The Sinner: A High School Bully Romance (Haven Grace Prep Book 1)

by Kelsey Clayton

  It had to be done.

  16

  Grayson

  Carter points at a page in the playbook, explaining it to Jace like him understanding it matters. He’s the kicker, and as skilled as he is at it, the only thing he needs to concern himself with is getting the ball through the goal posts. Still, he and Carter argue the technicalities on everything.

  The original plan of tonight was to come up with some new plays. The past few years, North Haven has dominated on the football field, but only because HG’s previous quarterback graduated, and, until me, they hadn’t found anyone good enough to defeat them. This year, however, all that is going to change.

  I take a sip of my beer as to the two idiots in front of me bicker. I swear, if I didn’t know any better, I would think they have some secret romance going on. They argue like a married couple.

  “Seriously, can we go back to coming up with plays? Not everyone wants to sit here all night and listen to you.”

  Carter rolls his eyes and flips the page, starting to place the Xs and Os where they go. My phone vibrates on the table and I see a text from Savannah. Before anyone has a chance to see it, I grab it and swipe it open.

  Savannah: Friday night was a bad judgment call, and Monday on the field should have never happened. Whatever was going on between us is over. It won’t happen again.

  Reading her words, anger boils inside of me. The thought of her turning me down and denying me of what’s mine makes my chest tighten. It’s like I automatically feel like slamming my fist into the nearest wall. Who the hell does she think she is by ending this? Things between us will be over when I say they’re over, and not a minute sooner. Didn’t she hear me the other day?

  In the worst timing ever, Jace returns from getting a drink. He glances at the phone clutched tightly in my hand. He doesn’t get to see much before I flip it face down onto the hardwood.

  “Dude, you’re an absolute legend for bagging Savannah.”

  I shake my head. “I told you, nothing happened.”

  “I know what you said, but clearly, that was a lie. Anyone can see how badly you two want each other. And hey, all power to you. I’ve been trying to get with her for years and never had any luck.” He smirks as he takes a sip of his beer. “Maybe you and I could tag team her one day. No homo shit though.”

  This guy really has a death wish, doesn’t he? Between the way that Savannah is trying to brush me off like I’m the easiest thing in the world to quit, and this tool’s hopes that I’ll let him anywhere near her, I’m ready to explode.

  I chug the rest of my beer before loudly slamming it back down on the table. “All right fuckers, I’m out. I’ve got shit to do.”

  They eye me suspiciously but don’t say anything as I get up and walk out. My car roars to life, and as I pull onto the street, I press the pedal to the floor. She doesn’t know the monster she’s just awoken.

  PULLING UP TO SAVANNAH’S house, it looks like no one’s home. However, a small light coming from two rooms near the back tells me that’s not true. I get out of my car, going around and popping off the screen to her window. Oh Savannah, don’t you know better than to leave this unlocked? Climbing through, I notice she’s not in here. However, the sound of water running in the bathroom tells me her whereabouts.

  The way I see it, I have two options. I can either wait for her here and have a total replay for what happened last time—a tempting idea— or I can do what I wanted that night. I decide on the latter and follow the sound of the noise.

  Steam billows out the small crack in the bathroom door, and I can only imagine how hot the shower she’s taking is. I step inside and close the door behind me before stripping down to nothing. She’s yet to notice anyone else is in here as she hums along to one of her favorite songs—a song I believe she has a dance routine to.

  The second I rip open the shower curtain, she lets out an ear-piercing shriek. Then, her eyes widen in disbelief.

  “Grayson? What the fuck are you doing in here?”

  “I told you. You. Are. Mine,” I growl. “Whenever and wherever I want you.”

  She backs up as I step into the confined space with her. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

  I smirk. “No baby, and if you try to deny me, you’ll see just how far I’m willing to go to get what I want.”

  Like a lion with its prey, I pounce—grabbing her and spinning us around so her back is against the wall. Our wet bodies collide, and my mouth meets hers in a passionate, sinful kiss. All the resistance she had in that text message and when I first stepped into the room, disappears without a trace. The only thing left is her, and me, and our burning desire to rip each other to shreds.

  “Don’t ever try to tell me this shit won’t happen again,” I tell her as I move to kiss her neck.

  She moans, dragging her nails down my back and clinging to me in any way she can. I cup her pussy in my hand and use my middle finger to tease her clit. The vibrations of her body give away everything she’s feeling. As I slip the digit in, I realize she’s just as tight as the night I took her virginity. Oh, this will be fun.

  Not giving her any preparation at all, and being consciously aware that I’m lacking a condom, I lift her up and line my cock up with her entrance. She waits for the painful intrusion she knows is coming, and when I slam myself inside her, she bites her lip and whimpers.

  The feeling of her squeezing around me bare is one that can never be matched. I grip her waist with both of my hands and start to bounce her on my dick. As the pain starts to subside, she moves with me. With her hands on my shoulders for leverage, she keeps her legs wrapped tightly around my hips.

  “Oh my God,” she breathes, feeling the ecstasy in the moment.

  “Last time I checked, baby, there’s no god here.”

  The two of us move in tandem, getting carried away by our actions and quickening our pace. Before I know it, I’m pounding into her ruthlessly and she’s taking every inch of what I give her. Her moans start to become louder, and her voice raises a few octaves—a telltale sign that she’s about to come undone.

  I wrap my arm around the back of her to make sure she doesn’t fall and move one hand to tease her clit. Within seconds, her body starts to convulse with pleasure, and she releases with a silent scream of my name. The feeling of her orgasming around me was one thing when we were separated by a thin piece of rubber, but without it, it’s unreal. I grit my teeth as I hold it in, letting her ride out her own high first. Then, once she starts to come down from it, I slip out and press on her shoulders. She gets on her knees and looks up at me, eyes wild yet innocent as she opens her mouth. With a few jerks of my hand, I explode, shooting everything I’ve got all over her face.

  She swallows down what ended up in her mouth then proceeds to wipe her thumb through her cheek and suck on that too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so hot and erotic in my life.

  I put my hand up to help her stand, and as she washes her face, I climb out of the shower—taking the towel she brought in for herself and using it to dry my body.

  “What are you doing?” She asks.

  I make quick work of getting dressed and just as my hand is on the doorknob, I turn to find her staring back at me. “I came here to prove a point. I got what I wanted, and now I’m leaving.”

  It’s cruel, and most likely unnecessary, but there isn’t an ounce of me that regrets it as I leave her to process my words. Grayson 3, Savannah 0.

  THE NEXT DAY AT school, I half expect Sav to act differently. To give me sad eyes in the hallway, or confused glances during class. However, none of that happens. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that nothing was going on with her at all. She stays smiling, talking to Delaney and laughing with Emma. The things I said to her last night must have made no difference at all.

  “Hey, Savannah!” Carter grins deviously as he calls her over. “Come here for a minute.”

  She walks to where we’re hanging out on the steps of the school and gives him a
curious look but refuses to let her eyes meet mine. “What’s up?”

  “Settle a debate for Jacey and me here.” He winks at me. “True or False. You and Grayson fucked.”

  She turns to look at me, her expression taunting—threatening to expose our secret little sexcapades. I raise my brows at her and she rolls her eyes. “False. I wouldn’t risk getting whatever shit he’s most likely caught from Kinsley already.”

  If I wasn’t there last night, and didn’t have the scratch marks across my skin to prove it, even I would believe her. I chuckle and shake my head to play into the lie.

  “I told you shitheads. Nothing happened.”

  They both look surprised, but still, Jace remains unconvinced. “I don’t know. You two were at each other’s throats for a while there, and then you drove her home on her birthday, and, suddenly, all that tension is gone.”

  Oh, trust me, it’s anything but gone. I feel it now, as I stand here, inches away from her while she’s unable to be touched. If anything, it’s stronger. Simmering inside and ready to reach up and choke me at a single moment’s notice. I need to be careful of the things I do and say, or she’s going to end up being the one with all the power.

  Savannah shrugs and sits down next to Paige. “I just realized he’s not worth my time, that’s all. After the club, he drove me home and dropped me off, where I went inside alone and went to sleep.”

  It’s not the furthest thing from the truth. I did drop her off, and she did go inside alone, until I turned my damn car around like something from Fast and Furious and waited for her inside her room. She’s simply leaving out the details between when she went in and when she fell asleep.

  “All right, all right,” Carter caves. “You two didn’t bang. Fine.”

  I can’t help but chuckle. “Why do you sound so disappointed?”

  Jace ruffles Carter’s hair and grins. “He lives in this world where Savannah is completely untouchable by anyone other than Brady Laurence. If you got with her, then maybe he has a shot.”

  “Fuck off, that’s not true,” Carter argues, but Savannah is grinning from ear to ear.

  “Aw, my little Cartercakes.” She reaches forward and pinches his cheeks, making him blush.

  It’s as innocent as something you’d see between kids at a playground, but tell that to the green-eyed monster inside of me, who wants to grab Carter by the throat. I look away and try to calm myself down, but it isn’t easy. She needs to keep her hands to herself.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t my good friend Savannah.” I glance over to see a kid, who looks about fifteen, coming toward us.

  He’s not wearing a uniform, which means he’s from NHH, and judging by the look on her face, they’re anything but good friends. She rolls her eyes and tries to seem unaffected, but I can tell she’s nervous.

  “What do you want, Trey?”

  He looks like a douchebag as he comes and plasters himself against her side, way too close for my liking. “I thought you’d want to introduce me to your friends.”

  “I’d really rather not.”

  “Oh, come on,” he presses. “Don’t be like that, neighbor.”

  Everyone looks at him, confused, except me. I’m ready to kill the fucker.

  “What is he talking about, Sav?”

  She looks to me for saving, but even I’m not sure what to do. In perfect timing, Knox jogs across the street. He calls out Trey’s name, and it looks like this kid is about to piss himself.

  “Sorry, guys, this little fucker likes to start shit,” he explains, grabbing him by the back of the neck and dragging him back across the street.

  Carter glares at Knox. “Keep your trash on the other side of the street, Vaughn.”

  “Yup! Will do!”

  Savannah sighs when she notices the threat is gone, and the conversation returns to normal, but I’m not completely satisfied. Had he outed her secret, I would have nothing left on her. Judging by her recent actions, she’s unfazed by what we have going on behind closed doors. That secret is mine and mine alone. The only one that gets to fuck with her is me, and this little dipstick needs to learn that.

  I take out my phone and send a quick text to Knox.

  Grayson: I want to see that shithead in 20 minutes. No witnesses.

  Watching him from where I stand, he reads my message and nods.

  AFTER SEPARATING FROM EVERYONE else and waiting in my car for a bit, Knox sends me a location. When I get there, it’s just him and Trey—whose fear can almost be smelled, it’s so palpable. He turns around, and his eyes widen when he realizes who I am.

  “I’ll keep a lookout,” Knox tells me, snickering and shaking his head as he walks away.

  As I stalk toward Trey, he tries to take a few steps back. “Listen, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just messing around.”

  I grip him by his shirt collar and slam him up against the brick wall. “Tell me what the fuck you know.”

  “I don’t know anything,” he pleads. “Just that I moved into a shitty neighborhood and found out that the most popular girl of Haven Grace Prep lives right next door. That’s all, I swear.”

  Trying to pry my arm off, he doesn’t get anywhere. I pull him off the wall only to push him right back into it, grinning evilly as he bangs his head. “You leave her the fuck alone; do you understand me? And if I find out you’re telling anyone what you know, I’ll make it so no one hears from you again.”

  He nods rapidly, and I drop him to the ground. Feeling satisfied, I leave him to tend to what is probably a killer headache. Knox is around the corner, and when he sees me approach, he smirks.

  “That was fast.”

  I pull a cigarette from my pack and place it between my lips before offering him one as well. “He’s a whiny little bitch. Doesn’t do confrontation well, does he?”

  Chuckling, he kicks a rock by his foot. “No. He just talks a lot of shit.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.” I take my keys out of my pocket. “Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t try anything else.”

  “Already planned on it,” he tells me. “But answer me this.”

  “What?”

  I swear, if he’s another one of those people who want to ask me a bunch of questions on my relationship status, I’m going to walk back to Trey and use him as a human punching bag.

  “Does she know?”

  My brows furrow. “Know what?”

  He smirks, as if he has all the answers to all the world’s greatest questions. “That you’re in love with her.”

  My eyes widen, and the concept alone has me sputtering on the smoke inside my lungs. I cough violently, and when I finally calm down, I look him straight in the eyes.

  “You’ve got it all wrong, man.”

  Now it’s his turn to look confused. “Well, from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what it looks like. You beat up her fake boyfriend—nice work by the way—and now, you were just protecting her honor with Big Mouth back there.”

  I laugh darkly and shake my head. “No, I’m protecting what’s mine. Savannah’s heart isn’t what I’m after. It’s her demise.”

  17

  Savannah

  I sit on my porch as I wait for Delaney. Shivering, I wrap my jacket tighter around me. Usually, Brady would already be out front, but he called this morning to tell me he came down with a stomach bug. I considered walking, until the temperature instantly made me shy away from the whole idea.

  “If it isn’t Princess Savannah.” Trey’s irritating voice catches my attention. “What’s wrong? Your chariot never arrived to pick you up?”

  I roll my eyes. “Ha. Ha. You’re just so witty.”

  “Look at you, thinking you’re so much better than me. Newsflash, sweetheart, you live in the same shit neighborhood that I do.”

  “What’s your point?”

  He grins. “Well, the only difference between you and me is that everyone knows I’m poor. I don’t believe they know about you, though.�
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  If he’s trying to get under my skin, it’s working. “What do you want?” I ask, grimacing at the way he looks me up and down. “Okay, gross. What are you, fifteen?”

  “And all man, baby.”

  I don’t know whether to laugh or vomit. “That’s never going to happen. I’ll ruin my own reputation before I let your grimy hands come anywhere near me.”

  He looks defeated before changing his demands. “In that case, I want something else. Something to entice me to keep your little secret.”

  “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

  “Money. I think ten grand should be enough.”

  “Ten thousand dollars?” I laugh dryly. “Look around, Trey. Does it look like I have that kind of money?”

  Taking in the sight of my house, he shrugs. “Maybe not, but your boyfriend does.”

  “Brady isn’t my boyfriend.”

  “Not him.” He shakes his head. “The angry one. Tall, broody, blond hair.”

  Grayson. “He’s not my boyfriend either.”

  His eyes rake over me one more time. “Well, I’d be happy to go back to my original proposition.”

  Delaney pulls up, and I thank the heavens above, but as I go to move around him, he continues to block my way. I put a hand on his chest and push him back.

  “Look, let me make myself very clear. I don’t have money for you, and I’m not a fucking prostitute.”

  He steps forward, getting in my face. “Well, you better figure it out, princess. Wouldn’t want to lose your perfect reputation, now would you?”

  With that and a wink that makes me feel sick to my stomach, he backs up. I get in Delaney’s car and welcome the warmth.

  “Thank you so much. Brady is sick this morning,” I tell her.