by Hart, Rebel
“I’m not bleeding, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I drowned out his voice with the sound of the toilet flushing. I splashed some water on my face, trying to remove the sleep from my eyes. I took the liberty of using what I had around me. Hand soap on my face. Toothpaste on my finger. I used a generous amount of mouthwash, gargling before spitting it out. I picked up the hair-filled brush and said a small prayer, then ran it underneath the water. And as Clint knocked softly on the door again, I groaned.
“Can you give a girl a second?”
“You aren’t the only one that has to pee, sweet cheeks.”
I murmured, “Call me that again and see what happens.”
“You know, you could just skip class.”
I ran the wet hairbrush through my hair. “Not a chance.”
“You could spend some more time with me.”
“Yeah, like that’s a smart decision.”
He snickered. “Your words would hurt if I thought for even a second you believed them.”
I finished brushing my hair before piling it on top of my head. I secured it with my rubber band, then stormed over to the door. I ripped it open, taking stock of Clint’s towering form and raven hair, mussed and hanging over his eyes. I watched as those green orbs peeked out from underneath that thick head of hair. I watched as his grin grew into a salacious smile. He slipped beside me, inching me out of the bathroom before he closed the door.
Then he called out to me again.
“We could go back to the diner for some lunch.”
I scoffed. “In your dreams, Clint. I have to get to school. I’m not like you.”
He chuckled. “We could go to the park. Walk around. Spend a day on the beach!”
“You’re crazy. This has got to stop. And it stops now. I can’t keep doing this.”
The door ripped open. “Doing what?”
“Don’t you take that innocent tone with me, Clinton Clarke. This has to be done between us. Me, doing you.”
He grinned. “Come on. You don’t really want to do that. Why deny yourself such a good thing?”
“You’re trouble. That’s why.”
“Hell yeah, I am.”
I felt his eyes on me as I walked around his bedroom. I scooped my clothes off the floor, trying to quickly pull them on. I slid my brastraps up my shoulders, only for him to remove them again. I batted him away before I finally got it on, only for him to steal my pants. I shook my head at his tactics. At how he held my tank top over his head. I’d look like an idiot going to school in pajama pants and my cardigan, but it was the only choice I had.
I scoffed. “Clint. Cut it out. Give me my shirt.”
He shook his head. “I really don’t know why you want to cover up such a beautiful body.”
“Because I don't do trouble. I have plans. I have school, and you’re a distraction from that.”
He handed my shirt back. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you would.”
“Why are you so bent out of shape over this? It’s just one day. We can head to school at lunch time.”
“Like the fun little entrance you made on the first day of school? No thank you. All I need to do is get through our senior year, then I can focus on work.”
“You sound so boring. Where’s the fun Rae I had last night?”
I shook my head. “She’s gone. Dead. You fucked her into the mattress then suffocated her with your muscles.”
His eyebrows wiggled. “Will some CPR bring her back to life?”
I felt his hands fall against my waist and I batted him away. I slipped my cardigan over my shoulders, then looked around for my shoes.
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m not going to class.”
I paused. “Yes you are.”
He snickered. “No, I’m really not.”
I reached for his shirt, tossing it to him. “Yeah, you are. And you’re going to get ready now, because you’re my ride.”
He stood tall. “Tell you what. I’ll make you a deal.”
“I’m not sucking your cock so you can take me to school, if that’s what you’re about to ask.”
“If that didn’t sound so tempting, I’d say your words wound me.”
I sighed. “What is it, Clint? We don’t have long before we have to leave.”
He wrapped his arms around me and spun me around. I groaned with frustration before his fingertips started dancing along my sides. Giggles fell from my lips. I wiggled around, trying desperately to get away from his grasp. He picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, then spanked me on my ass. When I yelped, he did it again. And as I continued to yelp, he continued to do it.
“Clint, put me—ah!—down. What are you—ah!—doing?”
He laughed. “You’re just adorable, you know that?”
He tossed me against the mattress and I felt myself jump. He pounced on my body, his lips falling hotly against my neck. I moaned as I pushed him away. I groaned as I tried to knock him off me. But I felt his girth growing, his body heating, his hands venturing along my body, pushing up my tank top. Pulling off my cardigan. Stripping me of the fabric I’d just gotten onto my body.
“Clint, I can’t.”
His lips found my ear. “A ride for a ride. That’s my deal. Take it or leave it.”
I snickered. “You’re intolerable.”
“Is that a yes?”
I grinned as I wrapped my legs around his naked waist. I rolled him over, feeling his cock settling hard against my thigh. My hands planted into his chest, and he looked at me with deviousness in his eyes. He licked his lips as his hands slid my cardigan off. I ripped my tank top over my head, bringing my clothed breasts into view. He slipped me back over, sliding my pants off with one motion of his hands. As he slid down my body, he rid me of the only barrier between us.
Then his eyes flickered up to mine.
“Ready to ride me off into the sunset, beautiful?”
And as I pulled him back up to my lips, I rolled him onto his back, straddling him as I kissed him and prepared myself to be filled with him.
21
Raelynn
I panted for breath as I gazed up at the ceiling fan. Around and around it went, causing the room to tilt before I closed my eyes. I felt something flexing under my head. Something warm. Something strong. A heat rolled into me before something pressed against my ear. And the sounds it made sent chills down my entire body.
“It was worth it, wasn’t it?”
I snickered and shook my head. I’d never give him the satisfaction of inflating that ego any more than it already was. But he was right. Missing second period had been worth that moment with him. Worth the torrential lust that poured over the two of us as he held me steady, rocking deep within me. I smiled thinking about it. I snuggled into him as he crooked himself against me, holding me with his arms. Cradling me with his legs. Allowing me to bury myself into the crook of his neck and hide away from the world.
“Hey there,” he said, chuckling.
I smiled. “Hi.”
He kissed the top of my head. “You doing okay down there?”
“I don’t know. Depends. Does my hair look rough?”
“Are you asking me if you have sex hair? Really, Rae?”
I shrugged. “Don’t have long to get to school now. We practically gotta get up and roll out.”
He groaned as he rolled over and it made me laugh. I climbed on top of him, peppering his face with kisses. I settled my chin against his chest, watching as his eyes closed. Every movement he made entranced me. Every blink of his eye was a mystery I wanted to unravel. Every tick of his lips was a grin I wanted to question. Every stretch of his limbs was an opportunity I wanted to take to climb him like a fucking tree. And as his arms wrapped around me, I felt myself melting into him.
He sighed. “You’re really thinking about school after all that? Because I can hardly see straight.”
I snickered. “You didn’t do your job as well as I did, then. Because my vision’s just fine.”
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that.”
He rolled me over quickly as giggles fell from my lips. He muted them with his mouth, kissing me with a passion that sent my heart fluttering wildly. I slid my fingers through his hair, feeling him trying to wiggle between my legs. I moved my head side to side, and he tried to stop me as he deepened the kiss.
“Don’t leave. Stay here with me,” he whispered.
I giggled. “You can’t keep distracting me with sex. It won’t work after a while.”
“I can spice it up enough to keep you here all day.”
I winked. “Doubt it.”
He scoffed and rolled over, gripping his chest, feigning a heart attack. It made me laugh. I slid out of bed, making my way for his bathroom. I needed one last check of my neck and my hair before I had any chance of covering shit up in school today. We were twenty minutes away from our lunch period. And us walking in together wasn’t an option. He’d have to drop me off on the curb or something so the two of us could walk into the school at separate points.
Because I sure as hell wasn’t ready for that firefight.
I pulled my hair out of its bun. “Are you sure my hair doesn’t look bad?”
“It looks great, Rae.”
“Are you just saying that to get me to shut up?”
“If I wanted to do that, I’d tell you what I really thought of your hair.”
I grinned. “Now I’m intrigued.”
I looked over at him, watching as he leaned against the bathroom doorway. He’d already gotten his pants on, but he still stood there shirtless. I let my eyes travel over the soft rings of his abs, my gaze lingering on the steady rise and fall of his chest. He crossed his arms over his body, flexing his biceps at me and causing me to lick my lips as he drew in a deep breath.
“If I wanted to get you to shut up, I’d tell you your hair doesn’t mean shit to me. Because telling you that your hair is beautiful is like telling someone the sun’s bright. It’s obvious, trite, and overdone. If I really wanted to compliment you, I’d say how taken I am with the way your eyes match your hair. With the way your freckles undulate when you laugh. With the way your mind betrays an intelligence and maturity far beyond the high schoolers I have the privilege of spending time with. And if I really wanted to leave you speechless, I’d punctuate it with something like this.”
He pushed off the doorway, crossing the threshold of the bathroom. His hand cupped my cheek, and as his thumb slid across my skin I felt my heart stop in my chest.
“I’d tell you the sun is jealous of the light you emit simply by being yourself. And that your hair has shit-all to do with it.”
I drew in a ragged breath. “Stop it.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are, and I need you to stop it.”
“Why?”
I blinked rapidly. “Because.”
“Give me one damn good reason, and I’ll stop.”
Because you’re not supposed to steal my heart.
“Because your long-winded compliments are going to make us late for lunch.”
His eyes fell to my lips before his thumb ran along my skin. I shivered at his touch just before his lips pressed against mine. My head tilted back. He cradled the nape of my neck as he stepped forward, closing the gap between us. And as he slid his fingers through my hair, I whimpered against his lips.
“Your hair looks fine,” he whispered.
I nodded quickly, then turned away from him. I cleared my throat and pulled my hair back into the traditional ponytail people were used to. I felt Clint’s eyes on me, but I refused to look at him, because if I did I might just give in. I might just stay with him for the rest of the day instead of going to school and doing what I needed to do in order to get out of this hellhole.
He really does know how to own the English language.
The two of us got dressed, then he ushered me out of his room. With his hand on the small of my back, he guided me down the stairs, making a beeline straight for the front door. I knew why, too. Neither of us were sure whether or not his father was home. I mean, surely he’d be at work so close to lunch on a Monday. But things were always unpredictable. Schedules changed at the drop of a hat. Vacations got canceled at the last minute due to work. And sometimes, parents came home for lunch instead of eating out.
Clint reached for the doorknob. “I’ll drop you off at the front curb on the road before I park behind the school.”
I paused. “So we aren’t walking in together?”
“Do you want to?”
“Does it matter?”
The two of us froze as his father’s heavy voice sounded behind us. I slowly turned around, watching as Clint stepped in front of me. He reached behind me, slowly backing me toward the door. And as he opened it, I felt the heat of the day beat against my back.
I didn’t let go of his leather jacket, though. He had to come with me. He was my ride.
Clint cleared his throat. “Morning, Dad.”
“Who the fuck is that?” he asked gruffly.
“Hi. I’m—”
Clint cut me off. “None of your damn business.”
His father narrowed his eyes. “You wanna try that again?”
“No. I really don’t.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “Clint, come on. We’re gonna be late.”
“Did she just come down from upstairs?”
Clint nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“And is that fucking allowed in this house?”
“Probably not, sir.”
His father charged him and I cried out. Clint shoved his ass out, knocking me outside before his father gripped his leather jacket. I reached out for him, watching as his father picked him up onto his tippy toes. And as his father barreled him back into the wall, I cupped my hands over my cheeks.
“I’m sick and tired of you thinking you run this house. Shut the damn door,” he glowered.
I whimpered. “Clint.”
He peeked back at me with nothing but sadness in his eyes. And as his hand reached out for the door, he nodded his head.
“Get outta here, Rae. Sorry for making you late and not being able to give you a ride.”
“Mr. Clarke, this is all my fault. We just need to get to school. This won’t happen again, I swear it. Please, Mr. Clarke.”
His father gnashed his teeth at me. “Shut the hell up and get off my property.”
Clint growled. “You talk to her like that again and you’ll have to deal with me.”
His father chuckled. “And you think you’re what? Hot stuff? Because you can screw some poor girl from your high school in your own bed? You think that makes you hot stuff?”
And as Clint slammed the front door closed, I heard a resounding smack.
“No!” I exclaimed.
I heard his father yelling from behind the door, and it scared the living shit out of me. Holy fuck, his father made Clint’s mean side look like Mary Poppins. I heard them fighting behind the door. It kept rattling with fury as I backed away from it. I stumbled down the porch steps, trying to get my feet underneath me as tears rushed down my face.
And as a woman’s voice started yelling above all the ruckus, I made a mad dash for the road. I kept running and running. I ran until the yelling faded behind me and the sound of Clint’s voice was but a distant memory. My lungs heaved for air. I felt my legs giving out as I got to the entrance of his neighborhood. I tore across the street, hearing horns honking as my cardigan wafted behind me. Sweat trickled down the nape of my neck. It grew hard to draw in air as I stumbled my way for the front doors of the school. I had to tell someone. I had to let them know what the hell was happening to Clint.
But, when I ripped the doors to the high school open, Allison appeared at my side.
“Girl. Holy mackerel. I’ve been looking for you all day. Michael! I found her!”
The s
ound of footsteps rushed beside me before someone else took my arm.
“She looks like hell. Come on. Bathroom time.”
I shook my head. “No, no. I need to talk to someone. I need to—”
Michael rubbed my back. “We’ll talk in a second. Right now, you need a brush to your hair, a wet paper towel to the back of your neck, and some water.”
Allison sighed. “Did you oversleep?”
He scoffed. “The girl never oversleeps. You know damn good and well her mother did something.”
I kept shaking my head, trying to get a word in edgewise. They dragged me down a hallway and into one of the unisex bathrooms our high school had. A new installment after our school system passed some law that required two of them to be in every school now. They tugged me in there and closed the door. I put my hands on my knees to try and catch my breath. A cool paper towel came down against my neck, and the temperature change made me heave.
Causing me to throw myself at the toilet.
“That’s it. That’s right. Get it all out,” Allison said softly.
Michael sighed. “What should we do?”
“Is there anything we can do? Just be here for her?”
I couldn't speak. Couldn't talk. Between catching my breath and gagging into the toilet, I didn’t have a chance in hell of telling them what had actually happened. Not that I could say anything in front of Michael without starting some sort of third world war between us all. No, I had to keep it to myself. Just until I could pull away from them long enough to talk to a counselor of some sort. Tell them what I’d witnessed. Tell them what was going on.
Maybe then, Clint could get the fucking help he’d needed all this time.
22
Clinton
I punched mindlessly at the buttons on my controller. Roy kept yelling out, jumping out of his seat and trying to direct what I did with my car. But I didn’t give a shit. I hadn’t gone to school since my father blew his fucking cap through the roof and beat me to a bloody pulp. Well, practically. It felt like that for the past couple of days. My face ached. My nose kept bleeding at random times and my eye was swollen shut. The bruise on my jaw kept growing, and the more it grew the harder it got to eat.