Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series)

by Bridle, Dee

  * * *

  By that night, I knew I had done the wrong thing. He hadn’t agreed to my terms and I had probably ruined any chance of happiness no matter how brief.

  My chest ached. I wanted to text him and tell him I was joking, because I had truly gambled and lost.

  I wanted to hate him for not being able to commit, even for a short amount of time, but I couldn’t. Even if this all ended badly, he had still given me so much. Not only had he protected me with Antony and given me my first sexual experience, but he had unknowingly given me the confidence I needed to survive school without anyone talking to me.

  There was a knock on the door and Sarah poked her head in.

  “We’re going down to Sorrento tomorrow for the night with friends, and I thought you might want to come along. There will be other kids there.”

  “No, thanks.”

  Other kids? What was I? Fourteen?

  She was about to say something else when my phone beeped. I jumped on it. Janey.

  Janey: Party at Noah’s. Come over and have drinks with me

  It was all I needed to bring a proper smile to my face and I got up and started to go through my clothes.

  “I don’t know why you still hold her so dearly in your mind,” said Sarah quietly.

  I stopped and turned to look at her. I felt my face growing angry. She was looking at a photo of my mother on my chest of drawers. It had been taken on a day at the beach and she had my father’s straw hat on and was smiling. The photo had captured her eyes and if you looked hard enough, you could see she had secrets. If only I had known what they were.

  “She left you both,” she added.

  I gritted my teeth.

  “You don’t get to talk about her.”

  “But you’re holding on to something that doesn’t even exist,” she said. “She decided to leave you.”

  “And aren’t you just the pathetic replacement,” I spat at her.

  She stepped back and knew that she had pushed too far. She walked to the doorway and paused.

  “I was only trying to talk to you.”

  “Don’t fucking bother next time,” I said turning away from her before she could see the tears in my eyes.

  The door clicked closed and I shut my eyes tightly. I held onto the anger and tears, knowing deep down that the bitch had a point.

  Zac

  I leaned against the railing outside, laughing with friends and trying not to think of her. She had thrown me a curve ball today, and I was seriously considering it, because last night, I got a taste and I wanted more.

  I lit a cigarette and exhaled into the night air. I felt like I was going crazy. She was making me rethink everything, and I never did that over a girl.

  Noah appeared at the sliding door.

  “Ava’s here.”

  Fuck.

  I glared at him and he shook his head.

  “I didn’t invite her this time and I know Will didn’t.”

  When I turned and looked down at the pool, I saw Janey down there laughing and drinking. I knew exactly who had invited her. I flicked the cigarette over the railing and went inside.

  I locked eyes with her instantly and strode over to her, trying not to think how gorgeous she looked tonight with her hair natural and curly like last night after our shower together. I knew guys were looking her over with interest and I wanted to tell them all she was mine.

  She looked nervous as I reached her, but I took her hand before she could say anything and headed towards my room. I closed the door behind us and stood away from her, wondering what the fuck I was going to say. I put my beer bottle down on the desk and rubbed the back of my neck. I felt her eyes on me as she leaned against the door.

  “What are you doing here, Ava?” I asked needing to hurt her so she stayed away.

  “I was invited,” she said with hurt easily detected in her eyes.

  Fuck. That felt like shit. I didn’t want to hurt her. Frustrated with myself, I ran my hand through my hair.

  “If we’re done here, I’d like to go and find Janey and have that drink with her,” she said coolly.

  “Why me, Ava?” I asked suddenly, turning to her with a glare.

  She visibly swallowed.

  “Why not?”

  “Why not a guy like Tyler?” I asked stepping closer to her.

  “I’m not attracted to him the way I am with you,” she uttered quietly.

  “Someone like him is a safer bet,” I said getting even closer to her until I was an inch away.

  I felt her breathing change as she looked up at me with lust in her eyes, but I had to make her see.

  “He’ll take you out. Maybe even send flowers. Treat you well and do and say all the right things.”

  “I don’t care about flowers,” she whispered.

  “You should,” I said huskily, moving my hand up to her cheek and gently brushing it.

  She leaned into my hand, wanting my touch and I rubbed her bottom lip with my thumb. Arousal filled her eyes and then she surprised me by licking my thumb, and I took a sharp intake of breath. She was innocent but so willing to experiment, to test my control. I knew I wouldn’t settle the fire in my veins until I had her.

  “I’m going to agree to your conditions,” I said throatily.

  Her eyes widened.

  “As in?”

  “One month of exclusivity,” I said huskily. “Once the month ends, we’ll go our separate ways.”

  “You think one month is enough?” she whispered.

  “I can’t promise anything more,” I said moving my hand down her neck slowly.

  She softly gasped at my touch as I stroked my way down to her waist. I loved how she responded to me. I leaned in and kissed her lips, pulling her against me as she kissed me back.

  She entangled her fingers through my hair at the nape of my neck and pulled and all doubt disappeared. I shoved her against the door with my body and kissed her hard.

  Our lips smothered each other as our tongues furiously clashed. She put both arms around my neck to anchor herself to me. My hands went down to her thighs, pulling them both up and pinning her against the door.

  I felt her tremble against me and then her legs squeezed like she was craving her release. The noises she was making at the back of her throat made my cock almost painful.

  I wanted to be inside her, but I couldn’t take her like this, not now in the middle of a party. She was different from all the others.

  There was a sudden knock at the door and Janey’s voice, “We’re going swimming.”

  I swore and closed my eyes as I hit my forehead on the door in frustration.

  I hollered, “Congratulations.”

  “I want to give Ava something to swim in,” continued Janey.

  I growled in frustration and gently put her legs back down, and stood her upright. Then I sat on the edge of my bed.

  Tidying her hair, Ava opened my door and looked at Janey.

  “Hey,” she grinned looking at us both. “Time to swim. Noah’s parents are away, so we’re taking over the pool. I thought you would need to borrow a pair of mine. I’ve got red or black,” she said holding up bikinis.

  “Black,” Ava said shakily, as Janey dropped material into her hand.

  She winked at Ava and didn’t miss my death stare.

  She looked at me with teasing eyes and said, “Let her get changed in peace, Zac. Besides, Lee is here looking for you.”

  I gave a frustrated sigh as Ava turned to look at me and Janey disappeared back into the party.

  “Swimming it is, then,” I said with resignation.

  I needed to go and get some air anyway and calm down.

  “I’ll meet you out at the pool,” I said walking past her and out the door.

  I started to weave my way through the living room and then stopped, thinking how freaked out she looked as I left. I turned around and went back into the room and found her in the same spot, looking nervous, still holding the bikini.

  I
smiled and kissed her. Then kissed her again.

  “Pool is out past the kitchen, down the steps. I’ll be out there.”

  She nodded and I left her to it.

  Ava

  I nervously started to bite my thumb nail. How was I going to pull off this bikini without looking terrible? There was nothing to cover any part of my body, and I was going to die of embarrassment. I considered just how many gorgeous girls there were jumping in the pool right now. Had he really just agreed to be with me exclusively for a month? Oh, my god.

  I got changed and folded my jeans and top. I put everything including my shoes beside his bed. I had a month. A month of new adventures and fun. I couldn’t run away at the first test. I would walk out there and hold my head high. I had Zac, even if it was only temporary. He was all mine and that fuelled my confidence as I slipped the bikini on.

  There were two string ties on either side of the bottoms, and I thanked god that it covered my bottom and it wasn’t a G-string. The small triangles over my breasts were an entirely different matter. I looked down and freaked. One wrong move and I was sure I would expose myself.

  I couldn’t do it. I sat down on his bed and closed my eyes.

  It wasn’t long before the door burst open and Janey was there with a grin on her face.

  “Come on, girl, the party awaits!”

  “I’m shitting myself,” I said honestly.

  “Sweets, my brother will swallow his own tongue when he sees you in that. Let’s go,” she said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room.

  I took a deep breath and looked around the party unsurely, knowing her hand holding mine was the only thing stopping me from running back into Zac’s room.

  A couple of guys standing on the deck stopped talking and looked me over as Janey giggled and pulled me over to the pool. She grabbed two bottles of cider and passed one to me. I hadn’t seen Zac yet and was too embarrassed to look around the party as I tentatively sipped the cider.

  Janey introduced me to some friends beside the pool, and I was greeted with friendliness. I calmed myself a little more as I sipped the cider and listened to them talk. I tried to ignore the fact that I was standing in front of everyone with a miniscule bikini on. I had to look at this all as a new adventure, a way of pushing my boundaries and seeing what happened.

  Two arms came around my waist and lips softly kissed my bare shoulder. I smiled in relief as I leaned back into Zac, happy he was finally with me. The group joined him in the conversation, and I felt his deep voice rumble in his chest as he spoke to them.

  He then kissed my neck and whispered into my ear, “You are the fucking hottest girl I have ever seen.”

  My cheeks grew warm, and my heart grew even warmer at his words. “I’ve literally died and gone to heaven,” he whispered.

  I tried to remember to breathe as his hands gently caressed my skin in front of everyone, knowing it looked affectionate to the group, but it was doing wild things to my senses. I felt his bare chest behind me, the warmth from his body encasing mine.

  Someone called out to him and he turned to look. He left me for a moment to greet new arrivals. I watched him greet them with handshakes, the guys looking a lot older than me. Noah was there, too, laughing with them about something and passing them beers. I covered myself by crossing my arms, feeling bare again that he wasn’t against me.

  Janey passed me her joint, and I took a drag, feeling the hot smoke fill my lungs. I slowly blew it back out and passed it back to her.

  “Relax,” she said with a wink. “Looks like you’ve just done the impossible, so enjoy it while it lasts.”

  Janey passed me the joint again and I took another drag. I let it flow around in my lungs and then let out a steady stream of smoke into the night air. This one hit me and I felt my head swirl as my legs became shaky. I had no idea how they all managed to finish a whole one when it had this effect on me after two drags.

  Janey moved away to go for a swim with Will, who was walking out onto the diving board. I watched them together, feeling my limbs relax.

  I looked down at my hand to see the joint still burning away and I took another small drag.

  Zac appeared behind me again and I relaxed into him as he took the joint from my fingers.

  “This is strong stuff,” he said taking a drag and then flicking it to the ground.

  I had to agree with him, because it felt like I was floating. I felt him exhale the smoke and then he leaned into my ear.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured.

  I smiled, knowing there was nothing in the world that I’d rather do.

  Chapter Ten: All Mine

  Zac

  I stood next to the fire pit, talking with Noah and friends with Ava under my arm. I sipped my beer and laughed with them, liking that she was against me, happy to just be with me. She didn’t try to flirt with my friends, and the things she added to the conversation were smart and funny.

  I leaned in and kissed her, seeing her eyes alight with desire and what looked like happiness. I had put that on her face and it made me feel powerful. My chest ached slightly and I went back to sipping my beer, trying not to panic at the feelings that I never usually allowed myself to feel.

  Ava

  In the early hours of the morning, I awoke to the sound of guys talking. I opened my eyes but didn’t move, trying to figure out where I was and why my head was fuzzy. I was on Zac’s bed, minus Zac, and I still had my bikini on. I realized that I had obviously smoked too much and I didn’t know where Zac had gone.

  “She would probably be up for it,” said a male voice.

  “Zac might not like it,” said another.

  I realized they were standing in the doorway looking at me. I froze in complete panic, wondering what to do. Music was still playing loudly and no one would hear me scream from in here.

  “He doesn’t give a shit about any of his girls. He’d say go for it.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Stop being a pussy and just get on the bed. She’s out of it anyway.”

  I moved instantly and squinted in their direction.

  “Get out,” I whimpered in fright.

  I tried to remember the moves I had learned in self-defense class, but my mind went totally blank. The room was dark and they were backlit by the living room light, so I couldn’t see their faces.

  As they both stepped closer to the bed, I felt a hand on my thigh as the mattress dipped. I kicked out at him and screamed as loud as I could.

  The bedroom light turned on, and I heard a thud and then a crack.

  A guy grunted while the other one shouted, “We didn’t do anything!”

  “No one goes near her!” roared Zac.

  I heard a crash, and then out of fear, I curled myself into a tight ball. I hid my head in my arms, still scared for my life. I heard a guy groan, and then I heard the constant thud of a fist hitting skin. I cringed and tried to block it out, covering my ears.

  I glanced over and saw Zac throwing punch after punch like someone wild, and Noah had the other guy against the wall punching him, too. Will soon jumped in and pulled Zac off the guy, whose face was now a bloody mess.

  “Cool it. You’re going to kill him.”

  Zac didn’t take his eyes off the bloody mess of the guy, now on the floor who was trying not to choke on his own blood. Zac was breathing heavy, fists still clenched. His eyes looked wild as Will held him back. I looked over at the guy who was on the floor. His eyes were starting to swell, and blood poured from his nose and mouth. I wanted to scream, but nothing would come out.

  Noah pulled his guy up from the floor who was groaning in pain and dragged him out of the room. Will released his restraint on Zac and dragged the other guy out by his feet.

  Everyone was still hovering by the door, watching with interest before Zac snarled, “Fuck off,” and then he slammed the door closed.

  I started to cry with silent sobs that racked my body as I held on to myself tightly. Zac turned
to me, still breathing heavy with anger in his eyes before he suddenly changed, like a switch had been turned off.

  Gently, he said, “Ava.”

  I cried more, not knowing if I was crying for myself, for the guys outside who would need an ambulance now, or for Zac.

  He came over to me and tried to untangle my arms around my head.

  “No,” I cried with big racking sobs.

  “Ava,” he said soothingly. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “You nearly killed him,” I whimpered.

  “He was going to try and rape you,” he hissed. “He would have taken turns with his friend if I hadn’t stopped him.”

  I sobbed out loud and looked at him in bewilderment.

  “Don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Ever,” he said with unwavering intensity.

  “What if you hadn’t come?” I sobbed.

  He closed his eyes for a moment as if hating the sheer thought of it.

  “They said you didn’t give a shit about your girls, and that you wouldn’t care.”

  He opened his eyes and looked into mine. I could see pain in their brown depths.

  “Why is this happening to me?” I bemoaned. “Why would they think that? Why did you leave me alone?”

  “You were stoned and so tired. You were falling asleep on me, so I thought you’d be better off in here.” He looked at me in despair. “My mistake. I’m not good at this, I told you.”

  I swallowed hard and managed to ask, “If it hadn’t been me, if I was one of your other girls, would she have just let it happen? And is it true that you wouldn’t have cared?”

  “I never said I was a nice guy, Ava. It would have been up to her. I probably wouldn’t have cared.”

  His honest response sat heavily between us, and I took a deep breath to calm myself. I had entered a new world here, with unusual grown-up rules.

  “But you’re different,” he admitted, like he was annoyed at his own admission. “I go crazy when someone looks at you, let alone tries to touch you,” he said not meeting my eyes.