Dirty Lie: A High School Bully Romance (Forrest Grove Academy Book 1)

by K. Walker

  I wandered down the dark beach, looking for any sign of Sebastian. There were a couple of people scattered around, laying on the sand making out. At one point, I passed a girl spread eagle, a guy with his pants down to his knees thrusting in and out of her. When I walked by, he looked up and grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes.

  It was one thing to hook up at a party, but you'd think people would at least go somewhere private if they wanted more than just making out. But, apparently, that logic didn't matter much with this crowd, since the next couple I wandered across had the girl on her knees, giving her partner what looked like one hell of a blowjob.

  Part of me wondered if Wes and his buddies were out here. If he really was as big of a man-whore as Adrian had suggested, I wouldn't have put it passed him to be screwing Paisley somewhere nearby. It wasn’t like she was ever subtle about grinding on his lap at lunch every day.

  Laughter caught my attention a couple of minutes later. I froze and listened again. I heard someone speaking, then more laughter. It was definitely Sebastian's boyish voice laughing. It was coming from up by the dunes, and I let out a sigh of relief as I headed that way.

  I had expected to find him and his buddy drinking some beers or smoking a joint together. I hadn't expected to walk up into the dunes and find them both shirtless, making out, their hands all over each other. I stood there, frozen, trying to process what I had just seen.

  They must've heard me approach, though, since they both tore away from each other and stared at me in horror. That let me see who the other person was - Todd, one of the guys Sebastian always hung out with at school and the younger brother of Jaxson. No one moved for what felt like an eternity, them staring at me and me staring at them.

  Finally, I took a deep breath and forced the words out. "Chuck sent me to find you. We're heading out."

  For a moment, Sebastian still didn't move. Then, he nodded slowly, and the two of them found their shirts and crammed them back on.

  None of us spoke as we headed back in the direction of the party. I wasn't sure what to say to either of them. I figured, by the way, they were hiding in the dunes away from the party, they didn't want anyone to know they'd been making out. Which meant there was a pretty good chance neither of them was out about their sexuality or relationship.

  Part of me felt like I should say something. But each time I opened my mouth, no words came out.

  At least now I knew why Sebastian liked to flirt with girls but never went anywhere with them!

  Once we got back to the party, Todd split off and presumably went to find the rest of their friends while Sebastian and I headed toward the parking lot. I had no idea what kind of car Chuck drove, but thankfully Sebastian did, and we were able to find his Porsche in the middle of the lot. The blue 911 wasn't as flashy as Wes's BMW, but it was no less impressive.

  "GT3?" I asked as I ran my eyes over it. In the moonlight, I couldn't make out the finer details, but I could make out enough.

  "You know your cars," Chuck said with a grin, echoing Wes's words when I'd ogled his car at the beginning of the week. He sounded impressed as he nodded and ran a hand over it. "She's my baby."

  I didn't doubt it. I was pretty sure that the car cost more than most actual babies! After seeing Wes's car and now Chuck's, I could only imagine what Sebastian would end up driving.

  Chuck and I talked cars on the way back to the house as he gave me the complete rundown on his baby. Unlike Wes, who'd basically ignored me after I'd checked out his car, Chuck actually seemed eager to talk to me about it.

  Sebastian had offered to sit in the back so we could talk, but the seats in Chuck's 911 weren't any bigger than the ones in Wes's BMW. No way would Sebastian's lanky body have fit back there.

  The moment I got back to my room, I flopped face-first onto the bed, letting the soft mattress envelop me. I wished it would have completely swallowed me whole because that was how exhausted I felt from the party. I still didn't regret going, but I definitely remembered why I wasn't a party girl.

  Knocking on my door jarred me out of my peaceful solitude. "Come in," I shouted, having just enough energy to lift my head off the pillow.

  The door opened, and Sebastian stepped in, closing it softly behind himself. He stared down at the ground, and I waited for him to tell me what he needed. Finally, he sighed and managed to get out, "About what you saw tonight…" That seemed to be all he was capable of saying, though.

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Sebastian looked up and locked eyes with me. I did my best to keep my face perfectly neutral. "You know how it is on the beach at night, without any lights—can't really see much at all."

  I didn't care one way or another about Sebastian liking dudes. And it certainly wasn't my place to share that information with anyone else. What he and his friend got up to when they were alone in the dark was between the two of them. I wasn't going to get involved.

  Sebastian stared at me for another moment, and I could see the gears turning in his head. Finally, he grinned and nodded, his body slumping like he'd just had the weight of the world taken off his back. "Thanks, Bell. I owe you one."

  "I'm sure I'll collect on that at some point," I said, giving him a smirk. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm ready to die."

  Sebastian laughed and nodded. "Have fun!" he said before slipping back out into the hall, leaving me in blessed silence again.

  Chapter 21

  At some point, I drifted off and woke up two hours later. Groggy, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked at the clock. It was late enough that I considered just crawling under the covers and going back to sleep, but I could still smell the smoke from the bonfire on myself.

  I definitely needed a shower before actually going to bed. Plus, I wanted to brush my teeth after all the crap we'd eaten at the bonfire. I shot Adrian a text, checking in with her, then found my pajamas and headed toward the bathroom.

  The door was cracked open, and in my not quite awake state, I didn't notice the light on inside or the steam slowly rolling out of the room. But when I opened the door and walked inside, I definitely noticed Wes standing there, completely naked and dripping wet.

  I froze in place, my eyes locked onto his naked body. He had a towel in his hand, but it wasn't covering anything. Not the delicious muscles I'd only gotten glimpses of or his more intimate parts. Wes turned to face me, glaring but still not making any move to cover himself up.

  My eyes roamed over the intricate tattoo that covered his right breast and snaked along his shoulder and down his bicep. It was beautiful work, one of the best tats I’d ever seen. And it was almost as impressive as other parts of him.

  "Can I help you?" he snapped, jarring me out of my fog.

  "I uh..." I stammered for something to say. Now my brain was like a squirrel on cocaine, thoughts bouncing and jumbling all around inside my head. "Uhh..."

  "What, did you finally realize you’ve been flirting with the wrong brother? Either stop staring and get out or come in and do something.” He stood there, hands-on-hips, giving me a full view of... everything. God, he really was the hottest guy I had ever laid eyes on. When I didn't move, he smirked and took a step closer.

  That knocked my brain into place, and his words finally sunk into my brain. I turned and fled the room, running back down the hall and slamming the bedroom door closed behind me. My heart pounded, and even now, I could still see every inch of his nakedness. That image was no doubt going to end up burned into my mind for the rest of my life.

  I shivered as I imagined running my hands up and down those muscles, touching every inch of him. Christ, this was the man who'd been an absolute asshole to me ever since I'd gotten here. And yet... part of me wanted to take him up on his offer. I'd wanted to close the door behind me and do something—anything.

  That couldn't happen, though. Wes was the school man-whore. God, he'd ditched me at the party so he could hook up with that skanky Paisley. He'd probably just gotten home from screwing her, and there I was, think
ing about pushing him onto the ground and riding him off into the sunset!

  I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to push the sight of Wes's naked body out of my mind. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

  I wasn’t sure what was worse, his naked body constantly parading through my mind or his insult that I had been flirting with Sebastian.

  A few minutes later, a door closed across the hall, and I let out a breath.

  A nice hot shower. That was what I needed to clear my mind. Slowly, I opened the door and peeked out into the hall. The coast was clear and the bathroom was dark. I practically ran toward it, closing and locking the door behind me. Part of me liked the idea that Wes might come in to take a peek and make us even. The other part of me didn't trust myself to make good decisions if that happened.

  The hot water definitely felt good as it cascaded down my body, but it didn't help clear my mind in the least. If anything, it just loosened all the tension inside me and let my mind wander even more. My body tingled as I imagined Wes slipping into the shower behind me, wrapping me in those big strong arms, and pulling me tight against his muscular body.

  My hand slipped between my legs as I imagined Wes touching me there. My imagination ran rampant until fire exploded inside me, pleasure searing my body from inside out. I slumped against the cool tile of the shower wall, gasping for air.

  Shame washed over me as the pleasure began to fade away. I couldn't believe I had just done that. Wes was my step-brother or something equivalent, wasn't he? Besides, I didn't even like the guy! And yet, I'd just had one of the most explosive orgasms of my life just from thinking about him.

  God, I really needed to get my shit under control. I was not going to be another one of those girls at school, fawning all over Wes and treating him like a god.

  I took my time finishing up my shower, as if staying in, there might wash away the shame I felt. By the time I got out, the entire bathroom was filled with steam, which made me giggle. It was hard to believe the water had stayed hot for so long, especially since Wes had taken a shower right before me. Being rich definitely had its perks, and long-lasting hot water was at the top of the list.

  When I finally stepped out of the bedroom, I froze, hearing voices practically shouting at each other. I listened, trying to figure out who it was and where they were. To my surprise, it was coming from Chuck's room. Even with the door closed, I could make out his voice and Wes's.

  "You don't have to be such an ass," Chuck said. "It's not her fault."

  I couldn't quite make out what Wes was saying. He was doing a better job at keeping his voice down. At least he was until I heard a smacking sound followed by "Ow, fuck! Bastard!"

  I stifled a giggle, imagining Chuck hitting big, tough, Wes. I wasn't quite sure what they were arguing about, but I was sure Wes deserved getting hit.

  "It doesn't matter! It's your job to watch out for her, fuckhead. So get your head out of your ass and stop acting like a spoiled child! I can't be here, so it falls on you!"

  Wes said something else, his voice again low enough that I couldn't quite hear the words. But his voice was getting louder, and it sounded like he was moving toward the door. Quickly, I rushed down the hall, ducking into my room just as I heard Chuck's door opening.

  "She better not fuck things up," Wes shouted to his brother before stomping out into the hall.

  Carefully, I slid my door closed, not wanting him to know I'd heard part of their conversation. I wasn't sure what they'd been talking about, but it almost sounded like they'd been talking about me. Could Chuck have really been chastising Wes for how rude he had been? And if he had, why? It wasn't like he knew me at all.

  And why would it be Wes's job to watch out for me? I wasn't a child. I could take care of myself. I had done it for years, after all.

  Eventually, I flopped back down onto my bed, eager to put this whole stupid night behind me.

  Chapter 22

  I let out a sigh as the sun washed over me. It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny. The perfect time to relax by the pool for a bit of tanning, which was exactly what I planned to spend my day doing. Kathy had dragged Lucas somewhere first thing this morning. I wasn't sure where they had gone, but Lucas hadn't looked thrilled when they'd left.

  Wes had gone out to see his friends, and Chuck had done the same. Sebastian was still locked in his room, curtains drawn, nursing a hangover. Apparently, the youngest Cabot had indulged a little too much at the party last night.

  Not as bad as Adrian, though. She had texted me early this morning, telling me she felt like death warmed over, and I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe it'd be a lesson for her, I figured. But if not, it really wasn't my place to judge. She was my friend, not my child.

  I had invited her to come to lay by the pool with me, but she had wanted to go with the Sebastian method of recovering - hiding in the dark and pretending the world didn't exist.

  Which left me by myself, enjoying the peace and quiet while I worked on my tan. I couldn't ever remember getting to just lie out and tan like this before. Only once had we lived somewhere with a pool, and it was an above-ground one when I was nine or ten.

  Since I had no idea how long I would actually be here, I figured I might as well take advantage of the amenities while I could. After all, what was the point of living in a house that could've passed for a small hotel if I didn't make the most out of it?

  Laughter made me open my eyes and turn toward the door leading into the house. I frowned as a group of guys headed toward the door. When it opened and Wes appeared with a bunch of his wrestling buddies, I wanted to groan but managed to keep my mouth shut.

  I turned away from them and closed my eyes, trying to pretend they weren't even there.

  A wolf whistle made me open my eyes again. "Damn, Wes! You didn't tell us there'd be some eye candy, too!" one of the guys said, grinning as he looked me up and down. Everyone chuckled as they all stared at me.

  I fought the urge to cover myself up, but I wasn’t going to let them win. Pulling my sunglasses down to show my eyes, I stared at the guy who had made the comment. “Enjoy the view while you can. It’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to a girl who doesn’t need a boob job.”

  The guys all howled with laughter, pushing and jeering as they made their way over to the other lounge chairs. Hunter and I locked gazes when he walked passed, and I winked at him, earning myself another glare from Wes, who had been standing right behind him.

  I smiled sweetly at Wes, batting my eyes and doing my best to look like the absolute pinnacle of innocence. He didn’t buy it though and just let out a huff as he walked away.

  Hunter and I looked at each other again, and he smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat. He was definitely the kind of guy I wouldn't have minded slipping back inside with, but he was just as off-limits as Wes. No way was I going to get involved with someone connected to Wes. That was just asking for trouble— trouble I really didn't need.

  Nope, I would just admire from afar. If they were going to ogle me, they couldn't complain about me enjoying the view, could they? And damn if it wasn’t one hell of a view. Twelve muscular guys, all half-naked and wrestling around in the pool?

  Wes wasn’t the only one with a tattoo, either. Jaxson had a tribal tat snaking down his shoulder and around his right bicep. It wasn’t as intricate as Wes’s, but it was no less gorgeous. He wasn’t any less gorgeous either, but again, totally off-limits.

  “Not gonna come swim with us?” Jaxson hollered at one point. He was at the edge of the pool, grinning up at me. His crystal blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight. “What, afraid you might melt if you get a little wet?”

  I peered at him with a raised eyebrow. “Honey, I don’t think you could get me wet on your best day.”

  “Oh snap, she’s got you there, Jax!” Hunter appeared behind his friend and jumped on his back, dunking Jaxson under the water. He winked at me again before swimming off.

  I let
out a sigh and shook my head. Every once in a while, Wes would look over at me, but apparently, he didn’t have the balls to say anything after last night and had decided to go back to giving me the cold shoulder.

  After a while, I got tired of the constant leering stares. Stupid comments I could handle all day. But I could only handle so much of being looked at like I was a slap of meat that’d been plopped down in front of a den of wolves. Doing my best to ignore the guys, I collected my stuff and headed inside. So much for my relaxing day by myself, I thought bitterly.

  After getting some clothes out of my room, I headed for a shower.

  My goal was to wash off as quickly as possible, then check out the library, since I hadn't spent much time in there yet. But once I was standing beneath the shower spray, last night came flooding back to me. All I could see was Wes’s naked body on display in front of me. I imagined what it would be like for him to be in the shower with me, pressed against me, his hands roaming all over my wet body. When I finally climaxed, it was all I could do to stay standing. Again, I cursed myself as shame washed over me.

  I wasn't much better than the guys, apparently!

  Chapter 23

  "When did my dad die?" I blurted out in the middle of dinner a couple of nights after the beach party. Chuck had gone back to UCLA, leaving just the normal group in the house.

  Lucas looked at me in surprise and then frowned. Sebastian was still stuffing his face, as usual, and Kathy was basically pretending I didn't exist. Wes, on the other hand, was giving his father an odd look, one I couldn't quite place.

  "About sixteen, almost seventeen years ago? It wasn't long after you'd been born," Lucas said after a long moment. "Cancer."

  Mom had told me he'd died of cancer, but that was all the information she had ever given me. I wanted more than that, though. I had started getting used to having been dragged into this new world, and now I was ready to find out who my father was.