“Not so fast.”
Exasperation burns through me like molten lava, scorching my insides. My brows slam together as he shackles me in place. It’s almost impossible to ignore the electricity zipping through my veins. “Excuse me?”
“You’ll stay by my side.”
I draw in a deep breath, attempting to calm everything that riots painfully inside.
No!
No!
No!
“You stopped me from going home this morning,” I grit between clenched teeth, “I need to talk with Austin.”
“You can see him later.”
A scream builds in my chest. Any moment, I’m going to open my mouth, and everything will pour out. “King—”
His hand snakes out before wrapping around the back of my neck and tugging me toward him until his warm, minty breath can feather over my lips. “That’s right, I’m your king and you’ll do what I say. Got it?”
A whimper slides from my lips as his grip tightens.
“Mmmm, I love the little noises you make. They get me hard. Wanna feel?”
“Stop,” I whisper, trying to keep the tremble in my body from working its way through my voice.
His teeth snap, nipping at my bottom lip. The sting of the encounter leaves me panting before he draws the fullness into his mouth. As I’m about to self-combust, he releases the plump flesh. A zing of arousal shoots through me.
“Is that what you really want?” A wicked glint enters his eyes. “For me to leave you alone?”
“Yes.”
No.
I don’t know.
Why does he muddle everything inside my head? Decisions that should be easy now seem riddled with complication.
“Such a little liar,” he says, pulling away before flicking his finger against the tip of my nose. “I underestimated you once. It won’t be a mistake I make again.”
The heartless comment is like a bucket of freezing water dumped over my head. Any heat that had gathered between my legs vanishes. I stay rooted on my seat as he exits the Mustang. It’s the slamming of the car door that jolts me from my stupor. A shiver works its way through me as I grab the door handle for the second time and pull it open, rising unsteadily to my feet. Kingsley waits near the hood of the car. Even though I want to fly past him, I force my feet to shuffle in his direction. When I’m within striking distance, he throws a muscled arm around my shoulders and hauls me close.
Too close.
The woodsy scent of his aftershave assaults my senses, making me almost dizzy with it. All I want to do is inhale a big breath of him to savor. Confusion swirls through me. After everything that has happened since my father’s death, how can the attraction be so powerful?
Is it even possible to turn off this strange need that courses through me?
“Smile, baby girl,” he whispers in my ear, “everyone is watching.”
From beneath the thick fringe of my lashes, my gaze darts around the impeccably manicured front lawn. He’s right. Most of the students we walk past turn to gawk at us.
No, not us.
Me.
Their open perusal only heightens my growing discomfort. These people aren’t my friends. And neither is Kingsley. It would behoove me to remember that. We’re enemies forced to act out this tragic farce. Possibly for the rest of our lives.
“Here’s the thing,” he continues blandly, interrupting the frantic whirl of my thoughts as we walk toward the main entrance of the school, “every king needs a queen, but queens can be cast aside.” When his breath drifts over my cheek, I stumble. “Don’t ever forget that these are my loyal subjects and they’ll follow my lead.”
I swallow down my growing nausea.
Sadly, he’s not wrong.
Once inside the building, my pace quickens. I need to get away from him. As people congregate in the corridor, my gaze fastens on to my brother who lounges near my locker. Relief floods through me at the sight of him. The moment he spots us, he pushes away from the metal door and straightens to his full height. From the harsh expression that falls over Austin’s face, it’s easy to see that his fury from last night has yet to recede and he’s spoiling for a fight.
If he looks hard enough, Kingsley will give it to him. Only the dark-haired boy at my side won’t suffer the same consequences as my brother. That’s something I can’t allow to happen. No matter how tenuous the peace might be, I need to keep it.
Instead of walking by when we reach my locker, Kingsley stops about ten feet from my twin before jerking me into his arms. My breasts bump against the hard lines of his chest and I steel myself, afraid of how the moment will unfold. We both know this little show of dominance is all about taunting Austin and provoking a reaction from him.
I hope my brother realizes it and doesn’t take the bait.
One hand settles under my chin before tipping it upward. Barely am I able to draw in a full breath before his lips crash onto mine. When I gasp, his tongue slips inside my mouth to tangle with my own. For one fleeting moment, the world falls away and the past ceases to exist. It’s just the two of us. The only thing that matters is the here and now.
The stroke of his velvety softness against—
A squeak of surprise escapes from me when Kingsley is ripped away and I’m left standing alone in the middle of the crowded hall.
“Leave her the fuck alone, Rothchild!” Austin snarls, sounding like a rabid animal.
The last week has pushed him past the point of no return. The tiniest of infractions will send him careening over the edge.
A knowing grin slides across Kingsley’s handsome face as his voice turns threatening. “Or what? What will you do?”
When Austin takes a menacing step toward the other boy, I scramble between them. It takes all of my strength to shove my brother back a step and out of harm’s way.
“Please,” I plead, turning to him, “don’t.”
“Yeah, Hawthorne,” Kingsley interrupts, humor dancing in his voice, “listen to your sister.”
A deep growl of frustration rumbles up from Austin’s chest as he pushes me back a step before lunging at Kingsley, who laughs and saunters down the hall toward his locker.
“I really fucking hate that prick,” my brother grumbles.
“I know.” I should echo the sentiment, instead I can’t bring myself to voice the words.
Austin glares until Kingsley disappears from sight. Only then does his gaze soften as it returns to me, scanning my body from head-to-toe as if I might not be in one piece. “Are you okay?”
My guess is that he’ll go after Kingsley if he finds one damn hair on my head out of place. Normally, I’m the one trying to smooth the way for him, but Austin is just as protective of me. To hear our mother tell it, we’ve had each other’s backs since inside the womb.
“I’m fine,” I say, brushing off his concern and hoisting my smile. It might not be possible to forget about Kingsley or this mess, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try.
One meaty hand reaches out and yanks me to him. A moment later, I’m enveloped in a tight embrace. “Missed you,” he says gruffly. “The house is lonely as hell.”
Everything in me wilts as I wrap my arms around him and tighten my hold. Yeah, my situation sucks, but Austin is the one I feel sorry for. He’s been left behind, forced to take care of everything until Mom can pull herself together.
The longer I stay in his comforting embrace, the more emotion hurtles to the surface. And I can’t have that. Everything needs to stay buried where it belongs. It takes effort to untangle myself from him. “How’s Mom?”
His expression becomes inscrutable as he shrugs. “The same.”
“Did you tell her that I’m now staying with the Rothchilds?”
“No.” Guilt flickers across his face. “There wasn’t time. She only roused long enough to eat a couple bites of toast.” He glances away as one hand goes to the back of his neck. “I have no idea if she eve
n recognized me. She’s so out of it.”
I gnaw my lower lip and formulate a plan. “I’ll stop home after school and tell her what’s going on.”
Concern flickers across his face. “Do you think it’ll send her spiraling?”
I really hope not. My belly pinches at the thought of Mom deteriorating any further. Austin and I can only hold things together for so long. Not only does Mom need to snap out of it and take control, she needs to get me out of this mess before it’s too late.
“Summer, you’re here!” Everly’s voice cuts through the chatter of the hallway.
I turn as she throws her arms around my shoulders and pulls me in for a hug.
“I’m so sorry about your dad,” she whispers against my ear. “Are you all right?” She separates herself enough to search my gaze. Before I can respond, she winces and shakes her head. “Sorry, stupid question. Of course, you’re not. How could you be?”
For the second time in a matter of minutes, emotion rockets to the surface. Uncomfortable with the possibility of it breaking loose and wrecking havoc, I disentangle myself from her. Instead of an actual answer, I give my new friend a tight smile. As much as I appreciate her kindness, I can’t talk about my father.
Not here.
Not now.
Austin glances at the clock hanging in the hallway. “Come on, we better get moving or we’ll be late for first hour.”
I nod, unaware that the two-minute warning bell has already rung and the congestion in the corridor has thinned considerably.
“See you at lunch?” he asks, searching my gaze for chinks in my armor.
Ugh.
Lunch.
“Yup, I’ll be there.” Even the thought of having to endure the thirty-minute period with Kingsley is enough to fill me with dread. After forcing me to walk in with him this morning, there’s no way in hell he’ll allow me to sit by myself.
I quickly twist the combination of my locker and grab my books as my brother takes off down the hall in the opposite direction. My legs feel wooden as I force myself to first hour.
As soon as we cross over the threshold into Ms. Pettijohn’s room, my gaze gets snagged by the dark-haired boy. It’s a surprise to find him here, already lounging at his desk with his long legs stretched out in front of him and a slight smile curving his lips.
For a heartbeat, my mind tumbles back to the first time we met at the beach. How effortless everything seemed between us. How much I liked him and couldn’t wait to spend more time together. I was crushed when my family ended up leaving unexpectedly and I wasn’t able to say goodbye.
Guess the joke is on me.
“What is Sloane doing?” Everly whispers furiously in my ear.
The memories disintegrate into nothingness as the sight before me takes shape. I blink and find the blonde perched on the top of Kingsley’s desk. The way she sits facing him, her legs straddling his thighs, gives him a perfect view up her skirt to her panties.
If she’s wearing any.
The sight is enough to have bile rising sharply in my throat.
“Ummm, is she aware that he’s taken?” Everly sounds offended enough for both of us.
I should probably bring her up to speed on the situation, but an explanation stays lodged in my throat. The truth of the matter is that Kingsley is no longer my boyfriend. Maybe he never was. Maybe it was all a game.
Instead I mutter, “Yup, she’s aware.”
“You need to go over there and stake your claim,” she encourages. “I really hate girls that poach.”
Stake my claim?
Ha!
Not a chance in hell. I wouldn’t give Kingsley the satisfaction of thinking his behavior bothers me in the least. “It’s fine. We all know where we stand.” That’s about as much of the truth as I can give her.
When I continue to stare, Sloan glances over before her lips lift into a triumphant smile.
“I don’t know,” Everly mutters, “she seems to think she won.”
Well, if she wants to consider Kingsley a prize, then, yeah, I guess she did.
Chapter Nineteen
After fourth hour, Everly is waiting at my locker with her bagged lunch in hand. A pit the size of Texas sits at the bottom of my gut. After watching Sloane do everything possible to keep Kingsley focused on her during first hour, there’s no way I can eat in the cafeteria. Worse than that, he seemed to welcome her fawning attention. It was enough to make me sick.
“You ready?” she asks.
My gaze darts away as I pull open the metal door of my locker. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to work in the library instead.” I pull my calc and psychology book from the metal shelf. “I’ve fallen behind and have a ton of work to catch up on.”
Concern flashes across her face as her brow furrows. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I hoist my smile, not wanting her to worry, “I’m drowning in missing assignments. Thirty minutes should be enough to plow through a few of them.”
“All right, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” With a quick hug, she takes off toward the cafeteria.
I release an unsteady breath as she turns the corner and disappears from sight before slamming my locker closed and heading to the library. Much like the cafeteria, the area is spacious with wood beams and gorgeous stained-glass windows that allow sunlight to pour in. Rows of leather-bound volumes fill the shelves. The bookcases that line the perimeter stretch toward the ceiling, requiring one of the rolling ladders to reach the top.
With my head bent, I make my way through the maze of shelves to the very back corner. I need to regroup. Thirty minutes isn’t nearly enough time to soothe all the hurt and confusion raging within, but it’s all I’ve got.
Ever since I stepped foot on campus this morning, people have been staring like I’m a circus freak on display. I realize it’s because my dad died, but it serves as an ugly reminder of my treatment the first couple weeks of school. Even though it’s gotten better, there are still a lot of students who avoid me. The Hawthorne family has been hated in these parts for generations and that isn’t going to change overnight.
With a huff of breath, I collapse onto a wooden chair and open my calculus textbook. I have five missing assignments that need to be turned in ASAP. Focusing on the first one forces me to stop dwelling on Dad and the state of my fractured relationship with Kingsley. For a few blissful minutes, the sorrow and grief recede enough for problem-solving skills to take over.
There’s something therapeutic about working through the complicated equations. A slight sense of satisfaction fills me when I finish the first two and tackle the third. Who would have ever thought I would enjoy calculus? But you know what? In order to work out the computations, I have to concentrate. And to do that, I need to block out all the static in my head.
I’m about to wrap up the fourth problem when someone settles on the top of the table I’m camped out at. Khakis fill my line of vision as I stifle a gasp. There’s no need to glance up. The delicate hair at the nape of my neck rises with awareness, tipping me off as to who I’ll find.
Confirmation comes in the form of a question.
“Why isn’t your ass in the cafeteria?”
My heartbeat picks up its tempo as I blank my features and force myself to meet Kingsley’s gaze before waving a hand at the textbook splayed open in front of me. “I needed to catch up on some missing assignments.”
“That’s strange,” he muses, “I don’t recall giving you permission to work in the library.”
Permission?
Did he really say that?
Heat slams into my cheeks as my temper ignites.
Who the hell does this guy think he is?
Stupid question.
“I don’t need your permission,” I snap. All the good vibes filling me are now long gone. A mixture of frustration and anger rush through my veins.
“I own your ass,” he reminds with a smirk. �
��You need to ask permission for everything.”
“Go to hell.”
“Don’t worry,” he wraps his hand around my ponytail and forces my chin up. “I’ll be there if I have to spend the rest of my life with you.”
The poisonous barb is a direct hit. Pain explodes throughout my chest before radiating to every cell of my being. As impossible as it is, I swallow down the hurt, refusing to let him glimpse the damage he so effortlessly inflicts.
Why does the ugly comment even surprise me? I should be used to it by now.
“Then why go through with it?” I force myself to ask calmly. “Tell your father to tear up the contract.”
When his grip tightens on my hair, I wince and keep my attention fastened on him. I’ll be damned if I give Kingsley the satisfaction of cowering before him like a scared little girl. Maybe everyone else in this school treats him like the self-appointed king of Hawthorne Prep, but I refuse to fall in line. He’s nothing more than a bully.
His mahogany-colored gaze sifts through mine. I get the feeling he’s able to see way more than I’m comfortable with, and I shift on my chair.
With a grin, he shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Even though I knew it was a long shot, disappointment bursts like an over-inflated balloon. “If you don’t want me, let me go.”
Heat leaps into his eyes as he traces my lower lip with the tip of his index finger. “What? You think because I don’t like you and no longer trust you, it means I don’t want to fuck you senseless? Unfortunately, that’s far from the case. Now that I’ve had a taste of that sweet pussy, I need more. And I’ll have it whenever I want.”
A shiver of unease scampers down my spine. As twisted as it is, arousal ignites with his admittance.
His gaze glitters as a wicked grin flashes across his face. “What’s wrong, baby girl? Getting turned on?” He pauses for a beat. “Got an itch you want me to take care of? Beg for it and we’ll see what happens. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“No, thanks. Not interested.” When I shake my head, pain radiates throughout my scalp and I flinch, instantly stilling as I remember the tightened grip he has on me.
Queen of Hawthorne Prep Page 13