SAVAGE: Rosewood High #3

by Lorraine, Tracy

  Her dark eyes flash with contempt, and it makes it really fucking tempting to expose her.

  Dropping my face so our cheeks brush, I whisper in her ear.

  “You’re not welcome here.”

  She shudders as my breath hits her ear, and the wicked smile it causes is still on my face when I pull back and look at her.

  “You know,” I say, taking a step back and allowing my eyes to roam over her. “I think that getting rid of you is going to be so much fun.” I wink as I back up to her door, grabbing my bottle as I go. “I think I’ll keep these.” I bring her tiny panties up to my nose and sniff. They’re clean and mostly smell like laundry detergent, but there’s still a hint of her. It makes my mouth water and excitement fill my veins.

  We’re going to have so much fun.

  4

  Raelynn

  I breathe a sigh of relief when he walks out of my room and slams his bedroom door closed. Racing over to my own, I gently push it to and fall back against it. I have no idea what I was expecting from him. Everything that Eric had told me about Ethan was all positive. But what I just got… that was anything but.

  I understand this is a big change. I totally get that his mom only left recently, and his life has been thrown upside down. He’s underestimating one thing, though. My life is in a constant state of upside down, and him threatening me does not scare me.

  I’ve experienced, and handled, worse than jumped-up little rich boys who think they can throw their weight around just because they live in some fancy house and get to do whatever the fuck they like with Daddy’s money.

  Oh Ethan, you might think you’re in charge here, but you’re about to be bitterly disappointed when I don’t bow down to your greatness.

  I push away from the door and turn to look at it, hoping I might find a lock, but sadly it doesn’t exist.

  The sudden boom of loud music from across the hall makes me jump. My fists ball and my lips purse that he’s got the power to make me flinch like that. I tell myself there and then that I’ll never allow him to see my fear. I’ve locked it down before; I can do it again just to prove to him that I won’t be beaten.

  I dig into my suitcase for some underwear. Thankfully I wasn’t intending to put on the pair he just walked out with. Fucking idiot. I find a large t-shirt to pull over my head to sleep in. I brush out my hair and crawl into bed with it still wet. I’m not one of those girls who gives a shit how it ends up looking if by some small miracle I do actually manage to get to sleep tonight. I’ve been battling insomnia for a few years now, and if that wasn’t bad enough, add the new bed, the different surroundings, and the asshole across the hall with his banging bass and I’m pretty confident that sleep is going to elude me. The one thing that I refuse to allow to mess with my sleep, though, is his threats. He can suck on those. He doesn’t scare me.

  I sit against the massive pillows with my back pressed against the ornate headboard of my bed and look around. The room itself is pink. Do I look like a girl who likes fucking pink? The fact that I can smell the slight hint of paint means this was done recently. Eric’s known me for months, did he really think I’d want a pink fucking room? I thought he was supposed to be intelligent with this fancy-pants business empire.

  Shaking my head, I look at all the furniture. There’s more in this one room than Mom and I have had in any of our apartments put together. There’s a hairdryer, straighteners, and products already lining the dressing table along with a fully stocked bathroom. Not a single thing has been overlooked. Probably modeled on the kind of hotel room he frequents, not that I’d have any clue what they would be like since the best I’ve experienced is flea-ridden motels when we’ve run away from another of my mother’s terrible life choices.

  * * *

  The pounding music from his room must have eventually lulled me to sleep, because when I wake the next morning, it’s with the sun streaming in through the curtains that I apparently didn’t shut last night.

  The house is in blissful silence as I walk to my en suite to start the day, although I can’t say that I do it with much enthusiasm. The ball of dread that formed while his haunted blue eyes stared into mine that I didn’t want to acknowledge is still there, only I think it’s bigger.

  Still dressed in my oversized t-shirt, I open the doors leading out to the balcony and find a small outdoor loveseat tucked into the corner, and a coffee table. As I look out over the beach and the blue sparkling sea, a smile finds its way to my lips for the first time since I learned of this move. I think I’ve found my favorite place here. It’s still early, but the nighttime chill in the air covers my skin in goosebumps and I welcome them.

  I stand, leaning against the railing for the longest time, or at least it feels that way seeing as I’ve yet to have my morning coffee. With the hope of caffeine giving me a little extra bounce in my step, I pull on a pair of jeans and a black shirt and go in search. With the amount of money Eric seems to have, I have every confidence that I’m not about to find a shitty discount store jar of coffee hiding in a cupboard but something that actually will hit the spot.

  I’m proved right when I eventually find the kitchen and spot a scary looking machine built into one of the cupboards. I walk up to it, my head tilting to the side slightly as I try to figure out how the fucking thing works.

  “It’s not as complicated as it looks, dear,” a soft voice says from behind me, and I practically hit the ceiling. I turn, my eyes as wide as saucers, my heart jack-hammering in my chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you saw me sitting here.” She lowers her own coffee and pushes the chair out behind her.

  “I’m Rachel, the housekeeper. You must be Raelynn.” She’s probably early forties with light brown hair with flecks of gray. She’s short, although not as short as me, and a little plump around the middle. But she has the softest eyes and the gentlest face I think I’ve ever seen. “The mugs are kept up here.” She reaches up and pulls one down. I look at the size of it, and I don’t realize my thoughts are written all over my face until she speaks again. “Bigger?”

  “Much, much bigger.”

  “How big things are is certainly not something you need to worry about in this house.” His voice makes my spine go ramrod straight.

  Rachel shakes her head and sighs, clearly used to Ethan’s brand of inappropriateness. “Good morning, Ethan.”

  “It sure is.”

  I don’t turn to look at him, instead standing frozen to the spot in the hope that I might suddenly have the power to turn invisible.

  When the heat of his chest seeps into my back, I start to wonder if I actually am and he’s about to walk right through me. But sadly, it’s not the case. He presses his front against me as he stretches up to the cupboard and pulls down a mug. It’s red with a huge B on it, I assume for his dumb football team, but it’s not what really catches my attention because it’s his hands that my eyes focus on. They’re rough. His knuckles look like he punched something in the recent past, but there’s something about them that just captivates me.

  “I hope you had a good night,” he breathes into my ear, causing my entire body to shudder against his. “If I were you, I’d start sleeping with one eye open. You might be forced to leave at any moment.”

  My breath catches as his huge hand lands on my hip and squeezes until it starts to sting.

  “Ethan, I hope you’re playing nice.”

  He takes a huge step back, and it’s almost as if I imagined the whole thing as he comes to stand in front of me and begins making his own coffee, totally ignoring the fact that I was quite obviously about to get a lesson on how to use it.

  His wide shoulders and muscular back block my view, and I chastise myself for thinking about how damn sculpted his back is beneath his skin-tight shirt.

  It’s not until the machine stops that he turns. He takes a sip, not even flinching when the boiling liquid hits his lips.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you waiting?”

  I roll my eyes at him, but I do
n’t miss Rachel leaving the room as I do so. Sadly, Ethan glances up and catches it as well.

  “You don’t scare me, you know.”

  “Is that so? I’d rethink that if I were you, because I’m about to become your worst nightmare, sweet cheeks. Whatever it is that keeps you up at night, that’s exactly what I’m going to be.” I swallow nervously as one face pops into my mind. One that is most definitely not welcome.

  He steps forward and I have no choice but to take one back to stop us colliding. My back hits the wall and I flinch.

  His huge frame towers over me, a low chuckle falling from his lips. His eyes bounce between mine as I fight to keep my fear from them. His, however, are cold, and the sight has a tremble threatening to race through me, but I fight it. I will not show this, this… bully that he affects me in any way. I have a right to be here. I understand the circumstances of mine and my mother’s arrival aren’t all that desirable, but we’re here nonetheless.

  Leaning forward on his forearms, he continues to stare down at me while his freshly showered manly scent fills my nose and kickstarts a bunch of traitorous butterflies in my belly.

  He opens his mouth and my eyes drop to his lips. He leans forward and my heart skips a beat that he’s going to kiss me. But at the last second, his face turns.

  “Watch your back.”

  And then he’s gone. He quickly pushes from the wall and disappears from the room and quickly out of the house.

  I sag back, my breathing erratic and my hands trembling as I try to get my head in the game. He’s trying his best to scare me, and although the emptiness in his eyes when he looks at me does instill a little of it in me, it’s nothing compared to what I’ve experienced in the past. Nothing that Ethan can do will hurt me. He’s all talk. He won’t touch me.

  “Good morning, honey,” Mom says when she and Eric join me in the kitchen a while later. “Would you like a coffee?”

  “Y-Yes.” I’ve managed to move myself from the wall in favor of the chair that Rachel was occupying when I first walked in.

  I watch as Mom practically bounces her way toward me. She’s so fucking happy right now, it’s sickening. I wonder what she’d think about the situation if I admitted to Ethan’s less than welcoming treatment of me?

  “We heard you chatting with Ethan. Did he already leave for school?”

  “I-I guess so.” All I know is that he’s no longer in the house, and right now that’s all I care about.

  “That’s a shame. Rachel’s set us up a family breakfast. Sadly, they don’t get to happen all that much with the traveling I do,” Eric says, pressing the button that brings the coffee machine back to life. “What’s your preference, Rae?”

  It’s only when he asks that I remember the reason I came down here in the first place was to get my morning caffeine fix.

  “Black, please. No sugar.”

  “Sweet enough, huh?”

  “Something like that,” I mutter.

  I follow both of them through to a different room, and my chin drops when I take in the fancy looking dining room, but what really blows my mind is the amount of food covering the fourteen-seat table. He’s never here, Eric just admitted that, so why the hell they need a table for fourteen God only knows.

  I hesitate in the doorway, feeling totally uncomfortable in this situation. I was much more at home in the tiny apartments that Mom and I have shared with half a loaf of moldy bread to eat between us.

  “Come on, honey. Come and eat,” Mom encourages, looking more at home than I think I’ve ever seen her. I’m glad this kind of wealth looks good on one of us.

  I pick at a croissant while Mom and Eric chat away, but I have no clue as to what they’re actually talking about. My brain is still trying to process how this is now my life.

  “Rae, Rae, Raelynn…” Eric repeating my name eventually drags me from my inner turmoil, and I look up at him.

  “Huh?”

  “I was just explaining that Principal Hartmann is expecting you to start at Rosewood High on Monday, so you’ve got a few days to get a feel for the place before the hard work starts. Do you have any idea what you would like to do after graduating?”

  “Um… no, not yet.” That’s not entirely true. I know I want to go to college, if I can afford it, and I know that I want to get out on my own. I’m aware that might mean me getting a job here and saving some money before I’m able to do so, but my dream is freedom, to find a home and to stay there.

  “Well, that’s fine. There’s still time. Miss French, the guidance counselor at Rosewood, is fantastic. She’s really helped Ethan try to figure out what he wants; I’m sure you’ll find her just as helpful. Set up a meeting as soon as you can, yeah?”

  “Sure thing. Are we done? Do you mind if I…” I trail off, hoping that my longing look toward the exit is clear enough.

  “You’ve hardly eaten anything, honey. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I actually had something before you came down.” It’s a lie and one that I’m not proud of. The one solid thing that Mom and I have had over the years is our honesty. It’s not always been pretty, but we’ve always told each other the truth, and I feel like I’ve just betrayed her. I walk out of that room with a heavy heart as well as a messed-up head.

  I make myself another coffee before disappearing up to my room to try to figure out what the fuck I’m supposed to do with myself before I start school on Monday. I get what Eric was trying to do, but quite frankly, I think I’d rather be dropped in at the deep end and forced into my new life this morning. It’s not like it would be the first time it’s happened.

  My coffee has long been drunk, and the sound of Eric’s car has long since faded as it pulled out of the driveway. He’d promised to show Mom around town properly. I was invited, but aside from being forced to spend time with Ethan, quite honestly, I couldn’t think of anything worse.

  With the house all but empty, I eventually decide to go exploring. I poke my head into every single room I find. I swear they get bigger and grander with every door I open. I find countless bedrooms. A living room, a snug thing, a games room, even a fully kitted out home gym with indoor pool, along with all the other rooms I’d expect. After shrugging a jacket on and slipping my feet into my boots, I discover what outside has to offer. The infinity pool takes my breath away, but I can’t deny that the glistening blue water doesn’t beg for me to jump in. I don’t even own a swimsuit. I guess that’s something that’s going to need resolving, seeing as this place has not one but two pools… and a jacuzzi, I find when I turn the corner. There’s even a full-on pool house out here. If anyone had told me that this was going to be where I found myself at the end of this year, I would have laughed in their face.

  Although it’s obviously nice, I feel totally out of place and uncomfortable being here. I’m so far out of my comfort zone I can’t even see it in the distance. I belong in a damp old apartment with barely-working appliances and constantly lukewarm water. Not here in what I can only describe as a mansion. Mom, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have had an issue settling into our new home if her smile as she bid me farewell earlier was anything to go by.

  I leave one room to last. Do I feel like a creep as I twist his doorknob and push it open? I sure do. But do I care? Not one little bit.

  In my head, I had images of a dark, musty smelling, messy room, but what I walk into is very much not that. The walls are painted light grey, the bedding and the furniture are black, but the curtains are all open, allowing the sun to stream in. There aren’t clothes all over the floor and the surfaces aren’t covered in dirty dishes and moldy food. It’s just… clean. My brows draw together as I look around. This perfectly organized room doesn’t go with my image of Ethan at all.

  Pulling the door shut once I start to feel awkward for intruding on his space, I get myself ready, grab my purse, and head out. I’ve explored the house; now it’s time to find out what this little town is really like.

  5

  Ethan
>
  I don’t bother to see if anyone else is here yet. Instead I head straight for the gym before practice starts.

  Every single muscle in my body is locked up tight after my interaction with her this morning.

  I was expecting some young little kid to turn up, but it seems that what I’ve got instead is a defiant bitch who’s brave enough to stand up to me. Stupid, stupid girl.

  She might think that she’s dealing with someone who’s pissed off at the world, but she has no idea how deep the wound is that my dad’s left me with.

  I change into my sweats and a t-shirt and hit the weights. The pull of my muscles helps ease the ache in my chest that seems ever-present these days. The easiest way to get rid of it is to drink, but I promised both Jake and Mason that would ease up after turning up to school still drunk the week before last. I can’t help it. It’s the only thing that makes it all go away. To forget that Mom’s left and Dad’s moved his fancy woman, and her daughter, into our house. It’s our house. My family’s. Neither of them belong there.

  My anger fuels me and keeps me pushing forward until a familiar face appears at my side.

  “Well, I must admit that it’s better finding you in this sweaty state rather than in any other you’ve been in recently.”

  Jake takes the weight from me and props it back up onto the bench. Sitting, I suck in a few deep breaths as the pain in my arms subsides.

  “Come on, Coach is waiting.”

  I follow him out to the field where Coach embarks on another inspirational speech after our division win. We’re on a bye-week this week so plenty of time to listen to him try to fire us up and to prepare for our first playoff game against Manor Crossing Bobcats next week.

  We only get a few drills in before Coach calls time, telling us that he’s going to grind our asses after class.