I nod wordlessly, and he pushes the plate away, offering me his hand and showing me out of the room. Every person in that country club is staring at us, eyes firmly fixed on my hand in his.
I expect him to lead me out of the room, but he stops at the doors, kissing me in front of everybody in the country club.
He’s not so different than the rest of the Firstborns after all.
But I find myself enjoying the kiss, melting into Easton’s embrace as he holds me up against his body, devouring my mouth with a fervent rush that implies he’s been waiting to do this for a very long time. I allow it. I mold my body against his and let him kiss me as long as he wants. All the while, my heart beats in rhythm with his, wondering what Dexter’s punishment will be once he finds out what I did.
Not that it matters. All that matters is that Easton will find my mother – and hopefully help me get the hell out of Eden Falls.
Once he’s done, he pulls back, wiping my lipstick off his face while I blush fiercely. I know everyone saw us. News will get around fast. I can feel the patrons’ eyes on me.
“You’re a good kisser, Pandora,” he tells me with a cruel smirk.
Quite the statement, given that he’s the one who did most of the making out.
“I’ll see you soon,” I mutter, the reality of what I’ve done finally settling in on me.
Dexter’s going to kill me once he finds out. I turn back, calling out to Easton once he’s already a few steps away. He stops in his tracks, looking at me over his shoulder with a knowing smile. It’s like he knows what I’m about to say already.
“Don’t tell anyone what we did, okay?” I ask.
Even I can hear the note of desperation in my voice. It’s fucking pathetic.
“You mean, don’t tell Dexter?” Easton asks with a smirk, and my shoulders sag when I realize he’s read me like an open book.
“Please.” I don’t even care that I’ve started to beg. “Just don’t tell anyone what we did, it will put me in a lot of trouble, and I’d like to get through a week at Prep without unnecessary drama.
This can’t get back to Dexter. I know he has the power to make my life a living hell, and I can’t allow him to make my life worse. I need to figure how to get the hell out of here first.
“Seems like I’m keeping a lot of secrets for you,” Easton tells me, and I find myself flushing deeply. “You know what I’m talking about, don’t you, Pandora?”
“Don’t… don’t tell anyone about that either,” I beg him. “You can’t let anyone find out. I’ll lose my Firstborn privileges. I’ll be as good as fucking done in this town.”
“Thought you didn’t care about that?”
“I don’t,” I hiss. “But everyone else does. Do you even know what my father will do to me if he finds out people know? He’ll fucking kill me.”
This seems to wipe the smile right off his face. His hands form fists at his sides and he gives me a curt nod, his eyes boring into mine.
“I’ll keep your secret,” he tells me. “As long as you give me more of those sweet lips.”
“Ugh,” I roll my eyes. “You Firstborns are all the same.”
“And you’re one of us… for now,” he winks at me before turning away and leaving me behind.
A look at my watch reveals I need to hurry up and get to the pick-up point where Kelley is getting my sister and me to drive us back home. Once I arrive, I find Tianna with her lipstick smudged to high hell, making me furrow my brows.
“And what did you get up to?” I ask her.
“None of your business,” she replies, but she can’t wipe that smile off her face.
I’m sure whatever she did would piss father off beyond belief.
We spend the ride home in silence, and I’m grateful for the security of my bedroom once we’re finally home. Even the click of the lock doesn’t seem so bad now – at least I’m safe in my bedroom. No Dexter in sight.
I check my secret phone that I’ve hidden beneath the sheets and am surprised to find several missed calls. They’re all from Dexter. I smirk to myself. Maybe the bastard actually misses me. I think I’d like that.
Just as I’m pondering what to do next, the phone rings again, Dexter’s name flashing on the screen. I take the call.
“What the fuck did you do?”
“Hello to you too,” I hiss. “How nice to hear from you.”
“Your father,” he grunts. “He broke off the engagement.”
“Well, what else did you expect?” I argue. “That he’d just let you do whatever the hell you wanted to me? You know fully I’ll lose my Firstborn status, and it will go to Brazen if this gets out. My life will be as good as fucking over.”
“You should have fought him,” he demands. “Should have told him you wanted to marry me.”
“Yeah, sure,” I laugh out loud. “Because that’s exactly what I want, Dexter. Do you really think there’s a way I can go up against my father? Besides, you’re not even around anymore.”
“Just for the time being,” he growls. “I’ll be back soon enough.”
“Well, there are other people around too,” I tell him innocently.
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“Easton Brantley’s taking your place, did you know that?” I ask, my voice dripping with sweetness. “I’d say he likes me very, very much.”
“Don’t talk to me about that bastard,” Dex hisses, and I smile smugly to myself.
“Why not?” I wonder out loud. “You don’t like him, do you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“There’s something else,” I go on. “Something you neglected to tell me.”
“What?”
“I know about my mother,” I hiss. “I know she’s still alive.”
This shuts him up, making me laugh bitterly.
“You didn’t tell me,” I accuse him. “You kept it from me, when I had every fucking right to know.”
“I’m sorry, Pandora.”
Hell must have frozen over, because I never thought I’d hear him apologizing.
“Easton said he’d find her for me,” I tell him.
There’s no response. He’s quiet, brooding. I can practically see him on the other side of this call, refusing to show any emotion.
His voice thaws, but there’s a mocking edge to it that makes me nervous as he says, “You know, I was going to give you a belated birthday present, since you turned eighteen.”
“I don’t want a present,” I tell him firmly.
“That’s a shame. You don’t even want to know what it is?”
I open my mouth to tell him no, but the word won’t leave my lips. Instead, I stay stubbornly quiet, listening to the sound of his chuckling on the other end of the line.
“I arranged a call for you,” Dexter goes on. “A call back home.”
“W-What?” My heart instantly picks up the beat, hammering in my chest. “With my family?”
“Yes,” he says, sounding almost bored, as if this won’t completely turn my life around. “But I’m guessing you don’t want it, since you were so quick to dismiss me.”
“Dexter,” I say hoarsely. “Please.”
“Please what?”
I chew my bottom lip, trying to figure out how I should play this. The moment he realizes how important this is to me, he’s going to make me do terrible things to get it. Although I’m assuming he already knows.
“What do I have to do in exchange?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says. “Nothing at all.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, that’s not my problem,” he sighs. “Look, you want it or not? I can set up the call to your sister’s phone now. You’ll have ten minutes.”
“Dex, I…”
“Yes or no, toy?”
“Yes,” I whisper brokenly.
“Alright. Hang on. I’ll speak to you soon.”
A robot voice tells me my call is being reconnected. I collapse on my back, my h
eart hammering so fast I’m convinced I’m going to pass out from it. Am I really about to hear my sister’s voice again? Is Dexter for real or is this another one of his sick, twisted games?
“Hello?”
My heart nearly stops when I hear my sister’s voice.
“Hello, anyone there?”
“I…” I swallow thickly. “It’s me, Andie.”
“What?” I can picture her knitting her brows together, the sharp intake of breath coming next as she realizes it really is me. “Pandora?”
“Yeah,” I laugh nervously, the intensity of my emotions choking me up. “It’s me.”
“Oh my god,” she breathes, struggling to speak herself. “I can’t believe it, I just can’t…”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” I hurry up to say. “I think only ten minutes.”
“Where are you?” she demands. “Are you safe, are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
My thoughts flash back to my first night back. To Brazen beating me under our father’s instructions. Andie seems to sense my hesitation, but I try to cover it up.
“Sorry, the call is breaking up – yeah. I’m fine. Everything’s okay.”
“Okay,” she says, sounding unsure. “Can I see you?”
“Not yet,” I say ruefully. “I am trying to arrange it, but… You know where I am, don’t you?”
“With your family,” she says, her voice breaking over the words. “Your real family, I guess…”
“They’re not my real family,” I’m quick to tell her. “You are. And you’ll always be my sister.”
“Thank you,” she chokes out. “Everyone misses you. Milo, Estella…”
My mouth forms a thin line at the mention of my former friends. Milo, Crispin, Natan and Finn… The Lords of Wildwood. The reason I ended up in the fucked-up town of Eden Falls.
“How are you, Andie?” I ask her softly. “How are things at Wildwood?”
She started at school there three years ago. I’m eager to know how she’s doing, though I have a feeling she won’t reveal too much. Andromeda has always been a special girl, a bit of an outsider. I imagine this means things aren’t easy for her.
“I made a friend,” she says. “Tinsley. She’s at college now. I mostly hang out with Finn…”
“Finn Bannon?” I gawk. “Don’t trust him, Andie.”
“He’s different than he was back then,” she defends him, and I furrow my brows. “He’s a great guy… Natan Earnshaw on the other hand, is a jackass.”
“I think it’s the other way around,” I mutter. “Please don’t trust those boys.”
“Who else do I have?” she asks bitterly. “I’m alone, Pan. I have no one… you left. All I have are Mom and Dad, and they’re not… the same… since you left.”
Somehow, the thought fills me with both dread and happiness. They miss me. Surely they do.
“We only have a few minutes left,” I say hurriedly. “I’ll try to call again as soon as I can, Andie.”
“Why can’t we talk more often?” she asks. “I can call this number, or we can text…”
“No,” I tell her. “This cell won’t accept calls from your number, or texts. And I don’t have a laptop.”
“What?” She sounds genuinely confused. “I thought your new family was loaded.”
“They are.” I rub my temples. “Look, there’s no time to explain. I got this phone from my, well, former fiancé, and I…”
“Fiancé?” Andie shrieks. “You’re engaged?”
“Was engaged,” I sigh. “Long story. I’ll tell you more when I can, but…”
“Ten seconds remaining,” the robotic voice tells me.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “You still there, Andie?”
“Yeah?” she asks, and I can tell from her voice she’s holding back tears.
“Listen to me, Andie,” I say. “Don’t trust the boys. Don’t trust the Lords of Wildwood. Do you understand?”
Just then, the call cuts off and my phone goes dead in my hand. I shriek in frustration, dropping it on my bed and feeling hot tears prick my eyes as I pace the room.
I just hope to God she fucking heard me.
I just hope she doesn’t trust any of them.
They ruined my life before Dexter even walked into it.
Ten
Dexter
One and a half years ago
“Dexter…”
Lily Anna’s hands explore the curves of my face, gently pressing down on my jawbone.
“We’ll be together forever,” she whispers.
“Forever and a day,” I tell her. “I’m never leaving you, Lily Anna. I’ll always take care of you.”
She smiles. She does that so rarely, I treasure the moment, storing the memory for a time when she’s not around. Lily Anna Oakes has stars in her eyes. Pretty starry eyes. I could fall in love with those over and over again if she’d let me.
We’re lying in the garden, with the sun shining its dying colors above us. It’s almost sunset time. We’ll have to head back to the house soon for dinner with my parents. But I’m not ready yet – I haven’t had my daily fill of Lily Anna just yet.
My fingertips wander over her lips, exploring their full and succulent form. I want to kiss her, but I’m nervous she won’t want to. My love’s mood is always changing. Sometimes she’s eager for my touch, leaning against my palm, getting on my lap and kissing me so fiercely it’s as if she’s searching for something deep inside me. And I do my best to give it to her, letting her have my heart and my mind at the same time. But then on other days, she’s quiet and pensive, pulling away from me with every word I whisper in the shell of her ear.
Not today, though. Today, Lily Anna is quiet and thoughtful, though she doesn’t seem unhappy. Her hands cup my face and we stare at one another intently as the sunset colors the sky above us in shades of orange and red.
“You love me, don’t you, Dexter?” she asks softly, and I find myself nodding.
I do love her. I would protect her at any cost. She’s not just the love of my life. She’s a prize I will take care of with pride, love and longing.
“Say it,” she begs, and my lips part to tell her what she wants to hear.
“I love you, Lily Anna Oakes.”
“I know you do,” she whispers, making me groan out loud.
She never says it back. It’s the little game she plays, constantly testing me to see how much of myself I’m willing to give her and pushing back when I try and get her to do the same.
“We should head back to the house,” I mutter. “My parents will be waiting.”
“Just a moment longer,” she begs, curling up against my body. “I just want another minute with you.”
It’s so hard to deny her when she gets like this.
Over the past year, I’ve found myself getting more and more attached to my fiancee. She’s as sweet as she is wicked, and I’m falling for every one of her charms without regrets. I’m unapologetically in love, and grateful that the love of my life, the most fascinating inhabitant of this strange town, is my wife-to-be.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream cuts through the scene. I get up, my brows furrowing as I look toward the house. Lily Anna wraps herself around my body, her hands reaching places that would usually excite me, but I’m preoccupied now, my eyes on the house in the distance.
“Did you hear that?” I ask her, and she shakes her head. “It sounded like a scream.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” she purrs, her hands wandering down my front and toying with the buttons of my shirt.
It takes everything in my power to gently pry her hands off me.
“Come on, we better go check what’s happening back there.”
She gets up grumpily, and I tell her to leave the picnic blanket and basket for the maids to clean up after. I take her hand and lead her away from our spot in the gardens. The large willow tree blocks our view of my house, but when we round the corner, I see it.
There’s sm
oke billowing from the top of the house, like something out of a sick, demented fairytale. The otherwise-perfect view of our beautiful house is spoiled by the huge cloud of grey smoke coming out of the attic.
“Lily Anna!” I pull her against me. “You need to get help. Run to the driver. Go!”
She stares at the scene unfolding before us with her eyes wide open, then clings to me, muttering, “I’m scared!”
I don’t want to admit it, but I’m terrified, too. I take her hand and we start running toward the house, my heart beating faster than ever. The screams get louder and louder as we near the house. It’s a sound I’ll never forget – one that will haunt me for years to come, though I don’t know that yet.
We reach the house to find the maids running around. I push past the throngs of people and run up the stairs to the attic. The hallway up there is filled with smoke and I start choking and coughing, grabbing the passing butler by the sleeve.
“What the hell happened?” I demand.
“We don’t know,” he says, glancing at Lily Anna. “We need to get you both out of here.”
“Are my parents in there?” I ask, fearing the answer as Anders’ eyes lock with mine.
“Master Booth, it’s… I’m afraid…” he stammers, and I know they are.
“Take Lily Anna away from here and call the fire department,” I demand, pushing my fiancee toward him. “Make sure nothing happens to her. I trust you, Anders. I don’t want a hair out of place on her.”
Anders’ eyes lock with mine and he gives me a curt nod. He seems to understand there’s no point in arguing with me, because there’s not a chance in hell I’m coming with them. Lily Anna begins to wail, and Anders pulls her after him, down the grand staircase.
I reach the door of my mother’s atelier through the smoke. It seems to be coming from that room, and so are the screams. The atelier’s door has a small glass window at the top, but my attention isn’t on that. I try the door handle and curse out loud when I burn my hand with the hot metal.
“Mom?” I cry out. “Mom, are you in there?”
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two: A Dark High School Bully Romance Page 9