“Out of all the girls you can have in this town, you keep looking at her.”
Dash sits beside me and plonks his tray in front of him.
“Because she’s beautiful,” I grunt, twisting the cap off my bottle of water.
Seriously, why does no one see this? She walks the halls and sits in class, and she’s all I fucking see.
“Who’s beautiful?”
Huxley Bailey-Vaughan.
With his swept back hair and his too strong of a jaw for a sixteen-year-old, he leans back in his chair, and his gaze roams the lunch hall until it lands on Allison.
Cast her presence aside, I chant to myself. There’s about four people in this town who has Huxley’s full attention, and that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.
His gaze doesn’t move on. In fact, he sits forward as if he’s trying to get more of her, just like I do, and then he says, “I want her.”
And what the Prince of Bailey Cove wants, he gets. No one will argue against him, no one will fight him for anything. The only son of Thomas and Regina Bailey-Vaughan is a king in waiting, and everyone knows it, especially him. While he’s sitting there, staring at Allison, Kristy Cunnings falls on his lap. He’s unbelievable.
“Ry, go and talk to her, loosen her up. I don’t want her a stuttering mess when I go over there.”
And like the peasant in his kingdom that I am, I do his bidding. Pushing out of my chair, I hear Dash snort before shoving a forkful of pasta into his mouth. She’s sitting alone today, her friend, Kayleigh, is home sick. I know this because I know everything about her. I pull out the chair next to her, and she looks at me like I’m lost.
“Are you new here?” I say, giving her my best smile.
“Are you kidding me? I’m in four of your classes,” she mutters, raising a brow.
Chuckling, I lean my arm on the table and inhale her light, flowery perfume.
“Hey, I’m messing with you. I know who you are, Allison Miller. Where’s your friend today?”
Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times before she answers.
“She’s home, sick.”
Her hair falls out from behind her ear, and I’m quick to scoot closer and tuck it back into place. She tenses, and I lean in and run my fingers through the rest of her hair. I can’t help myself, it’s so fucking soft. Her eyes drop when she meets mine, and her blush warms my soul.
“It’s as soft as it looks,” I murmur softly, then add, “It’d probably slip straight through my fingers if I grabbed a fist full.” I can imagine it now, having her, and I have to think of my nan’s wrinkly friends at the home so my dick doesn’t embarrass me. Her eyes widen, and it hits me harder than any other look I’ve seen on her.
“Why would you grab it?” she asks so innocently.
“To pull your head back so I can see your eyes while I fuck you from behind.”
Her gasp is clean, and her blush grows fiercer. She finally looks me in the eye and her teeth dig into her bottom lip.
“Your eyes are on fire. They’re fucking beautiful.”
“Why are you talking to me?” she blurts out.
“Because I’m going to marry you one day.”
Her laugh fills my ears, and I wish I could record it and listen to it on repeat. She stops when she sees I haven’t joined her, and she asks, “When’s the big day? I’ll be sure to keep the date open,” she smirks, thinking I’m messing with her.
“When the time is right, I’ll let you know. Just promise me you’ll always keep fighting.”
Huxley is getting to ready to come over, and I just know I won’t hear her laugh much more with him around.
“You’ve lost me. Why would I have to fight?”
“Because he’ll suck you down if you let him.”
He’s ten feet away. I imagine standing up and knocking him on his ass, but I stay in my seat and whisper, “Remember what I said. Fight him.”
He leans on the back of her chair and darting her eyes between me and turning to see him behind her, her humour fades into confusion. He jerks his chin at me, signalling for me to leave. If I didn’t want to lose my place on the team, be outcasted from everything and everyone in town, I’d stand up to him and tell him she was mine. Not like a piece of meat, but as in I saw her first, and I’ll be damned if I don’t make her mine in the end.
I relax my fists until my fingers are splayed against my thighs as I walk back to our table.
“So, how does it work that you’ve had a thing for the Miller girl for months, yet you warm her up for Hux?” Craig laughs.
“It doesn’t fucking work. Not for me.”
“He’ll get bored soon enough. Don’t show him you like her, and he won’t dig his fingers in to spite you,” Dash offers quietly.
“Remind me, why are we friends with him again?”
“Because he owns the town,” Dash offers.
“Because he owns us,” Craig adds.
The guy himself struts away from Allison, and my heart rate spikes as she sits there, looking completely lost, not blushing and excited like most girls are over him. It’s when she looks at me and smiles, relaxed, I know he won’t last with her. Hopefully she’s the one person in this town who won’t fall at his feet and become another pawn in his games for his entertainment.
“Don’t worry, Ryder. I’ll pass her on when I’m done.”
His hands land on my shoulders and I freeze, then force myself to relax. He can sense weakness and fear.
“Nah, she isn’t my type.”
I’ve never had any reason to flat-out lie to him, but he can never know how I feel for the girl.
“Oh, I won’t feel bad then,” he says, returning to his seat. “And we’re having a party at the beach tonight. I’m going to show her who’s about to own her.”
Fucking hell.
She’s fucked.
I’m fucked.
And there’s nothing I can do but watch.
He left half an hour ago, and my heart races when his headlights shine in the distance. It’s after one in the morning, no one else but our group is out here, and Dash opens two bottles of beer.
“Are you sure you know what this stuff is?” Craig asks for the fifth time.
I made my feelings known to Huxley earlier, and he told me not to turn up if I was going to be a pussy. So now I’m keeping my mouth shut. I’m here to make sure he doesn’t take it too far with her.
I can make out two figures in the distance. It’s not difficult to guess they’ve stopped to kiss, and I grind my teeth. It should be my lips on hers, not his.
Dash tips in the clear liquid into a bottle of beer and covers the top with his thumb as he swirls the liquid with the beer.
Every step she takes closer to our group, the quicker my heart beats. I swig from my beer and refuse to show any emotion when Huxley sits, pulling her down with him and onto his lap. Her giggle assaults my ears, and I look away when Dash passes them their beers, careful to make sure Allison gets the right one.
His precious plan won’t work if he’s the one comatose. She doesn’t even drink half the bottle before her eyes start to droop. She tries to fight the drowsiness as Huxley rubs her back, but she fails to continue to sit up.
Her head lands on his shoulder. Anyone else looking on would think she’s cuddling him.
Huxley nods at Dash and he stands, putting his fingers to his mouth. A shrill whistle fills the air, replacing the waves crashing onto the shore, and everyone shuts up.
“How about you lot fuck off! We’ve got school in the morning,” he laughs, and everyone here listens. The last of the stragglers head off, taking their shit with them, and Allison is fully out by the time Huxley gives her his full attention.
“Do you think anyone’s touched her?” he asks us, running his finger down her cheek.
I don’t think so, but I don’t say anything.
“Doubt it. She looks like a good girl,” Craig says, talking for the group.
“Even asleep, she looks like
fun.”
“What are you going to do with her now?” I ask, speaking for the first time.
“I’m going to take her home and make her think tonight wasn’t real. She’ll think this was nothing but a dream by the time I’m finished with her.”
“What? You’re just going to leave her on her porch? I’m sure she’ll wake up knowing your dream plan was a load of shit.”
Rolling his eyes, he says, “I’m on it, Ry. You’ll help me. She weighs next to nothing. Even dead weight, I barely feel her on my lap.”
He stands with her in his arms, proving how little she weighs, and he and Dash walk ahead toward our cars.
“Ry, Craig, follow us to her house and park up the street. Do not bring any attention to us,” Huxley orders as Dash opens the back door of Huxley’s jeep for him. He lays her on the back seat and climbs in, resting her head on his lap. I jump behind the wheel in my car, and Craig pulls out a beer from the bag before sliding into the passenger seat.
“You know he wants me distracting her friend,” Craig informs me as we pull out of the parking lot.
“Kayleigh?”
Nodding, he finishes his beer. It should bother me that he’s been drinking more than usual, but it doesn’t.
“Yeah, can’t say I’m dreading it, though. The ass on her is phenomenal.”
“All this so he can have his fun. Why doesn’t he just ask her out like a normal guy?”
“Because he isn’t normal,” he snorts.
No, he fucking isn’t. I already know where she lives, not because I’m a stalker, but because everyone knows where everyone lives in this town.
Her house isn’t a mansion like Huxley’s place, or even like mine, but it’s still a long way up to her bedroom window, going by the ladder still leaning against the side of the house.
“Good luck,” Craig huffs, making himself comfortable for the wait before I can drop him at home.
Once I’m out of the car, Huxley is sliding out of his jeep with Allison still out for the count in his arms. We walk silently to the bottom of the ladder, where he motions for me to climb up first. Her window is still open, and I climb through without any trouble, still wishing I hadn’t bothered going to the beach tonight. Her room smells of her, and it’s a scent I’m never going to be able to forget. A blue butterfly dangling from her bedpost catches my eye, and it reminds me of her. Beautiful, wispy, and too good to be cocooned as a bug. The ladder creaks outside with the weight pushing down on each rung, and I lean out the window, making sure she doesn’t slip from his shoulder. Getting her through the small space is trickier than Huxley planned for, but we get her through and place her in bed without waking her parents. Huxley climbs out first, not even giving her a second glance, and I quickly follow him out. I jump the last five steps onto the grass, and Huxley laughs, making the only sound since we arrived.
“She’s not going to know what to expect in the morning.”
“It’s not cool, Hux. She isn’t a toy.” I can’t stop myself. Something has to be said.
“That’s exactly what she is. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me. She just seems too innocent for you.”
This causes him to grin like a mad man. It sets my nerves on edge.
“That’s why I want her.”
Ryder
Allison hasn’t left the house of horrors for over a week, and I’ve not been to visit. I keep my ear to the ground and listen to the gossip, taking it with a pinch of salt at what I hear.
According to one source, Allison is beside herself, completely bedridden with grief, and Regina has had to step in to look after the boys.
Another source had her having a breakdown in the middle of town yesterday while she went out for milk for the boy’s breakfast.
Of course, I don’t need to know what really happened to believe any of that shit. One thing I do know about her is that she wouldn’t give the locals anything to gossip about, and she isn’t grieving for Huxley. She’s exhausted, which plays to our advantage in a sick way.
“Ryder, are you even listening to me?”
I wish I wasn’t. I wish I wasn’t fucking driving her to her luncheon that her and her friends debated for an hour about whether it was right to still lunch after the town’s tragedy.
The need to overanalyse the greatest murder in town’s history won, and I’m now stuck driving my mother to the country club.
“I said, I know this must be hard for you. Huxley was a dear friend of yours. Have you not heard anything about that awful man who shot him?”
I struggle not to roll my eyes and drive head-first into the nearest tree. She would shit a brick, and then have a heart attack if she knew I steered the whole thing, and how I’m now covering the costs of his legal expenses.
“It’s Allison and the children I feel sorry for,” she adds. “They only just became a family again, and on her wedding day too. It’s simply awful. And to think, it could have been you.”
This gets my attention. I slow the car as we come to a stop at the light.
“Me?”
Why would I be shot dead?
“You were standing right beside him, Ryder. Don’t be so obtuse!” she shrieks.
Oh.
“I’m fine, Mother.”
“I’m just saying, I’m glad you’re not dead.”
Gee, thanks. I’m glad I didn’t die either.
For the rest of the drive, I block her out and wonder what Allison is doing now.
The country club comes into view, and I count down the seconds until she’s out of the car and I’m driving away.
“You should go and see her. Regina tells us you haven’t been to offer your condolences yet. I raised you with better manners than this, Ryder.”
If only she knew.
“Sure.”
The valet opens her door and I wave mine away. I’m not stepping one foot in that place. It gives me the creeps.
I haven’t reached the end of the valley before my phone is ringing. If my mom has forgotten anything, she’s shit out of luck of me going back.
It’s Dash.
“Are you busy?” he asks.
“Yeah, my to-do list is off the charts,” I snort.
It’s the limbo between the death and the funeral.
“If you can squeeze coming to the Bailey mansion in the next twenty minutes, that’d be great.”
“Why?”
Why would he need me there?
“I need to go over a few things with Allison, and she’s losing her shit. I’m not good with…dealing with her.”
“She’s not an alien, Dash.”
“She’s also not upset over Hux, so let’s get you here to help me talk to her.”
I don’t know how Dash managed to bag his wife. I think it only works because he works so much, and she has the run of the house and his credit cards. They have little to talk about, and no time to spend with each other.
“I’m on my way.”
If only so I can see him awkwardly trying to talk to Allison. He’s never had any time for her, she was simply not on his radar.
It isn’t long before I pull up outside the mansion, and there’s Dash, leaning against his car, his briefcase in one hand and his phone in the other.
“She doesn’t bite, Dash,” I chuckle as I climb out, and then lose my smile when I imagine her biting down on my shoulder in a fit of passion.
Shit. I can’t afford to think like that.
“She’s lost it. You’re better with her than I am, hence, why I called you.”
“Well, I’m here now. Do you want me to hold your hand too?”
“Piss off,” he throws at me, walking inside as Rose storms out.
She doesn’t say anything, and we don’t ask. She has her bags, and I fail to hide my smile knowing Allison probably fired her. The old bat.
“She was in Huxley’s office when I first arrived.”
And that’s where we head. She’s still in there, sitting on the floo
r surrounded by files and papers, sheer anxiety sketched on her face. I kneel in front of her and block her view of Dash. I don’t know why the two of them never gelled, but whatever the reason, it stops now. Ally is way in over her head when it comes to dealing with the town, and she needs him whether she likes him or not.
“I have no idea what all this means, yet apparently, I have to deal with it all. Regina—”
“Fuck what Regina says. This is why Dash is here. He’ll guide you right, he knows Huxley’s businesses as well as he did. Please, let him help you.”
“Regina has been on me to get things sorted, but there’s so much…”
I can’t stand the sadness radiating from her as she looks up at me. I take the papers from her and drop them on the floor. It’s not like the place isn’t a mess anyway.
Taking her hands, I pull her up. Dash is already sitting at one of the couches by the small table, and I guide her to the chair opposite of him.
Opening his briefcase, he pulls out an official envelope.
“The official reading of the will isn’t until next week, but I thought you would appreciate a heads up considering you’re the only one, besides the boys, who are in it.”
Her head springs up and my mouth drops open. “He’s left everything to her?”
Huxley wasn’t wired right but leaving everything to Allison is outright insane.
“Well, the boys have healthy trust funds. So healthy, their great-great-great-grandchildren will still have healthy bank balances. He’s also left them a handful of businesses that they’ll take over when they reach the age of twenty-five. The rest, Allison, is yours.”
“What is mine exactly?”
“Huxley’s fortune of seven hundred and eighty-nine million dollars, and this house, the school, the bank, basically most of the town is yours and the boys.”
The colour drains from her face, and her chest begins to rapidly rise and fall with her breathing. She gasps for breath and scrunches her hand into her blouse, as if she’s trying to claw at herself in order to breathe.
“That’s not possible,” she struggles to get out.
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