Wrong Crowd (Kingsley Academy Book 1)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  “Like fuck she doesn’t. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  What the hell does that mean? I’m nothing like my mother.

  “Yeah, probably. But I’m telling you, she has no idea. Still, she’s tainted blood. She doesn’t belong here.”

  “Then she won’t see me coming for her,” Grant growls.

  “Where is she?” Kaiden asks.

  “Probably fucking some poor sucker who doesn’t know what she is.” He takes in a deep breath. “Are we still doing this tonight?” Grant asks, and my ears perk up, yet a sense of foreboding hits me.

  “I planned it, didn’t I. Payback’s a bitch,” Kaiden replies, his voice scarier than ever. “Let me go get my brothers and we’ll get it done.”

  “I’m just going to take a breather,” Grant says, and I begin to panic when he gets closer. I stand up, pretending I didn’t hear him, and walk with my head down.

  “Not so fast, you little fucking slag. Were you spying on us?”

  I shrug his arm off me, but he just grips me tighter until I wince. “How much did you hear?”

  “What don’t I know?” I ask, instead of trying to play coy. I deserve answers if they’re going to treat me like this.

  His smirk is ugly and dark. “Everything apparently, but I don’t believe a fucking word of it. You come here and we’re meant to believe it’s a coincidence. I won’t have the spawn of that whore blowing up things again.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m here because my mum died.”

  For a moment, I think I see a flash of remorse, but it’s masked within a second and his eyes darken further. “Good.”

  I rear back because he’s genuinely glad she’s dead. “Excuse me?” I breathe.

  “You’re just like her. Gonna flash me a bit of boob?” he snarls and goes to lift my top. I slap his arm away, trying to step back, but he follows. Dread fills my stomach as he comes at me again, this time gripping the neckline and pulling so hard I hear a tear in my top.

  “Get off me,” I scream, fighting back. He wraps his arms around my waist, so tight I struggle to breathe. I kick and slap at him, but it’s like he doesn’t feel any of it.

  “You want it, just like your mum,” he whispers in my ear. I lean forward, biting down on his shoulder. He yowls out in pain, dropping me to the floor. I take a second to gasp for air before running away from him.

  I hear him following me as I skate around another couple making out, bringing me closer to the large pool.

  He grabs my arm, spinning me around and spitting on me. I scrunch my face in revulsion and slap him without thinking.

  “You expect me to pay to fuck you?” he yells, throwing his hands up. I’m frozen, watching as everyone stops what they’re doing to watch us. “Anyone else want a go? Because I wouldn’t touch the skank. She begged me to take her up the arse.”

  A chorus of no’s and name calling reaches my ears. Tears brim the edge of my eyes, but I don’t shed them.

  “No amount of money would make me sleep with you,” I snarl back. “Katrina already warned me how shit you were. Which is why she fucks Jamie. You don’t do the job,” I tell him, using the knowledge I learned earlier.

  It’s rolling around in his head. I can see it—the thoughts and betrayal—right before hatred is back and he’s taking a step towards me. “Do you think anyone would blink if I fucked you, right here, right now?”

  “It would be against my wishes. There’s a word for it, it’s called rape,” I snap.

  “Yeah, sheep cries wolf,” he snarls back.

  I step back, closer to the edge of the pool, and my face pales when I see how deep it goes. He sees it, and before I can tell him I can’t swim, he pushes me into the warm water and panic seizes me.

  I choke on water, my arms flapping around as I sink lower. My chest burns and black spots dance behind my eyelids.

  I’m going to die in a pool of fucking water. Just as I finish the thought, hands push under my arm pits and begin to pull me up.

  I cling to the body who saved me, but it’s short lived when we reach the surface and I meet the eyes of the one who put me here.

  He smirks, pulling me flush against him by squeezing my arse. I can’t even let go because I’d be back under there. I struggle to catch my breath, still in a daze, when I feel him rip my top up.

  I scream, trying to pull away, not caring if I drown. It would be better than what he said he’d do earlier.

  “No,” I cry out hoarsely.

  “Baby, you’re rubbing yourself up against me. My dick is so hard,” he murmurs, and I feel him unclip my bra. Tears fall as he easily removes it. I’ve never felt so weak in my life. “Got to show everyone how good I really fucking am.”

  “Hey, it’s not nice to share,” Ethan says, and I feel a new pair of hands grip my hips, pulling me away. I don’t even care that every pair of eyes around the pool can see my tits right now. I’m just glad I’m away from Grant.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Give her back. I’m not done,” Grant barks.

  Ethan spins me around and shoves me in the arms of someone else. I don’t open my eyes, clinging to the warm body that smells of musk and spice with my arms and legs wrapped around him. My bare breasts press against their chest, and I feel my stomach flutter for reasons other than panic.

  “You’re done,” Kaiden rumbles, his tone final as his chest vibrates underneath me.

  I want to die of mortification because I’ve just been spared from a demon to be thrown in the arms of the devil himself.

  Was this their plan? Did they have all this planned, knowing I couldn’t swim? When I heard them talking earlier, they were talking about something they set up.

  I feel tears of anger burning at the back of my eyes because I can’t figure out what is going on here, why they are doing this to me.

  My mum could never break me, no matter the challenges she threw at me. But these guys… they have the power to destroy me.

  I just know I won’t go down without fighting. It’s not in me to give up. After all, I lived with my mother all my life.

  “I’m done when I say I’m done,” Grant tells him.

  It’s not just the hard, ripped body that tenses, but the atmosphere around me.

  “Get a drink, man, and cool off,” Lucca orders from close by. Should have known he’d be with his twin. So not only did everyone get a glimpse of my tits, but these guys got up close and personal.

  “No!”

  “You’re done here,” Kaiden tells him and starts moving through the water. I cling tighter to him, squashing my breasts, but I’m not going back under that water.

  He doesn’t say anything as he walks out of the pool with me still in his arms. My skin prickles from the cool air, causing me to shiver.

  I tense, waiting for him to drop me to the ground and let everyone have a good laugh. He doesn’t though, keeping one hand under my arse and another around my back.

  My face is still shoved into his neck, my eyes firmly closed. We’re moving through the house now, heading upstairs, and I begin to panic.

  “I want to go home,” I whisper, still not loosening my hold on him.

  “Did you want to go with no top and soaking wet?” he asks sharply.

  I pull back, glaring at him. “I didn’t ask to be shed of my clothes, Kaiden. I didn’t ask for any of this.” I’m near the point of yelling now, but he doesn’t care, just arches an eyebrow, looking bored. He glances down, and I notice my mistake too late. His gaze darkens with lust, surprising me. It’s gone within a second, and he pulls his hand from my arse. I cling to him again, squishing my tits against his bare chest.

  “Why are you naked?” I groan.

  “I’m not,” he mutters dryly as I hear keys jangle. “It’s a pool party, and I’m in shorts.”

  I don’t say anything as he steps into a room, locking it behind us. “Um, I know you guys think I’m a slut, but I’m not. I’m not going to sleep with you.”

  H
e grunts, dropping me to the floor. I cover my breasts but he doesn’t really look. I also don’t want him to see how hard my nipples are.

  His head tilts to the side. “Don’t be shy now. If I wanted to sleep with you, you’d be begging me to fuck you, Raven.”

  Raven?

  I notice he didn’t deny them thinking I’m a slut. It shouldn’t hurt, but it does. He’s categorising me the same as my mum, and I’m not her.

  “No, I really wouldn’t,” I tell him, my chest rising and falling as I check him out for the first time. “You guys can’t seem to take no as an answer. Not every girl wants to fuck you.”

  He has a tribal tattoo on his shoulder, going down to his elbow. He has another on his rib cage, though I can’t make out what it is, but I do see scripted wording by its side. His large, muscular chest and tight six pack is where my attention is; right down to where those low-riding shorts hang on his narrow hips with a sculptured V.

  He clears his throat, smirking, and my cheeks flare with heat. He scans my body from head to toe, and I know if I was dressed, he’d totally be undressing me with those eyes. The dominance rolling off him is evident. It’s then that I realise I’m staring again. I look away, pressing my arms harder against my chest.

  He steps closer, enough for me to feel the body heat coming from him, and I have to force my body to step back instead of seeking out the heat.

  He looks down at me, his gorgeous face and those dark, mesmerising eyes doing something to my stomach. His fingers begin to dance on my hips, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.

  His body brushes mine, and I gape at him, feeling light-headed. He tilts his head forward, bringing his warm, soft lips to my neck, and my body begins to heat up.

  I drop my hands, gripping his shoulders to steady myself. I can feel his breath coming in shallow pants, but it’s like he’s trying to hide his reaction.

  His lips move to my ear, pressing lightly as he glides them across my jaw. I’m a panting mess, clinging to him. I’m wet—probably fucking soaked.

  His fingers slide up my ribcage, up to my breasts. He twists my nipple between two of his fingers and my core tightens.

  “Mmm,” I moan, feeling high.

  What am I doing? I can’t seem to tell him no or to stop. I should be pushing him away by now.

  He lets out a throaty chuckle before lowering his head, sucking my nipple into his mouth. I sway, dropping my head back. I’m so turned on right now I think I could orgasm from just his mouth on me.

  He lifts his head, his eyes hooded. He cups my throat, his thumb pressing lightly over my jugular. Something is working in that mind of his, a ray of emotions flying across his face.

  Then it’s like a cold mask appears and everything about him hardens.

  “See? I can fuck you any time I want. I don’t need to take it, to force it. Difference is, I don’t fucking want you,” he snarls, pushing me back.

  I wobble backwards, humiliation and embarrassment washing over me. “You bastard,” I hiss, shoving at his chest.

  “What did you expect—that I’d want to fuck someone like you?”

  “You don’t even know me,” I scream, then blink at the words I just said. “You all think you know me. You don’t. I’m not a slut. I’m not my mother. I’m just a poor girl from a rough estate whose mother just died. I have nothing—nobody. I can’t even fucking swim. That is all there is to know about me. I’ve led a boring, hard as fuck life. So don’t pretend you fucking know me. I’ve met gang members with more manners than you guys.”

  He seems to pause on his way to his walk-in wardrobe. He looks over my shoulder, heat still in his eyes.

  “You don’t know anything,” he tells me.

  I throw my hands up, realising it makes my breasts bounce too late. “’Cause no one around here is a straight talker. You all act like I’m a mind reader.”

  “We don’t trust you,” he admits.

  “I don’t fucking trust you, either, but do you see me making your life difficult?”

  His jaw clenches so hard I hear his teeth grind together. “You being here is making all our lives difficult. Now take this shirt and get the fuck out of here.”

  I take the shirt he hands me and pull it over my head. I’m still wet, so the top clings to me in places. When I look up, Kaiden is by the far window—not the one facing my room—staring out.

  I open my mouth to say… I don’t know what I want to say. His biceps bulge as he grips the window edge, his head bowed.

  With one last inhale, I leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

  The house is pretty much a large replica of Nova’s house, so I find the stairs in no time. As I reach the curve on the stairs, the twins are running up them. They stop when they see me, both dry from being in the pool.

  I shift uncomfortably at how they are watching me. “You can’t swim?” Ethan asks, like it’s a foreign concept.

  Feeling defensive, I glower at them. “This might be hard for you to believe, but not all of us were fed with a silver spoon or got swimming lessons. I come from nothing. I learned to ride a bike at the age of eleven when I found an old bike left in a park. That was the only thing I ever learned to do—aside from school and skateboarding.”

  “Woah, woah, woah,” Lucca remarks. “We weren’t going to take the piss.”

  “Well, maybe a little,” Ethan says, grinning with a shrug.

  “Fuck you,” I snap at him. I take a step down, but Lucca’s arm on the banister blocks me. I groan. “Can I leave now or do you all feel like you need to humiliate me more?”

  He shrugs, not caring. “We could. But we don’t want to.”

  Lucca steps up closer to me, his expression tight now. Gone is the easy-going, boy-next-door look. “Watch out for Grant. He never goes against Kai like that. He’s unravelling, and he’s normally dangerous to be around, now he’s plain crazy. Having you here is bringing back bad memories. Luckily for you, Kai is worse.”

  “I’ve never been here before,” I accuse, throwing my hands up. “How do you guys walk in a straight line if you can’t even talk straight?”

  Ethan grins at his brother. “We live dangerously. Do you really not know—about your mum?”

  “I don’t even know who my mum was anymore. She’s always been a drunk, a druggie and a slut, but since coming here, I don’t know anymore,” I admit out loud.

  The look they share has the hair on the back on my neck standing on end. “Just… We’ll tell everyone to back off.”

  I snort. “It’s too fucking late for that. He stripped me bare out there,” I say, pointing to the direction of the garden. “He did that for a reason, and I want to know why.”

  Lucca’s eyes harden. “Don’t go looking for things you don’t want the answers to, Ivy. Your mum isn’t painted in a pretty colour.”

  “Like I give a fuck,” I snap back, leaning closer to him. “If there’s something you guys didn’t want me to know, you shouldn’t have thrown it in my face every chance you got. Don’t you think I deserve to know why I’m being targeted like this?”

  “No, I don’t,” Kaiden’s hard voice rumbles behind me. I jump away from Lucca, not realising how close I had gotten to him.

  I take a step down next to the twins, looking up at Kaiden. He’s wearing a black T-shirt now with jeans and a pair of trainers. He looks good. Real good.

  His eyes flash when they land on me, and my entire body flushes.

  “I thought I told you to go home?”

  I don’t answer, too scared to reply in case the twins pick up the fact I’m very much aroused right now.

  Why does Kaiden do this to me? He’s a fucking jerk, and I don’t even like him personally. That body… completely different story. It’s one I’d like to lick and suck.

  Gah! Get your head in the game.

  When I don’t reply, the twins clear their throats. “Are you ready to go do that thing?”

  He takes his gaze away from me to his brother. “Yeah. You
get everything packed?”

  They nod, still talking in codes. “Do you guys come with a code book?” I blurt out.

  All eyes come to me, and I shrink back a little. The twins laugh, but Kaiden continues to burn holes into me.

  “Let’s go,” Kaiden rumbles, passing us by. The twins follow, and I can do nothing but do the same.

  When they head outside to Kaiden’s car, I curse myself for following them. I could have used that chance to search their house.

  I look back at it, the music still blaring and people still drinking and having a good time. A shiver of fear runs up my spine. There is no way I can go back inside there. For one, I don’t know where Grant is or what he’d do now I don’t have the twins to save me.

  Car doors slamming has me jumping. None of them spare me a glance as they turn, speeding off down the hill.

  Yep, I’m well and truly fucked. They’re one great big mystery and it’s bugging me to no end that I can’t figure them out.

  I head inside Nova’s house, shutting the door quietly behind me so I don’t wake anyone up.

  “Back already, Miss Monroe?”

  I scream, spinning to see Annette stepping out of the huge family room. “Annette, you scared me.”

  She smiles. “I’m sorry, dear. Did you have a good time?”

  “They’re a little much,” I tell her.

  She smiles in understanding. “They can be.”

  When she goes to move on, I quickly take a step forward. “How long have you worked here?”

  She has to be in her fifties, I think, and seems to be well aware of everything in the house.

  “It will be nineteen years this year.”

  Around the time my mum would have left. “Annette, did you know my mum?”

  A guarded expression crosses her face, but she’s honest when she answers. “She left three days before I started working here. I took over from the last lady who had to leave suddenly due to a death in the family.”

  “This place, these people… they are full of secrets, and I know it’s because of my mum. Maybe something she did, was accused of, or something that happened to her, I don’t know. But they all hate me.”