I would have made her fall for me faster when I saw her at the party rather than make her life a living hell for my sake. Nothing I did would ever be able to take my actions back, so I was going to do everything I could to make her never regret giving me her heart.
She told me about Levi, her twin brother, and how she’d always wanted to find him. I was more than willing to pour all my resources into doing so, should she have wished. When I told her about it, her smile lit up so bright. .
Such a perfect day—I never wanted it to end.
Now? I felt like I was going insane, thanks to the girl sitting next to me. I had to be because no one in their right mind would want to drive their girl up to see someone who’d said he was in love with her. He was the reason she almost got raped two days ago.
Yet, then again, it was because of it too that we got to where we were today.
“I’m going to shower real quick, and then we’ll go. That okay?” I suggested. I still didn’t like her seeing Justin, but I understood her need to do so as well. So, when she nodded, I stripped naked and got into the shower. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw that I was covered in hickeys. too.
It seemed she also loved to mark me as I did with her.
After finishing, I walked back into the room and froze on the spot at the image in front of me. My girl was on her back, her legs spread wide. It seemed as though this was a different Tori, the wild side of her she was hiding from everyone. The shirt she was wearing was now hiked up, and she was palming her breasts. The other hand sat between her legs, rubbing her clit ever so wildly. She was panting, dipping her fingers in her wet folds. Damn, she was never going to stop surprising me. I tried to retain this image inside my head forever.
Instantly, my cock was erect and I let the towel fall down.
“My, what a dirty girl you are, Starlight,” I mused. She didn’t even try to hide or look embarrassed. Instead, she just spread her legs even more, tweaking her nipples as I grunted. I guessed she was feeling dirty this morning, and I didn’t want to stop her from getting what she wanted.
I took my hard erection into my hand, imagining her lips sliding in and out and all around it. Fuck, this just made me even harder. I would love her to suck me off. I bet she could learn really fast how to please me.
Even though we’d been fucking the whole day, I still needed more, so I decided to join her. My body seemed not to know when to stop when it came to her. Ever so slowly, I wrapped my hands around it, stroking it up and down in the perfect tightness I remembered Tori to be.
I slowly made my way over to her, gripping her knees to make her spread her legs more. Her perfect, glistening pink pussy was so beautiful that I wanted nothing more than to ram myself in there. Yet, the view of her touching herself was too good for me to interfere. I thought of the tiny moans and sighs that escaped her mouth every time I thrust into her tightness.
“Colten,” she whimpered as she continued to play herself while looking at me. This was so fucking hot.
This girl was going to ruin me.
After a few minutes, I brought my hand up, spitting on it so I could lubricate and jerk myself off. We were both lost in a sea of lust as we stared at one another, masturbating. She was so fucking sexy right then, the way her whole body seemed to flush as her gaze fixed on mine, eyes like diamonds. It didn’t take long for me to shoot ropes of cum all over her stomach with her climaxing shortly after.
She was breathing loud, her cheeks flushed. After a while, she giggled before arching up an eyebrow. “I guess we need another shower before we leave, huh?”
I wasn’t complaining as I swept her off of her feet and into the shower.
It took about another hour before we actually left my estate. More than an hour and a half away, the south side of town was certainly not what I expected and I could see why.
Soon enough, I was forced to forget about the blissful morning. Now, this new reality hit me hard. We were driving through different neighbourhoods, places I’d never been to before.
I knew it was rough here, but I never expected it to be so foreign to me, dirty and scary.
The rich never came here. They never thought how others lived, in places where market value didn’t even come into the equation. I could see many people living on the streets. In fact, it was littered with drug addicts and people sleeping on the road under makeshift tents.
It was a huge slap in the face to see where my girl had grown up. It made me feel alienated and ashamed of my own wealth. I should have been doing more with my money. I should have been helping to change what was happening here.
From the amount of staring I was getting every time I had to stop at a red light, I knew I didn’t belong here, but now as the owner of the new business I had a chance to make a difference.
Shit, was that how Tori felt every day while attending classes?
I looked over at her on the passenger’s seat. I couldn’t see her expression at all since she was looking out the window. She was too quiet for my liking, and I wanted nothing more than to take away the pain I had caused her. “This … this is where you grew up, Starlight?”
“Yeah,” she murmured, never once turning her head. Even as I squeezed her thigh, her eyes stayed focused on the outside. Children were running around the street, their bodies skinny and frail. “As you can see, it’s nothing much. Unfortunately, there is something about this place that still calls to me, makes me pay attention.”
My heart ached dully as we continued our journey until the GPS informed us that we had reached our destination.
The trailer park wasn’t any better. A foul smell lingered in the air, and everyone had tiny matching houses. Well, if you could call it that. Most were run down and looked to be moments from collapsing.
I’d so taken my wealth, my status for granted.
Some people were smoking pot in front of the houses, stopping to stare when I got out the car. When Tori said to bring one of my less flashy cars, I told her my Hummer was the closest I got to lowkey. Though judging from the way I was getting stared at the whole time on the way here, something told me I would genuinely never understand how the lower class lived.
I took Tori’s hand into mine as we walked down the identical, broken-down structures. Christ, I was itching to shower her with my love and gifts to make up for the years sheds been living here. She paused and pointed to the right. “This is my place.”
My frown only deepened. “You … still have a place here?”
She nodded. I didn’t know why she was showing me this, but it had to be a good thing. She could have run away without me knowing where to even look for her. I kissed her on the forehead as we walked to the door. She took a sharp breath and knocked.
Not a moment later, someone opened it, and she instantly froze next to me.
A broad young man covered in tattoos opened the door. He frowned and then his eyes widened in shock. From the outside he looked older, but something told me he was younger than me. No one said anything for a while, and I couldn’t help but glare back. He looked to be the exact opposite of me, but I was more than sure I could take him on if he ever made my girl cry.
“Who’s at the door, Justin?”
A moment later, a girl who seemed to be just a tad younger than the both of them stuck her head out. Her eyes widened upon seeing us, and then she shoved Justin out of the way and tackled Tori into a hug.
“I missed you, Tori! I didn’t know you were stopping by. If I did, I would have made sweets,” she gushed before turning to me. “Hi, my name is Cleo. I heard … a lot about you.”
“Cleo,” Tori warned before clearing her throat. Her eyes made their way back to Justin as she bit her lip. “I was hoping we could … talk privately?”
“Sure,” he mumbled rather awkwardly. “You okay with Cleo being alone with him?”
“He’s all bark, no bite.” Tori chuckled, and when I gave her a pointed look, she winked. Although I didn’t want to let her go, I knew my girl needed to so
rt her shit out with her best friend. I didn’t like it, but I had to learn for her sake. I had to summon the self-control I normlly lacked.
“Be good,” I warned her before turning to Justin. “If you make my fucking girl cry, I’ll kick your ass.”
“She’s your girl now, huh?” he questioned, and I could see the a shadow shift in his eyes as he opened the door further for her. “Come on in, Tori. Let’s get this over with.”
Closing the door behind them, I was left with Cleo, who seemed to be more than happy blabbering and talking about Tori and Justin. Actually, I was able to learn a lot about her and what she liked and disliked. Cleo was like a parrot, constantly chatting without a care in the world, yet humorous and gentle-hearted.. However, thirty minutes later, I was starting to get rather antsy.
At last, Tory ran outside. Justin followed, looking like he’d just lost his dog.
I followed Tori, while Cleo stayed behind to deal with Justin. Daylight had started to wane now, and the last thing I wanted was a repeat of two days ago. I stayed behind her, knowing she probably needed some space. No one said anything, and after what seemed like forever walking into a densely wooded area, I realized we were standing somewhere I had never seen before.
A vast lake seemed to stretch for miles in the middle. She walked up to the deck, standing a seat at the edge, and I did the same. Kicking off my shoes, I left them on the side, before glancing over at her. “Are you okay?” I asked lightly.
“No.” She sighed, staring up at the moon. “But I will be. Thank you for not pushing me to answer.”
I shrugged. “I trust you.”
It was weird. I didn’t trust anyone except for Hudson and Zayn. Yet, with her, I felt able and willing to do just about anything.
“Trust,” she murmured. “How does one even know they can trust someone?”
I didn’t even know where to start. But then, as I looked at the vast lake, an idea popped into my head. It was right there in front of me. Feeling reckless, I jumped into the water. It got up to my waist, so I waded close to her. Her eyes widened.
“Get in with me.”
“You’re insane if you think I’m going into the lake with you after what you did last time,” she snapped.
I only chuckled, trying to mask how shitty I still felt about that day. Then, without saying another word, I whisked her off her feet once more. I could tell she was nervous by the way she tried to fight her way out. Again, it was shitty of me, but I liked her crawling all over me. She shuffled so her chest was pressed against mine as I wrapped my arms around her petite, tiny waist. “Trust me, Starlight. Trust that nothing will happen to you, okay? That I will make sure you’ll be safe.”
She quieted then, and finally looked up at me. I could feel her fingernails digging into my skin, sharp, but I didn’t care. Not right now when I needed to show her that I may not change the past, but I sure as hell wanted to rewrite it with a good one.
“I’m scared, babe,” she finally whispered. It seemed she only called me by the nickname she assigned to me in critical moments, much like yesterday and today. She was just precious, and I wanted to keep her safe forever, if possible.
“Trust me. I promise I will never let you go. I’m your home, remember? I’m your safety.”
Without another word exchanged between us, I jumped right back into the lake from the small boardwalk, with her in my arms.
She immediately started to tighten her arms around me. That look in her eyes gutted me, but I kept taking small steps deeper into the lake.
“Colten!”
“Hey, hey,” I said soothingly, trying to let her adjust to the water’s depth. We were up to her shoulders at this point, with her whole body dunked except for her head. “You’re okay, baby. I got you. I’m not going to let you get hurt, you hear me? Not yesterday, not now, not ever.”
Slowly, I started to make my way deeper. She was practically trying to suffocate me at this point. “Take me back, please. Please, babe.”
I was moments from caving, but I shook my head. The water got chilly, and she began to cuss at me. For some reason, it only made me laugh. She buried her head into the crook of my neck.
“Colten,” she tried again. “I don’t want to die.”
“Baby. Look at me, please?” I murmured, my heart aching for her. Gently, she did as she was told, and I stared into her eyes. “I’m going to teach you how to swim, okay?”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No, I can’t. You’re going to kill me. I’m going to drown like that day at the pool!”
“Trust me.”
“I don’t know how,” she pleaded. “I trusted my parents … and it never worked. I can’t get hurt anymore. I can’t do this again. It’s going to break me, and I’ll never be the same. Please … don’t do this to me. Please don’t ruin what we have.”
“You can do this,” I said softly, maintaining eye contact with her.
She sucked in a breath at my words. My heart was thundering alongside hers as she stared up at me. “Please … don’t drop me.”
I don’t think I can, even if a shark attacked us. Her safety came first..
“I won’t,” I vowed to her. “I swear on my life. Now, you have to let go of me, baby. Can you do that?”
“Okay,” she meekly whispered. Then, ever so slowly, she started to loosen her grip. It had to take everything inside of her to do as she was told rather than cave and cling onto me. Gently, I held her up and looked at her.
“Now, I want you to tilt your head and spread your arms and legs. Don’t fight it. Just go with it, okay?” I instructed her quietly. She did as she was told, and I started to give her more space to do as she pleased. Though she still looked somewhat alarmed, she just stared at me under the moonlight.
She looked so peaceful, staring up at the moon, completely immersing herself in it as I let her go. It felt so good that she trusted me enough to let me do it. She trusted me to catch her and let her float without drowning.
Right now, she was a right star. That was the reason I called her that to begin with. She wasn’t just a star, but the light to give it the shine. She was all mine, and right now, as she floated, I fell for her even more.
“You’re doing it, baby.”
Gently, she tilted her head, and her gaze found mine. Something flashed in her eyes, and instantly, her face paled. At that moment, I knew that not only did she know she trusted me, she also knew she had fallen for me.
Something that would change everything.
Chapter Twenty
Tori
I was in love.
Oh God … I’ve gone and done it now.
I swallowed, my body going tense, and just as I was about to sink, Colten caught me again. This time, it only made me feel more on edge because I wasn’t terrified when I started sinking. Instead, I trusted that he would catch me, and that petrified me.
I needed to close the door and thicken the wall around my heart.
Neither one of us said anything as he carried me back onto the shore. Once we were on solid ground, I darted back to my trailer. I needed to get away and put as much distance between us as possible. Everything was happening too fast.
We’d just got to know each other. He had asked me out yesterday, but I didn’t think anything of it, not more than him being impulsive and obsessive. Now, when his eyes reflected mine, I knew it was real.
Too fast.
My pulsed hammered throughout my body. Even though I could hear him yelling for me, I kept going. Thankfully, since I was much more petite and knew the area, I could easily maneuver through the woods.
I could see my trailer, and quickly fumbled to get in. Yet, right before I could close the door, he was able to push his way inside.
“You need to leave.”
“No.” He shoved his way inside. “You need to stop running.”
“Fuck off.”
It was all I could think of as a rebuttal right then. My head was spinning, and I was freezing.
He’s hitting the mark too closely now.
The way he stared at me as he continued only made me more fearful. I’m was dripping wet, but I didn’t care. His eyes found mine, piercing, as if he could see my very soul. It was terrifying, so much more than when he bullied me.
No, this can’t happen. I have to push him away somehow. I thought him asking me out was a fluke. He wanted a fling, I believed, not to worm his way into my heart. I swallowed, trying to change the topic to something else. “Please, you and I both know that we’re just fucking around. Do you think you’re the only guy I’ve kissed?”
“No,” he ground out, his nose flaring at the mere mention of other men, but then I remembered I was the only one and that somehow made me proud. I was never going to be anyone else’s—just his. Maybe that was the reason why I had never been with anyone else, because I had been waiting for the right guy. But suddenly all these emotions began to paralyse me. I didn't think I was ready to dive deep into something so unfamiliar with someone new. “I do know that I’m the first and only cock to be buried in your cunt. To know what you sound like when you’re coming all over my dick, as though your purpose in life is to serve me. You know I’m different. That’s why you bolted.”
Why was he smiling so fondly at me? I hated it so much, I couldn’t breathe properly.
“No,” I whispered, refusing to allow my voice to be louder than a whisper. “Just … go, Colten.”
His face softened as he closed the distance between us. He gently captured my cheek between his large hands, forcing me to look at him. “You bolted from the lake when I said your name because you felt something. You knew you were falling for me like I am with you.”
Bringing down the Star: Small Town Bully Romance Book 1 Page 15