“If you saw where I slept at night…”
Gia’s face turned white. “What does that mean? Are you okay? Are you sleeping with someone? Is it Talon?”
“No,” I said. “I meant the bed. It’s the top bunk of a bunkbed, but it’s so high, you can’t sit up or else you’ll hit your head. Talon sleeps with me and he-”
“You just said you weren’t sleeping with anyone.”
“Not like that,” I said. “He’s just there because I get nervous. I have bad dreams. I hate to say this, but he’s not all that bad, Gia. I’m paying him to be that way though. I know that. Trust me, I’m not falling for a Troc.”
“Good,” Gia said. “Bad enough you fell in love with the guys who tried to kill you.”
“Don’t say that,” I said.
“It’s true,” Gia said. “Right?”
I didn’t answer the question.
I refused to answer the question.
That made Gia sigh and walk back to the porch.
I looked down at my feet.
I knew there was a part of Gia that hated me for getting too close to Noah, Easton, and Xavier.
Trust me, I hated myself too.
Gia took one step into the house and Brock appeared.
“Two Bumps?” he asked.
“One scumbag,” I said with a smile.
“Not here,” he said. “No fucking way.”
“Back off, douche,” Emily called out.
“Don’t you have someone to blow?” Brock asked.
“You’re just jealous, Brock,” Emily said. “Jealous… jealous… jealous…”
“Are you going to move or no?” I asked.
“If I say no, then what?” Brock asked.
“I’d say I’d kick you in the balls, but you’d enjoy it,” I said.
“I’m fine outside,” Gia said. “I don’t need to deal with this.”
“Listen to your Bump friend,” Brock said.
“Come on,” Gia said to me. “Don’t get into anything with this guy.”
“I can’t wait until Talon breaks your jaw,” I said.
“I can’t wait until you’re fucking gone,” Brock said.
Gia and I went back on the porch.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“They don’t get it,” Gia said. “We don’t get it. It’s two types of lives. You don’t belong here, Winter. You should come home with me. I can hide you there.”
“Hide me…”
“I’m serious. They will never know.”
“Not yet,” I said. “I have to think.”
“How did you even get here?” Gia asked.
“Talon.”
“He drove all that way for you?”
“For me?” I asked with a laugh. “For money. That’s why you brought that money. That was for the ride here. And for letting me hide out.”
“Okay, I have one more bitchy question to ask.”
“Go for it.”
“Well, maybe it’s not a question. Or maybe it is. I don’t know. I just want to scream at you, Winter. I want to slap you. I want to cry with you. For you. And I want to know what’s next.”
“Me too,” I said. “All of the above.”
“So?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just have to collect myself. I was so close to this working, Gia. I had stuff on them all. It was all there for me to use. And then this happened…”
“Please don’t stay much longer,” Gia said.
“I won’t,” I said. “I just know going back is…”
I swallowed hard.
“If you’re that afraid, then call the police.”
“I already told you about that.”
“What do you think is going to happen?”
“Who knows,” I said. “They could set me up. For what I did. Look what happened to Easton’s place. Xavier’s shop. The car. The tires. All of that could fall back on me.”
“You’re a bitch looking for revenge,” Gia said.
“And all of that is illegal. I can’t blame my period on everything. Maybe a few years ago I could have. And plus, if they have the police working with them. For them. Tied to them. I just…”
“Okay, fine, I get it,” Gia said. “I just miss you. And I hate that you’re here. Please don’t turn into a Troc.”
I laughed. “That could never happen.”
“You sure about that?”
I lifted my left eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Gia said. “I’m being jealous. And a bitch.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey. If you hear anything. Or see them. Or…”
“I know,” Gia said. “You’ll know when I know. But I promise, so far, it’s been really quiet.”
I took a deep breath and held back my tears.
“Gia, that’s the scariest part of it all.”
Chapter 3
Troc Time
I climbed up into the bunk bed and sat hunched over so my head didn’t hit the ceiling. All the quirky things about the house - and the smells - were becoming normal to me. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
I looked through my phone for a few seconds, just to kill some time.
Then on a whim, I called my mother.
“Well, there’s the ghost of my daughter calling,” she said as she took the call.
“Very funny,” I said.
How have you not called me? How have you not checked up on me? Aren’t you worried I haven’t been home in days? Do you care about me at all? Will you ever care about me? How can you treat me like this?
“Where have you been, Winter?”
“Just out and about.”
“Which is a lie.”
“Like you care.”
“Please,” my mother said. “What do you want me to do? You’re an adult. You get to live your own life. I’m not a babysitter.”
Or a mother.
“I know that,” I said. “Wow, I really missed talking to you.”
“Last I heard, you were rubbing elbows with the super-rich. Did some old man with his balls slapping his knees whisk you away?”
“Ew, gross,” I said.
“How is that gross?”
“How is it not?” I asked.
“You’re telling me if some old creeper came up and offered you money to be his plaything, you wouldn’t take it?”
“Uh…” My jaw dropped. “Why… wait. Is that what you want me to do?”
“No,” my mother said. “It’s called a conversation. Just pointing some things out. Having a laugh or two here.”
“Well, that didn’t happen,” I said. “I’m not up there anymore. That thing ended a while ago.”
“So where did you end up going?”
I looked around the bedroom. “I’m at a friend’s.”
“Not Gia’s.”
“No.”
“I know that, Winter. That wasn’t a question. I was over at Gia’s yesterday. Me and her mother had a little adventure together.”
“Together?”
“Look who’s being ew and gross now,” my mother teased.
“Oh, stop,” I said.
She laughed. “We went out on the town together. Two cougars on the hunt. And trust me, we had a feast.”
I cringed.
I nodded.
“Good for you,” I said.
“You’re lucky you’re not here,” my mother said. “It was a wild night.”
“Again, good for you.”
“So why the phone call now, Winter? Are you in trouble? Do you need me?”
I clenched my teeth together for a second.
There was nothing she could do. Or would want to do.
She loved the drama.
She was the one who encouraged me to go after Noah, Easton, and Xavier.
“I’m okay for now,” I said. “Just thinking about my next move.”
“Things didn’
t work out at the rich party?”
“No,” I said.
“Fuck. That’s a bummer. You should stick to mental violence. Stop falling for those guys.”
“Goodbye,” I said.
My mother laughed. “You have your father’s heart and my eyes for the opposite sex. That’s deadly, Winter.”
“I should have been dead, remember?”
“I don’t like hearing that.”
“Neither do I.”
“Well, then come back here. We can figure something out together. If you need to hide or something, do it here.”
“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “You never know when I’ll turn up.”
“Just give me a call first,” she said. “You never know what’s going on here. When the beach house is empty… I get really… really… hor-”
“Okay then,” I yelled into the phone.
My mother made a kissing sound and ended the call.
I fell to my side and shut my eyes.
I didn’t expect to fall asleep.
I guess it was time for another wonderful nightmare.
I felt a hand rubbing my shoulder.
Gently moving to my neck.
I groaned and rolled to my back and arched my back.
A warm sensation began to creep through my body.
I took a deep breath and knew exactly what I wanted. What I needed to calm down. My body aching and craving…
I reached for the hand touching me and pulled it down.
My chest tightened for a second, but that was okay. I just needed that sense of touch…
“Wake up, darling,” Talon’s voice said.
I groaned again and my eyes popped open.
Talon was in bed next to me.
His hand was over my chest, but hovering. He wasn’t actually touching me. But my hand held his wrist tight, wanting him to touch me.
My face burned red hot as I blinked fast and stared at him.
Talon was also shirtless.
I took a few breaths, but there wasn’t any room to breathe.
The ceiling felt like it was two inches above my head. And Talon was right there, right against me…
“What’s happening here?” I whispered.
“I came to check on you,” he said. “If you don’t get up now, you’ll be up all night.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Ten.”
“Fuck. I slept that long?”
“I don’t know what time you passed out. Do you want me to be your alarm clock too? That’ll cost more.”
“Shut up, Talon.”
“Now as far as my hand goes, that’s free,” he said with a grin. “But just be careful making that move, Winter. You don’t want to know the mess you’ll end up causing.”
“Get the fuck out of my bed, Talon,” I said. “I paid for this bed. I make the rules.”
Talon leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Not a problem.”
He rolled back and fell out of the bed.
I screamed and jumped forward.
Talon landed on his feet.
Of course he did.
He was such a Troc, it wasn’t even funny.
I realized he was in board shorts.
“Are you going swimming?” I asked.
“Yeah. Pool’s out back.”
“You don’t have a pool.”
Talon looked back at me and smiled. “I do tonight.”
“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I said.
“But you have clothes,” he said. “See you outside, darling.”
He left the bedroom and I slowly rolled back and woke up.
I hadn’t had a nap like that in a while.
That was a good thing. A good sign.
My body was calming down.
This thing with Noah, Easton, and Xavier was going to be okay. The emotions were going to blow over and calm down. Then I could work my way back to the beach house, so I could face them.
And we’d agree to shake hands and never talk to one another again.
If they fucked with me, I’d tell the truth. All of it.
And if I fucked with them, they would finish the job they started.
No problem at all.
I felt good as I climbed down from the bunk bed.
Now, the question was: did I actually believe anything I was thinking?
The answer…
Hell no.
I stepped outside and let out a laugh.
A pool party in the Bump world was… big.
A gigantic in ground pool. A hot tub. Custom lighting in the pool. Custom lighting outside the pool. A tiki bar set up with plenty to drink. Music coming from hidden speakers. Plenty of people partying and dancing. Couples slowly getting closer for a night of fun. Guys and girls flirting with their eyes, wondering who was going to make the first move.
Bump pool parties were events.
They were planned in advance and they were something to talk about long after it was over. That created the competition for someone else to have a bigger party. And no party was ever too big or too over the top.
But the Trocs…
“Look who it is,” Brock said as he stood shirtless near a fire in a homemade fire pit made out of cinder blocks. “It’s the princess. Are you sure you can handle this kind of party?”
“Ignore him,” Emily said as she walked up from behind me. “And drink this.”
She handed me a red cup.
I looked at her and did a double take.
She wasn’t wearing a bathing suit.
She was wearing…
“You’re in your bra and panties,” I whispered.
“Oh, fuck, am I?” Emily asked. She smiled, then she winked.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Join us in the pool,” she said. “It’s really fun.”
She threw her hip into me and then walked away.
She put her hands into the air and started to dance to the music that played from a small speaker on an uneven table.
Brock got in Emily’s path and they started to dance.
If that’s what you wanted to call it.
They danced under strings of white Christmas lights that were hooked from the house to random trees. Every strand of light had at least ten lights burned out.
It was just their bodies bumping against one another, over and over.
Emily bent her knees and inched down Brock’s body.
He looked at me and grinned.
I crossed my arms.
Emily popped back up and they were getting really close again.
Then Kace appeared.
He was like a tiger pouncing as he wrapped his arms around Emily and picked her up.
She let out a laughing scream as Kace ran with her in his arms toward the pool.
He jumped and they both splashed down into the water.
Now… the pool…
It was some kind of inflatable pool.
Definitely not the warm, in ground pool water I was used to.
“Want me to carry you to the pool, Winter?” Brock asked.
“You touch me and I’ll drown you,” I said.
“I’d like to see you try,” he said.
He took a step toward me and my throat closed for a second.
My eyes moved and I saw Emily and Kace splashing each other. The splashing was nothing but flirting and the flirting quickly turned into them lunging at each other so they could kiss.
Raine sat on the edge of the pool, wearing sunglasses in the dark, nodding her head to the music. She was smoking something and she wasn’t actually here.
Fuck.
Brock kept moving closer to me.
I sipped what was in the red cup Emily gave me and my eyes watered.
It was like… gasoline.
I threw the red cup away.
“Don’t come near me,” I warned Brock.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. “I don’t bite too hard. You’ll eventually like it.”
&nbs
p; “I’ll kick your teeth down your throat.”
“I’m bigger than you.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you and I will never happen.”
“Can I tell you a secret?” Brock asked.
I put my hand out to stop him.
He actually stopped.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve always wanted to fuck a Bump,” he said. “And since you’re staying here for free, why don’t you earn your keep.”
I swallowed hard. “You’re pathetic, Brock.”
“Or maybe I should take what I want,” he said. “After all, I’m a Troc. Right?”
He moved my hand away and I stepped back again.
Hands touched my hips and I was tossed out of the way.
I screamed, thinking it was Brock.
But it was Talon.
He moved me so he could face off with Brock.
“Ah,” Brock said. “So you’re fucking her.”
“What is your problem?” Talon asked.
“She doesn’t belong here,” Brock growled.
“She’s here for right now,” Talon said. “This is my house. Don’t like it? Leave.”
“I’m not leaving, Talon.”
“So we’re going to settle this the other way?” Talon asked.
Brock nodded.
“What’s the other way?” I asked.
Brock let out a whistle.
Emily and Kace stopped tongue fucking each other and Raine stood up.
She lifted her sunglasses.
Then she screamed one word.
“Fight!”
“What the hell are you trying to prove?” I asked Talon as I blocked his path.
“You don’t get it, darling,” he said without looking at me. “Just move out of the way.”
“I can handle myself with Brock,” I said.
“Move, Winter,” Talon ordered.
I stepped to the side.
Talon walked out in the middle of the yard area where Brock was waiting.
“This is fucking hot,” Emily said as she wrapped her arms around my arm.
She was now wearing a towel, which was nice to see.
“What is this?” I asked.
“They always fight,” she said. “Trocs love getting the stress out. Fight, drink, fuck. It’s all the same. They’re fine.”
“This is crazy,” I said. “They’re fighting over me.”
“Lucky you,” Kace said as he stepped up behind Emily.
Devious Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 3) Page 3
