Mine : You Can't Help Who You Fall In Love With... (The Winterburg Series Book 1)

by Linzvonc

  “Luke, I’m sorry but—”

  “She’s with me,” a deep voice interrupted, as Luke dropped his hands.

  His posture deflated as he turned to see Cal standing there, his arms folded as he glared at him menacingly.

  “Cal/Leo. What a pleasant surprise.”

  I gulped as they stood facing one another, true enemies to the end.

  “When she was with me, she didn’t flinch if I went near her. She didn’t jump when she was touched. What the fuck have you done to her?” he hissed as he squared up to Cal, who stared at him with cold eyes.

  “Well, I didn’t cheat on her for a year,” Cal chuckled. “She’s not your concern. She’s mine,” he growled and pushed past him, taking me into his arms.

  Luke shook his head as he looked at me, his eyes narrowing.

  “I told you he was no good. I tried to warn you,” he shrugged as he walked into the crowd, leaving me alone with Cal.

  “Was he going to kiss you?” Cal demanded, pushing me against the wall, gazing at me with a deadly expression on his face.

  I opened my mouth to answer, before his lips crashed down on mine, our tongues dancing in urgency as we kissed. He lifted me up, my legs wrapped around his waist as I kissed him passionately, as though he were my lifeline.

  “Do I have to fight every man in the world for your attention?” he breathed.

  I gazed at him as I shook my head, my hands still wrapped in his hair as he let me down.

  “He’s right, though. It’s my fault you are like that, all jumpy and shit,” he sighed as I held his face in my hands, my eyes searching his.

  “Cal, I’d rather live a life of danger by your side than a life of safety by anyone else’s.”

  He smiled then as he quickly kissed my lips. “I’d rather you lived a life of safety by my side.”

  We kissed again, unaware that we were being watched.

  Part Two: Chapter Fifteen

  LUKE

  I finished my beer, slinging the glass bottle into the bin as we passed, wiping the excess alcohol from my lips. I needed another, but considering we were moments away from the town, I knew I could easily score another drink, possibly a decent beer too. I walked beside Ethan as I heard him mutter.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  I frowned as I followed his eyes, my heart dropping from my chest when I saw her.

  It must’ve been two or three years since my eyes last drank her in, her now waist-length hair billowing around her in the wind as she laughed, one of my favourite sounds in the world, her perfect full lips parting to reveal her delicious mouth as she did. Her startling green eyes turned to meet mine as I forced a smile on my face. She held my gaze briefly, and I noted the regret in her eyes as she quickly looked away. I knew how that felt. I’d thought with my dick when I was with her, and Krystal gave it up when Gretchen didn’t.

  I knew she had slept with my cousin whilst she was with me, no matter what she told me. That hurt more than my little fling with Krystal.

  My heart hammered in my chest as I took in her tight dress, her long tanned legs, and black Converse.

  My God, what I would do to see under that dress again.

  Finn suggested we get some drinks, and we all began to follow when I found myself grabbing her arm, softly tugging her back towards me.

  She recoiled in fear as she cried out, before realizing it was only me. I frowned as I studied her, the fear clear in her eyes.

  “Whoa, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to speak to you alone. Are you okay?”

  She seemed to compose herself with a deep breath and offered me a small smile.

  Her eyes ran over my body briefly and a smile played on my lips—I’d been training intensely for the past two years—and it showed. The desire in her eyes was there, albeit for a flash of a second, but it was all I needed to see.

  “I’m fine, how are you? Sorry, I’m just a little jumpy, I guess.”

  Why?

  I continued to study her. Years of being her boyfriend allowed me to recognize the signs of fear and anxiety she was currently displaying: the way her eyes darted around us, her tongue wetting her lips as she tried to regain composure.

  What the fuck happened to her?

  My stomach twisted with the familiar rage I felt whenever I thought of him, my fucking punk of a cousin who she was in love with. He was a smug prick who stole her right from under my nose, altering the course of our lives forever. He was a bad apple, and I knew he would end up dragging her into his life of crime and bullshit.

  Where was he anyway?

  Hopefully he had died.

  “Yeah, I’m good. You here with your parents?”

  I scanned the surrounding crowd before my eyes met hers again, her face an open book. I sighed as I realized he was still in the picture—the look of guilt she wore told me that much.

  Without thinking, I reached out, my fingertips running down her arm as she let out a shiver.

  Oh, baby, you have no idea what I could do to you.

  “Are you still with him?” I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

  I moved closer to her as her eyes fell to my lips, her mouth parted slightly.

  Did she want me to kiss her? I would if so, no problem.

  “I’m still with Cal, yes,” she was breathless now as I placed my hands either side of her on the wall, our bodies pressed together.

  Fuck, she’s already making me hard.

  We’d never had a chance to explore one another sexually, but I knew it would be dynamite.

  “You’re still as beautiful as you were then.”

  I brought my face close to her, leaning in, desperate to feel her lips on mine. I felt her hands on my shoulders as she pushed me away softly, as though she didn’t really want to, but had to.

  “Luke, I’m sorry but—”

  “She’s with me.”

  I closed my eyes as I dropped my hands from her sides, feeling the breath leave my body at his voice. I turned slowly to see the bastard standing there with a deadly glare as he took in our position.

  “Cal/. Leo. What a pleasant surprise.”

  I stood facing him, my blood boiling as though I had lost her a second time. I remembered her reaction to me touching her earlier, and I found myself snapping at him.

  “When she was with me, she didn’t flinch if I went near her. She didn’t jump when she was touched. What the fuck have you done to her?” I took a few steps towards him as I stared him straight in the eyes, my fists clenched.

  The bastard had the audacity to push past me, towards Gretchen.

  “Well, I didn’t cheat on her for a year,” the dickhead smirked at me, his eyes dropping over me with disinterest. “She’s not your concern; she’s mine.”

  I watched with agony as he pulled her into his arms, her eyes meeting mine over his shoulder. I looked at her as I turned to walk away, my heart breaking again.

  “I told you he’s no good. I tried to warn you.” I shrugged as I walked into the crowd, out of their sight.

  I turned and stood by a vendor stall, able to see them through the crowd. He pushed her against the wall as I had earlier, except he got to kiss her the way that I wanted to, more than anything. Her legs wrapped around his waist and I got a glimpse into how they probably fucked: animalistic and raw. Her hands were wrapped in his hair as they spoke, their heads close together before they kissed again. My jaw tightened as I watched them, my stomach in knots.

  I felt violently sick as I watched his hands roam over her body like he owned her.

  How did I still feel this way, years later?

  Something was wrong; it didn’t feel right. Maybe I needed to convince her how wrong he was for her. Something had already happened to make her react the way she did to being touched.

  I just needed to find out what.

  Part Two: Chapter Sixteen

  CAL

  I made my excuses and left her with her friends.

  I would rather watch
paint dry then watch them look at me like I was the guy that broke their adorable Luke’s heart.

  Hypocrites, all of them.

  I still couldn’t give a fuck about that; I never meant to hurt him.

  You can’t help who you fall in love with, and that woman was mine.

  I weaved through the crowd as I browsed the little stores, stopping at a jewellery hut, antique rings glinting under the fairy lights. I smiled as I studied them, an idea forming in my mind.

  I moved on, casting my eyes back to where Gretchen was, and saw she had been joined by two guys whose identity I couldn’t make out from where I was standing.

  I sighed, making my way back over to see she was now being pushed against the wall by the dark-haired one, who I realized with a sickening feeling was Luke.

  The worst part was the way she was looking at him.

  I slowed, wanting to see what happened next. I shook with rage as I grit my teeth, determined to see what she did. He was close to her face now, and I saw her eyes on his lips.

  If she kisses him, I’m going to fucking murder them both, right here in this shitty little town.

  I was close enough now to hear their conversation.

  “You’re still as beautiful as you were then.”

  No fucking shit, Sherlock. The slimy bastard.

  He went in to kiss her and I held my breath as her hands went up to his shoulders, the pain in my heart crippling. But then she pushed him away, and I heard her delicate voice speak.

  “Luke, I’m sorry but—”

  I’m done.

  “She’s with me,” I growled as her eyes flickered to me, wide with surprise and relief. I folded my arms across my chest, so I didn’t punch the cunt in his throat.

  “Cal/Leo. What a pleasant surprise.”

  I didn’t trust myself when he spoke again, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me with disgust.

  “When she was with me, she didn’t flinch if I went near her. She didn’t jump when she was touched. What the fuck have you done to her?”

  He squared up to me and I bit back a snarl as I pushed past him, determined not to disappoint Gretchen further by ripping his head off at the local festival. Hardly the scene any of us wanted.

  When she was with him, she wanted me.

  When she was with him, she didn’t know what love was.

  When she was with him, it was fucking practice for meeting me.

  “Well, I didn’t cheat on her for a year,” I smirked at him. “She’s not your concern, she’s mine,” I pushed Gretchen against the wall softly as he spoke.

  “I told you he’s no good. I tried to warn you.”

  I ignored him as he walked away into the crowd, my rage still bubbling deep inside of me. I closed my eyes as I breathed, desperately trying to remain calm.

  “Was he going to kiss you?”

  I stared at her with a mixture of lust and envy as she opened her sweet mouth to answer me. I smashed my lips against hers as she pushed her body against mine, my hands hoisting her legs up around my waist as I kissed her deeply.

  “Do I have to fight every man in this world for your attention?”

  She gazed at me; her clear green eyes framed by dark thick lashes.

  Fuck, she was killing me.

  The thought from earlier drifted back in my mind, blending with what I was feeling now.

  I knew what I had to do. I had to make her safe, and I had to make her mine, for good.

  Part Two: Chapter Seventeen

  GRETCHEN

  When we got home, we feigned tiredness, heading straight for my bedroom.

  As soon as we were in there, I dropped to my knees, tugging at his jeans eagerly as he swore under his breath.

  “Jesus, Raven.”

  His cock was already hard as I took it in my mouth, my eyes on his as he bit his lip and slid his hands into my hair as he thrust in and out of my mouth with ease as I sucked and licked with expertise, his cock growing harder in my mouth as he struggled to remain silent.

  “God, you’re so fucking good, baby.”

  I used my hand around his shaft to pump his cock, causing him to growl with desire as he pulled out of my mouth, lifting me onto the bed.

  He threw my dress up around my waist as he fell to his knees, his tongue lapping at my core. I threw my head back as he brought me to the brink of ecstasy before I felt his warmth leave me, causing me to sit up on my elbows as I looked at him with desire.

  “I need to fuck you, now,” he said hoarsely as he searched for a condom. I needed him inside of me, and I wasn’t prepared to wait.

  “Cal, just fuck me. I’ll get the morning-after pill. Please, I need you in me, now.”

  He blinked as he looked at me as a wicked smile played at his lips.

  “If by any chance you forget to get it, and this is how our child is conceived, I need to make it memorable,” he whispered as his lips met mine, as his cock pushed inside of me simultaneously. I gasped into his mouth as his mouth moved to my ear.

  “Be quiet, baby. You’ll need to scream silently this time.”

  He flipped me over with ease as he slammed back inside of me, pumping hard.

  I moaned as his hand clamped around my mouth. I shuddered around his cock as he moaned, my core tightening around him as I came.

  He released my mouth as I gasped into the pillow as he picked up his pace, his fingers digging into my hips as he exploded into my belly.

  I vowed to go on birth control just so we could fuck like this regularly.

  He pulled out slowly, cupping his cock in his hand as he stood, grabbing the tissues from my desk as he handed them to me. I cleaned myself up as I stared at him, unable to believe he was mine.

  “Maybe we need to bang into my ex more often,” I quipped as he looked at me darkly, his t-shirt held under his chin whilst he finished cleaning our juices from his body.

  “Don’t talk about him,” he ordered, coming to lie next to me on the bed. He moved my hair out of my eyes as he kissed my nose, our fingers lacing together.

  “I love you,” I whispered as my eyes closed.

  “You have no idea how much I love you.” He whispered back, his lips on my forehead as we drifted into a peaceful sleep.

  Part Two: Chapter Eighteen

  GRETCHEN

  Cal had to fly back to New York after briefly seeing his parents. Apparently, there was business he had to take care of. I was disappointed, but helped him pack anyway, and he lifted my head up to his.

  “Hey. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? Don’t forget that morning-after pill,” he reminded me with a wink and I nodded in response.

  Would having his child really be so bad?

  He must’ve read the question in my eyes as he sat on my bed, pulling me close to him.

  “Unless you don’t want to. I’d love you to be the mother to my children.”

  My heart hammered in my chest as I gazed up at him, his eyes full of adoration. “Cal, I’m not even twenty-one,” I pointed out, as he tilted his head and looked at me seriously.

  “As I said, baby:your call. I don’t think I am ready to share you with anyone just yet anyway, not even our child.”

  I sighed as he kissed me and he stood, pulling his case next to him.

  “Will you be okay flying?” I asked, aware of how he felt about it.

  He grimaced as he ran his hand down my cheek.

  “Yeah, I’m a big boy. I’ll go there, sort this shit out and I will be back before you know it. I really fucking love you. Will you be okay without me?”

  I lifted my eyes to his as I shook my head. “No, so stay.”

  I felt anxiety in my chest as I did every time we parted; he had left me once, and I had been so depressed, it was like my world had ended.

  “Baby, I’ll be back. Two, three days—tops. Call me anytime. Go see your friends. Relax, you’re safe here,” he kissed me deeply as I sighed into him, before walking down the stairs to where the cab was waiting to take him to the airport.
>
  “Oh,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away. “Keep away from my cousin.” He raised his eyebrows at me as I rolled my eyes.

  “Goodbye. I love you.”

  “I love you more,” he threw his case into the trunk of the taxi before climbing in, giving me one last look before he closed the door.

  A lump rose in my throat as the cab pulled away, his green eyes on me until he was no longer in sight.

  The sound of the engine faded down the street as I stood hugging myself, trying to cling to his scent from where he had kissed me earlier.

  I turned and walked into the house, aware of how empty it was. My mom and dad were at work, and I hadn’t expected him to leave so suddenly.

  The phone call must’ve been serious though, because he packed up immediately.

  I sighed as I flopped onto the couch, flicking Netflix on to see Vampire Diaries was back up. I decided to settle in for my Stefan fix, when my phone beeped with a text.

  CAL:

  Don’t make any plans for your birthday.

  As I dropped the phone back onto the table, I wondered what he had planned.

  Cal’s behaviour was unpredictable from one minute to the next, so I had no way of predicting what gift he would get for me.

  The Vampire Diaries distracted me for a delightful couple of hours before boredom set in and I fired off a text to Rosie, who called me back right away.

  We agreed to head to The Lounge.

  I texted my parents, explaining Cal had left for a few days with work, and that I was heading into town with Rosie.

  When I heard the car honk outside, I smiled, seeing the familiar car at the end of the drive. It felt just like old times as I slid in the seat next to her, her eyes wide with excitement.

  “Oh, God, it’s so good having you back here. It’s such a drag with just Sienna for company. I’ve missed you so much.”

  We chatted about her college course in childcare as we pulled up, my eyes falling on a familiar Ford Ranger. My stomach sank as Rosie looked over at me with worry in her eyes.

  “Do you want to go somewhere else?”