The Spare - Part Two (The Kings & Queens of St Augustus Book 2)

by Gemma Weir

  A second finger follows and my vision goes black. His arm wraps around the back of my legs, stopping me from collapsing as my knees go weak.

  He pumps in and out, fucking me with his fingers and barreling me over a cliff into an orgasm so strong that I fold at the waist, yanking at his hair as shudders assault me. My eyes are still squeezed tightly shut as he lifts me off the ground and lowers me to sit in his lap. My legs are straddling his as he slides his fingers back into me, pumping once then pulling them out and replacing them with his cock.

  “Ride me, Tally,” he demands, freeing my breasts and immediately pulling one into his mouth.

  Experimentally, I roll my hips, sucking in a sharp gasp as his cock hits a spot inside of me that makes a pulse of warmth burst to life. I do it again, grinding my hips as his hand moves to my ass, lifting me as I roll, then forcing me down hard onto his cock.

  “Oh,” I cry, when his dick is forced into me, hitting that spot again, increasing the warmth that I think is another orgasm stirring to life.

  “That’s it, little ghost, make yourself come,” he taunts, biting down on my nipple as he encourages me to move faster, lifting me then pulling me back down hard as I roll and grind, finding a rhythm that makes moans and pants fall from my lips as I let my head fall back.

  “Yeah, fuck,” he rasps, moving me faster, pulling me down harder each time as his hips move up to meet me, forcing him deeper.

  The heat becomes overwhelming and I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on tightly as he takes control, lifting me and moving me as his cock plunges into my soaked core until I explode. I bury my face in his neck as a scream rips from my throat and I see stars. His release comes almost immediately, and I hear his groan of pleasure as he lifts me one last time, then slams up into me, holding me hard, keeping me in place as a shudder rumbles through his body.

  We stay like that, wrapped in each other, just listening to the sounds of our rasping pants, feeling the beating of our hearts. I’m naked except for one shoe and my knee-high socks, and he’s fully dressed, his pants around his ankles.

  A giggle bubbles up, bursting from my lips and making me grip him a little tighter. “I still have my socks on.”

  “You in the socks and heels is sexy,” he says against my neck, his hand rubbing up and down my spine.

  Lifting me, he walks us into the bathroom where he strips his clothes, then my socks, before pulling me into the shower and washing every inch of me. When we’re both clean and dry, he lifts me up again and carries me into the bedroom, dropping me onto the bed, climbing on behind me and spooning me with his huge body.

  “Feel better?”

  I nod, not sure if he can see me.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes,” I say, exhaling tiredly.

  “How was it seeing your mom today?”

  “I should have been expecting it really. There was no way she was going to just let me walk away with no recourse.”

  He pulls me in a little tighter, his body curling around mine. “What do you think she’ll do next?” he asks softly.

  “I have no idea, maybe nothing,” I say hopefully.

  “Maybe,” he says, pressing a soft sweet kiss against my shoulder. “Now, I think I need to explain why this no sex thing you keep talking about is so fucking stupid.”

  “And how exactly do you plan to do that?” I ask a little saucily.

  A moment later he flips me to my back and positions himself between my legs. “Like this obviously,” he says with a wink, then he spends the next hour showing me over and over why us fucking is the best idea ever.

  By the time Carson and the guys show up in his limo, my body is sore but satisfied in the best way possible. Fitzy dropped off another rail of clothes while we were at school and the white wrap dress I’m wearing is really cute, especially paired with the gorgeous leather jacket and spike heeled boots.

  The auction is in full swing by the time we get there and it only takes me a few moments to realize that both my parents and Carrigan are here, as well as several of the families listed on my great grandfather’s approved husband material list.

  “Wow, your family just moved straight onto targets two, three, and four,” Watson remarks caustically.

  “They’re equal opportunity pyschos, they’ve been parading Carrigan like cattle at an auction to all of the families for years,” Arlo snarls angrily.

  “Really?” I ask.

  “You didn’t know?” he says, surprised.

  “They didn’t exactly tell me where they were going each night. I knew they wanted you and I’ve heard a few other names mentioned, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” I say, seeking my sister out and finding her standing at my mom’s side. There’s a smile on her face, but even from this distance I can see it’s hollow and empty, not reaching her eyes. “Poor Carrigan,” I say quietly.

  “Don’t feel sorry for Cruelligan, she loves this,” Arlo spews nastily.

  “Look at her, she’s miserable,” I say, nodding in my sister’s direction. “She didn’t ask for any of this either.”

  “She doesn’t have to play along,” Olly says, snagging glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handing them out to us all.

  “Doesn’t she? Maybe she hates this as much as I do,” I muse, wrinkling my nose when the champagne touches my lips. “Is there a bar anywhere? I really don’t like champagne.”

  “Stay here with the guys, I’ll go get you something else,” Arlo murmurs, pressing a kiss to my lips as he plucks the glass from my hands and walks away.

  “Want to go and look at the auction lots?” Carson says.

  “Sure, maybe there’s something fun we could buy.”

  As I peruse the displayed lots, I feel her presence before I see my sister appear at my side. “Hello, Carrigan.”

  “Hello, Tallulah,” she says quietly.

  Carson, Watson, and Olly all appear surrounding us, but I smile at them. “I’ll be fine,” I assure their unhappy glares, but reluctantly they all fall back a few feet, at least giving us the illusion of space.

  “They all seem very protective of you,” my sister says, not looking at me as she pretends to read the lot listings.

  “They saw my face. I think they all feel a little responsible now.”

  Her body language tenses, and she turns to look at me. “Why would they feel responsible?”

  “Because they all helped Arlo with the proposal,” I say honestly, not seeing the point in lying to her.

  Her laugh is light and sweet. “It really is all fake, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe, maybe not; either way nothing changes. I won’t sacrifice my life any longer. We should never have started it in the first place. I won’t go back into the shadows, not now I’ve had a taste of the sunshine again.”

  Her sigh is resolute. “I know. They haven’t accepted that yet though. Mom almost lost her mind when she saw the pictures of you in that article. You looked so different, so happy, with Arlo and the others. She’s jealous and you know that’s not going to end well.”

  Dropping all pretense, I turn and lock gazes with my twin, staring at the all too familiar face and wishing I could see something redeemable in her reflected stare. “Do you want the money so badly that you’re happy to live like this? Do you even like any of the guys that Mom and Dad are trying to get you to marry, or is this all you just going along with them because you have no idea what else to do?”

  She stays silent, her expression barely even flinching, but I see it.

  A flash of emotion hits me like a Mack truck and the desire to pull my sister into my arms, to hug her because she’s my twin and she’s hurting and alone, is almost overwhelming. “You hate this, don’t you?” I whisper.

  Her lips press together in a hard, firm line as she stares at me, not saying a word. Her silence says more than any words she could utter though, and I know that she’s as much a prisoner in her life as I was in mine.

  “Just fail,” I gasp, “All you have
to do is fail and then it’s all over. The money will be gone and you can run. I’ll help you run.”

  “It’s not that simple,” she says, her lips trembling.

  “Yes, it is. What can they do? One little slip and that stupid grade point average rule will destroy the fragile card house that godforsaken will has made you live in for the last three-and-a-half years. One B, that’s all it’s going to take. Then you can pick your future, you can pick your own destiny, your own husband, and you can walk away from them and be whoever you want to be,” I cry, a little too loud for the quiet room; but I don’t care, this is too important.

  “I can’t,” she says, her eyes haunted and lost. Then she turns and walks away, appearing at our mother’s side a minute later, just as Mom pushes a guy I recognize from school toward her.

  Charging across the room to the bar, I find Arlo and take the glass from his hand, throwing back the contents. “I want to go,” I say, loud enough for him to hear.

  His eyes rake over me, and he nods, taking the glass from me and placing it on the bar. Slinging his arm over my shoulders, he guides me back to where the others are standing a few feet away. “We’re leaving. Are you guys coming?”

  “Yes, this is boring as fuck and Missy’s sending me pussy pics again. She is totally DTF,” Watson says pumping his fist in the air.

  “DTF?” I ask.

  “Down to fuck,” he says with a wide grin.

  “You guys?” Arlo asks Carson and Olly who both nod that they’re ready to leave, despite the fact that we’ve been here less than ten minutes.

  The moment we’re all in the limo and the door is shut, Arlo turns to me. “What happened?”

  “Carrigan came to talk to me.”

  “What the fuck did she say to you?” he growls.

  “She hates it,” I cry. “She hates the money, our parents, the will’s stipulations, all of it. She hates it all.”

  “Did she tell you that?” Olly asks. “Because I can’t see her admitting that to you.”

  “No, but I saw it in her eyes. I know her, even if I don’t like her that much. She’s my twin and I could feel how miserable she is,” I cry, patting at my chest like I can show them where I felt her pain.

  “She’s the one in control, Tally. She could easily refuse to play the game, but she doesn’t. In fact, I’m fairly sure she loves it. I think she might be playing you. Did she say anything about you going home?” Carson asks, his eyes narrowed slightly.

  “No, I told her I was done, that I’d sacrificed enough, and she didn’t try to persuade me, but she’s miserable and as much as I hate the person she’s become, we have to help her.”

  The guys all look between each other, like they’re trying to decide who gets to tell me I’m acting crazy. I know this sounds like I’m getting played, but I saw the look in her eyes. I heard the unspoken words and now that I know, I can’t just leave her to her fate.

  Eighteen

  Arlo

  We all look at each other, none of us wanting to be the one to tell her that her sister is playing on her emotions, that she’s acting, but it’s the truth. Carrigan Archibald is almost as ruthless and conniving as her parents and I’m pretty confident that she’ll stop at nothing to get that money and the power that will come with it.

  Tally’s begging us with her eyes to believe her, to believe that there’s something beneath all of the bad in her twin, and for her sake I wish it were true, but it just isn’t.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, little ghost,” I say quietly, reaching for her hand and entwining it with mine.

  “This isn’t wishful thinking; this isn’t me being naïve. I saw it. I saw the way she looked. She wants out just as badly as I did,” Tally cries, imploring me with her eyes to believe her, to trust her.

  “Then she can get out. This is much easier for her than it was for you. All she has to do is refuse to play the game and it’s over. I hope you’re right and that she makes the right choice, but until she does, our plan needs to stay the same. We force their hand, we make sure everyone knows who you are, we make you untouchable,” I say soothingly, rubbing my thumb in a circle on the pulse point on her wrist.

  She nods, her eyes sad and resigned. “Okay.”

  The rest of the week passes in a blur of school, dinners and parties. We go to every single social engagement we can find, make sure that every single person in our school, including the teachers know exactly who Tally is and that we’re engaged.

  Carrigan doesn’t go to school for the rest of the week and with each day her sister is absent, Tally gets a little more determined. She’s got it in her head that Carrigan is as manipulated and blackmailed as she was, that she wants out, that she would rather walk away from the inheritance than live the rest of her life so controlled by a dead man’s wishes, but I’m not convinced.

  On Saturday night, Tally and I climb into my town car and let the driver ferry us to Peter Colesworthy’s annual ‘let’s get fucked up’ party in his parent’s penthouse. One weekend a year his parents go out of town and give him free rein to throw a ridiculous party, which usually ends with everyone crashing at his place.

  Fitzy pulled it out of the bag when he dropped off tiny denim shorts, a black lace bralette and yet another soft leather jacket for Tally to wear. Most of the girls tonight will be in similar tight designer dresses, but my girl will shine in her more casual, yet sexier outfit.

  I even fucking love the heeled Dr Martens boots she decided to wear instead of the sky high pumps Fitzy left for her. She looks sexy and tempting, and if we were in a limo instead of the town car I’d be fucking her already.

  The guys are all coming tonight, but as we’ve been a united front all week, I didn’t think we needed the impact of arriving as a group. Glancing to the girl at my right, I rest my hand on her thigh and lean in for a kiss. Without a thought, she presses her lips against mine and I fucking preen at how easy this all feels.

  How is it possible that three weeks ago I didn’t know she existed, when now I don’t know how I’ll be able to walk away when all of this is over? Fuck, the idea that this might be over soon guts me. I don’t know how long Carrigan will be able to go on maintaining her grades without Tally’s help. If she slips up on the first test, I could lose her in the next few weeks, or maybe her parents will bribe the school and I could keep her until graduation.

  Or maybe forever a small voice inside of me whispers.

  How did this happen? How did I go from being so repulsed by the idea of being engaged by the end of high school, to wanting more than I ever imagined with my little ghost?

  She lets out a quiet sigh and I know why I’m considering forever. Tally is so different than the vultures that are part of our circle. She’s strong and resilient and so fucking sexy I can barely keep my hands off her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything else, and even though we’ve had more sex in the last week than I’ve had in months, I’m always craving more: more of her attention, more of her.

  When the driver slows to a stop at the curb outside Peter’s house, I’m not ready to share her. She’s the first person I’ve ever felt selfish with, and that feeling is so alien, it’s unnerving. Even as the door is opening, I want to pull her back and keep her to myself. She’s mine and this overwhelming sense of possessiveness is demanding that I keep her close, that I protect her.

  Her smile is sweet as she glances back at me, her feet already out of the door. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  “We could just go home. I’ll get Susan to make us burgers, and those waffles with the s’mores sauce you like,” I say, tugging on her arm.

  Her laugh is light and trilling. “This party was your idea,” she reminds me.

  “Well, I’m an idiot.”

  “Come on, the guys are waiting for us. We can leave early if you want to, or you can go home now and I’ll hang out with the others for an hour then leave,” she suggests, her expression open and honest.

  “No, fuck that. I’m n
ot letting you go in there on your own,” I snarl, not sure why I’m being a caveman about this.

  “I wouldn’t be on my own. Olly, Carson, and Watson are all in there.”

  “No. Hell fucking no,” I say, twisting around and shuffling along the seat toward her.

  Rolling her eyes, she effortlessly climbs from the car and waits on the curb for me to follow her. Scrambling out, I reach for her the moment I’m upright, relieved when she easily molds against my body, letting me guide us both into the building.

  The sound of the party hits us the moment the elevator doors open into the opulent apartment. A DJ is set up in the corner of the living room and waiters are circling with champagne, followed by a girl dressed only in a bikini giving out shots in test tubes.

  “Jesus, it looks like every apartment from MTV Cribs has thrown up over this place,” I hiss, scowling at the gaudy décor. “Fucking new money.”

  “Wow, could you sound any more pretentious?” Tally mocks, spotting Carson out by the pool and waving at him.

  “Yes, I absolutely could be,” I say, arching my eyebrow and smirking. “Let’s get a drink.”

  She nods and I help her navigate the crowds of teenagers until we find the bar, manned by a bartender who looks to be barely older than us. “Can I get a Manhattan and…” I turn to Tally. “What do you want, baby?”

  “Can I just get a club soda for now please?”

  “And a club soda,” I say, turning back to the bartender.

  Taking the drinks when he hands them over, I drop a bill in his tip jar and pass Tally her glass. “Did I tell you how hot you look tonight?” I whisper, nipping at her earlobe.

  “I think you mentioned it once or twice,” she smirks, blinking up at me from beneath her dark lashes.

  “These shorts.” Reaching down, I palm her ass, sliding my fingertips under the hem of her indecently short shorts.

  “Are the most comfortable shorts I’ve ever owned. I already texted Fitzy to see if they make them in any other colors. If they do, I’m getting them all,” she coos excitedly.