gap between us. It feels like there’s an invisible line pulling her closer. I have to fight to keep my hands by my side and not pull her to me.
This is Elle. The kitten. The girl I fucking hate.
But right now, I don’t hate her. Right now, I want to pull her to me and feel her pressed up against my body. I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever hated her, at least, not after I got to know her a little bit.
“He deserved what he got.” It’s all I’m planning on telling her, but then she steps forward again. “What more do you want, Elle?”
She looks up at me and I’m struck, not by how much she looks like Tiffany, but how different the two of them actually are. Her eyes are a lighter color and her cheeks pinker, especially when she’s excited. Like right now.
When I took her a few days ago and claimed her for my own, I wanted to own her and make sure that nobody else would be able to have her in the same way.
I thought that I had broken her. It was my goal. Since the moment I saw her, I’ve wanted to destroy Elle Suttles.
But this is different.
Fuck.
“I want to thank you. I want you to know that you not only saved my mom, but also me.” She reaches out and takes my hand, interlacing her fingers with mine and squeezing.
My heart starts pounding in my chest and I look down at our hands. Her tiny wrists and fingers are so small next to mine. I wanted to break them, to break her.
For the first time, though, I want something else.
For the first time since she walked into my life and ruined everything I’d worked so hard to build, I want to protect her.
What the fuck.
Chapter 17
Elle
Clay has to know what I want from him, but he’s not making any moves. I can see his cock pressing up against the front of his jeans, and my panties are soaking wet just thinking about his body on top of mine.
I came here to thank him, and there’s really only one way that I know how. Since our time together at the school, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. Every time I play violin, I think about his hands on my body.
Whenever I remember that Ted isn’t home, I imagine what it would be like to have Clay nearby. He’s dangerous, sure, but I can’t help but love it.
Before I can get cold feet or before he can step back and ruin everything, I lean up, standing on my tiptoes, and wrap my arms around his neck. He jerks away from my touch but then I feel his hands on my hips, squeezing me tight.
He may think that he doesn’t want me, but I know that he does.
He wants to fuck his little kitten, and for the first time since we met, I’m not running.
“Elle,” he says, but I stop him, pressing my lips against his. He reaches up and grabs my ponytail, yanking it hard so that my head pulls back and my neck is exposed. “Are you sure you want this?”
I try to nod, but he’s holding me so tightly that I can’t move. Before I can answer, he’s leaning down and running his tongue along my neck.
I shiver and moan, pressing harder into his body. My nipples are hard and straining through my shirt as he kisses to my ear and bites my earlobe.
“What do you want from me, kitten? You know that all I’m capable of is destroying you, right? If you go down this path, then I’m going to take you with me to hell.” Even though he’s trying to sound calm, I can hear the desire in his voice. He wants me just as badly as I want him.
I know it. He knows it.
His words send shivers through my body, but I don’t try to pull back. I don’t know that I could even if I tried. He’s gripping my hip tightly, my ponytail wrapped around his other hand.
“I don’t care.” Danger and desire course through my veins as he holds me. I can feel his heart pounding through his shirt and he laughs, the sound electrifying my body. There’s a twisting and tugging low in my stomach and I feel my clit begin to ache for his touch.
“You don’t care if I destroy you? It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I met you, kitten.” He drops my ponytail and grabs me around the neck, squeezing me slightly.
I have to gasp for air. My vision isn’t blurry yet, but I know that that will come if he keeps squeezing.
“I want you.”
The truth hangs between us, heavy in the air. I can see Clay considering what I’ve said and trying to decide if I meant it. I know that he’ll destroy me, but I also know that he’s the only one who can protect me. Clay may be my downfall, but then I’ll go with him to hell happier than I’ve ever been.
Clay
Elle doesn’t know what she’s asking for, but right now I don’t care. I just want to bury my cock in her and take her again. Since that afternoon in the school, I can’t get her out of my mind.
I know how she tastes. I know how she feels. I know more about Elle Suttles than anyone else in the school, and she knows the truth about me.
Still, she came back here. Even knowing that I’m going to be the one to destroy her, she came here.
I don’t want to give her another chance to back out of this. Letting go of her neck, I watch as she takes a deep breath, relief filling her eyes, but I don’t give her much of a chance to recover. Before she can move or say anything, I grab her by the waist and pick her up, swinging her over my shoulder and carry her to my bed.
“What are you doing?” Her voice sounds sca
red for the first time since she showed up.
“I’m going to fuck some sense into you, kitten.” I toss her carelessly on the bed and she scrambles to sit. “Then, once you’ve come all over my cock and all over my sheets you can decide if you really want to stay or if you want to save yourself. This is it, kitten. This is your chance to get out, but not until you milk me dry with your tight little pussy. Do you understand?”
Her face is white but she nods, the tip of her little pink tongue darting out to lick her lips.
God, I want her. “I’m going to tear you open, kitten, and pour myself into you. You decide whether or not this is something that you can handle.”
“I can handle it.” I don’t expect her to strip off her shirt and toss it on the floor, but she does, keeping her eyes locked on mine. “You think that I can’t handle you, Clay? I’m the only one who can.”
Her words ring in my ears even though I want to ignore them. She’s right, and I know it. I’d thought originally that I would break Elle, but now I know that she’s the only one who can stand up to me. She’s my match, as ridiculous as that seems.
My blood is pounding in my ears as she pulls off her bra and frees her sweet little tits. Then, before I can stop myself, I jump onto the bed, pinning her down. “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep, kitten,” I growl in her ear.
She shivers under me and I bend my head to suck first on one of her tits, then the other. She tastes amazing and arches her back under me. “God, you are delicious, kitten. Let me see how the rest of you tastes.”
She rolls out from under me and struggles out of her jeans and panties while I strip. Before I can even finish, she’s launched herself at me, turning me over and pinning me down. Her tits are hanging tantalizingly in front of my face as she holds my shoulders to the bed.
“I’m just getting started with you, Clay.”
I could easily flip her over and pin her down, but I want to know what she’s going to do. Elle rakes her nails down my chest, growling a little as she does. “You like that, Elle?” She glances up at me, but doesn’t respond.
