Sebastian scoffs his agreement behind me. “No wonder they have so many skeletons locked up in their closets.”
A chuckle pulls from deep within my stomach as I recall the few skeletons I’ve already discovered of Charles’ but I don’t get to think about it long before Kai is stealing my attention again. “How’d you get here? Did you take one of those rich prick’s cars? Which one? Something we can lift?” He looks up at Nic. “How much can we get for parts on an Aston Martin or Ferrari? Wait. Did you take that kid’s Lambo?”
I roll my eyes and slam my elbow into his ribs. “First of all, I took the bus right after school and it took forever,” I start, watching as his face falls with disappointment. “And secondly, even if I did take one of their cars, I’m not about to let you steal it and strip it for parts.”
“Babe, just think about the payday. I thought you had our backs? Do you know what kind of money we could make out of cars like that? Those pricks wouldn’t even miss it.”
“Not going to happen, Kai,” I tell him. “And for the record, I do have your backs, more than you know which is exactly why I could never let you do that. Their cars are more important to them than their kids. Not to mention that every single part probably has a tracking number on it.”
“We’d deal with that shit, O. It’s not my first rodeo. They’ll never catch us.”
“Knock it off,” Nic grumbles from the kitchen. “She said no. Respect it.”
“Fine.” Kai groans and slumps over to the couch before dropping down beside Eli with a frown the size of the car he wants to steal. He should consider himself lucky that I took the stupid bus. I’ve never witnessed it before but something tells me that no one gets away with stealing from Charles Carrington, especially guys like my boys. He'd use them as an example and completely ruin their lives.
With Kai busy sulking and Eli staring at his hands, I go for Nic next and he welcomes me with open arms. I fold into him as though I belong there and despite the pain that rockets through my chest, I can’t help but feel like I’m home. “Where have you been, baby girl?” he murmurs into my hair. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I whisper against his strong chest, refusing to let go.
His lips press softly against my temple for the slightest second and the urge to raise my head and capture his lips with mine tears through me. I miss what we had so bad. The past six months since we’ve been apart have really sucked but when it’s not right, it’s not right. I deserve a man who is going to be faithful to me and although he hates it, he completely agrees.
Nic picks me up and slides my ass back onto the counter before stepping into my open legs. “Where have you been?” he questions, repeating his unanswered question. “I was expecting you to make the trip home weeks ago.”
“I know, I just … it’s been busy with school and now I’m working.”
“School and work?” he questions. “You sure that’s it? Nothing else is keeping you there?”
He watches me with curious eyes and I don’t know how, but something tells me that he knows everything that’s been going down in Bellevue Springs … including Charlie. I let out a sigh, not being one to lie to him, but wanting to protect him from the truth if it’s going to hurt. “Nothing that’s worth it,” I clarify, knowing he will understand my unspoken message.
“You’re going to get hurt,” he murmurs, keeping our conversation private. “Guys like that … to them, you’re just the help. Be careful.”
His words are like a shot right through my soul. I don’t know if he’d used that phrase on purpose or if it was just a coincidence but either way, it speaks enormous amounts of truth, so much that he could never understand. “I’m a big girl, Nic. I can take care of myself.”
He shakes his head. “You’re not, O,” he tells me gently, pressing a finger to the side of my head. “You’re a big girl in here,” he says before moving those fingers to my chest and hovering them right over my heart, “but in here, you’re just like everyone else. You’re not incapable of being hurt, Ocean. No matter how much you guard yourself and keep those thick walls up, every day they’re being chipped away, and eventually, one of those pricks will hold the power to destroy you, whether you want them to or not.”
My mind instantly flashes to Colton and the way his words have the ability to tear me down. Nic might be onto something, but I refuse to believe it. Colton Carrington will never have that power over me, I won’t allow it, no matter how much I have to hold myself back. I will not break.
“They won’t,” I tell him adamantly, knowing he can read the lie on my lips just as easily as I can. “Besides, I won’t be hanging around there long enough to allow it to happen.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why do you think I asked Charles if I can work there? I want to have options after I graduate. I can’t stay there and live off their money, no matter how enticing it is. I’m better than that and I want to make my own way.”
“So come back home then. You can move in here with me.”
“And your mom,” I say, finishing off his sentence.
“Come on, you know I’m only here because I can’t bear to leave her alone in this town. She’s too outspoken. It’s dangerous for her here.”
“She’s Kian’s ex-wife and the mother of his only child, I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to make a move against her.”
“On the contrary, mom and I are the only things that they can use against him. We’ve been targeted for years.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “What? Are you lying? You’ve never told me that before.”
Nic shrugs his shoulders. “It never came up.”
I stare at him as though he’s just taken a trip to the other side of the universe. My hand slaps hard across his glorious chest and he does his best to catch it before I can do it again. “Are you insane? Like seriously, are you? How can that just never come up?”
“Chill out,” he says as the others start looking our way. “It’s not a big deal. Mom has been a target ever since she got together with dad back in the day. She knew it was a part of getting involved with the head of the Black Widows and they both knew the risk of bringing a kid into the world. It’s just the way things are around here and it's going to be the same when I have to take over for him. Fuck, babe. I thought you would have realized that by now.”
“I just never really thought about it in that way. Your parents are divorced so I figured she was safe and you, well, no one is stupid enough to go after you.”
“He divorced her thinking the same thing but it didn’t exactly work out that way, and as for me, I can handle myself. If they want to come at me, then let them.”
My hand smacks out again. “Don’t say that, asshole. I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist.”
His eyes meet mine as he moves in a little closer. “Yet here you are forcing me to do the same.”
Something breaks within me and I struggle to work out if it’s my heart or my spirit. “That’s not fair,” I murmur, pulling my hands back from him. “It’s not like I’m choosing to be away from you guys. This is just the way it has to be. Mom and I have no other choice unless we’d prefer to be on the streets. You know what would happen to us here. Two unprotected women, we wouldn’t be safe.”
“I could look after you. I told you I would. You’d have my protection and the protection of the Widows. You know the guys would never let anything happen to you.” He grabs my hands and forces my eyes to remain on his stormy ones. “You’re safer here than you are with those rich pricks. This is your home, O. Come home to me.”
“Nic,” I sigh, trying to pull my hands free. “Mom and I need to do this. We need to learn to stand on our own two feet without dad, and besides, mom is thriving in Bellevue Springs. She feels valued and important. What she does fills the void and gives her something to think about apart from missing dad. She’s been hurting so much, but there … she’s happy. I won’t take that away from her just so
I can be close to my friends.”
“Friends?” he scoffs, offended. “No friends, only family.”
“You know what I meant, Nic.”
“Yeah,” he says, pulling back and averting his eyes and crushing me in the process. “I can understand your confusion. It really does feel like just friends lately.”
My glare hits him hard and fast. “You want to start on that shit?” I demand. “You’re the one who made me feel like just a friend first. Hell, you made me feel like a lot less than that, or have you forgotten the reason why we’re not together anymore?”
“Don’t bring that old shit up,” he demands, stepping into me and grabbing my chin.
I tear my chin free. “Then quit trying to use a bullshit guilt trip on me to bring me home. I made my decision. I’m living in Bellevue Springs until I graduate and then starting a life for myself. I’m breaking free of this town and building something that I can be proud of. Why can’t you get on board with that? There was once a time where you would have jumped at an opportunity for me to get out of here.”
He shrugs his shoulders, leaning back against the sink just as he was when I first arrived. “I’m a selfish bastard, and that was a long time ago, way before I fell in love with you.”
“You’re not in love with me, Nic. You just want to be because it’s the easiest option. If you were in love with me, the idea of sleeping with another woman would have made you sick, just like it did to me.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me what I’m feeling.”
I clench my jaw and watch him as his chest rises and falls with rapid movement. There’s a storm brewing behind his eyes and if I keep pushing, I'll see the man his father has always pushed him to be—demanding, relentless, and forceful. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll never hurt me, but he sure as hell will put me in my place if he feels the need. I’ve never had a problem with it because I always give it right back, but that’s not what I want for my night here.
I jump down from the counter and step into him with a heavy sigh, putting my hands at his waist. “I didn’t come here to fight. Can we just have a good night together? I missed you guys and wanted to see you after another big week.”
Nic watches me for a silent moment before giving in and pulling me to his chest. His arms wrap around my waist as his lips press to the top of my head. “I know, I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight either. Having you so far away all the time and surrounded by those people just gets to me. It’s driving me crazy not having you close. I like to keep a close eye on you and that’s not so easy anymore.”
“Hey,” Elijah’s voice comes tearing through the small apartment. “Can I remind you that you haven’t even brought that sweet ass over here to say hello yet, so wrap up your bullshit. I have a question.”
I look up at Nic. “A question?”
A wicked grin spreads across his face. “You know when you first walked in here and said that you had our backs?” I nod, narrowing my eyes in suspicion and he quickly continues. “Well, now’s your time to prove it.”
Fuck. I don’t like the sound of that but either way, I'm grateful as the small distraction seems to have helped take the tension out of the air so that Nic and I can get on with our night and actually have a good time, rather than waste the night with scowls and snappy comments.
I pull out of Nic’s arms and walk my so-called sweet ass across the room until I’m dropping down heavily on Eli’s lap. “OH, FUCK,” he growls, pushing me off his lap so hard that I go flying across the room and slam into the wall.
“What the fuck, man?” Sebastian demands, somehow already by my side and helping me up as Kairo’s heavy fist slams hard into Eli’s arm, only he doesn’t seem to notice as all his energy is focused on his junk.
There are tears of pain in his eyes and I instantly forget that the fucker just launched me across the room like a bitch who’s claiming he’s her baby daddy. “What’s wrong?” I demand, walking back over to him.
Eli meets my eye and there’s nothing but embarrassment there. “I need to ask you something and you can’t say no because all these fuckers already have. You’re my last option.”
My brows pull down as I try to start putting the puzzle pieces together. “What are you talking about?”
“I have to show you something.”
My eyes drop to his groin, where he’s still clutching tightly, and judging from the pain on his face, it’s not hard to work out that something’s wrong with his junk. I shake my head so fast that I fear it might come wobbling right off. “No. No way. I'm not looking at your dirty junk. I can’t. If I see that, I’ll never be able to look at you again without thinking about it.”
“Please, babe. I’m desperate. There’s something wrong and I just need to know what it is before my fucking dick falls off.”
“You know there are doctors for this kind of shit, right?”
His eyes harden and I resist laughing. “I’m not about to drop my pants for some strange doctor when you can just tell me what’s wrong. What if it’s something simple and I can just get a cream for it?”
“What if it’s not and I guess the wrong thing and it gets worse? You need a doctor.”
“Please.”
I look at the other guys. “Come on, why can’t you guys do this? You guys would know more about STIs and dicks than I would.”
Sebastian scoffs. “Seriously? I’m not about to get up close and personal with his cock, especially if he has some kind of disease. Besides, you’re a chick. You’ll take this more seriously than we would and not to mention, you’ve already seen Eli’s dick up close and personal. It's nothing new for you.”
My eyes instantly fly up to Nic’s at the reminder of the one drunken mistake I made with Eli nearly two years ago; the one I desperately try to forget and the one Nic is still sore about despite us not having been together then. “Really? You just had to go and bring that up?”.
Sebastian grins while Kai looks at me. “You know, left untreated, his dick will probably fall off, right?”
Eli’s eyes bug out of his head. “The fuck? My dick’s going to fall off?” He demands, looking back to me and begging. “Please, babe. Just look real quick and tell me what it is and I swear, I’ll never ask you to do anything like this again. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll … I’ll … fuck, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I swear, whatever you want, it’s yours.”
His desperation has me caving like a little bitch. “Get me some gloves.”
Eli’s head falls back to the couch with relief as Nic’s laugh is heard all over the apartment. He ducks down under the sink and a second later, a box of latex gloves is sailing through the air. Sebastian’s hand flies up and catches it with ease before throwing them down beside me.
“Lose your pants,” I tell Eli while pulling a pair of gloves out and struggling to get my hands into them.
“Why?” he demands, awkwardly getting to his feet. “You’re not going to touch it.”
“I have to. I have to see all of it. I can't just look at the top. What if it’s worse underneath and we miss it?”
He groans and I watch with amusement as his face breaks. “Fine.”
Despite how desperate he is for me to check it out and tell him what the hell is going on, he’s also reluctant, knowing this is a step neither of us ever wanted to take in our relationship, but apparently, it’s a must.
His jeans come off and I can’t help but notice the way the three other guys shuffle around to get a good look even though they all refused to be the one to look. I guess when you’re curious about something, nothing will stand in your way.
Elijah’s boxers come down and the three guys instantly jump back in horror as my eyes bug out of my head. I instinctively try to move back but if I don't check this out, Eli could end up in serious trouble.
“Fuck, man,” Nic gasps from way, way across the room. “How could you let it get like that?”
“I woke up like this, bro,” Eli insists. “It's not like I’ve been letting i
t fester.”
Sebastian shivers his voice a low groan. “Don’t use words like ‘fester,’ man.”
Embarrassment floods Eli and for a moment, I feel kind of bad for him until I realize that he’s only in this position because he fucked some dirty bitch and didn’t use a condom.
Wanting to put him out of his misery, I pull on my big girl panties and move in close. “This isn’t good, Eli,” I murmur, really getting in there and studying every angle.
“Just … tell me it can be fixed.”
I release his dick and pull the gloves off before walking into the bathroom and washing my hands, then arms, and my face just for the sake of it. By the time I walk back out, his pants are back on and he’s pacing the living room. “Well?” he asks, clearly annoyed that my hand washing took too long.
“I need to google it,” I say, dropping down onto the couch and pulling out my phone. Nic sits beside me and his hand instinctively falls to my thigh as the boys start talking among themselves.
I get busy googling and after ten minutes of being as thorough as possible, I look up at Eli. “There’s good news and bad news.”
He finally stops pacing and turns to me with wide eyes. “What? What is it?”
“The bad news is that you have Syphilis and you’re going to have to go to an actual doctor, but the good news is that it looks new and can be treated with a cream … I think.”
Relief has his whole body sagging against the wall “Seriously? So, my dick isn't going to fall off?”
“Not tonight,” I tell him, always loving to be the one to deliver good news. “But you need to find a doctor, like now before that shit gets any worse.”
His face falls and he lets out a deep sigh. “Fine,” he says, walking forward and plucking his car keys off the table with absolute devastation, making my heart break for him.
Sebastian groans and gets to his feet. “Wait up, man. I’ll come with you.”
Tough Sh*t: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 1) Page 28