Glass Heart Savage: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Glass Heart Academy Book 1)

by Lindsey Iler

  “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.” Breaker stoops down and throws her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She squeals, beating on his back with her free hand while she takes another sip.

  Palmer watches her best friend with a disapproving frown for entertaining Breaker. If you ask me, it’s sort of the pot calling the kettle black.

  Once they’re out of sight, Palmer’s face softens, and she turns her gaze, searching every inch of me for something.

  “What, Palmer?” The leaves and sticks snap under my feet as I take a step towards her.

  “You aren’t good for me.”

  She’s right about that.

  “I’ve been trying to tell you that, and you’re just now figuring it out?” I grin, studying our surroundings. “Now, of all places, when I have you all alone in these woods?”

  “I’m realizing my mistakes.”

  “Pleasure or pain?” I thumb my bottom lip, enjoying the rapid rise and fall of Palmer’s chest.

  “What?” She shakes her head, unsure what I mean.

  “Which cries do you want to fill these woods with tonight?”

  “You wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Haven’t I, already?

  “You sure about that?” I need this girl to see me for who I am. At least then, I can live with the things I plan to do. “I’ve hurt people before. Some out of necessity. Some by accident. Some for, let’s call it, fun.”

  “You won’t hurt me, Marek,” she says with such confidence.

  “What makes you so sure?” I shut my eyes and tighten my hands into fists, working hard to control myself. “A part of me really wants to.”

  “Pleasure.”

  Fuck. “What?”

  “You asked me what cries we should fill these woods with, and I’m choosing pleasure.” She marches up to me, running a finger down my chest.

  “What if I choose pain?” I wrap my fingers around her wrist and clench them against her soft skin.

  “A lot of pleasure with a little bit of pain never killed anyone, now did it, Marek?” Palmer bites the corner of her lip, letting me know she wants me.

  That’s all I need. I twist Palmer around and pin her chest against the unforgiving surface of a tree. The bark bites into her flesh, feeding me her whimper. She doesn’t complain, though, welcoming whatever I’m willing to do to her body. I grip her hips, digging my fingers into the flesh above her waistband.

  “You have no idea what you’ve just done,” I whisper into her ear.

  “Show me then.” She wiggles her tight little ass against my dick, and I hiss a sharp breath.

  I reach around, unbuckling her jeans and lowering the zipper. The night air is cold, but I don’t second-guess dropping the denim to her toes. I run my hands up the back of her legs, loving the goose bumps covering her skin. When I reach the apex of her thighs, I run my finger over the front of her panties, feeling her arousal through the fabric.

  “Why let me have you freely?” I lift the back of her shirt, biting at the skin around her shoulder blades. “Why do you let me do the things to you that you do?”

  “Do I need to give you an explanation?” She spins around, pressing her back into the tree.

  “Yes,” I demand, bending and bringing her panties down with me. She steps out of them, allowing me to be eye level with her sweet center. “I want to know.”

  “No one ever come this easy?” She grins at me.

  “Trust me, I’ll make you come, baby.” I bury my face between her thighs and drape one of her legs over my shoulder.

  “There’s a one hundred percent chance you will rip parts of me to shreds, but on the off chance you don’t?”

  “I’m going to,” I say against her pussy, then suck her clit until she squirms.

  “And if you don’t, then I’ll have the pleasure of knowing I’ve created a little bit of chaos in Marek Hawthorne’s heart, even if it’s short-lived.”

  Her words drive me mad, and I stand, twisting her to face the tree again. “Spread your legs, baby, and bend over.” I run my palm over her middle, smiling when she grips the trunk, readying herself for me. I pull a condom from my wallet and rip it open with my teeth.

  I tug my sweatpants down, and she watches over her shoulder as I spring free from my pants and slip on the condom. What I wouldn’t give to feel this girl bare. Guiding my dick to her pussy and running the head over her slick folds is easy. They’re made for each other. I’m certain of that the moment I dip inside of her. She moans like she’s experiencing something she never has before.

  “Deeper,” she demands, trying to push onto me.

  I stop her, placing my hands on her hips to stall her. “Not yet.”

  “It’s good, isn’t it?” She slips one hand between her legs. Her soft touch glides over my shaft.

  “You’re trouble, Palmer Weston.”

  “You said you wanted a little bit of pain, Marek. Don’t disappoint me.” She rubs her clit, and her walls clench around me.

  “I won’t apologize if I hurt you.” My pace is steady but slow. She’s getting antsy with my lack of movement.

  “I’m not asking for you to.” She smiles over her shoulder.

  “All’s fair game then?”

  “Whatever makes you happy.”

  “Don’t ever give someone that much control of your body, Palmer.” I fist her braid and tug it. Her groan excites me, and I hate myself for it. “Ever. Not even me.”

  To steady herself, she abandons her clit and grips the tree again. I tighten my grip on her hair and plow into her, smacking her ass harder than I think she can handle.

  She takes it.

  What the fuck am I doing? I can’t do this shit with a girl like Palmer. She isn’t a faceless chick at a party I’ve dragged back to the house to do despicable things to.

  “Do it, Marek,” she eggs me on.

  She has no idea what she’s asking for. Girls always encourage me to do things I’d be ashamed of admitting outside the walls of the shame-free glass house. Out here, though, with her, all I feel is shame.

  She’s wrapped around me like a glove. I clench my eyes shut, knowing damn well the things I’d kill to do to her alabaster skin. Instead, I pull back, slowing my pace. With both hands on her ass, I spread her wider to gain more access. My index finger applies slight pressure to a place I’m sure no one has touched before me, and her body jolts.

  “Tell me no.”

  “I won’t do that.” Her voice is soft and certain, driving me over the edge. There’s no way she’s going to let me violate her out here in the woods.

  “Palmer, tell me no.” My voice turns cold and detached.

  “No one’s ever touched me like you are now.”

  At her confession, the primal part of my psyche unleashes. Control has never been my strong suit, and hearing that no one has ever touched her impeccably perfect ass is enough to drive a man insane.

  I press a little further while maintaining some semblance of control.

  “Holy fuck,” she breathes out.

  “I can’t go much further. You aren’t ready.”

  “But you like this? This is something you’re into?” The question is the most innocent thing I’ve ever heard while knuckle-deep in a girl’s ass.

  “It’s never been like this. Gentle. Tame.” I pump in and out of her, coordinating the finger in her ass with my dick in her tight center. Moans of pleasure escape her lips, and I wonder how I ever lived before feeling her wrapped around me. “I’m starting to wonder if I’ve had this wrong all along.”

  When it comes to this girl, a weak man I am, and I’m beginning to see what Byron’s been hinting at. I’m so ready to dismiss and obliterate the things that fuel me, to stick my dick inside this girl, and for what? What exactly am I getting from this girl, other than doing someone else’s bidding to score the upper hand?

  Lost in my own thoughts, twisted among the depraved and immoral, I feel Palmer tense. It isn’t until she forces her body forward, slipping
away from our connection, that I hear it.

  A glass-shattering battle cry breaks through my senses. I bend down to hand Palmer her jeans as I pull up my sweats. She stands with eyes wide and movements uncertain, frantically searching for the rest of her outfit.

  “That’s Delaney.” Palmer slams her hands into my chest, racing around me towards the direction of her friend’s cry. “If he hurt her, Marek, I will...”

  God dammit, Breaker. What the hell did you do?

  Palmer’s small frame skirts through lines of trees, disappearing from sight. A minute later, I nearly slam into her back and wrap my arm around her to steady us before we both fall. What I see ahead confuses me. Delaney has her face pressed into Breaker’s chest while he comforts her.

  I move shoulder to shoulder with Palmer, and we assess the scene. Palmer shivers and shakes. To calm her, I grab her hand and squeeze. Through the darkness, I glare at Breaker, hoping for an explanation.

  “We stumbled upon her,” Breaker explains, holding out his phone. “We can’t leave. Dispatch said it’s best if we stay until the police show up.”

  “That’s Georgina Matthews.” Palmer’s hand tightens in mine.

  Georgina Matthews? Top ten in our class and never a hair out of place. Much like the girl beside me who has tears skimming down her cheeks.

  Georgina’s limbs are twisted in unnatural positions. Dried blood splatters over her body, weaved among the tattered remains of her clothes. Her eyes are wide open, void of any life.

  “I saw her today.” Delaney lifts her face from Breaker’s sweatshirt. “Or maybe it was yesterday? I don’t really know.” Her voice shakes as she recalls her memories.

  Uncertainty and panic crawls across each of their faces and has me wondering if they see the same thing in mine.

  I’m no stranger to blood. My fist has brutalized and maimed plenty of skin. Seeing this girl, though, a girl I’ve gone to school with all my life? This is different. Her body is mangled in a way even a monster like me can’t fathom.

  “What is this?” Breaker leads Delaney to her best friend, who comforts her by holding her close, giving me no choice but to release Palmer’s hand. We walk a few steps away. “Marek, this isn’t related to . . .” His accusation is a hushed whisper, leaving Palmer and Delaney in the dark, where they belong.

  “I don’t know.” I shrug, staring around the forest, doing everything I can not to look at Georgina, but I’m not surprised when I fail. “If it is, then what does it mean?”

  Flashlights flutter in the depths of the trees, so we start yelling. It takes the responding officers a good ten minutes to find us even with our assistance. Until this point, I hadn’t realized how far in we had brought the girls.

  The older officer steps around us to inspect the body. He kneels, using a pen to lift the curtain of blonde hair draping over her shoulders. His eyes shift to his partner, exchanging silent words. There’s a presence about him that is familiar.

  “You’re students at Glass Heart Academy?” The officer stands, stepping over Georgina’s body. He inspects me, and I realize how I know him. “Wait, you’re Henry Lexington’s boy, aren’t you?”

  “He’s my godfather, not my father.” My stern tone lets everyone within shouting distance hear the animosity I carry for that man.

  “I thought you looked familiar.” He points at Georgina’s body. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, now, would you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but no, I don’t know shit about this.”

  She’s alone out here even with company, and that bothers me.

  “Seems to me there’s four teenagers in the deep set of the woods, and now we have a dead body to work with,” the officer accuses.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I step forward, narrowing my eyes at this asshole.

  “Explain why you’re out here.” His tone is one I’ve heard so many times in the past by men in authority.

  “Again, with the accusations.” I glare down at him, noticing how his hand inches to the pistol on his hip. “Feel free to arrest me, but I promise you, when you’re finished with this investigation, you’ll be left with nothing but an apology to four teenagers.”

  “Turn around, son.” He circles his finger in front of my face.

  This can’t actually be happening.

  “Don’t call me son,” I snap back, knowing this will not end well, and yet, I turn, listening to this power-hungry douche’s commands.

  “Marek.” The fear in Palmer’s voice catches me off guard. She steps between us, putting her back to my chest, protecting me. “You can’t arrest him, sir.”

  “Seems to me he’s the only one mouthing off in the middle of a murder investigation, or did you forget about the dead girl at your feet?”

  “No, I haven’t gotten her dead eyes out of my mind, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. But you can’t arrest him because”— she glances over her shoulder before turning her attention to the officer— “well, because not even thirty minutes ago, Marek had me bent over, burying himself inside of me. I’m no detective, but I assume murder is hard to commit when you’re dick deep between a pair of thighs.”

  “Holy shit!” Breaker snickers under his breath, doing his best to stifle his surprise by covering his mouth. Delaney’s sentiment mirrors his.

  “Ma’am, that is no alibi.” He attempts to step around Palmer, but she blocks him, offering her own wrists for the handcuffs.

  “My grandfather, Judge Weston, may think it is.” She brushes her hand over this guy’s name tag. “Officer Franklin, we both know he’s a large contributor to your department, am I right? Us Westons are huge supporters of our officers. Your job isn’t easy, but you aren’t going to make it any simpler by accusing four innocent students of murdering a girl they’ve known their whole lives.”

  “You’re Judge Weston’s granddaughter?” Officer Franklin asks, despair on the tip of his tongue.

  The other officer steps into our circle of fun. His badge reads Striker. “Sir, this is Reed Weston’s sister.”

  “Oh.” Officer Franklin’s head sags with the reality he’s walked into. Accusing a girl of murder, after her own sister disappeared from a brutal crime scene, isn’t exactly going to earn a badge of honor. This mother fucker knows it, too. His eyes soften enough to prove me right when he lifts his head to address her. “My apologies, Ms. Weston.”

  “Why don’t you four head out of here?” Officer Striker escorts us away from the opening. “We don’t want to corrupt the scene anymore than we have. You’ll cross paths with a detective.” He pushes the side of his radio and alerts them of our exit so we don’t surprise anyone. “Give your statement to the detective, and don’t say anything. We don’t want her family to find out before we can alert them.”

  Breaker leads the way with Delaney behind him. I step in front of Palmer and offer my hand, which she takes. Her body is weak, and shock must have settled in after everything.

  “You good?” I ask as she looks over her shoulder, focusing on the receding body. “Palmer, come on, let’s get you back.”

  We spend the next hour with the detectives. They separate us, undoubtedly to see if our stories align to their liking. We explain why we were out in the woods, and I manage to avoid knocking the teeth out of the young deputy whose attention is far too focused on Palmer’s chest while I explain what we were doing in the woods before the body was found.

  Once everyone is happy with what we share, we are allowed to leave, under the same strict instructions Officer Striker had given us.

  In silence, we ride back to campus. Palmer’s head rests on my shoulder, and I run lazy circles over her thigh, hoping to calm her nerves. Somehow, her emotional meter is directly affecting mine.

  “I’d say this was a good night, but . . .” Delaney says, opening the passenger door when Breaker pulls in front of their dorm. She drops a kiss on Breaker’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Come on, Palmer.”

 
“Actually, I’m going to stay with Marek tonight,” Palmer whispers.

  “You are?” I sit up a little straighter.

  “You are?” Delaney echoes my disbelief.

  “Apparently, she is,” Breaker adds, never able to keep his mouth shut.

  Palmer sits up. “I mean, if it’s okay. I just don’t think I can handle being alone tonight. After seeing Julia earlier, and now this. It’s too much.”

  “The freshmen were whispering all over campus today. Julia’s just another tragic story of a good girl getting mixed up with the wrong crowd,” Delaney explains. “You can stay in my room, if you need to. I know this is all fucking with your head.”

  I’m half-tempted to push her ass out of his SUV to shut her up.

  “You two, sleeping in the same bed?” Breaker’s grin is bright under the overhead light. “Would clothes be optional, or is that only in porn?”

  “You’re a pig.” Delaney shakes her head and rolls her eyes, feigning annoyance, but she’s eating the shit right out of this dude’s hands.

  “Oink, oink, baby.” He winks, pulling out every ounce of his charm for this chick. “Now that I think about it, I can think of a couple of ways I could make you squeal.”

  “How can you joke like this when we just found a girl dead in the woods?” Palmer shakes her head.

  Her third degree makes Breaker uncomfortable enough that he squirms in his seat. “If that makes you upset, baby doll, then you’re hanging with the wrong crew.”

  “Delaney, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” Palmer turns away from me to climb out of the back seat.

  My hand wraps around her wrist. “Come on. He didn’t mean anything by it, right, Breaker?” I break my stare from her to glare at him. Why am I so desperate to have this girl sleep next to me, is the better question.

  He turns and catches on to his slip-up. He collects himself and fixes his face, softening everything for her sake. “He’s right. I’m sorry, Palmer.”

  “It’s probably not a good idea, anyway.” She kisses me on the cheek and flings the door open to escape.

  “Well, then, I’ll come with you.” I open my own and step out to catch her before she can hide behind the doors of her dorm.