“A lesson, huh?” Cole smirks, watching his best friend.
“Yes.” Julian’s voice is cold and deadly as fuck. I shiver.
“Dude, what lesson?” Liam demands, his face scrunched into a frown.
The way Julian looks at me, the way he pierces my insides, I have no choice but to just let him in. For the life of me, I can’t look away from his burning gaze. He knew I was here all along.
“The lesson that they should never touch another man’s brother.”
“Well then.” Cole laughs. “Now we know what this is all about.”
“I thought you were over that, dude.” Liam laughs. “I didn’t know who she was at that Malibu party.”
“I’m not talking about that goddamn party.” Julian’s voice is practically silent. They all look at each other as realization dawns.
“She didn’t do it.”
“Figures you’d say that,” Julian growls. “She had the damn thing. She gave it to you like a damn peace offering when she tried to kill you.”
“J, this is all Matthews.”
“I fucking know that, but we don’t know where her loyalties lie, do we?”
Silence falls in the kitchen and my stomach grumbles. Shit. I press a hand there then peer in to see if they heard me, but they don’t react. Thank God.
“Seriously though, what do you think?” Liam presses, watching his brother. I step in closer, pressing my ear to the door.
“I think we need to fucking get Matthews, that’s what I think,” Julian says, puffing smoke in the kitchen like he does it all the time. “But we should also be careful with puppets that can be used.”
“Yeah. But why do you think he chose her?” Cole questions, drinking his beer. Shit, I’ve wanted to know the answer to that. Why me?
“I have no fucking idea,” Julian says. “But I bet that fucking friend of hers everything to do with it.”
“But you do know she didn’t do it, right?” Liam questions, a sober look on his face. “You know she didn’t press that button.”
“Everything leads to her,” Cole explains, eyeing Julian and my blood freezes. “The credit card that bought the damn bomb is in her name.”
“What?” I croak out, my throat dry.
All eyes turn to look at me. I ignore Julian as I walk over to Cole and Liam who watch me approach like I just spooked the shit out of them.
“Damn, cupcake, where have you been?” Liam questions, a smile on his face but his eyes…they’re filled with worry that could’ve been laughable if I didn’t know that Liam’s actually a caring, sensitive manwhore. “Your aunt slash mother is turning the world upside down looking for you.”
I ignore their inquisitive looks. I know I look a mess. I know I’m sweating like a dog.
“And, what about…”
“She’s sleeping. Hayley watched her today,” Julian mutters silently and I look down.
“Thanks,” I whisper but I can’t look at him. His stare bores into me. Cole and Liam look at each other but stay silent.
“Well?” Liam smirks. “Where were you?”
“Out,” I mumble then look at Cole. “What do you mean everything leads to me?”
Cole doesn’t miss a beat, the intelligent light in his eyes tells me that he’s much more aware than he lets on.
“It means just that. Fucking Sean and his brother knew what they were doing when they set you up.”
“That explains why the police are looking for you,” Liam says then gets up, but my jaw is on the floor and I don’t think I’m breathing right.
“What?” I choke out. “The police are looking for me?”
“Well, that’s the word on the street,” Cole assures, his voice soothing but I’m not soothed. I look at Julian for the first time, but he just watches me silently puffing on his joint.
“Here, eat something,” Liam says, placing a burger in front of me. I frown at him and he shrugs. “J isn’t hungry, and besides, I could hear your stomach grumble way before you were ear-hustling.”
“Oh.” I stare at the cheese-burger but it feels like I swallowed sand. I just don’t have the appetite for it.
“Don’t you dare,” Liam frowns. “You’re going to eat it all.”
The next thing I know, Cole opens a Diet Coke, then adds a straw and pushes it in front of me. Then to finish it off like they coordinated the whole thing, Julian pushes a chair out for me to sit, three pairs of intense, non-judgmental eyes stare at me.
“I’m not.” I stare at the burger, then at my hand. Julian grabs the plate, then with a fork and knife, divides it up into bite sizes so I can pick it up with my good hand.
“Yes, you are,” Julian says silently in his voice that dares me to argue with him. He stares me down. With a sigh, I sit, then reach for the perfectly cut burger.
“Just one bite and you’ll wolf it down, Mia,” Cole says, then smiles softly. There’s something about him and the way he watches me and talks to me. It settles me for some reason. So, I eat.
One bite. I chew like a robot being observed in a lab. My cheeks heat up when the burger tastes so good, I almost moan. Then I reach for another piece.
Like a choir, Liam and Cole release an audible breath, but Julian just watches me like a hawk.
“Now talk,” I start after sipping the coke. “What about my credit card?”
“Well, the cops, with the influence of the Matthews have been pursuing Liam’s accident.”
“I thought it was ruled as a car malfunction.”
“Yeah, well, this is a bigger than that, cupcake,” Liam starts.
“So, they want me to go to jail?”
“Well, what they wanted was Julian in a casket, but they didn’t get that.” Liam looks down at his arm in a cast. “This thing though about jail, that’s your friend’s way of messing with you.”
“She’s not my friend,” I seethe and they fall silent.
“Thank Heavens you finally saw that.” Liam throws his head back and starts laughing. “Because we are going to take them down.”
“What are you going to do?” I question.
“Well, there’s a pre-graduation party this Friday night,” Cole starts, a sinister smile on his face.
“And we, cupcake, are hosting it!”
“What do you mean by we?” I stutter, my heart pounding. I almost drop my soda can, but Julian reaches it before it splatters everywhere.
“Come on, cupcake, keep up!” Liam laughs. “We’re hosting the party!”
“Here?” I almost start gagging. “With you guys here and my…” I trail off, pain blooming in my chest. I don’t even want to know what will happen if people find out that I live with the Fitz brothers. The carnage that’ll cause…
“Not here,” Julian answers, knowing exactly what I was thinking. Crisis averted.
“We’re not doing it here, cupcake, too personal,” Liam says, with a smirk on his face.
“So where?” I don’t like the way he’s smiling at me.
“Mom just bought a new house here.”
Shit.
“We’re going to have it christened and messed up for her this weekend,” Liam says with a. smirk.
“Well, I don’t think she wants me in her house,” I murmur, looking down.
“Please, she won’t be around this weekend,” I grit out. “Your mother hates me.”
“Come on Mia, this party has to be a team effort,” Liam groans.
“A team effort?” I deadpan. “You don’t need me to push in kegs and I certainly am not a red solo cup bitch.”
Cole and Liam burst out laughing. “Shit, I like you,” Cole says, and I almost blush. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Thanks,” I mumble, looking down at my burger when Liam starts to wheeze, groaning in pain.
“Shit, my ribs,” he complains, clutching his side.
“That’s what you get for acting like you’re healed when you’re not.” Julian grumbles. I chance a quick glance at him and he’s watching me. Still.
/>
“I mean it, Liam.” I clear my throat. “I’m not team effort-ing anything.”
“First of all, that’s not even a word and second, if you don’t want that pretty spoiled ass to end up in jail, you’re going to help us get those bastards.” Liam counters.
“Please, she could rule jail and every other rough shit you throw her in.” Julian mutters close to my ear and the kitchen grows silent. I look at Julian, then at his lips, my heart pounding so fast, my lips are open on a gasp.
“You know what?” I start. “I would actually, thanks for recognizing my royalty.”
“You mean your royal pain in the ass for anyone around you?” he counters.
“Excuse moi?” I turn fully to look at him. “You have issues.”
“I didn’t squeeze a broken glass in my hand,” he says it so softly, his gaze on mine, daring me to say anything to top that.
“See what I meant?” Liam chuckles, looking at Cole. They fist bump and then Cole puts a crisp Benjamin Franklin note in Liam’s hand.
“I see, indeed.”
“You’re betting against me?”
“You don’t need to know what the bet’s about love.” Cole winks. “I just saw what Liam meant.”
“Yup, what I meant.”
Urgh.
“Fine,” I mutter, feeling lighter for some reason. “I’ll help get that bastard, but I don’t see how throwing a party with booze will help you, that guy is a loose-screwed moron when he’s sober.”
“Nah, don’t worry about that. Matthews will talk,” Cole says and they look at each other in silent solidarity.
“This sounds like a bad idea,” I grumble.
“Oh, ye of little faith.” Liam chuckles.
“Did you just quote the Bible?” Cole frowns at him.
“Yes, I did,” he deadpans, looking at me like I just lost my damn mind. “I love Jesus and I hope he loves me too because your little friend’s life is totally over.”
“No.”
“No?” They all stare at me like I’m crazy. I mean, who wouldn’t want their enemies to be dealt with by the gods of Palos Verdes?
“No, because she’s mine.”
Cole whistles, watching me, then holds out his hand. Liam grumbles then places two crisp C-notes in his hand.
“Thank you, good sir.”
“You have a gambling problem.” Julian and I say at the same time.
“Hmm, I think we should rethink this wager, bro. They’re starting to say shit at the same time.” Liam says to Cole as they stand up.
“What is this wager anyway?” I ask but they ignore me.
“No way, Little Liam,” Cole says, throwing an arm around Liam’s shoulders. “I called it as I saw it. Now you’re losing.”
What the hell are they talking about? But soon, they’re gone, leaving me with a silent Julian who’s watching me like he wants to set me on fire then keep the ashes.
And suddenly, I want to know.
“Do you hate me?”
The question leaves my lips in a rushed tumble of words. I can feel his intense gaze on me, but I don’t have the heart to look into his eyes, afraid of what I’ll find. One breath, another one, then he moves, coming closer to me.
“If you’re going to ask that,” he starts, his voice a rough timber of emotions mixed with lust that makes my nipples hard. “Then have the decency to look at me when you do.”
His hot breath bathes the side of my face, then I feel his lips at my cheek, then my temple, then he ducks his head to my neck to smell me. I shiver, wanting to be as close to him as humanly possible.
“You smell like regrets, self-hatred, and lies,” he mutters. “I won’t add to that messed up pile.”
And with that, he backs away and heads in the direction Liam and Cole went.
“Julian.”
He stops but doesn’t turn around.
“I am sorry,” I mutter, then swallow my pride as I get up to walk toward him. “I’m deeply sorry for everything that happened.”
“What exactly happened?” he questions, his shoulders rising and falling so fast and I can feel his agitation from where I stand. I know I shouldn’t be this close to him because anything can happen. But then, I don’t know, I can’t be anywhere else but close to him. “What happened that day, Mia?”
“I… I don’t really know. One moment, you kissed me, and the next I felt like I was floating, then I felt like you threw me to the hard, rocky earth and I broke…”
The confession flies out of my mouth like it’s been lodged in my throat for a long time just waiting to escape, but only for him to hear.
“Say it,” he grits out, the words clipped and loaded like a damn gun. Turning around to look at me, his nostrils flaring, eyes cold and hard.
“What?” I stutter.
“Say it. Tell me why you opened that smart mouth of yours and said what you said to those vultures.”
He takes three steps toward me, and then he’s pinning me up against the cold fridge.
“I don’t know…”
“Yes, you do,” he counters. “You’re too smart, too well calculated, painfully aware of the shitty world around you not to know.”
“Julian,” I whisper, pain bubbling in my insides. Did I know? No, I couldn’t have.
“Why did you do it, huh?” he presses, pushing his hard body into mine, then he bites my lip. I flinch, but God, am I turned on. “You knew they were reporters. You knew they were hungry for a story to tear apart my family, so why?”
Wrapping a hand around my waist, he brings me even closer to him, then his other hand grips my ass, making me moan.
“I don’t—”
“Why, Mia?” he groans, his voice filled with pain. “I spent night, weeks, years wondering why you served my brother up like that. Then you kissed Liam…”
“I didn’t know he was your brother!” I cry.
“But you can offer those lips that I kissed first,§ to anyone who has a hunger to hurt my family, huh?
Oh God.
“You knew you were mine when you kissed him.” He leans into whisper in my ear. “You knew you were mine, didn’t you?”
“Julian—,”
“Didn’t you?” he presses, his gaze holding mine, demanding the truth. So, I give it to him, and every other thing he wants.
“I didn’t kiss Shane.”
“I’m not talking about that imbecile.”
God….
“You know, it’s both a blessing and a fucking curse,” he says, staring at my lips, then into my eyes.
“What is?” I gasp.
“To be my brother’s keeper.”
My heart shutters as I remember what John admitted the other day, so long ago, and then my growing relationship with Liam.
“Julian,” I whisper. “Liam and I…”
“But I’m fucking relieved that he’s got you,” he says gruffly. “He needs a real a friend.”
“But what?” I question, holding his gaze.
“But he’s the last brother I have, and you have the power to hurt him,” he states. “Just know that I won’t let you.”
Yeah, that’s clear and I know where it all started. Feeling ashamed still, I glance down at my shoes, unable to hold his gaze. “I apologized for everything that happened with Aiden.”
He steps closer to me, then his fingers are on my chin, pulling my head up, he forces me to hold his gaze. “Why did you do it?”
I can feel my chest cracking. I know what he’s asking, and I freeze. “I…” I stutter.
“Why, Mia?” he presses.
“Because I wanted to hurt you,” I admit with a strangled gasp.
Immediately, he lets me go like I just burned him. Stepping away, he looks at me like he hates me.
“I was so confused, so hurt, so out of it that for a moment, I…” I trail off unable to finish. “I opened my mouth because you broke me.”
“I broke you?” He chuckles but there’s nothing funny. “You broke me, damn you! We
kissed. You came alive in my arms and so did I. We were kids but fuck Mia, I didn’t count on you to break my family as a punishment for feeling.”
“Julian—” I start but he cuts me off.
“And yes,” he says his voice low and void of emotion that’s threatening to take me over. “I still hate you just as much you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” I deny, stepping forward.
“Yes. You do.” He steps back with each word. “When you toss and turn in your bed, with an ache between your legs, a whole in tour heart, you come crawling into my bed because you fucking know I’m the only one who can quieten down all that mess in your head. And guess what? You hate that it’s me. You hate that I make you feel. You hate that I affect you.
We hold each other’s gaze, not looking away. I know what he’s saying is true. But for him, I think the hate’s a bit different.
“You hate it, but you still come to my bed, hungry for me,” he grits out.
We stare at each other for a beat, then I ask.
“Does it still hurt?”
His gaze feels like it’s penetrating deep into my soul as I wait nervously for his answer that I can clearly see in his eyes.
“Yes. Every time I look at you.”
He admits it so easily, his face now an impassive expression.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry won’t fix what happened.”
And it certainly won’t bring him back from the dead or make up for lost time.
“I know, but I am sorry. I didn’t—” I have so much to say but he cuts me off with a wave of his hand like he’s swatting a damn fly that’s bothering him.
“Just shut up and go get your royal sleep, little minx.”
With the bitter, heaviness of the truth hanging in the air, he turns and leaves.
30
Time moves differently when there’s a silent ticking bomb in your house, about to explode.
I’m that fucking bomb.
Every time Mia enters the room, every time she so much as moves in my line of sight, I think I’m going to explode. I’ve had blue balls since the day we trashed her car and now, I feel like a glutton for punishment for staying when I should go; for giving her all my attention, when I should ignore the fuck out of her.
Devious Kisses: A Bully Enemies -To-Lovers Romance (It's Just High School Book 1) Page 36