Badboy Romance

by Lisa Simmons

  "That's none of your concern," he said, throwing my words from before back at me. My eyes narrowed even more.

  "Why do you hate me so much?" I asked, the words falling from my mouth before I could stop them. The last thing I wanted to do was provoke him but I couldn't understand his determined dislike for me.

  "Oh, it's not you, darling," he said, throwing another sarcastic pet name in. I cringed.

  "Then what because I don't get it."

  "Let's just say it's who you're choosing to spend your time with," he said evasively. Not so evasively that I didn't know exactly who he meant, though.

  "Reece?" I said, my voice finally losing some of it's strength. I had done so well so far but the direct mention of Reece scared me. Samuel didn't say anything but shrugged at me casually, leaning back once more into his seat while he stared at me with the same patronizing smirk.

  "Why does it matter to you if I'm hanging out with Reece?" I pressed, desperate to understand his motives.

  "Because, Abigail," he snapped, leaning forward suddenly as his cool composure shattering in a second. "Reece always gets what he wants. Girls, money, whatever. He gets everything handed to him and I'm fucking sick of it. Do you know what it's like to watch him parade around like he owns the fucking town?"

  He paused, seeming to realize he'd cracked as he leaned back once more, forcing a deep breath from his lungs. His eyes closed for a few seconds before the casual sneer fell back across his face. My heart pounded in my chest, his sudden outburst scaring me as my body leaned physically away from him.

  "Someone needs to knock him down a few pegs," he added darkly, a hint of a threat running through his tone. My blood turned cold in my veins at his words and fear crept its way into my heart. They wouldn't actually hurt Reece, would they?

  "What does that mean?" I asked shakily, abandoning my tough exterior I had managed to uphold until now. Samuel studied me for a few seconds, his expression hard and cold as his eyes scanned over my face.

  "Like I said, it's none of your concern," he said coolly. He paused for a second and took in my anxious expression before he spoke again. "Yet."

  Before I could respond, he stood up and walked away, his abrupt exit having hardly any effect on me as I felt the waves of shock rolling through me from his words.

  Yet?

  What the hell did he mean, 'yet'? The thought terrified me, the combination of an unstable Jack and a mysteriously dark Samuel freezing me down to my bones. Samuel had basically flat out threatened Reece to me simply because he was sick of him getting everything he wanted. That didn't seem like a big enough reason to threaten him, but when you combined that with Jack's obvious hatred of him over me, it promised for a toxic mixture.

  How had things escalated into this? What were they going to do? How could I stop whatever it was from happening? Should I tell Reece or would that only make it worse? I probably should tell him, considering how far this was escalating now. That, along with the fact that his former friend was now involved, pretty much decided for me that I had to tell him.

  I was frozen in my seat, my eyes wide with shock and fear as my heart pounded erratically in my chest. I desperately wanted to have a simple relationship with Reece, even though it had been far from simple from the very beginning.

  My phone buzzed on the table, making me jump as it shook me from my thoughts. As if summoned by my contemplations, Reece's name appeared on my phone again as he called me. My heart thudded heavily, and I debated not answering. I didn't know if I could trust myself to keep my voice even after what had just happened.

  I watched the phone move slightly across the table, nearing the end of its ring before my hand snatched it and answered the call.

  "Hello?" I said, my voice breathless.

  "Hi," he said. I could practically hear the smile in his voice, and it helped to calm me down. The mere tone of his voice made me feel safer than I had just moments ago and he wasn't even here. "What's up?"

  "I just ate lunch," I told him. I was determined to keep my voice even and casual. "You?"

  "Just got home from classes," he answered easily. I could hear him shuffling around before a cupboard slammed. I grinned as I pictured him moving around his kitchen, his head crooked to the side to hold his phone while his hands busied themselves with preparing a sandwich of some kind.

  "How were they?"

  "Fascinating," he said sarcastically. I giggled. It was amazing how quickly he could turn my mood around, and I tried not to think about how I would tell him what was happening with Jack and Samuel. I would tell him later, in person.

  "Sounds like you enjoyed yourself," I teased.

  "Yeah, sure. So you're still coming over later, right?" he asked.

  "Definitely, when?"

  "Whenever," he said casually. I pictured him shrugging his shoulders as he said it.

  "Okay! I'm gonna run home and shower but then I'll be over," I told him.

  "Shower with me," he suggested. "Could be fun, yeah?"

  His voice dropped to a deeper tone, his words flirty and suggestive and extremely tempting.

  "Fun, huh?" I asked, my voice dropping lower as I looked around, not that anyone could hear me or have any clue what we were talking about.

  "Hmm, yes baby. You, me, the hot water running down your naked body..." I shivered at his words and crossed my legs tightly. "I haven't had you in the shower yet."

  I sucked in a gasp, his words destroying me even though students surrounded me.

  "That's true," I managed to reply.

  "Yes, baby, that would be fun," he concluded. I could tell he was smirking by the tone of his voice. He knew exactly what his words would do to me.

  "Okay," I agreed. "I'll be over soon, okay?"

  "Hurrrrry," he whined playfully.

  "Yeah, yeah, be patient, you," I teased, gathering up my garbage and wadding it into a ball.

  "Hmm, just get here," he said. I grinned.

  "Okay, see you soon," I told him as I stood from my seat and threw my garbage in the trash. I slung my backpack over my shoulders and started walking.

  "Good, baby."

  With that, he hung up the phone, leaving me grinning like a fool and buzzing with electricity. My run in with Samuel was all but forgotten as I thought of the things Reece had said to me just now. The anticipation was quickly building as I climbed in my car and started to drive.

  I stopped at home hastily to grab my school stuff for tomorrow and a change of clothes, knowing I probably wouldn't be back here again tonight. Emily wasn't home, but I wrote her a quick note explaining my absence before dashing out of the apartment.

  The sooner I got to him, the better.

  "When he talks, I hear his ghosts, every word they say to me. I just pray the wires aren't coming here to strangle me."

  Chapter 41

  You need to tell him.

  No you don’t, you can handle it.

  You need to tell him everything before it gets too out of hand.

  He’ll do something drastic and get hurt if you tell him.

  Tell him.

  Don’t tell him.

  My brain was buzzing as I drove to his house, the internal battle over whether to tell him or not waging continually. As much as I didn’t want to drag him into this, I was beginning to feel more and more that he needed to know about it. I didn’t want to tell him about Jack practically threatening him, or the fact that Samuel apparently held a bitter jealousy towards Reece that had caused him to team up with Jack, but I didn’t want to keep secrets from him. I kept thinking there had to be more to Samuel' sudden hatred of Reece, but I couldn't figure out what it was. He had said he was sick of Reece acting like he owned the town, tired of him getting whatever he wanted, but was that enough to cause him to flip so suddenly? Maybe there was a deeper level of jealousy than I realized; maybe he was jealous of Reece and all he had, which was the root of his actions. Our promise to not lie to each other kept floating
through my brain, mocking me and pointing out the glaringly obvious lie-by-omission. I pretty much was lying to Reece by not telling him what had happened, the exact opposite of what I’d promised not to do. I didn’t want Reece to throw himself into it, though, and get hurt. This was my ultimate motivation for not telling him; the idea of him doing something drastic and taking on these two potentially dangerous men scared the hell out of me. In a perfect world, I could tell him without him reacting rashly, but I knew somehow he wouldn’t take it well. He had punched Samuel after what he’d said to me with almost no hesitation, although the fact that they were mostly upset about him could change things. Maybe he wouldn’t overreact since it was him they were threatening rather that me? My time to think was cut short without a firm decision, however, when I arrived at Reece’s house. The mere sight of it caused a smile to spread across my face as the excitement I held to see him grew even more. I parked my car in the driveway and turned it off before grabbing my little bag I’d brought and hopping out of the car. It was quickly growing dark outside as I made my way up the walkway, knocking once before letting myself in. I was surprised when I heard music flooding through the house, his impressive stereo system drowning out any other potential sound.

  “Reece?” I called when I didn’t see him in the living room or kitchen. I heard no response over the loud music so I kicked off my shoes and moved down the hallway. His light was on in his bedroom and upon entering the doorway I saw him standing there, his back to me as he hunched over something in his room. The music drowned out my footsteps as I moved forward and pushed my hands up his back. He jumped at the contact before spinning around abruptly, his eyes wild before he realized it was just me. I grinned and pinched my lips together to hold back my laughter.

  “You scared me,” he said, pushing his hand through his hair as he took a deep breath and smiled.

  “Sorry,” I laughed. “Shouldn’t have your music so loud, goof.”

  He blinked as if just realizing exactly how loud it was. “Yeah, guess so. How are you?”

  He rose his hand to pinch my chin lightly between his thumb and index finger.

  “I’m great,” I said, grinning at him. It was true, despite everything that just happened, because I was back with him. “What were you doing in here?”

  “I was trying to fix this,” he said, holding out the watch he usually wore in his palm. The band on one side of the face hung off, just barely clinging on by one of the two hinges. I frowned at it before picking it up gingerly.

  “What happened?” I asked, curious about the watch he always wore. It had simple black bands with a gold face, and I’d never seen him without it.

  “Dunno,” he said shrugging. His eyes were fixed on it as my fingers toyed with it gently. “I was just walking and it fell off.”

  I squinted at the tiny fastenings, trying to see if it would be easily fixed. The little fasteners seemed to have cracked, releasing the bit of the band they held on to. It would need to be fixed by a professional. “It’s kinda old, so that’s probably why,” he said, trying to sound casual. I caught a hint of sadness that caused my eyes to tear from the watch and shift to his face. He frowned at the watch before looking at me.

  “Where did you get it?” I asked, hoping he’d reveal something as to why it was obviously so important to him.

  “My dad gave it to me,” he said. I perked up instantly. He never spoke about his family; the only thing he’d ever told me was that he had a mom, stepdad, and a sister. Obviously he had a real father, too, but I had never heard even a whisper about him. “Your real dad?” I asked gently, hoping he wouldn’t shut down like he usually did whenever family came up.

  He nodded thoughtfully and took a deep breath. He reached forward to take the watch gently from my hands, sighing once more before putting it on his nightstand.

  “Let’s not talk about that,” he said quietly, moving behind me. His hands slid up the sides of my arms as his jaw nudged my head to the side, exposing my neck. His lips pressed into my skin at the base of throat while his hands slid around my hips. “Let’s do something else.”His tone was dripping with want as his lips pressed against my neck again. He pulled me back against him, back to chest as his fingers rubbed circles on my hips. He was trying to distract me from talking about his family, and it was working. I was suddenly reminded of everything that had happened with Jack and Samuel, and I felt the urge to tell him everything.

  “Reece,” I started, determined to finally tell him.

  “Hmm?” he hummed, nipping at the skin where my neck met my shoulders.

  “I have to tell you something...” I said, my voice losing its conviction when his hand slipped lower on my body, his fingertips pressing between my legs. My body caved forward as my head fell to the side, his touch sending shock waves through me.

  “Not now, baby,” he muttered, pulling me even tighter against him as his lips trailed up to my ear where he took it between his teeth.

  “But Reece-“

  “Shh, Abby,” he breathed into my ear. “Come shower with me.”

  My mind struggled to keep a coherent thought, the tiny shred of focus slipping away when he dipped his fingers beneath my leggings, the pads of his fingers burning into my skin.

  “Okay,” I said breathlessly. I could feel him smile against my neck as he pulled his hand away from me before grabbing my arm and tugging me after him. I followed him closely, my body already fuzzy from the things he did to me. My tiny remaining sensible side tried to get my attention and remind me that I needed to tell Reece, but he’d said later. Later, I resolved, I would tell him.

  We entered the bathroom and memories of me forcing him in the shower floated to the surface of my brain. It was opposite now as he perched me against the counter, shooting me a meaningful glance before ducking to start the shower. He straightened up and reconnected our eye contact, gripping his shirt at the base of his neck and ripping it over his head. His hair got ruffled in the process, the already messy strands pushing even farther in every direction. It was impossible for me to hold his eye contact and watch him slowly undo the buckle on his belt without my breathing increasing drastically. His gaze burned into mine, his head tilted down as he watched me react to him closely. He wasn’t even touching me, yet watching him undress while he watched me so dangerously intensely was making my body come alive. His jeans hit the floor as he pushed off, along with his black boxer briefs. He smirked deeply as he watched me pant in front of him, surely noting the flushed color that had arrived on my face.

  He stalked forward, large hands coming to rest on my hips before quickly pushing under the fabric. He gripped it between his fingers, never dropping my eye contact as he started to tug it upward.

  “Off,” he instructed. My arms rose above my head and he pulled the shirt off as I tried to gain back some control over my body, but it was difficult. Even in the quickly rising temperature of the room, goose bumps rose on my body and a shiver ran through me. The way he was watching me so closely was surely going to ruin me.

  He stepped even closer to me, his hips nearly pressing into mine as his soft breath washed over my face. His hands busied themselves with tugging down my leggings and panties, sliding them down my legs easily before I stepped clumsily out of them. The room was quickly gathering steam, indicating the shower had heated up. I couldn’t tear my gaze from his as his hand slid around my back, his thumb and index finger easily undoing the latch of my bra before letting it fall to the floor. His eyes finally tore from mine to drag down my body, his careful gaze taking in every detail as I stood with bated breath. I felt so naked and exposed, but resisted the urge to cover myself. His captivated gaze made me feel like I was glowing, especially when it finally reached mine again, locking onto it before he spoke.

  “So beautiful.”

  My lip bit into my mouth gently as I smiled softly, his words making me feel like the most beautiful person in the world. His hands rose to cup my jaw before he ducked his h
ead and finally pressed his lips against mine. My lower lip was captured between his, his gentle kiss setting me on fire like it always did. His hips were smooth beneath my palms as my hands rose to rest there. I was vaguely aware of moving forward as Reece guided me toward the shower. One of his hands left my face to pull the curtain back, his lips never disconnecting with mine until he stepped into the shower. Steam poured out from behind the curtain and the water was hot, but not unbearable. In comparison the way Reece made me feel, it was nothing- like droplets of cool water splashing against my already sizzling skin. My back was pelted with the water as he moved me under the spray, his thumbs tracing lightly across my cheeks as he watched the way the water slid down my body. My hair was quickly soaked, the wet strands tickling down my back as Reece ducked his head once more to kiss me. His hands fell from my face, his palms trailing down my shoulders, across my chest, pausing to massage my breasts lightly before they tickled down my stomach and finally rested on my hips. Circles were pressed into my hips as his thumbs worked into the skin, and my arms rose to curl around his neck.

  Our chests were pressed together, the hot water making our skin slick as he pulled me tighter against him. His tongue swiped lightly across my own before he broke our kiss to trail his lips down my neck. Searing patches of heat worked into my skin wherever they touched, his trail dipping lower as it shifted down my collarbones. My arms unwound from his neck to let my fingers tangle lightly into his hair as he shifted down my body. Kisses were placed across my chest before he found one of my nipples, his lips curling around it lightly before his tongue darted out against it. A wet circle was swirled around it before he released it, his lips moving down my stomach now as he dropped his weight to his knees in front of me.