Devious Bully - (The Devil's War #1): A High School/Stepbrother Bully Romance

by Harmony Grey

  I honestly have no idea what his problem is, and to be fair I really don’t care. It’s easy to tell he doesn’t seem to like me all that much. Dislike reverberates off every inch of him, and he’s a pretty big guy and it simmers in the air between us. Maybe it’s because I’m the new girl and he doesn’t like new people stepping on his patch, walking into his playground, but again, the deed is done and there’s not an awful lot I can do about it—unless my mom decides to up and leave in the dead of the night. I guess that can happen at any time going off my mom’s track record.

  Every time he looks at me, his hypnotic green eyes glaze over and a small part of me can’t help but think he wants to hurt me. This sadistic fuckface would probably get off on causing me pain.

  A heated silence continues to simmer in the air around us, none of us breaking the connection. Neither one of us is willing to be the first to show weakness and backdown. I don’t know how long we stand here just staring each other down, until eventually, after what feels like a lifetime this deadly beast finally breaks the silence around us.

  “Do you have a first name?”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Does your dad like pussy?”

  Something dark and dangerous dances in his eyes while his nostrils flare, but it’s gone just as fast as it arrived and instead, he smiles back at me, causing all the hairs on the back of my neck to stand tall. “So, you’re a feisty one, huh?” My heart starts to beat louder in my chest as he slowly steps closer towards me. “I gotta admit, I kind of like it.”

  “Look, don’t you have a ball to go and play with?” I snarl, no longer in the mood to play his silly games, and I take in his gold and black jersey and that’s when I realize that this guy could be someone important at this school.

  Oh shit.

  My heart continues to pick up speed before beating frantically in my chest and all I can hear is the loud thud in my ears. If he can hear my fear, it sure as hell doesn’t stop him as he continues with his pursuit, stepping closer to me. When I look up into his emerald eyes, I see all traces of humor have vanished from his sinful face and even though every fiber of my being is warning me to stay the hell away from him, I’m foolishly rooted to the spot as a pool of desire floods though me and my stomach clenches.

  He obviously feels something too as a low rumble emanates from deep within his broad chest as it rises and falls as fast as mine. Something doesn’t feel right here. My head is screaming for me to make a run for it, but there’s no way I’ll get around his massive frame. Instead, I quickly decide to do the next best thing and take a step backwards, eager to put some much-needed space between us, but I stumble and then my back crashes into a cold solid wall. I have nowhere to run and this sinful, devious monster knows it too.

  “Maybe,” he whispers as he brings his face closer to mine, his heated minty breath invades my senses and leaves me breathless and a little lightheaded. “But I’m pretty sure I’d have a lot more fun playing with you.” He smirks some more and the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention again, warning me of the dangers that lay ahead, yet the pool of desire between my thighs has other ideas.

  What the hell have I gone and gotten myself into now? I don’t know why, but bad news seems to follow me wherever I end up, and no matter how fast I’m out of the area, there always seems to be something waiting, hidden in the shadows, just ready to jump out at me from the next corner I pass.

  One thing I do know is that I need to keep my head in the right place because guys like Egan clearly thrive and get off on the fear of others. And the last thing I want is for this jerk to think he has some kind of hold over me. It doesn’t matter how uneasy he makes me feel, how nervous he makes me when his green eyes zone in and penetrate mine. It doesn’t matter how on edge I feel around this guy who’s nothing more than a stranger to me. He can never know that he has the power to instill fear, no matter how small, because as soon as that happens, that’s when I lose it all. That’s when the game ends, and all the power will belong to this beautiful monster stood before me.

  “I highly doubt it,” I force out a nervous laugh, desperate to lighten the mood and create some distance between us. Things have gotten a little too heavy too fast and it’s not something I’m used to. I can already tell I’m going to have my work cut out with this guy. “But I bet that’s what you probably say to all the girls.”

  I shut my eyes and wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Where the hell did that just come from? I want to get this guy off my back, not lead him on further. When my eyes open again, he smiles knowingly at me and I swallow hard as this delicious predator moves even closer to me. His hard muscular body presses flush against mine, and we fit together like two missing pieces of a puzzle. He has zero shame as he slowly rolls his hips expertly against mine and all the air leaves my lungs as he slams my back harder against the cold, hard wall.

  “Oh, I do.” He whispers and his pink plump lips are just millimeters from mine, and for one brief yet foolish second I find myself recklessly wondering what they’d feel like pressed against mine. A foolish, reckless second was all I needed to lose all sense of control because before I know what’s happening, before my mind can come back to the present, I feel the intense heat of Egan’s soft lips pressing firmly against mine. I don’t do anything. I don’t stop him. I don’t push his strong heavy body away from mine. Instead, I stand motionless, pinned up against the wall and relish in his touch. My heart accelerates and blood rushes around my body, including to places it shouldn’t, but it does, and I stupidly can’t get enough of him.

  I foolishly allow Egan to take me as his own and right in this moment there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. The intense wight of his body pressed up against mine feels way too good to pass up, and I’m starting to worry about how I’ll feel when he finally pulls away, leaving me empty and void of his touch.

  My head is screaming for me to push him away. I don’t even know this guy, yet he holds some crazy power to control me and I’m rendered speechless and totally unfunctional when I’m close to him. I know that I should push him away. I know it’s the right thing to do, but my body is frozen, rooted to the spot by some wicked powerful force conjured by this evil monster.

  I can hear the shouts inside my head growing louder, breaking through the sound of my thudding heart pounding on my ears, but no matter how loud my inner, and probably more sensible-self screams, I struggle to follow the commands of my mind. Instead, all I can think about and feel is my body going completely lax at his touch.

  I’m a fucking idiot.

  I guess I can always worry about that later. But I knew as soon as I saw him, I shouldn’t be alone with this guy. My instinct warned me about him the second my eyes locked onto his, and now look at me. I knew he would be nothing but bad news. I mean, surely anyone can see that the guy has damaged and dangerous written all over him.

  “I’m not sure what you’re trying to do…” I mutter out breathlessly as soon as I’ve found my voice again. And as the seconds pass, I can feel myself building up the strength I need to push him away, but I don’t get a chance to put that into practice.

  An almighty screech comes out of nowhere and pierces my ears.

  “Kane.” The voice snarls. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  I’m surprised when he doesn’t pull away from me in a hurry. Instead, he seems to ignore the heated demands of the person stood behind me as he carelessly rolls his hips into me some more causing my stomach to clench from the contact, and my veins are on fire from his expert touch. I’m mortified when a gasp escapes my lips. Egan doesn’t seem to mind though as his wicked lips curve against mine and when he finally pulls away from me, I see the mother of all grins etched onto his rogue face.

  I can feel the heat of my embarrassment flush to my cheeks, and for what feels like the millionth time today I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

  “Don’t you dare ignore me.” The high-pitched squeal snarls some more and Kan
e, Egan, whatever the hell he’s called narrows his eyes in disgust and he looks absolutely feral.

  There’s no denying that this guy is totally off the charts crazy and now that there’s finally a little bit of space between us I finally re-align myself with my mind and realize the sooner he’s away from me, the better. And I think that counts for the both of us.

  Eventually he steps back, finally out of my personal space and a small foolish part of me feels empty at the void now between us. There is nothing left remaining of the magnetic connection which was holding us together just moments before.

  I don’t move.

  I can’t speak.

  I’m too shocked to even try to think straight.

  This crazy ass situation was totally unexpected, and it’s also way out of character for me. I’ve only ever kissed two boys in my whole entire life. One purely so he’d leave me alone and stop hounding me a few years back. Thankfully my mom came up good that time and she’d already planned for us to skip town later that night. The second one I refuse to think about it if I can help it. I’m still scarred about it to this day and I’ve tried to shut it down and stick it to the back of my mind in the hopes that I’ll eventually forget that it ever happened.

  But that brief kiss—that brief moment between me and Egan felt amazing in every which way possible, even if my gut is telling me it was all kinds of wrong. I mean, I can still feel the goosebumps prickling my skin and my head still feels a little hazy—like I’ve overdosed on something I shouldn’t have—something forbidden.

  “Taylor…” Kane finally acknowledges the hysterical chick behind him, and I can’t help but notice his voice is low and laced with heated emotion. “What do you want?” He asks the person stood behind him, yet he never takes his eyes off mine.

  “I came to find you because I thought it was strange that you weren’t at practice. But I can clearly see why.” She hisses and I catch the venom in her suspicious voice.

  Egan steps back from me, his back still to the girl who’s been desperate to find him, and in doing so he reveals the person stood behind him and as beautiful as she is, there’s no denying that she’s pissed. She looks absolutely feral and I don’t know who to be more scared of—her or Egan.

  That’s when it hits me. This girl is pissed for a reason. She must be Egan’s girlfriend.

  “Hey, this isn’t what it looks like,” I hurl out before I can stop myself or even think about what I’m saying. Obviously, I’ve found my voice again, and once again it seems to be at the wrong time. My chest tightens as the panic begins to creep in and I try to wipe my clammy hands down on my new skirt.

  Now I feel even more of an idiotic outcast than I did when I first changed into it. Who am I kidding? I will never fit in here, and I’m just fooling myself into thinking I will. I’ll never fit in anywhere, because I’ve never been taught how to settle in one place.

  “Sorry, but if I want your opinion then I’ll ask you.”

  My heart sinks when this crazy brunette zones in on me. One day I might just learn to shut my mouth. Honestly, that day really can’t come quick enough. I’m starting to think that I should have turned around and walked out of this place when I had the chance. At least then I wouldn’t have found myself in this crazy ass situation, and more importantly, Kane Egan would have still been totally non-existent to me.

  That thought alone sounds like total bliss to my overactive mind, but there’s not much I can do about it right now.

  After what feels like a lifetime of awkward silence between the three of us standing out in the derelict hall, Egan finally turns away from me to face the girl behind him. His shoulders are wide, wild and beautifully broad, and it’s right in this moment that I notice his black jersey is embossed with ‘EGAN’ in gold lettering along with the number 8 just beneath.

  “There’s no need to be rude to the new girl, Taylor.” His voice is silky smooth, but Taylor’s narrowed eyes and feral smile tell me she’s anything but impressed. My eyes flit between the two of them and I know I shouldn’t be here. Whatever’s happening between them is exactly that—between them. I don’t want to be pulled into any dramas. Hell, I have enough to deal with already without any additional bullshit added to the mix.

  “Hold up a minute. You think I’m the one who’s being rude? Wow. That’s rich, especially coming from the likes of you.” Taylor quickly replies, but neither of them seem to be backing down.

  The tension sizzles in the air around us and I really wish I could be anywhere but here. I seriously never imagined walking into so much drama in such a short period of time. Damn, all this before I’ve even made first period.

  “You can bitch all you want, Taylor, but I’m not discussing this here.” Egan warns her and the muscles in his back tense up and considering I don’t even know this guy I can already tell he’s on the edge of losing whatever cool he has left.

  “Excuse me?” Taylor’s eyes grow wide and she looks shocked that anyone would dare speak to her the way Egan just has.

  “You heard.”

  As I watch them, I realize that maybe these two are both as bad as each other. Neither one of them seems to be in the mood to back down. And here I am, stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. A few seconds pass but they feel like minutes until Taylor gracefully steps towards Egan and she sure as hell looks like she means business. She doesn’t break eye contact with him once as she says on a long drawl, “I really don’t think you’re in a position to be telling me what you are or aren’t doing, Kane. So, how about you do us both a favor and start telling me why I’ve just found my boyfriend with his tongue stuck down some random skanks throat?”

  Whoa. Hold the fuck up. Did this posh bitch really just call me a skank? I shake my head in disbelief. This chick doesn’t even know the first thing about me. “Hey, I’m no skank.” I quickly pipe up, refusing to stand back and allow someone I don’t even know to openly insult me.

  Taylor turns her attention to me, her blue eyes burning into me, probably hoping to kill me on the spot. “I seriously don’t give a damn who or what you are.” Her lips fall into a pout and her eyes narrow at me for the briefest moment before they eagerly slide back to Egan. “We need to talk. Alone.” She grits out through clenched teeth and I can tell she’s struggling to keep a check on her emotions.

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Egan shrugs his broad shoulders. “But just so you know, we’re not together anymore, Taylor.”

  “What?” The words catch in her throat. “What are you talking about?”

  “You, ending it when you thought you’d be brave enough to go behind my back with Rodriquez.” Oh shit. Now what have I gone and fallen into? Seriously, I should have turned my mom’s truck around and got the hell out of here when I could. Now I’m in the middle of some mass breakup and I don’t even know any of them. What a way to start my first day.

  “You’ve got it wrong, baby…” she croons as she steps even closer to him and I feel way out of place here.

  “No. You got it wrong, Totally wrong. You should have known it would come out, and you of all people should know that it doesn’t end well for people who shit on me. Oh,” Egan, as if suddenly remembering that I’m still here looks between the two of us before finally focusing all his attention on Taylor and says, “I think we can all agree that the only skank here is you.”

  Egan’s broad shoulders tense some more before he barges past her, almost knocking her petite frame to the floor from the impact. He doesn’t bother to look back at her to see if she’s okay. Instead, he storms off down the corridor with nothing but his anger around him.

  A strong sense of pity and a small pang of guilt ripples through me before a raw surge of anger seeps into my body—raging like an inferno. It’s pretty clear to see that I was just someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Did Kane Egan know that this girl would come looking for him if he didn’t show at practice today? Is that why he decided to corner me so he could give her a taste of he
r own medicine?

  I stand in silence as the wild thoughts continue to build and swirl in my mind and all too soon it feels like it’s about to explode. I’m still frozen in place, forced to watch Taylor follow Kane’s retreating figure disappear, her mouth wide open in shock. She kind of looks stunned, like he’s just slapped her hard across the face and walked off.

  If I’m being honest, if it were me that’s exactly what I would have done.

  “I’m really sorry,” I confess and I’m not all too sure why I’m trying to apologize or justify myself to some plastic cheer girl. Even though I do kind of wish I could take it all back and prevent any of this mess from happening. A shit storm which wasn’t even my fault.

  I never asked for any of this to happen. My goal was to hopefully make a friend here, not build up an army of enemies. My voice seems to have snapped her out of her trance and as if suddenly realizing that I’m still here, she slowly turns her heart-shaped face towards me, her long brown curls bouncing flawlessly around her tanned, petite shoulders. There is no denying that she’s beyond beautiful, and even though we haven’t gotten off to the best start, I’m not going to lie about it. I’ll openly admit that I feel extremely small and vulnerable standing all alone with her in this empty corridor.

  “Fuck you.” She hisses back at me and I flinch from the hatred and instant dislike in her voice. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that little hook-up between you and Kane actually meant something to him. He was obviously upset that I’d hurt his enlarged ego, and desperate to get back at me somehow. So, Kane did what he does best. He grabbed the nearest cheap little whore and used you.”

  “Look…” I begin but she’s quick to cut me off again. Obviously, Queen bitch hasn’t finished talking.

  “I don’t know who you are or what horrid little place you crawled out from,” she steps closer towards me and she bores her bright blue eyes into mine and for the second time today I find myself pinned up against the cold, solid wall of Manorcroft High. “I’m only going to say this once, so if I were you, I’d listen carefully. Stay the fuck away from Kane, because if you don’t then me and you are gonna have ourselves a little problem.”