Normal people didn’t get off on violence.
Normal people didn’t enjoy bleeding or pain in a sexual capacity.
There were lots of times my father would beat my mother and then drag her to the bedroom and take more from her. And since we lived in a trailer the size of a goddamn shoebox, I could hear what he was doing to her. It didn’t take years in therapy to figure out why I felt the way I did. Why violence and sex went hand in hand for me.
No, the problem stemmed from the fact that I was in no hurry to see a therapist to fix the issue. The way I saw it was that I couldn’t be sure if my issues were real or not. I’ve never had sex before, so I wasn’t entirely sure how I would react to being manhandled during sex. I might love it, or I might hate it enough to murder my partner.
I just didn’t know.
But I wanted to find out. And I wanted to find out with Ramsey Reed.
I just didn’t know how to go about it without completely surrendering myself to him. Because something told me that if I gave myself to Ramsey, there’d be no turning back until he was absolutely done with me.
I heard the bell ring and I wanted to skip the trip to my locker, but I needed my calculus book. I know this school is run like no other, but at the end of all the weirdness and drama, I really wanted to graduate high school. While I had no delusions that I would turn into someone significant, I at least wanted to have my high school diploma, so I could land a job.
I barely had the locker door open when I felt his heat encasing me from behind. I knew it was Ramsey because I was already accustomed to his scent and his nearness. Also, I doubted any other guy in school would be stupid enough to get this close to me.
I felt his breath tickle my ear as he leaned down and said, “There’s a party tonight at the lake.”
I shrugged a shoulder as I shuffled shit around in my locker, looking for my calculus book. “So.”
“I’ll expect you there at around ten,” he ordered.
I snorted. “You’re more cracked in the head than I thought if you think I’d willingly go to a party with a bunch of spoiled rich fucks, Ramsey.” Yeah, that was not my idea of fun, and it wasn’t that I was being judgmental or an outright bitch. In the short week I’ve been here, I’ve caught enough students looking down their noses at me. The fuck if I was going to spend a night partying with them.
Ramsey pressed the front of his body against my back and I could feel the bulge in his pants on my lower back. “So, then does that mean I have to take you unwillingly?”
I couldn’t stop the shivers that ran down my spine. I knew Ramsey would never force himself on a girl, but the sick darkness he was implying was bringing to light just how twisted I was.
I ignored his question. “I’m not going to a gathering for your sheep, Shepherd,” I reiterated. I found my calculus book, and immediately regretted it, realizing that I was going to have to turn around and face Ramsey.
The boy was hell on my nerves.
But because I wasn’t a coward-or I tried not to be-I turned around to face him. I expected him to be drowning in smugness after he ran me out of class earlier, but he wasn’t. He was looking down at me with that same heat in his brown eyes that he always had when he looked at me.
Ramsey put his hands on my hips and pulled my body towards his. “This isn’t up for debate, Emerson,” he said. “I expect to see you there.”
The shame and cowardness he pulled from me earlier had me asking, “What do you want from me, Ramsey?”
His hand tightened on my hips and I could hear him hiss through his teeth. Like being physically near me was painful for him. “What is it you think I want from you, Emerson?”
I stared into his beautiful face and his intense gaze and told him the truth. “I think you’re bored with your perfect, privileged life and you need a new toy to play with.” He drew himself up to his full height but didn’t release my hips. “I think everyone here grew up already knowing who was in charge and so your life hasn’t been full of many challenges. But me…I’m a challenge to you. You’re testing out your power on me and you’re pushing to see just what it’s going to take to break me. And you’re getting off on it.” Ramsey’s eyes glowered at me and that told me I had pretty much hit the mark.
Or so I had thought.
One of his hands left my hip, and he brought it up to circle the back of my neck. He caressed the delicate skin for a faction of a second before his hand snaked up into my hair, fisting it and pulling my head back with enough grip to make it hurt. I swallowed the hiss on the tip of my tongue and faced him head on.
“You’re right, Emerson. I am bored. But I have enough dirt on everyone in this town, that I could ruin families left and right for entertainment purposes if I was just bored.” His fist tug and I could feel my wetness start to seep through my panties. “And you’re right about the challenges. I am in charge of this town, and everyone does know it. But I’m not testing you, Emerson.”
“Bullshit!” I spat.
The bastard smirked. “I’ll admit, I was in the beginning, but now…”
His eyes scanned down my body lazily before returning back to mine. “But now, what?”
This motherfucker actually started rubbing his dick against my stomach in full view of any random students milling around their lockers. “But now, now that I’ve had the taste of your lips on mine. Now that I know what it feels like to have your body pressed up against mine. Now that I know how wet your pussy gets when I hurt you. Well, let’s just say that I still want to break you, Emerson, but now I want to keep the broken pieces for myself.”
There was no doubt about it. Staring into Ramsey’s eyes; searching for his words to be lies, I could see that they weren’t.
Ramsey still wanted to break me, but he was serious about owning all those shattered shards.
I had to fortify myself against him.
I couldn’t let him lure me in.
“I’m not breakable, Ramsey,” I told him. “And if that’s the only way you can handle me, then save yourself the trouble and leave me alone. There’s no shame in admitting you can’t handle a strong woman.”
His hands dropped from my person without warning. One second, he was covering me, pulling my hair and, then, the next he was a foot away from me.
Ramsey Reed was one unstable motherfucker.
His eyes were hooded, and his face was masked when he said, “You better be at that party tonight, Charity. You won’t like the consequences if you’re not.”
“Pick another girl, Ramsey,” I suggested, even though a tiny part of me ached at the thought.
He took a step back towards me and, leaning down, he tenderly kissed my lips with his. I wasn’t expecting it, so I knew he could read the surprised all over my face.
His hand skimmed across my jaw and he said, “There isn’t another girl, Emerson,” he replied. “At least, none like you.” And with that, he walked away.
I was so screwed.
Chapter 11
Ramsey
I had just walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, when my phone rang with that familiar, dreaded ringtone.
My fucking father.
I swiped the answer icon. “Yeah?”
“Is that any way to greet your father?” he asked, actually sounding affronted.
I didn’t have time for his shit. “What do you want, Dad?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
I could hear him expel a sigh on the other end of the phone. “I’m in Kansas City, doing some…consulting and I’m probably going to be here for a few months longer,” he answered.
So?
I stopped caring, long ago, where he and my mother were at, or if they were planning on coming home or not. What the fuck was he calling me to tell me this shit for?
“And I give a fuck why?”
“Careful how you speak to me, Ramsey. I am still your father,” he reminded me, coolly.
“Yeah?” I barked out. “Well, if I were you, I’d b
e careful not to confuse who I’m speaking with. Now cut he shit, Dad, and tell me why you’re calling?”
“I heard a rumor that you’re running with some poor girl from some fucked up hick town whose father murdered her mother,” he finally said, telling me why he’s calling me.
“Yeah? And where did you hear that from?” Truth be told, he could have heard it from anyone in this fucking town. Damn near everyone had either their mouths closed over his dick, or their lips permanently attached to his ass. I wasn’t surprised that someone would call him and tell him I was running after Emerson.
Hell, me running after any girl was newsworthy in this town, but the fact that it was Emerson, that made it sensationalized news.
“Is it true?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Yeah, and so?”
“Yeah, and so?” my father sputtered-and Colby Reed didn’t ever sputter. “What the fuck do you mean, yeah and so? Have you lost your mind running around with trash, Ramsey?”
“You’re going to talk to me about running around with trash?” I let a heartbeat of silence pass. “Really, Dad?”
“Pick another girl, Ramsey,” he barked out, and those words-the same uttered by Emerson, herself, earlier-had my demons scratching at the surface of my skin.
I had meant what I said to her earlier. There wasn’t another girl like her. I wanted her like I’ve never wanted anything else in my life. I wanted to ruin her and protect her at the same time.
But, fuck, how I wanted to hurt her.
My father was still going on and on about all the other more suitable females I could choose from when I cut him off. “No.”
“Rams-”
I didn’t let him finish. “I. Said. No.” He was out of his fucking mind if he thought I was going to give up Emerson.
“Ramsey, you have obligations,” he reminded me. “Do you think that girl is going to understand that?”
I was very aware of my obligations. After graduation, I was to go to college at Blaineview and graduate from there with as many degrees in finance as I could. After that, I was going to start working for my father in all capacities and learn the all the tricks to balancing that fine line between criminal and upstanding citizen.
What my father didn’t know, though, was that I had no intentions of taking over his business. I wasn’t going to be anyone’s bitch, and that included the mafia.
“I haven’t forgotten what’s expected of me, Dad. Trust me,” I snapped back. “But I’m not giving that girl up for anything or anyone, so deal with it.”
Colby let out a deep sigh. “Son, listen to-”
“No,” I said, again. “She’s mine and I don’t want to hear another word about it.” And then a dark thought occurred to me, so I finished up with, “And if you’re entertaining the thought of taking her from me, I feel I must advise you on that subject, Father.” My next words were the most serious to ever leave my mouth. “I will fucking kill you if you dare to try to rid me of her.”
I could hear the intake of his breath on the other end of the line. I would bet everything I owned that he was seething at being threatened by his 18-year-old son. Hell, being threatened by anyone.
But I wasn’t just anyone and he knew it.
Having to deal with the monster you created and all that.
There were a few heartbeats of silence before he finally said, “Just make sure she knows her role, Ramsey.”
I barked out a laugh. That was rich. “You’re seriously going to lecture me on how to keep my woman under control?” I snorted. I couldn’t help it. “By the way, where’s Mom at, Dad?”
“You know, son,” he started to say, “one day you’re going to meet someone tougher and crazier than you are, and it’s not going to end well.”
I thought about Emerson. “I’ve already met someone tougher and crazier than I am, Dad. And all that’s doing is showing me how to be tougher and crazier than they are.”
“Hmm,” he mumbled right before hanging up on me. I tossed the phone on my bed and walked towards the closet to finally start getting dressed for the lake party tonight.
I wasn’t overly concerned with my father. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear if he had a plethora of scattered bastards all over the world. If I didn’t fall in line, he could always pluck one of his other children out of the crowd and groom them to follow in his footsteps.
And my mother was a complete non-issue. She didn’t care what I did as long as she had money in her bank account. Grace Reed did her duty by giving my father a son. So, as far as she was concerned, she’s earned her due. The rest of it-and by rest, I mean my upbringing-wasn’t her problem.
I was never one to dress to impress. Hell, I was never one to try to impress anyone, so I just threw on a plain dark blue shirt, dark jeans and a pair of white Nikes, brushed my hair enough to say it’s been brushed and was ready to leave to the party.
I stuffed my wallet in the back pocket of me jeans and grabbed my car keeps and phone. Hopping down the stairs, I dialed Emerson. I had invaded her privacy on the first day of school, scrolling through her phone and stealing her phone number. This is the first time I’ve called her.
She answered on the second ring, probably wondering who the fuck was calling her. No one called each other anymore. Everyone fucking texted. “Hello?”
“I’m leaving for the party now,” I rattled off, not even introducing myself. “I had better see you there, Emerson.”
I heard her cluck her tongue. “So, then what you’re saying is that you’re going to be partaking in hallucinogenic drugs? Because that’s the only way you’ll be seeing me there tonight, Ramsey.”
I stopped at the foot of the stairs. “You know what, Emerson?”
“What?” she sassed.
“I hope you make me come after you, baby,” I tell her, honestly. “I hope like hell that you make me chase you. It’ll be that much more explosive when I catch you.”
She laughed into the phone. “Ramsey, Ramsey, Ramsey,” she taunted. “What happens when you finally find me, but I’m not alone?”
I had to count to ten and take a deep breath. I knew what she was doing. She was giving as good as she was getting. However, this particular threat wasn’t a wise one. She was insinuating that she was single, and she wasn’t.
Not by a fucking long shot.
We might not be in a traditional boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, but Emerson was mine. And mine alone. The sooner she understood that, the better.
“I dare you to go to another man, Emerson,” I growled into the phone, my voice dark and low. “Let me catch you with another guy, let me hear that you’ve been with another guy and he’ll never be able to walk again, much less fuck.”
“You can’t tell me what to do or who to see, Shepherd. Don’t forget,” she retorted. “I’m not one of your goddamn sheep!”
This fucking girl!!!
“I swear to God, Emerson! If you let another man put his hands on you, I will leash a hell upon you the likes of which you have never seen!” The very idea had my vision colored red. “You think your father murdering your mother was the worst thing that could ever happen to you? Try me, Emerson. Fucking try me!” I seethed and then hung up before I could say anything more.
This. Fucking. Girl!
Chapter 12
Emerson
Manotile was only 20 minutes away from Sands Cove, but the drive to the neighboring town felt like it was taking forever.
But that was mostly because Roselyn had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. She kept side-eyeing me and biting her lip.
When she had shown up at my house about 15 minutes after Bailey had left for the lake party, she assumed that’s where we were going, but I gave her heart palpitations when I announced we had other plans.
We had only been buckled up for about five minutes when she finally let out her anxiety. “I get it, Emerson. I do. I really, really do,” she said, biting the bottom of her lip. “I mean, Ramsey’s been a complete prick and
his treatment of you has been…well, it’s been strange, to say the least. But, Emer, this is beyond poking the bear. Ramsey’s going to fucking flip.”
I spared her a quick glance. “Roselyn, Ramsey doesn’t need a reason to flip. He’s unstable. He’s going to flip at his convenience no matter what I or anyone else is doing.”
Roselyn was already shaking her head at me. “You forget, friend. I’m not part of their little brain washing cult,” she reminded me. “I’ve been watching this bazaar universe from an outsider’s perspective for years, and I gotta tell you, chic…I have never seen Ramsey Reed lose his shit over someone before.”
“What do you mean?” I knew Ramsey acted volatile at times, but compared to what I was used to, I wouldn’t quality what he’s done so far in the category of losing his shit.
“Ramsey’s cold, Emerson,” she tried to explain. “He’s like ice cold. Whenever someone’s been stupid enough to cross him or, hell, just irritate him…his retaliation has always been cold, effortless and swift.” Roselyn expelled a deep breath. “But with you…with you, he has been all fire and random displays of outrage. That’s no bueno, my friend. No bueno at all.”
“How do you figure, Roselyn?” I asked. “What difference does it make how he acts in this little game he’s playing with me?”
The look she sent my way made it clear she thought I was an idiot. “You’re the only person I know of that has ever been able to make Ramsey Reed act out of character, Emerson. Do you have any idea what that does to a man?”
No, not really. “What?”
She went back to shaking her head at me, with her eyes on the road. “All I’m saying, Emer, is watch it, okay? Pushing a psychopath like Ramsey Reed is stupid and dangerous.”
I didn’t know how to explain to her that I wanted Ramsey Reed stupidly and dangerously. If I was making him act out of character, then we were even, because he was drawing all kinds of uncomfortable and unfamiliar feelings out of me.
“If you want to go back or not be friends with me anymore, I’ll understand, Roselyn,” I replied, instead of commenting on how dangerous it was to get involved with someone like Ramsey.
Facing The Enemy Page 6
