by Caitlyn Dare
“I’m fine. We’re actually just going to…” I point to the door.
Silence descends around the room. With Remi’s bag in one hand and hers in the other, we make our way to the door.
“Ace?” Sarah calls before we’re out of the house.
“Yeah?”
“T-Thank you. Thank you for looking after my girl.”
“Always.” I nod at her before we disappear around the corner.
“How long did you pack for?” I ask, placing Remi’s case in the corner of my bedroom.
“Long enough.”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I duck down so she’s got no choice but to look at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She frowns, so I add, “About the text messages?”
“I was worried about what you’d do, and I didn’t want to lose you.”
“What have I told you? You’re not going to lose me. Not ever, okay?”
She stares off at nothing, and I slide my fingers under her jaw, tilting her face to mine. “Remi, baby. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I’m not sure I want to go back there.”
“Back wher—oh.”
She offers me a sad smile that breaks my heart in fucking two. “It took me so long to be able to sleep without barricading my own door after he disappeared. He just walked in through the back door. I’m never going to feel safe there again.”
“I’m sure your mom will understand that. She’ll probably agree. You guys can find a new place.”
She looks away from me, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
“What? What aren’t you telling me?” I hate that she’s hiding how she’s really feeling right now.
“I don’t want a new place, Ace. I want…” She blows out a breath. “I want to be here… with you.”
“Oh,” falls from my lips before a smile pulls at the corners. “You want to move in with me, Princess?”
She nods. “I know I’m safe when I’m with you.” The honesty in her voice guts me.
“As incredible as that sounds, I’m not sure they’re going to be all that happy with the idea.” I flick my eyes up to the main house.
“I don’t care, Ace. We’re both eighteen. We can choose what we want to do. This is our life. And I choose you.”
“I choose you too, Princess.” I run my nose against hers, holding her that little bit tighter. “Let’s just be us tonight, and we’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“It’s just me and you, Princess. Always me and you.”
Dropping my lips to hers, I kiss her so deeply that there’s no chance of her ever forgetting.
This girl owns me.
And I’ll spend my life trying to make it up to her.
Starting with right now.
Epilogue
Ace
Something tickling across my chest wakes me the next morning. A smile begins to twitch at my lips, knowing that it’s Remi, before images from last night slam into me and my eyes widen in horror.
“Hey, it’s okay,” she says, soothingly.
Turning to her, I find her large eyes staring up at me.
“Everything’s okay, Ace. I’m okay.” I nod, holding her closer to me and breathing her in.
I didn’t realize that falling in love would cause enough stress to age me at least ten years in only a few weeks.
“I know you’ve probably got other plans right now, seeing as you’re poking me in the thigh, but I’m really hungry.”
“Like, must eat right this minute hungry, or you could survive ten to fifteen minutes without starving?” I ask, crawling between her legs. Dropping my lips to her breasts, I suck one of her nipples into my mouth.
“I-I’m sure I could wait… a c-couple of minutes,” she admits as my fingers find her center. “Ace,” she moans.
Fuck, I’ll never get enough of this. Of hearing her cry out my name.
I work her until she’s ready for me, and then I push her the final way to her orgasm with my cock buried as deep inside her as it’ll go.
Her eyes flicker shut as pleasure races through her.
The second she comes down from her high, I flip us over.
“Ace, what are you… oh.” She smiles down on me.
Her messed-up hair is hanging around her shoulders, her cheeks pink from her release and her nipples hard, desperate for my touch once more. It’s one fine fucking sight to have in a morning.
“Ride me, Princess. Then we’ll get you some food.”
By the time we shower and dress, it’s almost an hour later, but Remi doesn’t complain. I’m sure the three orgasms I gave her helped.
When we walk into the kitchen, we find James, Sarah, Conner and Ellen all sitting around the table, chatting.
“Good morning,” Sarah and James sing in unison like an old married couple.
“Uh… morning,” I say, taken a little off guard by the family gathering. It’s not the kind of thing we see in this house every day.
“Come and sit down. Ellen’s made enough pancakes to feed five thousand, but since Conner is here, you’d better hurry,” James chuckles.
As if to prove a point, Conner loads his plate with a huge stack of pancakes.
“Just Cole to go now,” Sarah says, almost nervously.
“Is everything okay, Mom?” Remi asks, obviously noticing her mother’s unease.
“Of course, sweetie. We’ve just got a few things we need to talk to you all about.”
“Okay.” Remi and I both fill our plates and tuck in.
“It sounds like he’s finally out of bed,” Conner mutters when the creak of footsteps above us fills the room.
“I’m pretty sure he was off his face last night,” Conner mumbles around a piece of pancake.
“Again?” I ask, concern lacing through me for my youngest brother’s state of mind right now.
“He’ll be fine. He’s just trying to deal.” Conner nods at James, not that it really needed pointing out. While Conner seems to have transitioned fairly well from discovering his uncle is actually his dad, Cole is struggling to get his head around it all.
Eventually Cole’s footsteps get louder as he makes his way toward us.
“Good morning,” James and Sarah both sing once again when he appears around the door, looking seriously worse for wear. There’s a fakeness to their voices which has me on edge. Something big is about to happen, but I’ve no idea if it's a good or bad thing.
Cole stumbles toward the table and pulls out a chair. Everyone is silent as they wait to see if he’s going to get his ass on it or fall to the ground before he has the chance.
“Okay, so, now everyone’s here. We need to tell you something.”
Tension crackles in the air around us. Remi must feel it because she reaches for my hand under the table.
“I received a call this morning.” James pauses. I’m about to bark at him to hurry the fuck up when he opens his mouth again. “Charlie’s body was found. I went in this morning to identify it. He’s gone, for good this time.” Remi gasps, tensing in shock beside me.
“H-How?” she stutters.
“They’re not one-hundred percent yet, but my contact thinks he took his own life.”
“Good,” I state, relief flooding me that he’s not going to come after any of us again.
Conner’s eyes fly to mine, clearly not quite as happy about the news. But then why should he be? He doesn't know the whole story. He has no idea what that cunt did to my girl.
“Okay.” James looks between the three of us, gauging our reactions and probably wondering if one of us is going to kick off. When no one says anything more, he continues. “We’ve also made a pretty big decision, but it affects us all, so we need to run it past you all before it’s confirmed.”
Cole blows out a frustrated breath, and Remi squeezes my hand in support.
“We’ve decided that even though the threat is gone, it would be safer if Sarah and Remi moved in.”
“For
real?” Remi asks, disbelief filling her voice.
“Yeah. Now, we’re going to need to discuss some ground rules.” Sarah’s eyes flit between her daughter and me. “But we think it makes the most sense going forward.”
“Is that all?” Cole barks before getting up and disappearing from the room. Conner quickly races after him.
“We don’t need ground rules. We’re adults and can make our own decisions,” Remi states, squaring her shoulders.
“We’re not going to attempt to set you up in a bedroom upstairs. We both agreed, and I’m sure you two will think that it’s a waste of all our time. But, you two will be sensible.” He levels us with a hard look. “There will be no grandchildren in this house for a good few years yet. Do I make myself clear?” James says, staring between the two of us.
“No problem there,” Remi says. “We can barely look after ourselves, let alone anyone else.”
“I’m glad we’re all on the same page.”
“No harm in getting plenty of practice though, right?” I wink at Remi. She blushes profusely as both James and Sarah groan, probably already wondering if they’ve just made a massive mistake.
Keeping my eyes on Remi, I wait for her to look at me. “Me and you, Princess. Me and you.” She beams at me and curls into my side.
Maybe the bad boy from the Heights and the rich prep school princess weren’t such a recipe for disaster, after all.
“I love you, Ace,” she whispers against my chest.
“Love you too, Remi, baby.”
Always.
Hadley
… the night before
“You know, I didn’t think you’d come.” Hayden bumps my shoulder and I roll my eyes at him. “You and Conner Jagger were looking pretty together at Homecoming.”
“He’s a friend.” I shrug, curling my hands around the edge of the pier and staring down into the dark blue abyss.
“Like I’m just a friend?”
“Don’t do that, Hayden. Don’t overcomplicate this. We’re friends. We have a good thing going.”
He’s one of the few friends I have at Sterling Prep, but I see the way he looks at me, with lust and longing in his eyes. He wants me. Wants things I can’t ever give to him.
I don’t want to cross a line we can’t come back from, not when I genuinely enjoy his company. Like tonight, for example. We hung out at Surf's before heading down to the pier to play arcade games. Then Hayden managed to score us some beers and now we’re sitting on the edge of the pier with the sea beneath us and the moonlit sky above us, and I feel free.
Well, I did until he brought up Conner.
Now, I don’t know what to feel. I like Conner. He makes me smile and doesn’t take himself too seriously, but there’s nothing there. Not really. Conner makes me feel good about myself, and in return, he doesn’t ask for anything. It’s just easy. Fun.
It’s uncomplicated.
Besides, there’s another Jagger brother that makes my pulse race and my body stir to life.
Not that I’d ever admit it out loud.
“It’s late,” I say, knowing that it’s at least a twenty-five-minute walk back to campus.
“I’ll walk you.” Hayden jumps up, offering me his hand. His baby blues sparkle but are dimmed by the bruising around his eyes. We haven’t talked about what happened between him and Cole, and I’m more than happy to keep it that way.
“You don’t need to walk me home, Hayden. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m walking you,” he says with a little puff of his chest. Whatever. If it makes him feel better about himself, who am I to stop him?
We walk along the beach past Surf’s before taking the coastal path. The cool sea breeze makes my skin prickle and I zip up my baby pink hoodie, shoving my hands in the pockets.
“Cold?” Hayden moves closer to me, and for a second I think he might wrap his arm around my shoulder.
I’m relieved when he doesn’t.
“It’s a beautiful night,” he says. “A beautiful clear sky, beautiful view, beautiful company.” His eyes flick to mine and I explode with laughter.
“Seriously? That’s your line? Because I hate to break it to you, but you really need to work on your skills.”
“Jesus, Hads, kick a guy when he’s down.” He suddenly grabs my hand and tugs me around so that I’m standing in front of him. “I like you. You know I do. And I know you keep feeding me the ‘we’re just friends’ line, but I don’t want to be just friends, I want... more.” His fingers brush my jaw, his eyes searching mine for things I know he won’t find.
Because what Hayden doesn’t realize is that I’m broken.
Tainted.
I’m so fucking lost that sometimes I don’t know which way is up.
Every day, I paint on a happy smile and play my part, but inside there’s nothing but pain and anguish.
And a guy like Hayden, a guy who’s got a huge, bright future ahead of him, deserves someone who can give him everything he needs.
“Hayden.” I curl my fingers around his, halting his touch. “I already told you, it isn’t like that for me.”
“Bullshit, Hads. I feel it. It’s there... you just need to give it a chance.” He closes the distance between us and leans down. I should stop him. Everything inside me screams at me to stop him, but I don’t.
Because maybe he’s right.
Maybe I just need to give it a chance.
The second his lips find mine, I know it’s all wrong. “Hayden, wait.” My hands go to his chest, trying to push him away, but he pulls me nearer, kissing me harder, forcing something I know will never be there.
“Hayden, I said stop.” I tear away from him, my chest heaving. “I shouldn’t have let you do that,” I say coolly.
“But you did.” He smiles weakly. “I know a part of you wants it, Hadley, baby. You’re just scared—”
“I think we’re done here. Goodnight, Hayden.” I start backing away. “I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
“Come on, Hads, don’t do this. It was one kiss, a little misunderstanding, you don’t need to—”
“I said goodnight.”
Dejection washes over his expression, and I see a flash of a hurt in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper into the night as I spin on my heel and take off in the direction of Sterling Prep. I guess I can probably call it home, since I’m not sure I have one of those anymore.
Hayden doesn’t follow me, but then, I never expected him to. He might be a little persistent, but he isn’t like Bexley.
I shudder just thinking about what he put Remi through. To think I spent all those nights cheering for him at games, only to discover he was a drug addict with a problem with the word no.
Sick bastard.
Deciding to stick to the better lit path, I cross the road. There are a few passing cars and a dog walker or two, but on the whole, it’s quiet.
I like the silence.
It’s the only time I allow myself to think about things. The things that led me to Sterling Bay.
I’m lost in my thoughts when I notice a black figure lingering in the shadows. A tingle of fear zips up my spine, but I shake it off. It’s Sterling Bay, for Christ’s sake. You could walk your dog on a gold-plated leash, wearing a dress made out of diamonds, and no one would look twice.
But there’s something about him. I can’t get a good look but—
“Cole?” I gasp.
Before I know it, I’ve diverted again, hurrying to where he’s standing. His dark hood is pulled up, but I don’t need to see his face to know those cold blue eyes belong to the youngest Jagger brother. He doesn’t speak as I approach. I’m not even sure he sees me, his icy gaze cutting right through me.
“Cole?” I say again, trying to alert him to my presence.
He startles, his eyes blinking as if he’s in some kind of trance.
“What are you doing out here? What’s wrong?” The Jagger house is on the other side of town.
“Hadley?” He blinks again as if he’s seeing me for the first time, but then a wall slams down over his expression and I step back, aware of the hostile energy rolling off him.
“Cole, you’re scaring me.”
“Fuck,” he breathes, dragging a hand down his face.
It’s then I see it.
The blood.
On his hands. Dark patches splattered up his hoodie. A little streak smudged along his cheek.
The air whooshes from my lungs, a violent shiver rolling up my spine. “Cole...” My voice trembles, a hundred dark thoughts running through my mind.
“What the hell did you do?”
Hadley and Cole’s story, TAINT HER, is coming on 10/29.
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our extra scene from the night in the pool house from Hadley’s POV.
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