by L A Cotton
“They found out anyway and Maverick almost beat the crap out of Nick. I thought for sure he’d scared him off.”
“But he didn’t.”
“No, he didn’t.” She smiled wistfully, love glittering in her eyes. “But we didn’t have sex for a while after that.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“If you’re not ready, Kiera, don’t feel pressured into doing it. Promise me? It’s not worth it.”
I felt bad. Summer didn’t know the truth—she didn’t know I wasn’t a virgin. She didn’t know I didn’t want to have sex again because the guy I’d given my V-card to was an asshole. An asshole who had ruined my life at school. Dealing with assholes was one thing, but if said asshole had possibly knocked me up as well? I shuddered, it didn’t bear thinking about.
So although I could sympathize with her, share my story, and bond over the heartache of first time woes, I didn’t. The truth wasn’t something I wanted to share. At least, not today. I wanted to soak up the sun and forget all about Prom and sex and virginity-stealing assholes.
And that’s exactly what we did, until two hours later, when I needed liquid refreshment. “Do you want anything?” I asked Summer as I clambered off the bed and pulled on my denim cut-off shorts.
“I could take a bottle of water and some chips. You know where to find them?”
“Yeah, I think I can manage.” Padding into the kitchen, I grabbed two waters from the refrigerator and searched the cabinets for chips. Arms loaded with supplies, I realized I needed to pee, so I dumped everything on the counter, and went to the downstairs bathroom.
When I was done, I washed my hands and slipped back into the hall. “Engaged?” It was Rebecca’s voice, she must have been in her and Gentry’s shared office. “No, no, I’m just surprised is all. My son went to school with him, they were good friends.”
I should have walked away. I should have hurried back to the kitchen and ignored what I’d heard. But it was too late. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d tiptoed further down the hall, straining to listen.
“Well, I’m sure she’s a lovely girl. It must be hard being the daughter of such an asshole but hopefully the apple fell far from the tree. I’m sure Trey wouldn’t be with her if she wasn’t—”
Trey?
Rebecca was talking about Trey?
Which meant... oh God.
Trey was engaged.
It shouldn’t have come as any great surprise, and yet, when I heard Rebecca say his name, my heart stopped.
Engaged.
To be married.
He was marrying her.
Callie Timson, heir to the Timson fortune.
My Trey.
Except he wasn’t my Trey any more—maybe he never was.
I didn’t remember walking back to the kitchen or collecting the water and bag of chips and padding back outside, until Summer’s head popped up and she said, “Great, thanks. Mom was right, it’s warming up.”
Engaged.
He was engaged.
“Kiera? Are you okay? You look a little green.”
“I’m... I’m not sure,” I couldn’t breathe, unable to process what I’d just heard. I clutched my stomach, trying to hold myself together. “I think... I think I’m going to—”
I emptied my stomach contents all over the Stone-Princes' beautifully paved yard.
“Oh, crap, let me go get my mom and some towels. Sit down and drink some water.” She leaped up and handed me a bottle, forcing me to sit on the end of the lounger. “It must be a stomach flu,” Summer pushed my damp hair out of my face. “I’ll be right back.”
But as she walked away, I knew she was wrong.
It wasn’t a stomach flu.
It wasn’t a stomach flu at all.
It was my soul finally accepting what my heart and head already knew.
Trey Berrick would never be mine.
“HEY, SWEETIE. HOW ARE you feeling? Rebecca called, she said you were sick.”
“I’m okay, Mom.” I shuffled past her and went straight to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “I think it’s a bug.” The lie rolled off my tongue.
“You should go lie down, get some rest. I have to go to the store soon, but I can call Terry and ask him to get cover?”
“No, you don’t need to do that, I’m fine. You’re probably right, I just need to sleep it off.”
“Okay.” She gave me a warm smile. “Get tucked in and I’ll come see you before I leave.”
With a small nod, I started down the hall to my bedroom when her voice stopped me in my tracks. “Kiera?”
“Yeah, Mom?” I glanced back.
“You’d tell me, if something was wrong?” My brows pinched but she went on, “You didn’t miss your period or—”
“Oh God, Mom? That’s what you think this is? You think I’m pregnant?”
“No, I... oh dear, this is coming out all wrong.” She buried her face in her hands.
“If you must know, me and Jack aren’t—”
“You’re not?” Relief flooded her expression.
“No, Mom, we’re not.”
“Good, that’s good. I mean, I’m not stupid, I know kids your age are sexually active. But—”
“Can we not do this, Mom? Not right now.” My hand slipped to my stomach as another wave of nausea crashed over me.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry.” Guilt flashed in her eyes. “Yes, you go on to bed, sweetheart, and I’ll check in on you in a minute.”
Inside my room, I stripped out of my shorts, tank top, and bikini and pulled on some clean panties and an oversize USC t-shirt Kyle had given me at Christmas. Then I climbed into bed and buried myself under the sheets.
Trey was engaged.
It didn’t make any sense. Only a few days ago, he’d been kissing me, telling me he wanted me. That maybe it was time we stopped running. And now he was engaged?
Unless...
No.
Trey had done some shitty things to me over the last eighteen months, but he wouldn’t say all those things—do all those things—if he knew he was engaged?
Would he?
I was so confused and hurt. I couldn’t see through the mess, the lies and secrets, and forbidden kisses. Then another thought crossed my mind. I’d walked away this time. Had I pushed the guy I loved straight back into Callie’s arms? Had he gone back to UCLA and proposed out of spite because I rejected him?
I couldn’t believe that.
I just couldn’t.
Trey was many things, and he’d made some pretty stupid mistakes where I was concerned, but I didn’t believe he’d ever set out to intentionally hurt me.
So, what the hell had happened?
“Kiera?” Mom’s voice drifted into the room, but I closed my eyes, trying to keep in the tears threatening to fall. The door creeped open and she whispered, “Kiera,” again before closing it behind her, leaving me alone.
Once I knew she was gone, I let the tears fall freely. I couldn’t stop them if I tried. There was no coming back from this. Trey was engaged. That was serious. It wasn’t hiding behind some fake relationship to mask his feelings for me. Being engaged meant something. It meant a big fucking commitment. But maybe it was for the best.
I had Jack.
I’d chosen Jack when I’d walked away from Trey the other day. Because Jack wouldn’t hurt me. I wouldn’t find him in bed with another girl or find out he was engaged all while he strung me along. Really, it was better this way. With Jack I knew where I stood. I knew it didn’t mean more than we made it out to be.
Trey had Callie.
I had Jack.
We didn’t need to keep dancing around each other anymore, hurting one another. We needed to focus on our own lives.
I knew then what I had to do.
Trey was going to marry Callie and together they were going to have beautiful rich fucking babies.
And after Prom I was going to have sex with Jack.
It was just sex. I’d done it before. G
ranted, I’d only done it once, and I’d always imagined Trey would be the guy to piece me back together after Remy broke me. But it wasn’t as if I was contemplating giving Jack my virginity. It was just sex.
I could do it, get it over with, and move on with my life.
Simple.
Chapter 13
December, 11th Grade
Kiera
I WAS QUICKLY LEARNING there was always some drama with my brother’s family. If it wasn’t Maverick and Lo, it was Kyle and Laurie. Or their parents. Most recently, it was Macey.
She was the reason I found myself following Kyle up the stairs of some guy from school’s house on a Sunday morning, with no clue about what to expect when we found her.
What I did know, though, was my brother was pissed. When we hit the first floor, he counted the doors through gritted teeth, stopped outside one and hammered on it with no care for the occupants on the other side. “Macey?”
“Just a minute,” she called out.
So she was in there.
Interesting.
“We’re coming in.” Before I could stop him, Kyle grabbed the handle and shoved the door open. I followed... because what else was I supposed to do?
“Sorry for the early morning call,” he said. “A little birdie told me you might need a—” My brother’s mouth dropped open as his eyes landed on Macey and then flicked to the sheet-covered mound beside her.
It didn’t seem so scandalous. Macey was a senior and she was gorgeous. It wasn’t any big surprise she’d hooked up with some guy at a party. But then Kyle said seven words that stunned me...
“Is that Berrick under all those sheets?”
Trey.
Macey and... Trey.
Oh God.
A deep groan came from the underneath the sheets. “I’m dying, Stone. Fuck off and let me sleep.”
Kyle shot Macey a hard look and then glanced over at me, I felt his heavy gaze, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the bed.
I recognized him now. His buzz cut, the tattoo snaking up his shoulder.
“Kiera, go wait downstairs.” Kyle’s voice snapped me out of my trance, and I mumbled, “Y-yeah.”
My eyes slid to Macey who looked like shit. Her brows knitted, no doubt trying to figure out why I was being so weird, but before she could put two and two together, I spun around and fled the room. But not before I heard Trey grumble, “Fuck.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I would not cry. I would not shed a single tear over Trey Berrick and his inability to keep his dick in his pants.
I all but ran down the stairs, hovering near the front door to wait for Kyle. When he’d picked me up this morning, he said we had to swing by and get Macey. I hadn’t realized we would be dragging her out of bed with Trey.
Swallowing down a fresh wave of tears, I rubbed my chest. Trey had promised he would never hurt me, but he’d never defined what we were. And I’d never asked anything of him. We weren’t dating I knew that much, but I’d thought maybe he...
Crap, who was I kidding? Deep down, I knew the truth. Guys like Trey Berrick didn’t give up sex. Especially not for inexperienced sixteen-year-olds like me.
But Macey?
I did not see that coming.
God, seeing them there, in bed together, sheets tangled around their bodies, it was worse than walking in to school only to find out Remy had betrayed me. I’d been heartbroken then, but it was nothing compared to the devastation I felt right now.
All I could imagine was his hands on her body, his lips devouring hers. Macey might have been a bitch, but she was beautiful. And she had two things I didn’t—age and experience.
By the time Kyle appeared at the top of the stairs, a silent Macey trailing after him, I felt sick. I didn’t want to look at her, let alone speak to her. But I couldn’t react. If I reacted, Kyle would suspect something, if he didn’t already.
Before they reached me, my cell phone vibrated, and I gingerly retrieved it from my pocket, the sinking feeling in my stomach alerting me to who it was.
TD: It’s not what you think
The sight of Trey’s nickname usually made me smile, but not tonight. My eyes flicked over to where Kyle and Macey were sharing some choice words on the stairs, and I quickly typed out a reply.
Me: Oh, I think it was pretty obvious what it was
TD: Kiera, you know me... I wouldn’t do that to you
Me: Do I?
I quickly pocketed my cell when Kyle finally approached me. “Everything okay?” he said, sharper than usual.
Great. He’d noticed my reaction to seeing Trey lying there. Panicking, I said, “That was Summer. She wanted to know if I want to hang out with her, Nick, and Jack later.”
“Jack?” His eyes widened to saucers.
“Yeah, Nick’s friend. He’s kind of cute,” I added around a smirk.
“Cute? Are you trying to ruin my day? First, I have to drag Macey out of bed with Berrick of all people, and now you’re telling me you’re dating a guy called Jack, and he’s cute?”
“I’m not dating him.” I wanted to glance up to the first floor to see if Trey had surfaced yet, but I kept my eyes on Kyle. “Yet.”
I had no intention of dating Jack or anyone else for that matter, but seeing Kyle’s brows bunch up and his eyes flash with irritation was worth it.
Besides, at least now, he was worrying about me and Jack, and not me and Trey.
Trey
I READ KIERA’S TEXT over and over. Who knew two little words could cut so deep? Is that what she really thought? That she didn’t know me.
She knew me.
Kiera knew me better than anyone.
I hadn’t so much as looked at another girl since starting at UCLA, and it wasn’t for a lack of offers. I’m pretty sure my teammates all thought I was gay. But I couldn’t get Kiera out of my head. Wondering what she was doing back in Wicked Bay, who she was hanging out with... if there were any guys sniffing around her. She was a junior now. I knew what went through guys minds at that age—hell, it had been me two years ago.
Here I was, with a serious case of blue balls, drinking on the weekend until I was too wasted to get it up, or hitting the gym to distract myself from the endless offers from girls, and she thought I’d bagged Macey fucking Prince. When all I’d been trying to do was help a girl in need.
Macey and Devon Lions, a guy in her class, had something going, and by the looks of it, it was a fucking train wreck waiting to happen. I hadn’t intended on getting in the middle of it, but Macey was on a mission to get shit-faced and I wasn’t about to let her do something—or someone—she regretted. So I’d stepped up, offering to drink with her. Keep the piranhas from circling. I didn’t expect to spend most of the night holding her hair back while she puked up a night’s worth of liquor into the bowl.
How did the saying go? Nice guys always finished last?
It seemed to be the story of my fucking life lately.
I contemplated texting Kiera again, but what was there to say? She didn’t believe me. And she was with Kyle. He’d seen something pass between us; it was tangible. A shift in the air. I didn’t need to give him any more ammunition. But I needed Kiera to know the truth.
She had to know the truth.
I wouldn’t hurt her. Not like this. Not after seeing the hurt in her eyes after we’d kissed, and I’d called it a mistake. Not after hearing the devastation in her voice when she’d told me the truth about that fucker Remy.
We'd been friends of sorts, meeting and texting. We were something... undefined, something I hadn't wanted to look into too closely, happy for the chance to spend time with her. But just because I couldn’t give her more didn’t mean I wouldn’t give her all the parts of me I could.
Not that I needed to hand them over to her.
She already owned them.
I could fight it, tell myself that we could never work, but it didn’t change the fact Kiera owned me. She had ever since that first day at The Shack.
> And I didn’t have a fucking clue what to do with that.
Kiera
CHRISTMAS SUCKED.
Mom and I had celebrated together eating our sad turkey and opening our sad pile of gifts. Then in the afternoon, Kyle turned up with a huge sack of gifts. But it was hard to smile. Especially when his generosity only reinforced the huge gap between his life and ours. Of course, Mom fawned over him as if he was Santa himself, tearing into gifts like they were going out of fashion. Then as if that wasn’t enough, he invited me to a family thing at his house which Mom insisted I had to go to.
That’s how I found myself the next day surrounded by Kyle and his family and their obscene piles of gifts around a tree so big it looked like it belonged in the mall.
I’d managed to avoid Macey since the aftermath of party the other week, but I could hardly avoid her in her own house. Eventually, after a ridiculously excessive dinner, she sought me out.
“Can we talk?” She motioned to the seat beside me, and I gave her a half-hearted shrug. “I know it’s my fault we haven’t talked much.”
Macey had never made the effort with me before. I went to their house occasionally, but she kept herself to herself. Which was fine by me. Out of all the Stone-Prince kids she was by far the most intimidating. But after finding her in bed with Trey, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t harbor some serious dark feelings toward her.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said without looking at her, hoping she’d get the hint. “They warned me you can be a bitch.” My eyes flicked to her and I saw a hint of a smile on her lips.
“They would be correct,” she replied, and we shared a moment of quiet laughter. It wasn’t that I wanted to like her, but I couldn’t afford to let on to my secret either. Besides, I was a guest in her house. “But it’s my issue, not yours,” she added.
“Sure, if you say so.” I kicked my legs out in front of me, my boots clunking against each other.
“I didn’t sleep with Trey,” she blurted out, and I swear, my heart stopped.
“Ooookay.” I glanced at her sideways. “And I care why?” I sounded bitter. Angry, even. When I was supposed to sound indifferent. I was supposed to sound like it didn’t affect me at all. Because why would it?
