I always knew climbing into bed with Colton Carrington was going to be a dangerous game, I just never knew how dangerous it could be. Not only am I at risk of letting someone in, my heart is at risk of being torn to shreds. He's reeled me in and now I’m terrified that he might let me go. I never intended on giving him that power, but day by day and smile by smile, he unintentionally takes it, leaving me wide open and more vulnerable than I’ve ever been before.
Is this what it feels like when you’re falling in love? It didn’t feel like this with Nic. I still clung tightly to my power with him, but with Colton … I don’t know. This just feels like something so much more—something massive ... something astronomical.
It’s as though we’ve finally moved past all the bullshit and now have this chance to actually start living our lives and what better way to celebrate than having an epic party?
Mom starts pulling me toward the backdoor but I lead her around the house. I cut through the backdoor when going to the first black and white party and I’ve always regretted it. There’s just something so incredibly magical about walking through the front and being welcomed in as a valued guest and having your name marked off. When I snuck through the back, it felt like I was some delinquent teenager slipping into a party I wasn’t meant to be at.
Mom reluctantly agrees and when we finally reach the front door, that reluctance instantly fades away as she becomes dazzled by the sight before her. We've spent most of yesterday and today helping set this all up so it’s not exactly like we haven't already seen the amazing decorations but with the sunset and the room lit up with lights and music, it’s like walking into a dazzling, crystal version of wonderland.
Jazz music fills my ears and the smile that spreads across my face is as real as it’s ever going to get. Champagne flutes are put into our hands and I pull mom deeper into the party. “Are you ready for this?” I question, glancing across at her to see the excitement filling her eyes.
She takes a quick sip of the expensive champagne and holds out her glass to clink against mine. “I was born ready.”
Within three seconds, I lose mom in the crowd and I roll my eyes, knowing that she’s out there making friends in this crazy new world we live in and having a good time just as she deserves.
Not wanting to waste a single minute of this party, I walk into the crowd and get halfway across the dance floor when I find him.
Colton Fucking Carrington.
My eyes roam greedily up and down his large frame as he talks to an older gentleman while looking like the most important man in the room, but truth be told, he is. He wears a suit that looks as though it was taken straight from the 1920’s—Blue dress shirt, tie, and vest covered with a cream suit that somehow makes his hazel eyes stand out. He has the attention of every woman in the room yet his eyes are focused solely on me.
I walk toward him but am sure to keep my distance as he wraps up his conversation with the older man beside him. After all, this party was put together solely for the purpose of proving to the Carrington business contacts that Colton is the fucking star of the show and I refuse to do anything that will jeopardize that.
“Wow,” he says, walking toward me and meeting me in the middle of the dance floor as I take a sip of champagne. “You look breathtaking.”
His arm slips around my waist and just like in the movies, he takes the champagne flute from my hands and places it on a passing waitress' drink tray before effortlessly sweeping me around in a dance. “Everybody is watching,” I warn, reminding him that although we’ve gone public with our relationship to our friends, we haven’t exactly announced it to the world and perhaps a party with all of his business contacts in attendance isn’t exactly the best idea.
“I hope they are,” he tells me. “I’m not hiding this. You and I … we’re doing this. I’m serious about being with you and if they have a problem with it, then they can fuck off but they’re going to regret it, because in this fucking game, I hold all the cards.”
I smile up at him but before I get the chance to say exactly how much I appreciate his comments, his lips are pressing down on mine. “What was that for?” I question when he pulls back.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Jade, but you have a habit of fucking up sentimental moments with ridiculous sarcastic comments to hide the fact that you don’t know how to respond. So, I kissed you because I’d prefer to savor the moment before you go ahead and fuck it up.”
I purse my lips and grin up at him. “For the record,” I say. “I was going to remind you that you’re a fucking boss and not only do you hold all the cards in your hands, but you hold mine too.”
His brow raises and he looks at me as though he’s seeing a stranger. “Wow, I thought I’d have to torture you to get a little emotion out of you.”
“Look who’s throwing around sarcastic comments now,” I laugh. “And quit acting like I’m some kind of robot. I have a heart buried in here somewhere. I just don’t like to admit it sometimes.”
“I know,” he murmurs, pulling me in tighter. “I’m just teasing you.”
I roll my eyes and let him move me around the dance floor and with each step he takes, he completely sweeps me away. The song changes and we dance again until a waitress walks by with a food platter and steals my attention.
“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get you fed and then I have to sweet talk Milo’s dad into signing a new contract that will make him an extremely wealthy man.”
“Isn’t he already a very wealthy man?”
“He is, but this is …”
“Next level?”
“Exactly.”
I push up onto my toes and brush my lips over his. “Then what are you waiting for? I can take care of myself. Go and show them who’s boss.”
Colton grins wide and within seconds of his arms falling from around my waist, Charlie and Spencer are at my back, ready to pour shot after shot down my throat and truly welcome me into their group.
Chapter 30
The chandeliers rattle above as the party rages into the early hours of the morning. Colton dominated with every single contact he could get his hands on and somehow managed to get a shitload more business in the process so I think it’s safe to say that the party has been an absolute success. At least, I know Mom would agree seeing as though she spent a good portion of her night dancing with Hendrix’s father and drinking more than she has in years.
I couldn’t stop watching her. Seeing her being so carefree was refreshing, though I don’t know how she’s going to feel in the morning. I don’t think she’s even had a sip of alcohol in years so I’m sure she’s going to wake up with a killer hangover. I might be the one on bacon and eggs duty tomorrow.
Most of the older people have gone leaving only the spirited ones here to party with us, and by spirited, what I mean are people like Milo who have stripped off most of their clothes and are running around the party in nothing but a 1920’s hat, suit pants, and suspenders. He looks insane but the smile on his face is infectious.
The old jazz music has been swapped out for something we can all get down to and it pulses through the mansion, rattling the chandeliers and sending vibrations through the floor to ceiling windows.
A lot of the girls from school are here and mixing with all the guys I knew from BSA. It is honestly the best night of my life. I’ve never enjoyed myself like this and felt so damn welcome. Since the second his last business contact walked out the door with his drunk wife, Colton hasn’t moved from my side and he’s made sure to show me the best damn time of my life while constantly flashing me that perfect smile that has everything inside of me melting.
I’m a fucking goner where this guy is concerned. If I’m not careful, he’s going to drown me in a world that I don’t belong in and I may never find my way out, but then a part of me doesn’t want to get out. I want to stay right here and drown in his love, succumb to his touches, and falter under his deep words.
Spencer steps into my side and hands me a
nother shot glass. “Do you think you could handle another?”
I grin up at him and take the shot from his hand as Colton murmurs something about tonight being a messy night. “Please, do you even know who you’re talking to? My bra matches my panties. That is not a trait of a woman who can’t handle her liquor.”
Spencer smiles wide and holds out his own shot. “Then what are you waiting for?”
Our glasses clink in the middle and just as the cool liquid burns down my throat, Charlie comes running in with a shot of his own. “Me too, me too, me too.” He throws his shot back and the movement has him tripping over his own damn feet and slamming hard against Spencer.
The two of them go down like a sack of shit and I hold onto my stomach as I howl with uncontrollable laughter.
Colton shakes his head, probably thinking about which couch to let them crash on and how much of a hassle it’s going to be when they inevitably hurl all over it, but either way, he lets them go, not one to ruin their fun.
Milo comes bounding back into our circle and slips an arm around my waist before literally picking me up and removing me from Colton’s side. “Come on, bitch. We’re dancing.”
Well, who the hell am I to say no? Though, I have to admit, I’m surprised these guys haven’t figured out that Milo’s gay yet … or bi. Who knows? God knows he doesn’t.
I let him pull me away and as I turn to hurry toward the dancefloor, I crash into a hard body and come to a startling stop. “Oh, sorry,” I rush out, laughing but the man’s grip on my arms has me glancing up and meeting his eyes.
I suck in a harsh breath as his familiar smell wraps around me and makes my head spin.
Nic.
His stare bears down on me and I’m instantly jolted back into the Black Widows clubhouse to where he stood behind those men and so effortlessly took their lives. Desperation cuts through me. I’ve been avoiding his calls all week and I can guarantee that hasn’t sat well with him. I try to tear out of his grip. “Let go of me.”
“Time to fucking go,” he spits before moving his hand down to my wrist and spinning on his heel. Nic gives me a hard tug and I stumble after him as my heart begins to race.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demand, desperately trying to pull back on his grip as for the first time in my life, being held by him really isn’t as thrilling as it’s always been. My head spins from the sheer amount of alcohol pulsing through my veins and my attempts at freedom become laughable. “Dominic,” I yell over the music, knowing damn well that the bastard can hear me. “Let me go. I have nothing to say to you.”
He tugs me harder and I slam into his back, my stumbling not stopping until we’re out of the ballroom. He leads me right out into the cool night and I feel my wrist beginning to bruise.
Nic starts for the stairs and I panic, knowing damn well that I’m in no shape to navigate my way down them, especially in these heels, but the thought doesn’t even seem to enter his mind as he pulls me down the first one. I struggle to keep up with his pace, focusing with everything that I have on putting my foot on each step before taking the next.
We get halfway when he decides that I’m not moving fast enough and tugs me harder, sending me toppling over the next step. I fall to my knees but his momentum has me falling and slamming my chest hard against the concrete steps.
I suck in a pained breath as my chest begins to ache and my knees that had only just healed get scratched up all over again.
Nic groans in frustration. “Look at you,” he snaps, pulling hard on my wrist and hauling me to my feet before grabbing me and throwing me carelessly over his shoulder. “You’re fucking pathetic. You’re fucking wasted and can’t even stand up.”
“Yo,” a familiar voice calls from the bottom of the steps. “Ease up, Nic. You’re fucking hurting her.”
“She’s fine,” he snaps back at Sebastian, making me wonder if all the liars are here or just these two.
I slam my hand hard against his back and get an odd pleasure out of the loud slap against his skin. “Put me the fuck down. I’m not going anywhere with you, especially when you’re like this.”
Nic finally gets to the bottom of the stairs and puts me on my feet where I find all four of the boys but my attention is solely on Nic. My hand lashes out and it slaps hard across his face. “What the fuck is your problem?” I yell, desperate to hit him again and again. “How dare you put your hands on me. Who the fuck are you? It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
Nic turns on me as the boys crowd around. “Me?” he demands. “Look at you prancing around that fucking party as if you own the place. You’re a complete stranger. Do you even remember where the fuck you come from because it sure as hell seems like you don’t.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. “How dare you come at me for wanting something better for myself.”
“Better? You’re whoring yourself out in there, showing off your body, and throwing back shots with those cocky fucks.”
“Dude …” Eli warns but gets instantly ignored.
“You’re acting like a fucking idiot in there. You should be embarrassed for yourself. I’m taking you the fuck home. I’m done with this bullshit.”
My hands slam up against Nic’s chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I yell at him, my throat instantly hurting from the raspy anger that shoots out of it. “Maybe you’ve forgotten that I watched you slice a fucking knife across those bastards necks. You’re a fucking monster, Nic. You’re not the guy I knew. It’s like your father died and you went right along with him. You don’t have to be a monster to lead, you know. You don’t have to be him.”
Nic grabs the pearls around my neck and yanks me in close. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
I raise my chin, refusing to give in. “You need to leave. All of you do. I told you on Saturday night—I’m done with you. You’re fucking no-good gang members who have lied to me since the beginning of fucking time and I’m not sitting around and letting it happen again. Now, leave.”
Nic’s jaw tightens and I see the refusal on his lips when a deep rumble comes from behind me and instantly calms my racing heart. “Get your fucking hands off her.”
Nic’s gaze snaps up to Colton’s and it’s darker than I’ve ever seen before, darker than when he was staring down his father’s murderers. “I’ll put my hands wherever the fuck I want,” Nic growls low, his tone a nasty warning that Colton should back off. “She’s mine. Always has been. You’re a fucking phase.”
“Phase or not, she asked you to release her, so I’d suggest you do it now before I make you.”
Nic throws me behind him and I slam into Kai’s chest as he gets in Colton’s face. “The fuck did you just say to me? Do you have any idea who I am? The kind of influence I could have over you?”
Colton’s hazel stare flashes back at me and takes in the red mark across my chest and my scratched up knees. He scoffs as he looks back at Nic. “I know exactly who you are,” he taunts, making every one of my nerves stand on edge. “You’re a fucking loser who just put his hands on my fucking girl because he’s pissed that she chose me, chose a life away from you, and chose to have something better for herself. Do you honestly think she’ll ever go back to a man who throws her around like a fucking ragdoll, who drags her down the stairs, and constantly leaves her bruised? No fucking chance. I don’t care if she doesn’t want me, but I will make sure that she never goes back to you.”
Without warning, Nic’s hand curls into a fist and it cracks across Colton’s face. I run out of Kai’s arms, ready to check on him when a low laugh sounds through the silence. Colton rubs a hand over his jaw before spitting a mouthful of blood down onto the concrete. He holds his arms out wide while grinning back at Nic. “Is that all you’ve got, fucker?” And with the speed of light, Colton throws a punch that has Nic falling back a step.
I stare in shock. No one has ever landed a punch on Nic, it’s simply something that I’ve always believe
d to be impossible and the way that Colton stands before him in victory speaks to the devilish goddess living inside me. I’ve never been so fucking turned on.
Nic runs back at him and just like that, it turns into a fucking brawl. I’ve always known Nic to be larger than life, the toughest guy on earth who could take anyone down with a single blow, but against Colton, it’s a fair fight. He’s holding his own and it’s the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if Colton had been trained in martial arts, it seems like the kind of thing that Charles would force him into at a young age.
No matter the reasons for why he knows how to fight, what matters is that he’s taking the upper hand, proving to Nic that he underestimated him.
Not wanting their leader to lose, Kai, Sebastian, and Eli dive for their guns, ready to end this, but I’m not about to let that happen. They’ll never hurt him. A punch-up is like child’s play to them and now that I’ve seen exactly what these guys are capable of, I'm not about to let them get involved.
I turn on the boys, staring each of them in the eyes as I listen to the sound of flesh being pummeled behind me. “You’re going to have to shoot me to get to him,” I warn them, watching the hesitation in each of their eyes and taking note of the way their guns lower away from my chest.
“Come on, O,” Kairo says. “Move out of the way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I hold up my bruised wrist and show off my red chest. “You didn’t give a shit about me getting hurt when he dragged me down the fucking stairs, now back the fuck off. If Nic wants to come here and step into Colton’s territory to start shit, then Colton has every fucking right to defend what’s his.”
“You’re not his. You’re one of us.”
Cocky F*ck: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 2) Page 31