by Hazel Gower
I turned to Cassie as the bell went off, grabbed her arm, and almost ran out of the classroom before anyone could catch us. I whispered, “I’m going to rugby practice this afternoon. I have to get out of the house besides coming to school. Stephan needs to go too and if I’m there he will.” I yanked her into a little corner before the end of the buildings, and glanced around to make sure none of Stephan’s lackeys were listening. “Stephan is driving me crazy. My last period is free. So is Derick’s. I’m going to beg him to take me home and then to rugby practice. I need drool therapy. Derick is such a pussy cat with me, he’ll cave and take me. Evelin promised me she’d help with Stephan too, even she thinks her son is being a bit much.”
Cassie’s eyes grew wide, a huge grin spread over her face, and she giggled. Crap. Familiar arms slid around my waist and I turned to look into deep blue eyes and a smirking face.
“Somehow I don’t think my brother would appreciate being called a pussy cat.” I groaned and hoped he hadn’t heard much else.
“I’d also like to know why you think rugby is drool therapy.”
“Grr, none of your business. It’s girly stuff.”
He grinned at me and… and…stupid dimples. I bit my cheek and tried to look anywhere but at him. Friggin' Cassie thought this was just hilarious. The bitch.
Fingers settled under my chin and he guided my head back up so I gazed at him. “Everything about you is my business.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine, just enough to make me shiver and want more. Stay strong, stay strong. His thumb brushed my cheek and his body gravitated to mine until we were a breath away. I closed my eyes and cursed my willpower where Stephan was concerned. “Little bit, open those pretty chocolate pools.” The pad of his fingers traced my lips.
Oh the A-hole. He was fighting dirty. I cracked one eye open. “Leave. Cassie and I to have some girly talk and I’ll tell you later.” I would, I just didn’t say how late I’d tell him, like before bed. I opened my other eye and stared up at him with an expression I hoped looked like I couldn’t lie or hurt a fly.
“Fine. Don’t leave school grounds.” He took my lips and this time his mouth opened, his tongue sought mine and I met him, eager for his taste and to show him how happy I was he let me win. I ended the kiss, pulling away, smiling up at him.
“Don’t think you won. I’m going to go talk to my brother.”
I had ways to get around Derick, he was a softy. He also enjoyed annoying Stephan. So I nodded, hooked arms with Cassie and went in the opposite direction as Stephan.
*****
“What do you want, Jade?”
I batted my eyelashes at Derick and tried to look cute, but probably looked retarded instead.
“Are you in pain?”
Yep, retarded. I’d never been one of those girls who needed to try to get her way with a guy so I had no idea what to do. I was sure they stood in front of a mirror and practiced. Who had time to do that?
Sighing, I gave up on trying to act cute to get my way. “I want to come to rugby practice tonight. I need you to drive me.” I followed Derick as he walked toward the school car park.
“Why would I take you? You’re my brother’s girl.” He scowled at me. “I wouldn’t want you to think I’m a pussy cat.”
Argh, stupid Stephan. “Your brother took it way out of context. Plus if I go then Stephan would come.” I hugged him but he pushed me away.
“No way, Jade. I already got shit for your comment today. I don’t need to give Stephan and our friends more ammo. Keep your hands and any part of you to yourself too. You have seen Stephan and how crazy he gets when anyone even looks your way, let alone touches you. I’m his twin brother and he chews me a new one. No way. Stay away. Stephan is crazy lately and I don’t intend to add to it. He’ll come back to rugby when he’s ready. I’ll take you home now but I’m not taking you to practice.”
Sticking my tongue out at Derick as I got in his car, I did my seatbelt up and crossed my arm over my chest, and ignored his groan. He got in the driver’s side and started the car.
“You know, Derick, you used to be fun.” I shook my head. “I never thought you were scared of your own twin.” I sighed dramatically. “I guess Stephan is the stronger, more dominant brother."
“Grrr, I know what you’re doing, Jade.”
“What? I’m not doing anything. I’m just stating facts. I thought you were the more outgoing one. I mean, I met you first and you seemed to know what you wanted. Clearly I didn’t know the difference between a beta and an alpha. I do now. Thanks, Derick.” I sat quietly letting him stew. I bit my tongue trying to keep from cracking up. I could practically hear Derick boiling over.
When we pulled into the driveway Derick growled, “I hate you, you know that right?”
I did my best to look innocent. I had this one down pat thanks to Stephan. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Derick. I understand you don’t have the balls to tak—”
“Argh, fine. I’ll take you. But you can deal with Stephan when he finds out where you are,” Derick said as he parked the car in the garage.
“Sure.” I got out, grabbed my school bag, and skipped inside.
I heard Derick’s, “I so just got played,” and I entered the kitchen to see a laughing Evelin.
*****
Stephan
“Son, do you want to tell me what Brand did to you?”
I glanced up from fighting my personal trainer and bodyguard to see my father standing at the gym entrance.
“Brand, Owen, David, and Royce told me you’ve been giving them a work out,” he chuckled. “They think I’m overreacting to the shoot out and you could look after yourself?” He raised one eyebrow. “I’m told not only are you beating them in fights but your shooting is getting incredibly accurate. Are you looking at joining Brand’s team? I can tell you now your mother wouldn’t allow it no matter how old you are.”
Pulling off my tank, I wiped the sweat off my body and threw it on the floor. “I’m just making sure I’m ready. I’m pissed I wasn’t with Jade when she was shot at and Brand is getting the brunt of my abuse because it was his advice I followed when I stayed behind.”
Dad came in and started stretching. “I see. Stephan, you can’t be everywhere. You can’t put Jade in a bubble either. We have had people shooting at us before. I’d love to say it will never happen again but when you have the money and connections we have, it’s going to happen. You can’t beat yourself up about it. You have to live your life the best you can. Speaking of that, shouldn’t you be at rugby practice?”
I shrugged. My dad was right, but I felt better to be doing something that could help in the future. “Yeah, but I stopped going weeks ago when Jade almost got beaten to death.”
Dad got on the treadmill. “Oh, I see. Does the team not want you anymore?”
“No. They want me there. The guys are kinda pissed I haven’t been going.”
“Really, and you haven’t because?” Dad picked up his pace going from a brisk walk to a jog.
“Okay, okay, I’m going. When you see Mum will you tell her and Jade where I am.”
“Jade’s not with your mum, son. Jade’s with your brother.”
“What?” I didn’t wait for his reply, running out to the garage. The little minx. I knew she was up to something when she was talking to Cassie, but I thought I foiled her by telling Derick, obviously my brother’s loyalties have changed.
Chapter Ten
Jade
I sat with the girls. We wolf-whistled and fooled around. I didn’t care I was having so much fun. Derick had driven me to practice, but what he didn’t know is I’d arranged to stay at Cassie’s with all the other girls. We were having a girly night.
“Thank God my brother was shirts this week. I’m telling you I couldn’t be like this if he wasn’t. It is so wrong to wolf-whistle and blatantly glorifying the male specimens in front of you when your brother is half naked too.”
I laughed at Cassie and decide
d she needed some payback for the help she’d been with Stephan…not. “Your brother is pretty hot, Cassie. He’s super sweet too. I mean redheads are in and he definitely has the bod—”
Cassie stuck her fingers in her ears. “La, la, la. Stacy, nudge me when she stops traumatizing me. The bitch.”
We all cracked up laughing and Stacy nudged Cassie and stuck into her too. “Oh, Cassie, Jade’s right. I love coming over your house now.”
“Oh me too,” Renee said.
“Yeah, pool weekends are always the best,” Patricia piped in. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Tonight is gonna be fun.”
We all held our stomachs as our laughter deepened when Cassie turned bright red. “You guys are so cruel and here I thought you were all my friends.”
I was having so much fun I missed a new addition to the field. We all giggled and mucked about that it took me a while to see a new body joined the shirtless team. A body I knew very well because I’d slept on it for the last week. I smiled when I saw him and waved. Good, I was glad Stephan was here. He should have been here when it started twenty minutes ago. I didn’t want him to give up anything he loved for me and I knew without him telling me he loved rugby. I remembered him telling me he loved playing sports.
Cassie wrapped her arms around me and I did the same. “I’m glad he’s here. He needs to get out more and have fun with his friends. Just because we have each other now doesn’t mean he has to devote every second to me.”
“You need to tell him.” Cassie squeezed me and I squeezed her back.
“You’re right. When did you become so wise?”
“Oh when I started being friends with you.”
“Argh, bitch.” I pinched her and she did it back until we both were laughing so hard we couldn’t move.
*****
Stephan
It was hard concentrating on practice when my favorite thing in the world was going on…Jade laughing, giggling and smiling. I’d driven over to the oval furious Jade had left without telling me. What I came upon on the field made my anger disappear in an instant. Jade was on the seats with her girlfriends, they were cat-calling and basically being crude teenage girls. I chuckled when Jade yelled, “Tackle Brad again, and that was a pansy grab.”
I should be annoyed Jade was so blatantly checking out other guys, but she was laughing, giggling, and pushing and shoving her friends and having so much fun. Jade happy was my favorite thing to see.
“I think you all need cooling off,” Renee, one of Jade’s friends, yelled.
I went over to my coach who didn’t even comment about me being late and asked to be on the shirtless side, I figured if Jade was going to check out the guys she might as well look at me too. I was twenty minutes late but I got into the game right away. Enjoying myself, the forty minutes left of practice flew by.
“Can I expect you to be at the game tomorrow?”
I hadn’t been to a game in weeks. I had really been letting my team down. I looked up to see Jade sitting with her friends smiling and laughing. She needed to get out, we both did. My dad was right, we couldn’t stop our lives when we were attacked. We moved on—more cautious and alert—but we lived. “Yeah. I’ll be there tomorrow.” I gazed around at my teammates. “I’m sorry for letting you down, but family comes first. I’m ready to be back in the game if you’re still willing to have me.”
They guys patted me on the back. “All good, man,” one said.
“Yeah, family comes first, bro,” another said.
“Love to have you back.”
It went like this around the team. All of them welcoming me and forgiving me for letting them down.
The coach left and my brother came over to me. “So your woman is crafty. Even after you warned me I still got suckered in. She’s pure evil.”
I laughed because the serious look on Derick’s face as he gazed behind us at the seats was so convincing I didn’t think he was joking.
“Oh laugh it up. She’s probably up there with the giggling hyenas thinking up some diabolical plan to drive you crazy and bring all men to their knees.”
Rolling my eyes, I wrapped my arm around my brother’s shoulder. “She better not bring any other man besides me to my knees. How about I go stop her diabolical plan? You game to come with me?”
Derick shook me off. “Fuck you. Don’t come bitching to me when you have blue balls because she still won’t come near you.”
“I’ll have you know I don’t sleep alone anymore.” We walked toward the girls.
“Yeah, when did that happen?”
“The night of the shooting.”
Derick shrugged. “Don’t get too comfortable. Knowing you you’ll fuck it up somehow.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck you.”
“Really, guys, there is a lot of fucking going on. What happened?” Cassie said and Jade snorted before she giggled.
“Oh my, Cassie, that was so not right.” The girls broke down into a fit of giggles.
Picking Jade off the seat, I kissed her, mashing her lips to mine. She pushed at me. “Stephan, let me go, you’re covered in sweat.”
“Didn’t you want me wet?”
“Argh, that wasn’t me and wet with water not sweat.” I smiled because she turned to face her friends and leaned back on me. Jade wasn’t bothered by my sweat.
“Are you guys doing anything tonight while we have a girls’ night?” Patricia asked.
Jade stiffened in my arms. This was the first I’d heard of a girls’ night. I may not have known about it but I knew Jade needed it. She’d have the guards with her and I had to let her have a life. “I’m sure we can find something to do without you girls.” Jade relaxed back against me.
“I say we have a game night. I haven’t kicked your brother’s arse in a while, Cassie.”
Derick wiggled his eyebrows and Cassie groaned.
“Hey, if I remember, it’s me who does the arse kicking,” Scott bantered back.
“Fine. I say games night for the boys so I can show you all who the king is.” Derick was on a roll. “My brother needs his masculinity back. Jade holds his balls in jar. Do you have permission to play tonight, bro?”
“Whoa burn,” Brad chuckled.
“Derick’s just pissed because Jade played him. She’s smarter than him and he’s sulking.”
The girls laughed and Derick turned red. Tightening my hold on Jade I breathed in her calming scent and listened as our friends talked.
*****
My phone rang at lunchtime and I jumped to answer it. I was trying to give Jade a tiny bit of space so I was waiting for her to call. “Hello.”
“Hi, I’m at West Creek beach? Do you want to come join us? Cassie said she’d drop me home, but I said I wanted you to pick me up so Cassie can join the fun.”
“Yep. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Thanks. Can you bring some extra towels when you come?”
“Sure.” I hung up, changed into board shorts, went and banged on Derick’s door before I typed the code in and entered. “I’m going to the beach. You coming?”
“When you leaving?”
“Now.” I left his room and went to the main closet grabbing clean towels and a bag, shoving in everything I could think of, including sunscreen and a small cooler. Going down to the kitchen I grabbed four bottles of water and put them in the cooler.
“Thanks for waiting for me.” Derick whacked me on the back. “What’s the rush?”
“No rush. I’m picking up Jade.”
“Ah, I’m surprised you lasted this long.”
“Ha, ha very funny. Come on. Move your arse.”
We took my car to the beach. I’d had fun last night, all the guys had come around and we’d played card games, video games, and pool until the early hours of the morning. I wasn’t too keen to go to bed anyway. I’d gotten used to having Jade plastered over me.
“Have you slept?”
“What?” I glanced over at Derick before gazing back
at the road.
“You’re blinking lots and really focusing on the road. You’re full of energy like you’ve drank a bunch of Red Bull.”
Okay so I’d had…four, no five Red Bull’s since three this morning. “I’m good. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Watching and seeing how you are, is helping me to believe it’s a curse and not a gift as I first thought.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks. I think Jade does it enough to you. Poor bugger.”
Slowing down, I drove down the beach lane. Going to the mass of cars, I parked and got out grabbing the bag. When I heard the passenger door shut I pressed the keyless lock and put the keys into the bag.
Walking down the wooden planks to the beach I searched for the girls. The beach was dived into three groups: families, couples, and groups of singles. Jade and her friends weren’t hard to miss when you knew what to look for. Going to them, my heart soared when I saw Jade look up and smile. Then she stood and I took a deep calming breath to stop from going nuts at the skimpy bikini she wore. That was it, we were going shopping, she needed new swimwear or at least something that covered her breasts properly.
Jade met me not far from their group. I was surprised when she did something very un-Jade-like, she jumped on me wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. “I missed you.” Her lips took mine and I tasted her. What the hell? She was drinking?
Cupping her arse, I went to the group and dropped the bag on the sand. Kissing her I let her have her way for a while before I eased away from her mouth. Jade buried her face in my neck and I groaned as she sucked on my skin. Damn, this was torture. “Little bit, how much have you had?”
