Drew grips my hand in warning, and I shoot him a frustrated look, telling him to back off, that I know what to do.
Things have progressed while my mind has wandered, and Charlie has yanked Trent up out of his chair, and he’s fisting his shirt and snarling in his face. “You will apologize or I’ll put your face through the nearest wall,” he says in a clipped tone.
“I’ll apologize when she does. She started it by trying to embarrass me in front of my fiancée,” Trent retorts.
My head whips to Shandra’s hand, and I don’t know how I missed the whopper pink diamond on her hand. “You’re engaged?” I screech, asking the obvious.
“Jealous much?” Trent asks, smirking.
I ignore him, fixing Shandra with a genuine sympathetic look. “Commiserations.”
“Fucking bitch,” Trent snaps, and Charlie shoves him across the floor, slamming him up against the wall.
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
“Listen up carefully, Montgomery. You don’t speak to my fiancée like that ever. You don’t disrespect her, or even fucking look at her, or you’ll have me to deal with.”
Trent pushes Charlie away. “I’m quaking in my boots.” He shoots him a derogatory look as he shoves past him. “And you needn’t worry about your precious fiancée. I’m through with the slut.”
“Need I remind you of the conversation we had last week with our fathers,” Drew calmly says as Trent reclaims his seat beside Shandra.
Trent grinds his teeth and his knuckles blanch white. “I don’t need a reminder.
“Good.” Drew leans back casually in his chair. “Because I’d hate to inform my father you’re already breaching the terms.”
Charlie sends Trent a smug grin as he drops into the seat on the other side of me and drapes his arm around my shoulder.
Shandra clears her throat, and her eyes twinkle with mischief. “I hear commiserations are in order for you too,” she teases, eyeballing me.
“Charlie is the catch of the century.” I smile adoringly at him. “I’ve zero complaints.”
I send her a pointed look to say, “unlike you, you poor bitch.”
Charlie grins, delighted with my fake sentiment, pressing his lips to mine, and I don’t know if he believes it or he’s just playing along.
A scuffle breaks out in the background, and I pull away from Charlie, grabbing some items off the tray, pretending like I’m not aware of what’s happening.
“Get the fuck off me.” Kai’s angry tone is like a dagger straight through my heart, because I know he just witnessed that. I want to look up so badly, but I remind myself of why we’re doing this and stick to my resolve.
Trent grins, and the menacing glint in his eye spells trouble. “Guess Anderson didn’t get the memo.” He pops a piece of pasta into his mouth, chewing slowly while I mentally compile a list of ways to kill him. “Was murdering his bastards too subtle for him?” he adds when he’s finished, and I explode.
Jumping up onto the table, I throw myself on top of Trent, and we crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs. I don’t even feel the impact as the chair breaks underneath our combined weight, and we hit solid ground. Grabbing hold of his head, I bounce it off the floor, slamming it up and down before he flips me off.
Strong hands reach around me from behind, attempting to lift me up, but my reflexes are fast. I lunge at Trent, scraping my nails down his cheeks, enormously satisfied when he roars in pain. Arms reach for me again, and I rip my stiletto heel off one foot and smash it into the side of Trent’s head, getting two good hits in there before Charlie throws me over his shoulder.
Blood gushes from Trent’s temple and trickles from his injured cheek, but it’s not enough. I want to slice his cock off and feed it to him before I chop him into itty-bitty pieces and pin his severed head to the wall. How dare he say that to me!! I pummel my fists into Charlie’s back. “Let me down! I want to fucking kill him!” I yell.
“You’re going down for this,” Trent threatens, pressing a paper towel to the wound on his temple.
“You snitch and it’ll be the last thing you do,” Drew says, standing and walking around the table. He glares at Trent. “You deserved that. And if you ever repeat that comment or make any of those remarks to my sister again, I will fucking end you myself.” Drew puts his face all up in Trent’s. “This is your last warning.” Drew walks over to us. “Get Abby out of here.”
Charlie nods, striding toward the exit with me still strewn over his shoulder. In my peripheral vision, I spot Jackson and Sawyer physically restraining a fuming Kai. Our eyes meet across the room, and I want to go to him so badly. Especially after Trent’s cruel words because the only arms I want comforting me are his.
But I won’t be selfish.
We silently communicate, and his pain, anguish, and longing are mine too, but we can’t fall at the first hurdle. We are stronger than this. I subtly shake my head just before Charlie exits the cafeteria, leaving chaos in our midst.
“I’m not saying he didn’t have it coming to him,” Charlie says, when we’re outside in his car a few minutes later. “But you can’t go around attacking people. Your father would go apeshit on my ass because I’m officially responsible for you.”
“Trent won’t say anything because he’ll land himself in hot water if he does.”
“Agreed, but you need to stop and think before you react, Abby.”
“Why are we even at that table?” I question, wincing as a dart of pain shoots through my hip. I’m a little achy in parts, but Trent cushioned most of our fall, so I’ll live. I’m betting his back will be black and blue by tomorrow, and it couldn’t happen to a more worthy recipient.
“Your father has patched things up with the Montgomerys, and we were given strict instructions that things were to return to normal.”
I add a note to my mental checklist to ask Drew how the bastard has made amends with Trent’s father.
“It hasn’t escaped my notice that the new elite have returned,” he adds, and my spine turns rigid.
“So?”
“So I told Kaiden it was a part of the deal.”
“You told Kai to stay away from me,” I correct him. “You said nothing about him not being permitted to return to school.”
He examines my face carefully. “Stay away from him, Abby.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “You’re my fiancée now, and I won’t be made a fool of.”
I’m walking toward my last class of the day when I’m yanked sideways into a room, and Kai’s hot mouth is on mine before I’ve had time to scream. His tongue plunders my mouth like an invading Viking, taking what he wants with brutality and violence. A metallic taste trickles into my mouth as he bites down hard on my lip, drawing blood. I push him away. “What are you doing?” I hiss. Charlie’s threat is still too fresh in my mind, and this is risky as fuck.
He shoots me a shit-eating grin Jackson would be proud of as he locks the door and stalks toward me. “What the fuck does it look like?”
“Like you’re crazy as shit and have a death wish,” I say, backing away from him.
His eyes are thick with lust, his body cloaked in anger, and he wears it proudly like body armor.
I scramble around desks as I avoid capture. All the while he advances. Like this menacing form hell-bent on punishing me.
Liquid lust races through me, and my core pulses with a desperate need.
I love it when he’s like this.
Looking at me like he wants to fuck me so hard I’ll bleed.
My body purrs in anticipation as my back slams against a solid obstacle.
I know I’m sick and twisted, but I think that’s why we’re so well matched.
He wants to punish me, and I want to be punished.
He grips my hips, reeling me into his body, grinding his pelvis against mine. His boner juts into my lower stomach, drenching my panties. “You need a reminder that you’re mine.”
“Yes,” I pant in agreement even though I’m fully h
is, and we both know it.
His lips collide with mine again, and we devour one another as if we’ll never get to kiss again. My hands are greedy motherfuckers as they roam up and down his back and squeeze his hard ass cheeks, pulling him closer as I spread my legs wider to accommodate his hot body. I grind against him as he tweaks my breasts through my shirt.
Without warning, he flips me over, swiping the contents off the desk with a clean sweep of his hand, and bends me down over it. Tugging my skirt up to my waist, he pushes my panties to one side and slides three fingers inside me.
A string of expletives leaves my mouth, and he chuckles.
“Your filthy mouth turns me on.”
“Your filthy cock does it for me,” I rasp.
He rams his fingers inside me, stroking me in frantic movements that are borderline painful. Yet when he pulls out, I cry out at the loss. The telltale sound of the slide of his zipper, followed by the tearing of paper as he rolls a condom on, has me moaning in anticipation.
“Hold on, baby.”
That’s his only warning before he slams into me in one fast thrust, and a scream rips from my mouth before I can stop it. His hand covers my mouth, while he holds my hip with his free hand, helping to direct his movements as he flexes his hips and solidly pumps into me.
He fucks me hard and fast over the teacher’s desk, grunting and cursing as he works me over good. His hand moves from my hip to my clit, and he rubs my swollen nub with firm strokes until my orgasm creeps up on me out of nowhere. I’m pushing my ass back and gripping his cock as my inner walls spasm uncontrollably. He bites my shoulder, muffling his own cries as he comes, pumping into the condom inside of me, covering my back with his warm body as I come back down to Earth.
Wordlessly, he helps clean me up with some tissues from his jacket pocket. Then he tucks his cock away and zips his pants up. Leaning down, he crushes his lips to mine in one final kiss. “Be safe, babe.”
“Always.”
“Wait one minute, and then follow me out,” he instructs before striding across the room and leaving without a backward glance.
I use the time to fix my makeup and brush my hair, and then I leave, checking the hallway both ways to ensure no one is around, smiling to myself as I slip into class late, making up an excuse.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The next few days pass by without incident, and we settle into a familiar routine. Living with the Barrons’ is okay. I have my own gorgeous room, which Elizabeth, Charlie’s mom, had professionally remodeled especially for me.
She’s super excited about the wedding, already planning a lavish reception, and it’s all she wants to talk about at the dinner table each night. I usually walk away with a pain in my face from all the forced smiling and fake gushing. Charlie is pleased I’m indulging her, but I feel mean because I’m lying to her. I don’t have the heart to explain it’s all for nothing, because I’ve got to maintain this charade.
Charlie drives me to and from school and he is attentive and considerate—the picture-perfect boyfriend—at all times. We still sit at the elite table at school, but Trent is ignoring us so it’s not as much of a headache. Chad has been filling me in on the gossip I missed, and Drew spends most lunchtimes silent and introspective.
I’m worried about him, but every time I inquire, he tells me he’s fine. I want to go over to the house to talk to him, but I’m eager to steer clear of the place too. “Can you drive me to ballet after school?” I whisper to Drew at lunchtime. “I need to speak to you.”
“Sure. Maybe we can grab something to eat beforehand.”
“Perfect.” I kiss his cheek. “I’ll wait for you at your car.”
“I don’t see why I can’t come,” Charlie pouts when school ends and I break the news that I’m riding with my brother.
“I want time alone with my twin, and you can’t shadow me everywhere,” I say, closing my locker and stuffing my books in my bag.
“Your father only relented on the bodyguard and the driver because I assured him I’d keep you safe,” he says, taking my hand as we walk toward the exit.
I roll my eyes. “My brother is hardly a threat.”
Charlie opens the door, and I step outside, pulling the collar of my coat up to ward off the icy-cold wind. We escaped the snow in Connecticut, but it looks like it’s followed us here. The forecast for the weekend predicts snow, and I’m preparing for a cold one.
“I don’t enjoy being away from you,” he says, reeling me into his arms at the top of the steps.
Electricity crackles in the air, and my body has a mind of its own as I whip my head around, looking down at the two guys watching us from the curb.
Kai locks eyes with me, holding my gaze captive, and I suck in a sharp breath. I swear he gets hotter every time I see him. My fingers twitch with a craving to touch him, longing to run my fingers through his silky-soft hair, to examine every inch of his inked skin. The fiery depths of his eyes confirm a similar hunger, but there’s a dark promise in his gaze too.
I shiver as I recall how he fucked me possessively against the wall in the janitor’s closet just before lunch. Every day, he finds some opportunity to steal me away, and our pairing is always wild and frantic. Sneaking around is so risky, and we shouldn’t be doing it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting off on the forbidden nature of our relationship.
But Charlie has been growing more brazen. Hauling me into his lap and kissing me any chance he gets. I know he’s doing it to test Kaiden, and I hate it, but we’ve got to stick to the plan.
I’m staring at Kai, and I know I shouldn’t be, but it hurts to wrench my gaze away. Sawyer gives me a subtle cautionary nod as Charlie jerks my face back to his. His eyes blaze with indignation. “You are my fiancée,” he hisses. “And you just eye-fucked him for everyone to see.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, stretching up and pulling his mouth down to mine, hoping Kai can forgive me. “I’m trying.”
“Well, try harder,” he barks, ripping his mouth from mine. “Unless you want him to wind up dead.”
“I don’t know how long I can do this,” I admit to Drew, as we pick at our food in the diner a half hour later. “I feel like a cheating slut every time I let Charlie kiss me. And I know he’s kissing me in public to piss Kai off, and it’s working.”
“Kai needs to get over himself,” Drew says in a monotone voice.
“Would you feel that way if I was Jane and you had to watch another guy mauling me?”
He pushes his plate away. “That was a low blow.”
“I know, but I’ve noticed how harsh you’ve been to Kai. Is that because of me or some other reason?”
He sighs, leaning back in the booth and staring at the ceiling. “I’m still pissed that he concealed his identity from me.”
“Hey.” I prod him in the chest. “I was the one sleeping with him. If I can forgive him, you can too.”
Drew lowers his eyes to mine. “He was my best friend for years, and I’d often wondered where he was. What he was up to.”
“You should patch things up with him. He’s going to be in my life, which means he’ll be in yours.”
“I know,” he says, slurping his drink through his straw. “But I think I’ll make him sweat a little more.”
I almost choke on my burger, but I’m glad to see some animation back on my brother’s face. I soften my voice and my expression. “How are you really doing, Drew? You’ve been so quiet. I’m worried.”
“Don’t waste your energy worrying about me.”
“That’s a virtual impossibility, and you know it.” I reach for his hand. “Talk to me. You can’t bottle it all up.”
“I miss her,” he whispers. “I miss her so fucking much.”
“I know. I miss her too.”
“It’s like I’ve lost half of myself, and I don’t know who I am without her.” He props his elbows on the table, resting his face in his hands. “More than that,” he adds, piercing me with a serious look.
“I’m scared of who I might become without her.”
“You’re still you.” I squeeze his hand. “And you’re one of the best people I know.”
An agonized expression washes over his face, and he yanks his hand from mine. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew the things I’d done.”
I remember Charlie’s explanation regarding their virginity, and I wonder what other things they’ve had to do. I don’t think I want to know. “If they’ve forced you to do things to survive, I would never hold that against you.”
“At what point do you have to stop and accept responsibility—even if it’s something that’s been technically forced upon you? If you’re the person who took the action, you are still to blame.”
“I don’t know, D. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but we’re in a fight-or-die world, and I’ll always fight. In my heart, I know I’m a good person.” I pause for a beat. “A good person forced to make difficult choices. Forced to do bad things. But I never doubt what’s in my heart.”
“I never used to. Not until I lost half of mine.”
I’m still mulling over his words later as I leave the ballet studio after rehearsal.
Drew is drowning, and I don’t know how to save him.
A black Land Rover with dark windows pulls up to the curb, and the window lowers as I walk toward it. “Come on, slowpoke,” Drew says, shooting me a tender smile. “Hop in the back,” he adds, winking.
My brow puckers as I approach the car, wondering what he’s up to. When I open the back door and slide inside, the biggest grin spreads across my face when I discover Kai waiting for me.
I move toward him the same moment he reaches out for me, and I melt into his arms as our mouths meet. He holds my face in his large palms as he kisses the shit out of me, and I could happily die in this moment.
“Buckle up, lovebirds,” Drew says, revving the engine impatiently.
“What’s going on?” I ask, reluctantly moving away from Kai to put my seat belt on. He straps himself in, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. “And why are you here?” I ask, stretching my head back to look at him.
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