by Erin Trejo
She starts to move and it’s fucking hypnotic. Her body flows to the music, each twist and turn perfectly performed. Knox stands still watching her when she moves closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rolls her body against his. The movements get cheers and praise from all around. Knox bites his bottom lip and keeps his eyes on hers. Whisper gives him a show. She gives him a dance that should be all mine. When she turns and drops to the floor in front of him, I clench my fists. Callan is cheering her on as I’m about to explode.
“You did this!” he hollers over the music to remind me. Cracking my neck from side to side I watch as she arches her back, dragging that perfect ass up the front of my brother. Then the music changes and I move. Shoving Knox back, I grab Whisper around the back of her neck and pull her close to me.
“Dance for me.” Those words were all she needed to hear. Rhianna’s “Umbrella” remix plays now. Grabbing her hips, I spin her to face away from me. Shoving her back, she bends over, her ass pressing into my cock as the crowd screams.
“Oh, we have some competition!” Leddy screams into the mic. I tune her out, pulling Whisper into me. She moves her hips, pops them and holds before jerking her back and doing it all over again.
We get into a steady rhythm, the two of us moving around the floor as if we’ve danced together our whole lives. Sweat drips down her temples but the look on her face is pure enjoyment. She’s relaxed and calm. Her head isn’t in the bad space that she always seems to be in. She’s free. On this dancefloor, Whisper is free.
She spins, wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her body into mine. Her lips hover mere inches away from mine and just as I lean in to press my lips to hers, she moves. Her body rolls, pressing herself to mine before spinning around. Her back pressed to my front, she slides down my body and bends over. Her hips are in my hands as she grinds against me. When she’s standing upright, I grab her hand and spin her out away from my body before jerking her back in. Her eyes light up as laughter falls from her lips. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this before. I’m not sure she’s ever seen herself like this before.
“Come on, Whisper!” Leddy yells, pulling her away from me. Whisper goes happily when Knox grabs my arm and tugs me toward the bar. I order a few drinks and turn to watch them together.
“She’s fucking hot as hell,” Knox announces.
“No shit.” I bring my beer to my lips as I take her in. I can’t believe that she is out there this freely with people she’s never met. This is where she belongs. She belongs on a dancefloor somewhere. Music videos, choreographer training. That’s what she’s meant to do. I wonder if she’s ever thought about it? Shaking my head, I need to focus. I need to focus on the job and not on her. This is fucking with my head and seeing her grind against Leddy is fucking with my cock.
“You brought her here,” Callan reminds me when he grabs the beer from my hand. I shake my head and scrub my hand over my face wondering if this was the best decision I’ve ever made or the worst. I don’t answer him, just nod my head. A few girls come up to us trying to get us to dance but I wave them off. My eyes are zoned in on her. I can’t stop looking at her. She’s so damn energetic and magnetic. Every man in the room, hell every woman in the room is watching her. I don’t think there’s a pair of eyes that aren’t on her. Something in my chest tightens.
“You good?” Knox asks leaning into me.
“Yeah, why?” I don’t look away. I can’t.
“Your grinding your teeth until they’re about to break, man.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Just go get her, Steele.” I ignore him for about half a second when I see another guy moving in behind her. That’s when I lose it. I storm through the room, grabbing her by the hips and jerking her back into my body. She doesn’t protest, she just keeps moving as if nothing can hurt her.
Like I can’t hurt her.
15
Whisper
“You don’t have to act like you didn’t have a good time,” Callan says as I watch Steele. Knox is driving, Callan is in the passenger seat spun around so he can look at me, but I can’t take my eyes off Steele. The way he held me, touched me. It was more than just a dance and I craved it. I wanted it more than anything else in the world. I’ve never felt that kind of raw connection to anyone and I’ve danced my whole life. With Steele, it was natural. It wasn’t forced and that is pissing me off. The man that’s tormented me over the last month had a hold on me in that building and I couldn’t break it.
“Stop fucking staring at me,” he says looking out his window.
“How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like that.” Callan chuckles but I ignore him. He didn’t feel it. He couldn’t have. Steele doesn’t look my way and that angers me further.
“Did you have fun, Whisper?” Knox asks from his spot in the front.
“Tell me!” I scream until Steele looks over.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The look in his eyes tells me he’s lying. He’s sitting there lying to me and I don’t know why.
“Dance… when you dance with someone, there’s no way to describe what you feel. When you connect… it’s like the whole damn universe is aligned and everything is right. I’ve never in my whole life felt that,” I admit softly. Knox lets out a low whistle, Callan curses under his breath but Steele? He stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. He had to have felt it. The way he moved with me, touched me. That kind of connection is on a deeper level than sex.
“I don’t know what the hell you were feeling but that’s not what it was,” Steele says through gritted teeth.
“You’re going to sit there and lie about it? You took me there and now you lie?” I yell loudly. Steele shifts in his seat so that he’s fully facing me now.
“You felt hot and horny. You’re attracted to me, Whisper. Don’t overthink that. We can fuck and we have chemistry to do it but don’t go overthinking that.” Air leaves my lungs in a rush as I listen to his words. Harsh and cruel and all fucking lies. I can see the way he looks at me. I can tell by the way he touches me but if this is the game he wants to play, I will gladly play along.
“You’re right,” I say under my breath. I sit in silence the rest of the ride back to their place. As soon as we’re out of the car, Callan has his arm around my shoulders.
“What’s your favorite drink?” Looking up at him, I know where this is headed, and I gladly accept it after that blow from Steele in the car.
“Whiskey. All kinds.” He nods as we all head into the house. I strip out of my jacket and toss it onto the chair while Callan moves into the kitchen.
“What do you feel when you’re out there?” Knox asks leaning against the counter as he stares at me.
“There’s no way to describe it. It’s freeing. I’m weightless.” His lips curl into a smile that could break any female.
“You looked it. Free, I mean. You always keep a mask in place at school but tonight… I saw that mask slip for just a little while. The real Whisper showed through and that one? Is far sexier and free than the one we usually get.”
“What do you expect from me when all you three do is make my life hell? You want a smile? A thank you?” Knox shakes his head as anger fuels me.
“It isn’t what you think, Whisper.”
“Nothing is! Not you three, not the Weatherly’s! Everyone wants something from me, so why don’t we stop with the games and you tell me what that is.” Callan thrusts a glass into my hand and I swallow it down quickly. He replaces it with another before heading back to the counter.
“I think we should at least talk about it with her,” Callan says with his back to me.
“About what?” I ask.
“Don’t do this shit! We have rules for a reason, Callan!” There’s Steele. He disappeared for a minute and when I spin around to look at him, I see he’s changed. He stands there, his perfectly sculpted chest on full display. My eyes drag down to the V that
disappears into his gym shorts. Fuck, why is he doing this to me? Tossing back the next drink, I shove the glass at Callan and motion for another. He chuckles and refills it.
“What reasons? Why can’t I know what the hell is going on around here?” I scream. The guys all shift but Steele? That bastard holds my stare, daring me.
“It’s dangerous,” he says as if it’s nothing.
“You’re dangerous.” That was my reply.
“That’s not untrue. You’re just as dangerous if you are who we think you are,” he responds.
“Who the hell do you think I am? I’m Whisper Jane Sullens! The girl nobody wants. I’m the dancer in the dark, the girl that’s overlooked because she isn’t worth looking at!” Okay maybe the alcohol is doing a little talking here but deep down that’s what I feel.
“What? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Knox says.
“Is it? I was never adopted. What is so wrong with me?” I yell looking between them. They share a glance, but they let me have my meltdown. I don’t want to. I don’t want them to see me lose control but at the same time I’m tired of holding on. Tired of holding it in.
“What? Huh? Was it because I wasn’t the blonde hair blue-eyed baby the other girls were? Is it because I’m used and broken? The fact that I have scars that run deeper than the fucking ocean inside my heart? What is it? What is wrong with me?” Tears spring from my eyes as I drop to the floor crying into my hands. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t be here talking to them.
“Get up.” The demand in his tone does nothing for me. Fuck Steele. I keep sobbing into my hands when he roars louder, “Get. Up.” Lifting my head, I see him playing on his phone. In seconds, Usher and Beyoncé remix of “In This Club” sounds all around us. Steele hardens himself before moving to pull a chair out in the middle of the floor.
“Dance for me,” he demands. I shake my head, but he just raises an eyebrow in challenge. The music, the tempo, slowly makes its way into my body, pumping through my veins. I slowly stand up, letting my body roll with the music. His eyes are glued to my body. The heat in them causes me to shiver. I’ve never been watched the way he’s watching me.
“Dance, Whisper.” Only then do I realize that I stopped and stared back at him. I close my eyes, raise my arms above my head and slowly sway. Once I’m into a good groove, I really start moving. Spinning, dropping to the floor, I crawl toward him before grabbing his knees and pulling myself back up. Tipping my head back, I reach up and pull the tie from my hair and let my hair fall down my back. Shaking my hair out, I flip my head forward and lock eyes with him. I run my fingers through my hair while I straddle his lap. My body arches, twists, and presses into his. I can feel just how hard he is, and it makes me smile slightly. Steele’s hands come up quickly, grabbing my face in his strong hands. Alcohol courses through my veins, begging me to do something I know I shouldn’t be.
“You aren’t nobody. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re… goddamn it, Whisper, you’re perfect!” he growls before crashing his lips against mine. His grip has me gasping for air. His kiss is fierce when I hear the other two laughing. Footsteps sound behind us but I’m lost in Steele. I’m lost in his touch, his warmth, in his darkness.
He lifts me in his arms and I automatically wrap my legs around his waist as the song repeats. Sparks ignite inside of me as he moves to slam my body on the table. I gasp into his mouth as he grinds himself against me. There’s a slight restraint inside of me. I know that if I give in to him right now, things are going to change. I can feel it in the air, the way it crackles and sizzles around us.
“I got you, Whisper,” he says as he sits up and pulls my clothes off in record time. My boots thud to the floor followed by my jeans and shirt. His lips caress my stomach as he kisses and licks my flesh. I arch into him, loving the way my body vibrates when he touches me. I close my eyes as his teeth skim my neck. Then he’s back, kissing me so deeply that my body begs to be taken. His hand shifts down my side before moving between us. His cock is hard and ready as he slowly slips into me. I gasp from the size of him, feeling him inside of me. He’s lucky I’m on birth control or I’d have to halt our fun. Steele doesn’t seem to care either way as he groans into my neck. His tongue swipes out, licking my earlobe.
“What the hell are you doing to me, Whisper?” he murmurs so softly, I almost miss it. His hips slowly rock into me and everything I’ve been holding back, slowly comes to the surface as I ride the high that Steele gives me.
16
Steele
I run my fingers through her dark hair as she traces the lines of my muscles on my stomach. There’s been a strange silence lingering between the two of us since I brought her back up to my room. There’re so many things that I want to say to her but none of them come out. I don’t know what I’m doing with her. I want to hate her, hate what she’s caused yet I don’t think I can.
“I was five. I’ve always wanted to dance; it didn’t matter what kind of dancing either. My foster mom gave me an old ballerina costume,” she says swallowing hard. I don’t stop moving my fingers through her hair. “I remember dancing in the living room. Tony, my foster dad hated it when I’d come in there. He would yell at me, scream until he was hoarse. Then one day, he grabbed me. Drug me to my room and ripped the stained tutu off me. The leggings, I remember how dirty they were when I got them, torn knees. I didn’t care, you know? I just wanted to dance and be free. I cried when he ripped that old tutu to shreds.”
“What did he do, Whisper?”
“He leaned down, covered my mouth with his hand and told me if I ever told anyone or screamed, he would make sure I never danced again. Then he molested me.”
“Fuck,” I growl tightening my hand in her hair.
“Gang-raped. I couldn’t believe how much I actually liked what you guys did to me when that thought has always sat in the back of my mind.”
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen.”
“Dammnit, Whisper!” I’m pissed. No, pissed isn’t what I’m feeling. Murderous. I want to murder anyone that has ever put their hands on her.
“I don’t feel bad for what we did.” It may be a dick move but I don’t care. I don’t regret it even after what she just said to me. She giggles a little and keeps her fingers moving.
“Didn’t want you to be. Nathan, he’s said similar things to me. How he could make it so I couldn’t dance again. That’s the only thing I have left in me, Steele. I can’t let him take that away from me.”
“What’s he want from you?” I’m not so sure that I want the answer to that, but I have to know what I’m up against with her.
“I’m not sure honestly. He’s very cryptic with what he says. He keeps telling me that I belong here and that it will all come to light. He wants me to give him information on you guys.” My hand stills and so does hers. I take a few deep breaths before shifting so she has to move off me.
“What have you told him?” I growl. She watches me, her eyes narrowed as she does. She licks her lips then smiles.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She climbs out of the bed and grabs my shirt, tugging it over her head before heading toward the door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” The anger that laces my voice isn’t really at her but in a way it is. She still isn’t being open with me. She spins around, her hands on her hips.
“I just gave you a piece of me, Steele. Don’t ask for all of it at once.” With that she walks out of my room slamming the door behind her. I suck air through my nose before climbing out of bed and grabbing my shorts. I don’t want her to leave, not yet. And I sure as hell don’t want her anywhere near Nathan until I can figure out what the hell is going on. Storming into the hallway, I’m down the stairs only to find her sitting at the counter with Callan. She turns her head toward me, not a hint of a smile on her face before looking back to him.
“So, Intensity. Halloween Bash, you in?” Callan asks her. Her smile lights up the g
oddamn room as she nods her head.
“What’s the theme? Are we getting matching costumes?” she teases.
“That depends, you want to be jelly? I’ll be peanut butter?” he asks. She laughs and that right there is the best sound I’ve ever heard. Why I’m so drawn to Whisper is a mystery to me. To anyone else, she is probably just another girl, but to me, she’s everything. What the hell is wrong with me? I turn around when I hear Knox stomping down the steps.
“Dad called.” My arms immediately cross over my chest as I glare at him.
“And?”
“And he wants to see us,” he says not sounding at all happy about it.
“About what?” I know the answer before I even ask but I still need the confirmation. His eyes slowly drag to Whisper even though she isn’t paying attention to us. She’s still laughing with Callan.
“This isn’t going to end well,” Knox says looking back at me.
“I know that.”
“What are you going to do?” he asks. Ultimately this is all up to me. No matter what I choose someone is going to get hurt. The thought had crossed my mind more than once but now that Dad knows we’ve been around her, or that I’ve been fucking her for that matter, shit is going to fly. The question is, am I going to toss her ass to the side and continue with our mission or take what he has to offer and keep her? Scrubbing my hand over my face, I look back over at her before shaking my head and turning on my heel. I quickly climb the stairs and head back into my room. Closing the door, I clench my eyes shut and restrain from punching the wall. Instead, I go into my bathroom, turn the water to the shower on and stare at myself in the mirror.
My entire life has revolved around being the man that my dad wanted me to be. Doing his dirty work and to a point I love it. I’ve thrived on being who I am. The founding families of this place, of Rolling Springs are twisted and warped. They’re people that normal people wouldn’t want to mess with because they have the power to bring you to your knees. I’ve always known that playing against the rules would land me in trouble. I just never expected it to be a girl. A girl that I was supposed to break. A girl that could turn out to be the most powerful person in Rolling Springs. That thought alone pisses me off more than it should.
