Colton is silent for a moment and I refuse to look back as I continue scrubbing. “I didn’t know that,” he says. “I wouldn’t have allowed that. I’d never allow anyone to cause you harm, Jade.”
I don’t respond as the heaviness of it all begins to cloud my mind. This whole situation is getting frustrating. Twice now he’s let me in and when he does, he’s kind and shows that deep down, he has a heart but the second he can, he flips the switch and we return to enemy territory.
I can’t help but wonder what seeing this graffiti would have felt like for him. Had I known what I now know about Colton’s childhood, I probably would have chosen another image to humiliate him with. Seeing this was probably a kick in the gut and I can’t help but feel like shit about it, but then, he’s also an ass so there’s that.
Minutes turn to an hour where I work in our comfortable silence and then all too soon, the wall is clean and dread sinks heavily into my stomach. Why don’t I want this to end?
I look back at Colton and lean against the sparkling clean wall as he looks down at his phone. “You knew they were going to pour that grease all over me.”
A grin pulls at his lips as his hazel eyes raise to meet mine. “Baby, you didn’t think I was there by accident, did you? I wasn’t about to miss the show.”
I narrow my gaze and lift the bucket of dirty water from my feet. “You’re a real ass, you know that, right?”
He shrugs his shoulders as I go to walk past him and in the blink of an eye, I throw my arm out, sending dirty water cascading over the billionaire douchebag.
My eyes bug out of my head as I realize what the hell I just did.
Oh, fuck.
We both pause, looking at each other in shock but upon realizing that I’m wasting precious moments, I run faster than I've ever run in my life.
Colton comes bounding behind me and just as I spy the door to the pool house, his arm curls around my waist, and in seconds, we go crashing down into one of the many pools littered across this insanely perfect property.
Chapter 19
I lean back against the headboard of my bed, staring at the TV while not actually taking any of it in. I’ve had Netflix on for the better part of the night and after realizing that I wasn’t going to find sleep tonight, I completely gave up.
Staring at my ceiling didn't cut it, so on went Netflix and that’s how I ended up watching the first season of Lucifer, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to like it quite so much but there’s something so exciting about the devil. Maybe it’s a bad boy thing … or a British accent thing.
My eyes are heavy and my body is screaming for sleep. It’s well past four in the morning but for some reason, I can’t seem to switch off. It’s been a beyond shitty day with the whole acid grease shower I took and the whole getting sprung for vandalism thing. Not to mention Colton throwing me in the pool completely messed with my new hair and after the torture my hair has been through today, I wasn’t willing to destroy it more by washing and drying it again.
So, here is where I’ve sat all afternoon and night with damp hair and a heavy scowl. With nothing else to do, I pull out my phone and send a quick text, knowing Nic is usually only just getting home at this ridiculous time.
I attach a selfie I took of me standing against the graffitied wall with my scrubbing brush.
Ocean - Sprung!!!!
He texts back almost instantly and I smile to myself. I’ve been missing him over the past few days.
Nic - Oh, shit! Did you get in trouble? What are you doing awake? You should be sleeping for school tomorrow.
Ocean - Long story! Didn’t get busted. Colton and the douchey butler kept it quiet, but scrubbing that wall for over an hour was punishment enough.
Nic - Shit, O. I’m sorry. That’s on me.
Ocean - Don’t be stupid. If it wasn’t spray paint, I would have found another way to fuck with them.
Nic - Good point. Go to bed, babe.
I roll my eyes at his usual bossy nature. Some things will never change. I could be apart from him for years, I could be married with kids and still get messages from him telling me to go to bed. It's one of the many reasons I love him. No matter what the circumstances, he will always be there for me, always protecting, and always taking care of me.
Knowing he’s bound to drive over here and kick my ass if I don’t do what he says, I let out a sigh and scoot down in my bed.
Ocean - Night.
Nic doesn’t respond but I didn’t expect him to. He’s not the kind to send sweet little goodnight messages. He only gets emotional when it’s important and seeing as though it’s well into the middle of the night, he’s probably more interested in taking some girl home and having his dick sucked until he passes out.
I pull the covers up over my chest and try to get comfortable. I turn off the TV and try my hardest to sleep but it’s impossible. No matter what I try, I can’t seem to find that sweet unconsciousness.
I stare out the window, watching as the soft breeze sweeps across the top of the pool and makes the smallest ripples in the water. The morning staff has already arrived so there’s a glow over the backyard from the staff quarters and without that, I wouldn't be able to see the figure cutting through the backyard.
I sit up, feeling a chill shooting down my spine. This shit used to happen all the time in Breakers Flats. It’s not exactly new for me, but here? No, this shit isn’t supposed to happen here.
I watch the figure move, narrowing my eyes at the pained way he slinks through the yard. There’s something … familiar about him.
The guy moves closer and I fight the urge to sound some kind of alarm. I don’t know what it is but my gut tells me to keep quiet.
I watch him as he moves closer to the main house, letting out a breath of relief when he sails straight past the doors of the pool house–doors that are most likely unlocked.
The closer he gets, the more light that shines upon him and as he crosses the window of the pool house, I see his face.
Colton.
I suck in a gasp, taking him in. He got fucked up fighting at school today, but this is worse. So much worse. He looks like he’s just taken a few rounds with a professional MMA fighter.
I throw myself out of bed and race through the living room, skipping over my suitcase which I’ve neglected to put away since the boys first moved us in here. Reaching the door, I tear it open and throw myself out of it, unsure why I seem to care so much.
“Colton,” I hiss through the night as he goes to reach for the back door of the main house.
He whips around, surprised to see me awake at this time of night but in doing that, he shows me exactly what his night has been like. “Go to bed,” he demands, mimicking the last words I got from Nic, only from him, they don’t seem quite so sincere.
I trail my eyes over his face and body. Someone tried to fuck him up but judging from his bloodied and bruised knuckles, Colton might have been the one doing the fucking up. “What happened to you?”
He shakes his head so slightly that for a moment, I wonder if I’d imagined it. “It’s nothing.”
Colton turns back and reaches for the door handle but I race after him, determined not to let him get away with this. “It’s not nothing,” I say, moving in beside him and reaching the handle before he can. “You’re hurt.”
“Don’t worry about me, Jade,” he says as I swing the back door open.
I step through the door first, making him wait his damn turn before looking back and ushering him through. “Sit your stubborn ass down. I’ll patch you up.”
Colton’s eyes come to mine and they narrow in suspicion, but what does he have to be suspicious about? It’s not like I’m purposefully going to poke and prod him harder than necessary. Though, now that the idea has wriggled it’s way inside my brain … damn.
I couldn't possibly be that mean, could I?
Seeing I’m not about to give him any other choice, he walks through the door and I follow him through to the bathroo
m. He walks right up to the sink and shoves his hands under the cool water. He sucks in a hiss and I watch through the mirror as his face scrunches in pain.
I hand him a towel and cringe as he pats his hands dry, leaving blood all over the white, expensive towels. If I’d done that back home, mom would have whooped my ass, but it’s a different world here, and replacing a towel isn’t even something to blink at.
The towel gets dropped into the basin and I watch as he reaches over his head and shrugs out of his shirt. The fabric trails up his skin and I try not to get turned on by the raw emotion on his face. He’s in pain but goddamn, that body. Every time he puts it on display, the need to touch him intensifies.
Colton looks over his injuries in the mirror and I watch as his eyes scan over his body. He takes in his bruised jaw, his bloodied hand, the grazes, and red marks across his ribs. I watched him fight Spencer at school and he was amazing. He could even rival some of the Black Widows, so for him to end up looking like this, it must have been a bad fight. Maybe a few guys tried to jump him or the other guy had something over him. All I know is that for him to get injured this way, he wasn’t fighting with his head in the game.
His eyes come back to mine and there are so many emotions there—rage, pain, desperation, and hurt. Every one of them tear me apart and it confuses me more than anything I’ve ever known.
“Come on,” I say, trying to distract myself from the confusion clouding my mind. It must be a lack of sleep, otherwise, I’d be perfectly fine. I take his shoulders and push him back to sit on the edge of the marble counter. My fingers burn against his skin but I put it to the back of my mind. I’m surprised he’s allowed me to get this far and if he’s actually going to let me patch him up, then I need to concentrate.
Once he’s seated, I start going through all the cupboards and drawers until I find the first aid kit. Not wasting a second, I dump it down on the counter beside him and start rifling through it.
I start with his face and damn it, it’s so hard to concentrate.
Why do I want to kiss him so badly? I should be hating him. I should be curled up in my bed letting him suffer in here on his own. Instead, I’m being as gentle as I possibly can, hoping to God that his handsome face doesn’t scar.
The only noise that fills the bathroom is the sounds of me going back and forth to the first aid kit. He lets me concentrate and I’m grateful. My mind is already a mess of confusion. The last thing I need is his chatter to make it worse.
Once his face and hands are bandaged, I move down to his ribs. My fingers brush lightly over his skin and he sucks in a sharp breath. “Why are you doing this?” he murmurs, asking the very question that I haven’t been able to stop asking myself.
I shrug my shoulders, not having a proper answer for him. “Someone had to,” I tell him, refusing to meet his eyes. “And something tells me you’re the kind of guy who would have just gone straight to bed without giving this a second thought.”
A soft chuckle slips from between his lips and the sound pulls at something within me. “You might be right about that.”
“I’m right about a lot of things,” I fire back at him.
Colton’s lips pull into a tight line and I do my best to keep my concentration on his ribs, ignoring his strong abs and pecs that stare back at me, begging to be touched. “How’d you learn how to do this?” he questions, catching me off guard, though I can’t figure out why. It's a standard question, but it’s something personal, and Colton and I strictly don’t do personal … except for the other night in his room, but that was different.
“I have four best friends in a gang,” I say, choosing to entertain his question. “Knowing how to patch up dickheads with big egos is kind of a requirement.”
“Do they get in fights a lot?”
I nod, feeling a soft smile pulling across my lips. I’ve missed talking about them. “Kairo’s a loose cannon. He’s had a rough life and holds a lot of anger so if you even look at him wrong he’ll beat the shit out of you.”
“And Nic?” A flash of something appears behind his eyes but is gone before I have a chance to figure out what it means.
“Nic’s the smart one,” I tell him. “He’s the one you don’t want to cross. He’s calculating and deadly, and when it comes to protecting what’s his, there’s no standing in his way.”
“Is that supposed to be some kind of warning?”
I meet his heavy gaze and there’s so much there but I ignore it, unsure what any of it means. I shrug a shoulder and look back at Colton’s ribs. “Take it how you want.”
His voice is low, inquiring, and curious. “What’s the deal with you two?”
My walls shoot up. I don’t like this. Why does he want to know? Why does he need to know? I’m used to being the one who’s fishing for answers, not the other way around. Is this some kind of trick? Get me to open up and then use it against me in this ridiculous little war?
Reluctance pulls heavy within me yet I find myself eager to please him. “There’s nothing going on. He’s my best friend and he broke my heart. That’s all there is to it.”
Colton scoffs. “It seems like a shitload more than just that.”
“It is, but that’s between me and Nic.”
“Got it,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “None of my business.” I rub some antiseptic cream into his ribs and just like that, the topic of Nic is dropped. “So, what about the other two?”
“Elijah and Sebastian?” I ask. “They’re my world. The four of them are. Sebastian is a flirt, kind of like Charlie actually. He’s the go-to guy if you want to party, and the majority of the time he’s getting stoned. Elijah is the one with the big heart. He'll never admit it though.”
“You guys sound tight.”
“We are.”
Colton reaches up and brushes his fingers over my shoulder and past my tattoo. “What would they say if they found out about this?”
I shuffle over, watching as his hand falls from my shoulder. “There’s nothing for them to find out,” I tell him. “Any of it. If they knew you snuck into my room and saw what you saw, they'd kill you without hesitation and if they knew that you’ve been doing everything in your power to make every day for me a living hell, they’d have you by the balls. There’s no winning for you in this situation. You’re fucked either way. It’s better to just keep your mouth shut.”
“If that’s the case, then why haven’t you said something? You say they’re so fucking protective and lethal, you could have squealed and all your problems would have disappeared.”
I look away and make sure to press a little harder against his rib which only manages to pull a wicked grin out of him. “You don’t want to get rid of me, do you?” he questions, reaching out for my waist and pulling me between his legs. “You love it. You crave the attention and the adrenaline.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He scoffs. “Don’t bullshit me, Jade. I see the way you’re always searching me out in a room. You’re drawn to me like a moth to a flame. Even after I tear you down, you keep coming back because you crave it. You want my touch just as badly as you want the fight.”
I shake my head. “You’re wrong.”
His hand brushes over my cheek. “I’m right and you know it, but it’s okay, Jade. I like your kind of fucked up.”
“You’re wrong,” I repeat. “I don’t like you. I don’t even like you a little. You’re a fucking arrogant prick, you treat the people around you like shit, and you wouldn’t know the first thing about enjoying life. I despise you, Colton. You and I will never be on the same page.”
Colton leans in, ignoring the way the movement is bound to tear through his ribs. His lips brush gently over mine. “I couldn’t agree more. You’re trash and you’ll never be on the same page as me let alone the same level.”
“If I’m trash, then why do you keep covering for me? Why do you keep coming back for more, and why the hell can’t you keep your hands off me?�
��
He shakes his head, his eyes flaming with desire. “I’ve got no fucking clue.”
He holds my eyes for a moment longer and when it gets too much, I step out of his hold and grab the bandage. “Put your arms up.”
He does as he’s told and I make quick work of wrapping his ribs, desperately wanting to get out of here. This whole thing is getting to be too much for me to handle. There are so many lines being crossed but in reality, I have no idea where those lines even lay.
I like things black and white and right now, there’s a whole lot of grey. Hell, there’s a whole fucking rainbow in there and I have no idea what any of it means. I’ve never been so confused in my life. I have this growing need to touch him while at the same time, I want to punch him in the junk and watch him cry.
God, he’s a fucking ass and with each word he says, I only want to hate him more. Only, then he has to go and hit me with moments like this afternoon when he sat with me as I cleaned the wall, and the day before when he opened up about his father’s abuse. It doesn’t make sense and I’m starting to get whiplash.
There’s something building between us, something big and it’s scaring the absolute shit out of me.
I finish off Colton’s bandages and give him a forced smile. “You’re all good,” I tell him, already retreating to the bathroom door.
I push my way out and am just about safe when his voice rings out behind me. “Wait.”
Shit. So fucking close.
I stop in the doorway and look back at Colton, silently waiting. His eyes meet mine and there’s a strange vulnerability shining back at me. His gaze lingers on my new haircut before it drops to his bandaged knuckles. “You don’t need to worry about those guys hurting you again.”
“Guys?” I question. “You mean the dickheads from school?”
He nods and just like that, I know exactly where these cuts and bruises came from.
I step back into the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind me and feeling the tension rise in the room. “You beat them up? All five of them?”
Tough Sh*t: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 1) Page 21