“But…but I never did anything to him,” she protested.
“Apparently, you didn’t have to,” Deke replied. “He hates you that much, Linnie.”
Roselyn propped her elbows on the desk and her face fell into her hands. Deke and I remained silent as we let her process what we just told her. We gave her time to understand that we were speaking the truth. Brandon hadn’t batted an eyelash as he discussed his friends raping her, and she was going to have to find a way to still exist around him for the sake of her mother’s marriage. Or, who knows, maybe this was going to end her mother’s marriage.
After a few tense minutes, Roselyn’s head snapped up and the look on her face almost dropped me.
She looked feral.
The corner of her lip curled as she snarled, “So, what? You guys didn’t even like me? You guys weren’t even attracted to me that night? Oh, my God, you guys, what? Felt like giving me a pity fuck? You guys felt sorry for me and the past year was what? Payment for your protection?”
Before I could reply at the disgust in her voice, Deke’s hands were planted on top of the desk and he was boring down on her. “Let’s get something straight, Roselyn,” he seethed. “What happened that night had nothing to do with pity. We went up there to befriend you. We went up there to make sure nothing happened to you because Liam and I don’t condone fucking rape.”
“Deke-”
He turned to face me. “No, Lee,” he snapped. “She needs to hear this, and she needs to hear the facts and not what you’re feeling right now.” He didn’t let me argue as he turned back to face Roselyn. “We went up there because we knew you weren’t close to anyone. We knew Brandon’s popularity and last name made him more powerful than you. We went up there to make sure that you felt like you had someone-or two someones-you could turn to for help if Greene ever did cross the line.” He leaned down further in her face. “We did not go up there to pity fuck you!”
I couldn’t see her because Deke was taking up all the space in front of her desk, but I heard her. “Then what was it?!” she yelled back at him.
“It was a lot of things, Roselyn,” he continued to bark out. “We went up there to make sure you were okay, but the more we hung out with you, the more we liked you. The more we learned about you, the sexier you became. The booze helped rid the inhibitions, but it wasn’t the booze that got our dicks hard. It was you. Your face, your body, your personality, Roselyn. Those are the reasons we ended up fucking you that night. They’re the same reasons we’ve been fucking you.”
Roselyn stood up and Deke stepped back from the desk. Now that I could see her, I noticed her eyes were shiny, but her face had heartbreak written all over it.
Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Deke. “But you have to admit you weren’t emotionally invested in me that night, right?” She didn’t let either of us answer. “So, of course, it was easy enough to share me. And since I didn’t show one ounce of modesty or self-respect, it was just as easy to keep sharing me, right? Right?!”
I made my way towards her at the same time Deke turned from her and stormed over to the desk. I could hear him kick the shit out of the wood. It’d be a miracle if this room was left standing in one piece by the time lunch was over. But as pissed off as Deke was, it was nothing compared to the rage I was feeling.
Deke’s rage was a result of her constant insult to the respect her had for her. My rage was a result of her constant insult to my love for her. She knew I loved her even if I haven’t said the words to her yet.
I wanted to throttle her.
I wanted to outright murder her.
This shit was getting old, and I was fucking tired of it. In class she made it sound like we were finally reaching a mutual understanding about our relationship, but she’s throwing that sharing shit in our faces again.
I couldn’t help myself. “We never fucking shared you!” I roared.
Chapter 17
Roselyn~
A pissed off Deke Marlow and Liam McCellan were a sight to be seen.
But I was pissed off, too.
I was pissed off, and hurt.
I knew they weren’t lying about Brandon, but the knowledge was still too difficult to process. I knew Brandon hated me, but to give his friends permission to rape me? To be fine with violating a person who never did anything to you? To know I was living with a person who had no conscience about orchestrating someone’s rape? And I was supposed to continue living in the same house as him?
However, to find out that Deke and Liam never really had wanted to be with me was a real sledgehammer to the heart. All this time I thought they used that lie about Brandon to approach me, but now that I thought about it, what a joke! Liam and Deke didn’t need to lie or pretend to do anything. They took. They were the top of the food chain in Sands Cove. They didn’t need to pretend anything.
I needed an outlet for everything I was feeling, and since Brandon was nowhere to be seen, that left these two. “Then what the hell do you call it, if it wasn’t sharing me?” I spewed hatefully.
Deke was back to standing in front of me. He was standing next to Liam, glaring at me very much like Liam was. “You keep accusing us of sharing you like you didn’t have a fucking choice, Roselyn,” he spat. “You keep saying that shit like we held you captive somewhere and just used you until we were done. We didn’t fucking share you!”
What where they talking about? Of course, they shared me. “You guys-”
Liam picked up where Deke left off in his rage. “The first time I kissed you, you kissed me back voluntarily. When Deke put his hands on you, you moaned in approval. We never did anything that you didn’t want us to do, Roselyn,” he snapped. “You always led. You always called the shots. There was so much more filthy shit we could have done with you, but we didn’t because you. Always. Called. The. Shots.”
“We never shared you,” Deke repeated. “We never shared you. Whenever it was us three together, it was you managing us. You weren’t there to please us, Roselyn. You were never there to please us. We were there to please you. And when we could no longer please you together, we stopped. We fucking stopped because it’s always been about you.”
I reared back, shocked. “You make it sound like I was using you guys or something.”
“And now you know how you make us feel every fucking time you accuse us of sharing you,” Liam snarled. “We were in an agreeable relationship, no matter how it came to be, Roselyn. You’re the one who keeps treating it as some sleazy secret. I’ve been in this since the beginning because I liked you. Deke’s been in it from the beginning because he was attracted to you, and there is a difference. It’s that same difference that made me take your virginity. It’s that same difference that made me always stay afterwards. It’s the same difference that gave me all your firsts.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between these two beautiful boys and their words were shattering everything I believed was between us this past year. This entire time I thought I was just some girl they were sleeping with for kicks, but apparently, I was wrong.
I’ve been wrong.
My mind raced with all the times we were together, and flashes of memories were assailing me, and I couldn’t pinpoint one time when they hadn’t let me lead. It was just like they were saying. Everything we’ve ever done had to maximize my pleasure. They had only one girl to fulfill their multiple needs, but I had two guys to fulfill my every one.
They were right.
Even the times when I was with them separately, Deke and Liam had always made sure their pleasure came second to mine. They’d both been generous lovers each, and every time. And Deke was spot on when he said I was acting like I didn’t have a choice. I made it sound like they were using me, and I had no say in the matter. I kept saying they were sharing me like they were literally passing me back and forth.
Oh, God! How arrogant of me to think they needed to share me. This was Deke Marlow and Liam McCellan. They could have any girl they wanted and any of
those girls would love to be in bed with these two. And, knowing what they were capable of, I wouldn’t blame them one bit.
“I don’t know what you thought this was,” Deke said, “but this has always been about you. It’s always been how turned on you’d get when you had two sets of hands on your body. It’s always been about what you wanted us to do to you.”
“And we did it,” Liam added. “We did it because seeing you soak the bed is the sexiest fucking thing we’ve ever seen.”
I could feel my face burn with embarrassment. Now that I was no longer sleeping with Deke it seemed weird to be talking about this so blatantly. And it seemed wrong to talk about sleeping with another guy if Liam really was going to be my boyfriend.
I took a deep breath and all the fight left my body. I looked between the two boys and told them the truth. “It’s a lot to process,” I said. “I…I know you’re not lying about Brandon, but…my mind doesn’t want to accept it just yet. It…it’s going to change everything.” Deke seemed to calm, and Liam just gave me a small nod. “And…I’m sorry about…I’m sorry I made you guys feel…uncomfortable…”
Liam took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. “We know,” he murmured against my skin.
When he pulled back, I looked over at Deke and he winked at me. “It’s okay, Linnie,” he said. “Just…just cut us some slack, will ya? No matter what we’ve done, and no matter where we go from here, we’ve always respected you. All I ask is that you quit treating us like we didn’t.”
I felt properly shamed. Deke was right. They never told anyone what we were doing. They even pretended to flirt with other girls just to make sure no one found out about us. They always protected my reputation and they’ve always been good to me.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “You guys are right. You never did anything that I didn’t ask for or enjoy. I was just…I think I thought I was supposed to be ashamed, you know? Being with two guys at the same time.”
Deke rolled his eyes. “Linnie, the only difference between you and other females is that you were brave enough to explore your sexual fantasies. There’s a reason double-ended dildos sell.”
Liam barked out a laugh, while my face turned red. “Yeah, well…we never…”
Deke smirked. “Because you never asked,” he said. “But even if you had, we wouldn’t have, Linnie. You’ve always belonged to Liam.” He was saying pretty much the same thing Liam had told me. The only reason they never fucked me at the same time was because that would have meant I belonged to them equally, and I never did.
I’ve always belonged to Liam.
My eyes started to shine, and I was pretty sure I was about to cry like a girl. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “I’ll…I’ll work on it, I promise.”
Liam cocked his head at me. “Do you need me to say it?” It’s the third time he’s asked, but this time was different.
This time I wanted him to.
I nodded my head and his face softened while those brilliant blue eyes of his flashed. “I love you, Roselyn,” he whispered.
“Okay,” Deke muttered. “That’s my cue to leave.”
I turned towards him. “Why? Are the feelings making you uncomfortable?” I teased.
Deke smiled, and, God, he really was a gorgeous boy. “Nah,” he replied. “This just isn’t my moment, Linnie. It’s yours and Liam’s and I don’t need to be here for it.”
I watched as he walked out of the classroom, but he made sure to lock the door on his way out. I looked back at Liam, and he was still looking at me with all the feelings he had for me shining in his eyes. “I love you, Roselyn,” he repeated.
“Are you sure?” I knew he was. I knew there was no way Liam McCellan would say those words to someone and not mean them.
“I’ve always loved you, Roz,” he answered. “I just didn’t want to scare you off. And then when you said you wanted a boyfriend, well, baby, there was never going to be anyone else for you.”
I wanted to say the words back.
I really did.
I felt them everywhere, but I didn’t want my words tainted with what I’ve just learned about Brandon. “Liam, I-”
“I know you have a lot going on in that head of yours right now, Roz,” he interrupted. “I know you have a lot to process and…well, just don’t say anything, baby. Not until you’re ready.”
I wasn’t going to say the words.
I really wasn’t.
But I couldn’t hold them in even if I still wanted to. “I love you, too, Liam,” I whispered.
“Thank you, God.”
Chapter 18
Liam~
You’d think I’d be walking on the motherfucking clouds right now, but I wasn’t.
Roselyn assured me she was okay after we left the classroom and joined the others for lunch, but I knew the news about Brandon hit her hard. She was right when she said the knowledge changed everything for her. Would she be able to continue to live in that house with him now that she knew? And if she couldn’t, what would she tell her mom? Would she tell her the truth? And if she did, how would that affect her marriage to Brandon’s dad?
The worry was pissing me off all over again, and that’s why instead of heading to sixth period, like I was supposed to, I was in the guys’ locker room waiting for Brandon. As far as I knew, he had headed my first warning, but now that Roselyn was officially my girlfriend, I felt like I needed to reinforce the original threat.
I was leaning up against his gym locker when he rounded the corner. His steps faltered when he saw me, but then he righted himself and kept walking. He had to know something was up, but he stopped in front of me and didn’t cower. “McCellan,” he simply said.
“Greene,” I replied, just as simply.
“What’s up?”
I stood to my full height, which put me at about a couple of inches taller than him and told him what was up. “Do you recall that tender heart-to-heart we had last year?”
His face blanched a bit, but he answered, “About Roselyn? Yeah, I remember.”
“Good, good,” I nodded condescendingly. “Here’s the thing, Greene. As of today, Roselyn is more than just Emerson Andrews’ friend. She’s my girlfriend.” His face really paled, but I continued because I couldn’t give two fucks if this asshole passed out or not. “Yep, that’s right, Greene. Your stepsister is my girlfriend.”
His breathing was shuttered, but he spoke well enough. “I see.”
I cocked my head to the side. “I hope you do see,” I told him. “I hope you do, because if you don’t, there will nowhere you can hide from me, Greene. What happened to Jamie, Roman, and Ricky will be child’s play compared to what I will do to you if you so much as accidentally drink Roselyn’s soda from the fridge. Do you understand me?”
“Look, Liam-”
“No, you look, Brandon,” I snarled at the fuckface. “Roselyn didn’t marry your dad. Her mother did. And her mother married him because he asked. You keep taking that shit out on Roselyn, Hell will rain down on you in the form of me, Deke, Ramsey, and especially Emerson. So, I’m only going to tell you this once more, stay the fuck away from Roselyn.”
He looked like he wanted to say some shit, but then he must have thought better of it, because he ended up just saying, “Okay. Got it.”
I went to walk past him but stopped when our shoulders met. “Good, because she’s more than just my girlfriend, Greene. I’m in love with her. Know that, and understand what that means.” I didn’t wait for his reaction or reply. I walked out of the locker room and out of the gym not really caring that I was late for sixth period. Once I got there, class was in full swing, but the teacher ignored me as I walked towards the back to sit next to Deke.
He didn’t waste any time. “Did you find Greene?”
“Yeah,” I answered low enough to keep the conversation private. “I told him Roselyn was my girlfriend now and so what we told him a year ago just doubled.”
“What’d he say?”
I loo
ked over at Deke. “Nothing, really. He looked like he wanted to talk, but he just nodded and agreed, instead.”
“What are you going to do about her living with him?”
Now there’s a question.
Ideally, I’d have her move in with me, but Roselyn didn’t have parents like the rest of us. Sure, her father was out of her life, but she actually had a loving mother. Hell, up until her father turned into an asshole, she had two loving parents. She knew what it felt to have parents who cared about her life. She had a mother who wanted to be involved and cared about, whether or not, Roselyn was safe and happy. I’m not sure she’d just approve Roselyn moving in with me even if she was already legally an adult. I had no clue how parents who cared saw the world.
I shrugged a shoulder. “All I can do is ask her,” I told him. “I guess it’s going to come down to whether she feels safe around him or not.”
Deke leaned back in his seat. “I don’t like it,” he mumbled.
I shook my head. “Neither do I,” I admitted. “But I gotta tread lightly on this, Deke. I don’t care what happened at lunchtime. Roselyn can still be spooked easily if I don’t watch it.” He nodded because he knew it was true.
It wasn’t that I was doubting her words, but I knew it had been a lot to process. I believed she loved me, but it would have been better had we’d been able to say it to each other without the fighting about Brandon and the fighting about me, her, and Deke. The situation didn’t take away from the words and their meaning, but our first declarations of love were tainted by everything else.
There was also the fact that I didn’t really know what I was doing. Roselyn’s the first and only girl I’ve ever been in love with. I wanted to force her to live with me, but I didn’t think that’d go over very well. However, I didn’t really know how to be a partner. If I wanted something, I took it; end of story.
The Enemy Series Page 28
