I glanced at the Jack as she placed it down between us and arched an eyebrow as I saw she’d matched my portion so the bottle was already half empty.
A low buzz was churning in my gut and I reached for the food just as she did. She slapped my hand away from the dried apricots with a laugh before pushing one into her mouth and groaning with exaggerated pleasure.
“Oh for the love of sugar,” she moaned as she chewed and I snorted a laugh.
“You’re not still on the lettuce leaf diet are you?” I asked, half because if I found out that Saint was still pulling that shit with her then I was going to personally find a way to stop him, and half just to have something to say to her.
“No. I’ve been a good girl so I’m getting plenty of treats,” she deadpanned. “No pizza though. I swear, I’d just about do anything for a taste of the cheesy good stuff. But Saint likes proper food.” She mimed vomiting and I glanced at the hoard of healthy food guiltily. I was hardly offering her the junk food freedom she desired.
“Do you wanna keep discussing ways for you to work against them?” I asked.
“No. Not tonight. I’ve got two whole days of freedom ahead of me and I want to be truly free of them for at least part of it. At least tonight.”
“Okay,” I agreed, wishing I could forget about the Memphis family so easily. For so long they’d been all I thought of, all I dreamed of, I couldn’t imagine a true night of freedom from that but I could attempt it. “So what does freedom look like to Tatum Rivers?”
She cut me a look that was full of trouble before pushing to her feet suddenly.
I looked up at her as she reached over her shoulders and my lips parted as the red dress fell from her body in one swift motion.
She hadn’t been kidding about Saint picking good underwear and for a moment all I could do was stare at her in the red and white silk which made her look like a Victoria Secret model before she dove straight into the pool.
I watched her swimming away from me beneath the water and by the time she surfaced, she’d reached the far side of the wide pool.
“You can hold your breath for a long time,” I said.
Did I just try and compliment her on how long she can hold her fucking breath?
“I was on the swim team in a few of my schools, but then I transferred again and they didn’t have a pool so I shifted my attention to gymnastics,” she replied with a shrug.
“So you’re flexible too?”
Why the fuck did I just ask that??
“Yeah,” she replied in that husky voice of hers and I swiped a hand over my face as I tried to remember why the fuck I’d started on the whiskey. I had no fucking game when I drank whiskey and I knew it. Not that I needed to have game right now anyway but for fuck’s sake, I didn’t need to be commenting on how flexible she was or wasn’t.
“Aren’t you coming in?” she called when I didn’t ask her any more fuckwit questions.
“No.”
“Because you’re chicken shit?” she asked, arching a brow.
“Maybe.”
“Or maybe it’s because you don’t know how to be free anymore,” she teased.
It was just a joke, but it hit me right in the gut. Because I sometimes wondered exactly how many things I’d forgotten how to be in my mission to tear Saint’s family apart. I never used to be the kind of guy to back out on a dare. So fuck it. I didn’t even care that she was goading me into it. I was gonna swim in a pool with a beautiful girl and just have some fucking fun for once.
I picked up the bottle of Jack and took another series of long mouthfuls, feeling it burn on the way down as I set the bottle back on the tiles.
I pushed myself to my feet and pulled my tank off before dropping my shorts and standing there in my boxers.
Tatum watched me and the look in her eyes sent a prickle running down my spine. I backed up before running and jumping straight into the centre of the pool with my legs tucked to my chest. Water splashed everywhere as I sank like a stone and Tatum’s screams echoed off the high roof.
The moment I surfaced, soft hands grabbed me and Tatum’s fingers twisted into my hair as she drove her weight down on my back and tried to force me under.
I barked a laugh as she dunked me, taking in a mouthful of water as I went under.
I caught her bare leg and tore her off of me, launching her away again with all of my strength so that she splashed into the water a few meters away.
I started swimming for the far side, but her hands locked around my ankle a moment later from beneath the surface and she yanked me back under.
I laughed as I fought to free myself, but she was suddenly clambering onto my back yet again, her arms locking around my neck as she held on.
I took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface as I swam for the far side with her clinging onto my back like a limpet the whole way.
I reached the edge of the pool and grabbed her thighs as I prised them off of me and she laughed as she fought to hold on.
I managed to get a good grip on one of her legs and yanked hard enough to twist her around my body, trapping her between my chest and the tiled wall of the pool.
“Are you gonna beg, princess?” I teased her as I used my position to pin her back against the wall with my hips.
“I don’t beg. And I’d normally just go for the balls, but I’m afraid you’d give me detention.”
Her words were meant as a joke but at the mention of detention, I fell still.
“That’s what teachers do to students who misbehave,” I agreed in a dark tone.
She caught me in the trap of her endless blue eyes for the longest moment as I felt her skin pressing against mine in so many places that it was overwhelming.
Her ankles were crossed behind my back as she used me to hold herself up and the moment dragged between us as she slowly tightened her thigh muscles. The movement made her crotch graze against mine and every piece of me stiffened, as in every, single piece.
Her eyes widened and I released her suddenly, dropping her so that she dunked beneath the water and climbing out of the pool before she could surface again.
I strode away from her as she called for me to come back, asking if I was okay and I snorted a laugh to myself.
Just fucking peachy, princess, I just need to go and sink this boner you gave me before I give you the wrong fucking impression about me. Or maybe jerk off so that my dick doesn’t get any more of these ideas tonight. If I can just tire the fucker out then he might not be so damn primed to fire around you.
“Monroe?” she called again and I waved her off with a promise to be back with the supplies the guards were delivering.
I had no idea if they’d have dropped them off yet, but I’d just wait by the door until they appeared if not. And by then, one way or another, I’d be looking at Tatum Rivers as a student and nothing more.
***
I woke to the heavy scent of chlorine scratching at my nose and an ache in my back which reminded me of exactly where I was. Where we were.
I pushed myself upright and ran a hand over my face to banish the sleep from my flesh as I yawned. This whole thing was either some kind of hopeless nightmare or a joke designed to punish me.
Tatum was still sleeping on the other side of the crash mat we’d dragged in to lay beside the pool, giving us something soft enough to sleep on while using the warmth and humidity of the pool room to keep us warm without blankets. She was wearing the red dress again, presumably without underwear as hers were drying in the sauna, but I wasn’t thinking about that. Her breathing was deep as her brow pinched. There were shadows hanging over her now which hadn’t been there when she’d first arrived in this place. But if I had anything to do with it, those shadows would recede again soon.
I pushed myself to my feet, adjusting the waistband of my sweatpants as I headed in search of a bathroom so I could take a piss.
The corridors of Cypress Gym were hauntingly quiet, their walls aching for the sound of students’ voice
s to bounce off of them. I’d always liked being inside the school buildings when they were like this. Absent of the crowds they’d been designed to hold and pregnant with the expectation of what was to come.
Once I’d relieved myself, I moved to stand before the mirror in the men’s locker room, washing my hands as I studied my reflection. A long time ago, my mouth hadn’t sat in such a hard line, that frown hadn’t been buried into my brow almost permanently, my dark blue eyes hadn’t been haunted with the memories of everything I’d lost. But it was kinda hard to remember that kid these days. Thinking about him felt like thinking about someone else. His memories were always hazy with sunshine and the echoes of laughter. But I wasn’t sure I even knew how to laugh like that now. I hardly remembered how to smile and when I did, it wasn’t that joy filled expression I’d used to use.
I was cold and hard and untouchable now. All because Saint Memphis’s family had decided that mine had no value. His father had taken everything from me because he’d been afraid for his reputation, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let him and his friends do something similar to that girl out there.
I glanced at my dirty blonde hair and sighed as I tried to make it lay flat for a few moments. I usually used product to slick it back but without any, I just had to tuck it behind my ears. I quickly gave up on it and sighed as I realised I’d be pushing it out of my eyes all day whatever I did.
The box of supplies that had been left out for us last night wasn’t actually all that well stocked. It had food and bottled water, but that was it. No blankets or spare clothes or damn toothpaste. I guessed they’d had to work in a rush, but it was still frustrating knowing that my apartment was a short walk away and it held everything I could want and more for this situation.
I blew out a breath and shoved my hand into my pocket, pulling out a pack of gum and pushing a stick between my teeth.
My phone buzzed as I placed the gum back in my pocket beside it and I drew it out to see who was looking for me.
My eyebrows rose as I spotted the list of eight missed calls and three messages from Kyan Roscoe and I quickly opened the messages to see what he wanted.
Kyan:
I need to ask you a favour
Kyan:
We can pay you for it.
Kyan:
This is urgent, asshole, call me back.
I considered that for a moment as I walked back into the pool room, pushing my tongue into my cheek as I tried to keep my temper in check. I could easily guess why they were calling. It seemed that the photos Tatum had sent them last night after she’d switched her phone back on to prove where she was hadn’t been enough to ease their concerns about their pet escaping their clutches.
My gaze swept over the messages again as I walked back to the crash mat where we’d slept and when I looked up, my heart leapt as I realised I’d walked in on Tatum getting changed.
Her back was to me and she’d already put her yoga pants on thankfully, but she’d taken her dress off and her bare skin caught my eye and refused to let me look away for a moment that stretched far too long.
“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat as I forced myself to turn my back on her and she gasped at the sound of my voice.
“No, it’s my fault, I should have gone to the locker rooms, it’s just so cold outside this room,” she replied quickly and I could hear her pulling her clothes on as she cursed beneath her breath.
A smirk captured my lips and wouldn’t let go. By the time she told me to turn back to face her again I found myself caught on the verge of laughter.
“What?” she asked, tipping her head so that her long hair snaked over her shoulder and tickled her side. She was wearing that push up sports bra again, dressing in the same outfit she’d worn for our kickboxing session. She’d had the good idea to give them a wash and hang them in the sauna to dry so she had two outfits to alternate between for our lockdown. It was just my luck that both of her options made her look insanely tempting. I just couldn’t decide whether that luck was good or bad.
“It’s just, this whole fucking situation,” I said, gesturing between us and at the building we were standing in. It was a fucking joke. Someone like me never should have set foot in a school like this, let alone been teaching these elitist little fuckers, but here I was. I’d slogged my guts out to get here and really, none of it had been for me.
Tatum was looking at me like she didn’t understand and of course she didn’t. She may have been less caustic than a lot of the kids here or I might have just wanted to believe she was, but either way, her family could afford the tuition and that in itself proved that we came from entirely different worlds. I doubted she could ever understand what it was like for me to live my life.
Before either of us could add to that dangerous topic of conversation, my phone started ringing again as a FaceTime call came from Kyan.
I clucked my tongue and moved closer to Tatum, holding the phone out to show her who was calling.
Those full lips of hers pouted in a way that drew my gaze to them and I chewed my gum a little harder as I looked back down at the phone. I wasn’t equipped to deal with her here, wearing that little sports bra with her hair all messy and those big eyes hooded in sleep. It was like seeing a lion at the North Pole. The fact that it was out of its natural habitat just made it all the harder to look away from.
“I might as well see what he wants,” I said and she nodded slowly, accepting my decision.
I answered the call without actually saying anything, giving the camera a flat look as it connected and I was gifted a glimpse of The Temple where Kyan was sitting on a grey couch.
“You’ve got something of ours,” he said, not bothering to greet me either.
“What’s that then?” I asked.
Kyan suddenly disappeared from view as Saint snatched his phone. “Can I have a word with Tatum, sir?” he asked in that way that wasn’t really a question at all and more of an order.
“Why?” I asked in return, refusing to give in to his bratty ways. “I’m not your errand boy or hers, if you want to FaceTime your girlfriend then just call her phone.”
Tatum flinched in the corner of my eye as I called her that but I ignored it. I didn’t want Saint to suspect anything at all about my relationship with her. If he thought we were even on friendly terms, he was likely to go to some effort to keep her away from me. The best defence we had against him and his bullshit was making sure he didn’t look at us too closely.
“Because Tatum’s phone seems to have been switched off all night,” he growled and the way his eyes flashed let me know exactly how much that pissed him off. I’d told her to switch it off again after sending the photos and now I was doubly glad of that suggestion.
“Well her battery probably died and I don’t intend to waste mine on talking to you.” I shifted my thumb and was about to hang up when Saint spoke again.
“We’re concerned for her safety, sir,” he hissed. “And if we aren’t reassured that she hasn’t had any crazy ideas about running off again then we’ll just have to break these stupid isolation rules and come down there to make sure she’s alright.”
Tatum sucked in a sharp breath at that and I had to force myself not to snarl at the little shitbag. Instead, I flipped the camera so they could see her, standing by the pool and twisting her fingers through her long hair.
“Satisfied?” I growled at Saint as I flipped the camera back to look at me.
“Barely,” he replied.
“Well that’s good enough for me.” I hung up on him and shared a grin with Tatum.
“He’ll turn on you next,” she warned.
“Let him try,” I replied with a shrug.
“You wanna spend the day plotting his downfall then?” she asked and the excitement I felt at those words burned right through me.
“Hell yes,” I agreed, tossing her a stick of gum before blocking Kyan’s number so he couldn’t call again. I’d unblock it after the quarantine period, but for now, I ha
d a date with my destiny.
“Is he taller than you?” Monroe asked his seventeenth question.
We’d been playing twenty questions for over an hour, lazing on the mat we’d pulled up by the pool. I was in the red dress again and Monroe had on sweatpants and a T-shirt. We’d spent most of the morning playing Marco Polo in the water, followed by our pasta lunch that was delivered last night and then we’d sparred for most of the afternoon while plotting the Night Keepers’ demise.
I knew our time was coming to an end here, and I wanted to cling to my bubble of safety for as long as I could. Two whole days without being told what to do, what to wear, what to eat had been indescribable. And the company wasn’t half bad either. Monroe had turned out to not only be easy on the eyes, but also fun as hell.
“Yes,” I said, flopping back onto the mat and chewing the minty piece of gum he’d given me.
“Is he a douchebag?” he asked and I laughed.
“Can be,” I said.
“And he’s attractive?” he asked for the second time.
I rolled my eyes. “Objectively,” I said airily, fighting a smirk.
“Do you think he’s attractive?” he asked and I fought a blush as I nodded.
“So he’s not a Night Keeper and he’s not on the football team…” Monroe frowned at the pool, his brow creasing.
“He’s not on the team, no,” I gave him a clue with my heart thundering in my chest and he looked to me with his brow lifting. He couldn’t ask me anything else anyway.
“Wait, is he faculty?”
I bit into my lip to stop myself from laughing. “You’re out of questions.”
“Well who was it?” he demanded, moving onto his hands and knees and crawling toward me with a threat in his eyes.
Kings of Quarantine: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep Book 1) Page 36