She has nothing to say to my previous question.
I smile. Clearly, she didn’t think it was a good idea to ask me. That just made my mind up. “I’d love to.”
She turns, exits my room, and slams the door shut. I plop down on my bed and look down at my backpack. I have a feeling that Austin Lowes just gave me all the information that I need to scare the shit out of Deke.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BECKY
AUSTIN HAS DECIDED she wants to be friends with my little sister. Just fucking fantastic.
I can’t ignore it. It was on the tip of my tongue to lie and tell Austin that Demi had something to do. Or make up something about how my sister doesn’t like her. But that would just cause more problems, and as much as I can’t stand this new Mommy Austin, she is my only friend. And my only way to stay close to Deke.
If I push Austin away, then my chances with Deke go from low to nonexistent. Cole isn’t going to be my friend or invite me over. So instead, I said I’d love to ask my sister to come hang out with us. It’s a movie. Not like I have to talk to her for hours.
We enter the theater, and I see Austin at the concessions with Lilly. And I think back to the day Austin had that bomb dropped on her. The day she found out that Cole’s half-sister is also her half-sister.
Seven months ago
“I don’t …” she trails off. “Why would my dad want to hurt Cole?”
Cole stares at her but remains silent as he sits on the couch in their clubhouse. She stands next to me, and I silently cry. Deke filled me in on the way here about why Cole skipped school today. He found out that the car accident was no accident. The brakes had been tampered with. I almost fainted. Cole has kept my secret for so long. This was it. He’s going to out me right here and now that I was with them. That I was driving.
It’s going to ruin everything!
“We don’t know for sure, but we have a guess.” Deke sighs.
“Which is?” she asks.
“Lilly,” Deke answers.
Her frown deepens, and even I have a moment of confusion. What are they talking about? What does Cole’s little sister have to do with this?
She looks at Cole. “Why would he want to hurt you because of Lilly?”
But Deke is the one who answers her, running a hand through his hair. “Because Lilly is Bruce’s daughter.”
Bruce as in Bruce Lowes? Austin’s father? Holy fucking shit! Cole’s sister is somehow Austin’s sister too? I never knew this.
“Your mom and my dad had an affair?” Austin asks, trying to do the math in her head. Her dad and her stepmom have been married for ten years now. Lilly is six.
He fists his hands, and his jaw sharpens. “No.”
“Then how do you explain …?”
“Bruce fucking raped her,” he interrupts Austin.
That’s when things changed. She took on a new role of mother, and the rest was history. It was as if Lilly filled this hole that she didn’t even know she had. And her blackmailed relationship with Cole took a jump off the deep end. She walked out of that clubhouse with her head held high even though she had tears in her eyes. I was proud to call her my friend, even if she didn’t know my commitment to her wasn’t real.
I would betray her more than once. And even now, she would push me away if she knew the truth. What I’ve done. How much I’ve lied. Hell, I wouldn’t even be friends with me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn myself in willingly. You don’t see any of the GWS shouting from the rooftops about all the illegal shit they’ve done. Why should I? They shouldn’t be the only ones who can cover their own asses. And that’s why Deke and I belong to one another. We are one and the same.
I just have to remind him of that.
I pull my cell out of my pocket and send a quick text to him.
Me: Can I see you this weekend? We need to talk.
Sometimes you have to swallow your pride, or a dick. And for Deke, I’ll do either.
It vibrates immediately. My heart begins to pound when I see it’s from him.
Deke: Sure.
Sure? What the hell kind of response is that? I take a quick look to see if my sister is watching me, but her eyes are on Austin and Lilly standing at the concession stand.
Me: I miss you too.
I read over the text three times and then decide to delete it. He had told me he missed me while we stood in the kitchen of Austin’s house. I didn’t tell him then, but now isn’t a good time. Instead, I write:
Me: Can’t wait to see you.
I watch him read it, and my heart pounds in anticipation to see how he responds. But after several seconds, I know he won’t when I don’t see those three dots jumping around. Then I look up at his activity, and it shows he was active one minute ago.
And it does nothing for my already sour mood.
He used to be the first one to text me in the morning and the last one to message me good night. And we’ll get back there. I just have to do what I did before—show him what I want him to see. The good girl who fell in love with him.
DEMI
“How about Skittles?” Austin asks Lilly as we come up behind them.
She shakes her head, blond curls bouncing.
“Hmm, okay, how about M&M’s?”
She shakes her head again.
“How about all of them?” Becky announces, and Austin turns around.
“Hey.” She smiles at us. “Demi, I’m glad you were able to come.”
I just nod at her.
“I thought you and Cole had plans tonight?” Becky asks her when she puts Lilly down.
“We did, but something came up,” she answers.
I look over her while she talks to my sister. Austin is pretty in that whole I-don’t-know-it way. Her dark brown hair is down and a little wavy as though she let it air dry and didn’t bother to straighten or curl it. It’s so long that it drapes over her chest, almost reaching her belly button. Her makeup isn’t caked on like my sister’s, but she doesn’t seem to need much. She has dark green eyes and a diamond stud in her nose. She reaches up to push some hair behind her ear and I run my eyes over her right arm, looking for what she had mentioned in her journal. And I see it. It’s faint, but it’s there if you know what you’re looking for. A cut about three inches long across her forearm. The very cut that Cole gave her that first night in the cemetery.
“Demi?”
I blink and look up at her eyes. “Hmm?”
She gives me a soft smile. “Do you want something?”
“Yeah.” I look up at the menu.
“What would you like?” She turns, giving me her back to face the man who patiently waits for her order.
“Oh, I can get it—”
“Nonsense,” she interrupts me. “I’ll get it. I owe you anyway. You got my gummies the other night at Silence. What do you want?” She begins to order for her and Lilly.
I scan the menu, and say, “A large Coke ICEE. Please.”
Lilly grabs my hand and looks up at me. Her brown eyes wide in excitement. “That’s Austin’s and my favorite.”
“So, what did Cole have to do?” my sister asks, being a nosy bitch as she pops a piece of popcorn in her mouth from the bucket the cashier just placed on the counter.
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. Deke called him, and he said he had to go.”
I stiffen. Is she gonna rat me out that I was just there earlier tonight when her and Cole were leaving?
“I’m sure it has to do with swimming. Or maybe their classes.” Austin shrugs.
And I try to slow my racing heart.
My sister looks at me, and I swallow nervously, looking away from her. Austin may not have told on me, but did Deke? Did he call Cole the moment I left to tell him that I know his secrets? That I threatened to out them? Fuck, Cole cut Austin’s arm, so I wonder what the hell he would do to me if he knew I had the power to destroy them? Plus, Austin mentioned in her journal that Deke wanted to shoot her. I wasn’t all that afrai
d of Deke until after I read that. Cole always had that I’ll kill you and store your dead body in my basement kind of vibe. If they worked together, I’m sure my body would never be found.
“Here, Lilly.” Austin hands her a small ICEE. “Don’t drop it, okay?”
She nods. “I won’t.” Then she takes a drink of it.
I feel eyes on me, and I can’t help but look up. My sister is still staring at me, but now she’s glaring. I pull my shoulders back and narrow my eyes at her. I won’t bow down to Deke, so I’m sure as hell not going to bow down to my sister.
“Okay, we’re ready,” Austin announces and turns, handing me my drink.
“Thank you,” I say to her.
She grabs Lilly’s hand, and we make our way into the theater and walk up the stairs until we are at our seats. But Austin doesn’t sit down. “Let’s go use the restroom before the movie starts.”
“Okay.” Lilly gets up and follows her back out.
I sit back in my seat, place my phone on silent, and take a drink of my ICEE.
“What the fuck are you doing?” my sister growls from three seats over. I sat so Austin and Lilly are between us.
“Excuse me?”
She eyes me. “I saw the way you were looking at Cole at Silence.”
I laugh at that. She thinks I’m hung up on Cole. Priceless.
“And then when you went to get Austin her gummies, he had to go track you down to get them from you.”
So she paid enough attention to see that Cole left the group and returned with Austin’s gummies but not enough to notice that Deke was gone as well. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maybe she is the one with a crush on Cole if she’s watching him that closely. Wouldn’t surprise me. My sister has to prove to herself that every guy wants her. That’s why she willingly throws herself at all of them.
She looks at me with suspicion. “I know that whatever you’re trying, it isn’t gonna work.”
Oh, it will. I’m sure of it.
“I’m nothing like you, sis. I’m not into spreading my legs for every guy who looks my way.”
Her mouth opens in a gasp, but she doesn’t have a comeback for that.
I just smile, and she sits back in her seat as Austin and Lilly come walking up the stairs.
CHAPTER NINE
DEKE
BECKY AND I crash through the front door to her house. “Where is your dad?” I ask, my hands already yanking her shirt out of her jeans.
“Out. He’ll be gone until tomorrow.” She undoes my belt.
I run my lips up her neck. “And David?”
“Away …” She sucks in a long breath. “Looking at a college.” I grip her ass and pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, and her hands go to my hair. “We’re completely alone.”
I climb the stairs, hanging onto her and shove her door shut with my foot. Walking over to her bed, I toss her onto it, and she giggles. I reach up and remove my shirt before crawling on top of her. I grip the hem of hers, and she leans up, allowing me to pull it off. But the moment it’s up and over her head, I pause. Blue eyes look up at me, but they’re brighter. Rounder. Becky’s are almond shaped. This body is smaller under me, and her hair a tad lighter. “Demi?”
“Yeah, Deke.” She whispers my name and runs her tongue across her plump nude lips. Becky always wears pinks. “You want me to be her? Does that turn you on? Go ahead, Deke. Call me Becky.”
My cock twitches inside my jeans, and she reaches out, undoing my zipper. “I can be anyone you want.” Reaching inside my jeans, she pulls my achingly hard cock free. Wrapping her fingers around the base, she begins to stroke me. Her thumb running over my pre-cum. I lean forward, burying my head into her neck, and she releases me.
“You smell like her,” I growl, hating it.
“Make me smell like you,” she whispers, running her hands down my back. Her nails lightly scratching my skin. It makes me shiver. “Who do you want me to be?” she purrs.
“Yourself.” No! I don’t want you at all.
She chuckles. “That’s no fun, baby.”
I pull away and stare down at her. I blink several times, hoping she’ll disappear, and that Becky will be the girl underneath me. The one I’m hard for. But Demi remains.
She moves her hands to my bare chest. Her blue eyes follow them as they skate along my skin before her eyes meet mine. “Pretend I’m her, and I’ll pretend I love you.”
“Demi,” I say her name in warning, but I’m not sure what I’m trying to warn her of.
She seems to understand because she smiles. “Wrap your hand around my throat and show me how much you hate her.”
“Deke?”
I hear a familiar male’s voice off in the distance, pulling me out of my dream. Nightmare. I’m not sure what it is at this point. I ignore it, trying to push myself back into it.
“Come on.” She lifts her hips to meet mine. “Do it. I promise I can take it.”
“No.”
Her arms fall open on the bed, and she arches her back, exposing her neck to me, and releases a laugh. The sound so loud and condescending, it makes my jaw tighten.
“She makes you so fucking soft.” She relaxes back into the comforter and looks up at me. Narrowing her eyes, she spits out. “She always made you weak. That’s why she did to you what she did. Because you let her.”
I lift my right hand and wrap it around her delicate throat. Her smile grows to full victory, but I tighten my hold, and her eyes widen. Her lips part, and she tries to suck in a breath. “Isn’t this what you want?” I ask, tilting my head to the side as I watch her pretty eyes change from triumph to full-out fear. It turns me on. “Becky?”
She digs her heels into the comforter, and her hands slap at my chest. I sit up, my legs pinning her hips to the bed. “Becky never could handle what I liked in bed. And you’re no different.”
She struggles to no avail. “Look at you now, Becky,” I taunt. “I get to choose if you live or if you die.” I smile. “And too bad for you, your life no longer matters to me.”
As if she accepts her fate, she stops fighting me, her body relaxing once again. Her eyes softening, her nipples hardening. I watch in complete fascination as her body comes alive before me. Her hands come up to cup her breasts, and she arches her back. But I don’t let go. I want to see just how far she’ll let me go.
How long until she loses consciousness? Time seems to slowly tick by, but she doesn’t push me away again; instead, she takes it. Like a good girl or a love-struck fool. Her pretty eyes roll back into her head, and her lips turn blue. When I finally decide to let go of her neck, she doesn’t move. She doesn’t breathe. I did exactly what I threatened I’d do. I killed her.
I wait for her to turn back into Becky. She’s the one I really wanted to hurt. But she stays Demi. And I start to panic.
“DEKE!”
I sit straight up in bed.
“What the fuck, man? Wake up,” Cole snaps, standing next to my bed with a look of rage in his blue eyes. “Get your ass out of bed and meet me downstairs,” he demands before he walks out of my room, but not before he flips the light on and leaves my bedroom door open.
“Fucking prick,” I mutter.
I bow my head and close my eyes. What the hell was that about? Did I kill Demi in my dream because she was trying to be Becky?
Why the hell was she there in the first place?
I run a hand through my hair and jump out of bed. Throwing on a pair of sweatpants, I make my way down the stairs to find him pacing the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” I ask through a yawn after noting that the clock on the oven reads a little after three a.m. I just got home twenty minutes ago. After Demi left, I had called Cole because his father had called me looking for him. He ended up coming home, and I went out to a college party. I had just gone to sleep. And dreamed of both Becky and Demi. That can’t be a good sign. “This better be good …”
“I got a text.”
Sighing, I pinch the br
idge of my nose. I was hard for Demi, but I was pretending she was Becky. And I would have fucked either one of them. Fuck!
“So?” I know Cole isn’t all that into technology, but a text is nothing new to him.
He snatches his cell off the kitchen counter and shoves it into my bare chest. “Fucking read it.”
The light is too harsh, so I blink a few times waiting for my eyes to adjust. He turned my bedroom light on but not the one here in the kitchen. “What is it?”
“Pretend I’m her, and I’ll pretend I love you.”
“Just read it!” he orders.
Blinking rapidly, I put it up to my face. “This is a Facebook PM,” I note, realizing it’s not a text. “I didn’t think you used your Facebook?”
“I don’t!” he answers, continuing to pace. I know he had our other friend Bennett delete Austin’s, but I thought he had gotten rid of his as well.
What the hell has him so wound up? And what am I going to do about that dream? “This is to you?” I ask, trying to get my mind off it.
“To us!” He yanks the phone from my grip when he realizes I’m not catching on as quickly as he wants me to. He points at the top of the screen. I didn’t see that my name was involved in the chat too.
I pull my phone out of the pocket of my sweatpants and look at it. Sure enough, I have a message, so I open it up. “Who …?” My voice trails off when I see who it’s from. “No way,” I say, shaking my head in denial. “It can’t be.”
“When was the last time you used it?” he snaps.
“I don’t know.”
“Fucking think!”
“Uh … months,” I answer honestly as I try to get my head in the game and out of that nightmare I just had. “Back when we were in Collins.” I close out of my account and try to log in to my spam account that I’ve had for a few years now. “Shit!” I hiss and then my eyes meet his. “I’m locked out. Someone got access to it and changed the password.”
“Goddammit!” he shouts.
“Cole?”
We both look up to see Austin enter the kitchen. She flips the switch on the wall, making us both squint at the harsh light. She runs a hand through her tangled dark hair. Wearing a pair of Cole’s basketball shorts and a T-shirt, she yawns. “Why are you guys down here yelling? In the dark?”
If You Dare (Dare Series Book 3) Page 11