by Sarah Bailey
“Wet.”
That one word made me hot and cold all at the same time. I nearly jumped away from him. Except then it’d be obvious to his brothers Cole was making me uncomfortable. I didn’t back down from a fight nor did I let boys walk all over me.
“Don’t make me fucking laugh,” I hissed. “You can wipe that arrogant look off your face and go fuck yourself with it. I will never be attracted to you.”
You both know that’s a lie.
It was a question of whether he’d call me out on it. Yes, I thought Cole was hot. What girl wouldn’t? The glaring issues with finding him remotely attractive reared their ugly head. Cole was two years younger than me. He was my friend’s little brother. And I wasn’t interested in playing games with him.
“If you say so, Meredith.”
His fingers kept brushing against my thigh. It had the exact reaction I knew he was looking for. My body heated and flames licked over my skin, making me want him to keep going. It’s not as if I didn’t understand the mechanics of sex. I had explored my own body, wanting to know what the big deal was. I’d never had another person touch me in a distinctly sexual way or even look at me the way Cole had been doing when he dragged my hands down his stomach earlier. My body was confused by the new sensations and hadn’t caught up with my brain yet. The logical thing to do would be to push him away and tell him to fuck off.
I wasn’t being logical right then.
“I do.”
“Tell me to stop then.”
My words caught in my throat as his stroking grew bolder, his thigh pressing more firmly against mine.
“For fuck’s sake,” Duke grunted, chucking the controller next to him as he lost the race.
How Cole and I had kept playing and gained second and third place was beyond me at this point. Raphi had come in first and the smile on his face could light up the whole room.
Cole moved his head away from me but his hands remained where they were. I didn’t know what to do or say, only that I needed to get away from him. He’d well and truly messed with my head this evening.
“Hey, Raphi, do you think one of your parents might drive me home after this one? I could get the bus if not.”
I could feel Cole’s eyes on me but I refused to look at him.
“I’m sure Dad won’t mind,” Raphi replied with an easy grin, completely oblivious to the way his brother was pressed up against me.
The sooner I could get away from Cole, the better. Then I might be able to sort through my messy emotions regarding the boy next to me. For someone I’d never interacted with on a personal level before, he’d sure left a fucking impression on me.
A bad one.
I was damn sure this boy was bad for me in every single way.
Why the fuck did my body not get the memo when I told it Cole Carter was off-limits and I was not going there. Ever.
Traitor.
Chapter Seven
Meredith knew my eyes were on her. The way her body kept angling away from me and her refusal to turn her head my way made it obvious. I’d bothered her. She didn’t like her reaction to me on Friday. In fact, I think she hated it. But the way she’d spit fire at me when I taunted her only made my need for her worse. The need to force her to her knees and have her beg.
Perhaps I was fucked up for wanting shit like that from a girl I barely knew. Especially when I’d never been with anyone before. And yet I couldn’t help it. My fascination with her bordered on the insane. I couldn’t get Meredith out of my head. It’d been this way for years and now, I needed to have her. I wouldn’t hold back.
The library was particularly quiet this afternoon. Somehow I’d ended up with the same free study periods as her. I only came in here to watch Meredith. The way her strawberry blonde hair curled over her shoulders. Hair I wanted to fist in my hand.
I noticed her stand up, leaving her books where they were as she walked towards the shelves. Rising to my feet, I followed her at a distance. She stopped down an aisle of books, her eyes scanning the titles. No one else was around. I stuck my hands in my pockets and leant up against the shelves a few feet away, just watching her.
“What do you want?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Nothing.”
“I don’t believe you.”
A smile graced my lips.
“You don’t have to.”
Her gaze fell on me, her green eyes a mixture of curiosity and irritation. She was holding back as we were at school and in the library. Meredith would probably lose it if we were alone. Just as she had done on Friday when I’d had her in my room.
“Seriously, Cole, what do you want? Here to taunt me some more? If you’re going to continue, I will walk away and tell you where to go.”
I shifted closer, watching her take a breath.
“I want you,” I said, in a voice barely above a whisper.
She blinked as if not expecting me to give her a straight answer.
“You want me? What the fuck? Are you insane? You don’t even know me.”
I took a step towards her expecting her to back away but Meredith stood her ground. She turned to me fully, an expression of disgust written all over her face.
My fiery little queen. You really are magnificent.
“I know plenty. We already established that much.”
The way her body tensed and her eyes flashed told me she hated anyone knowing her secret. She had nothing to be ashamed of. Not everyone liked to put it around and I respected her for that. Besides, I wanted to be the one between her legs. The only one. I’d take her virginity and give her mine in return. Then I’d make sure she never wanted to go anywhere else. I’d make Meredith mine.
“How do you know?”
“So you’re admitting it?”
“I’m admitting nothing. Who told you?”
Her fist clenched at her sides.
“You really want to know?”
She nodded, biting down on her lip as if wanting to stop herself from flying off the handle at me.
“Girls like to gossip. When you make enemies of the people you thought were your friends they might have an axe to grind.”
Her eyes widened and her entire body went still.
“Celia?”
Celia Tompkins and Meredith had been best friends right up until the summer. Then everything fell apart. The girl wouldn’t reveal what happened between them but she was perfectly happy to spill the beans on Meredith’s biggest secret.
You’ve never even been kissed, my little queen.
Extracting that had been easy. All it took was a promise to secure her a date with Duke who she’d had a crush on for years. That part was simple. Duke had taken her out, fucked her and chucked her as he often did. I hadn’t told her about his reputation. And I’d made sure I got what I wanted before upholding my end of the bargain. When she’d had a go at me for Duke’s behaviour, I merely shrugged and told her if she spread around any rumours about Meredith, I would come after her. I could be a scary motherfucker when I wanted to be. Celia would learn the hard way if she stepped out of line.
“That fucking bitch,” she muttered when she saw the truth of it in my eyes.
“If you’re worried about her telling anyone else, don’t. I took care of it.”
Meredith searched my face for a long moment.
“Why would you do that?”
“I already told you. I want you.”
“That’s not a fucking explanation, Cole.”
The way she said my name breathed life into my dick. The mixture of disgust and agitation did something to me.
You really have a fucked up, twisted attraction to this girl.
“It is when it’s the truth.”
“You are impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
By my mother, repeatedly, whenever I got into trouble. I might be her baby but she wasn’t blind to my behaviour. Perhaps she should’ve expected it. Aurora
and Duke had constantly accused her of spoiling me when we were younger. She let me get away with everything. Whilst Quinn instilled discipline, Mum always undermined him in small ways. Like giving me treats when I wasn’t meant to have them or taking me out when I was grounded. And my dad did nothing to stop her. If you saw the way he doted on her, you’d understand. Rory Carter would do anything for Ash Bykov, including allowing her indulgence of their son. I was her baby and that hadn’t changed because I’d grown up.
“There are several things wrong with you wanting me.”
I raised an eyebrow as I reached out and ran a finger along her collarbone. Meredith’s eyes tracked my movement.
“Care to elaborate on what those things are?”
“Well, for starters you’re Raphi’s younger brother.”
“And?”
She raised her eyes to me, glaring. It was all for show considering she’d not stopped me from touching her.
“He’s my friend.”
“And?”
“You’re two years younger than me. What the fuck do you think people would say about that? I’m not a cradle robber, thank you very much.”
I grinned.
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. And I’m perfectly legal so it’s not like you’d be doing anything wrong.”
She let out a huff of air and stepped closer to me. Her head craned up to stare into my eyes. Being six-foot-one, I towered over Meredith’s frame. My finger was still on her chest. Daring to test her limits, I flattened my palm against her, watching as her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed before opening her mouth.
“That’s the difference between us. I care. And besides, I don’t want you.”
I leant closer. Yet again, Meredith didn’t back down, standing her ground in front of me.
“Such pretty little lies falling out of your mouth. It’s obvious you do or you wouldn’t let me near you. I don’t see you allowing anyone else to take such liberties.”
Her eyes fell on my palm resting on her chest right above her breast. If I dragged my pinkie finger lower, I could brush it across her nipple.
“I don’t want you to touch me.”
“Tell me to take my hand off you then.”
She hadn’t told me to stop touching her in the games room on Friday and I knew she wouldn’t now.
“I don’t want you.”
“Yes, you do… you just don’t want to admit it.”
“Do you not understand the word no, Cole?”
“You haven’t told me no… yet.”
Her chest rose and fell. I could feel her heart hammering erratically in her chest against my skin.
“Is this some kind of game to you? I’m not a toy, nor will I let you treat me like one.”
“I’m not playing a game, Meredith. I. Want. You.”
“Why?”
I leant even closer until I could see the varying shades of green in her wide eyes.
“Aside from the obvious fact, you’re beautiful?”
Her cheeks flushed.
“No one thinks that about me.”
“Then they’re fucking stupid.” I moved my hand from her chest upwards to cup the back of her neck. “You are beautiful.”
My other hand curled around her back, drawing her closer to me. Fuck did I want to kiss those parted lips and devour her whole.
“As flattering as that is, you’re missing the point. You are too young for me.”
Her words didn’t match her body’s actions. Those dainty little hands of hers had curled themselves around my waist.
“Perhaps I was three weeks ago, but not now.”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Why do you want me?” Her eyes darkened as she stared up at me. “Is this some kind of trophy for you? Get Meredith into bed and take her v-plates? Has one of your friends put you up to this? Because it’s not fucking funny either way.”
I raised an eyebrow. She’d not realised what she’d finally admitted. And I wasn’t that much of a cunt. As if I’d spread it around the school or tell my friends. I’d gone out of my way to make sure rumours about her didn’t surface.
I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t accept my assertion at face value. Was she so jaded about boys she thought no one could like her for her? I guess she’d spent years keeping them all at arm’s length. The fact she let me get close to her spoke volumes.
You like me, Meredith, you just think you’re not allowed to because I’m younger than you. It’s okay. I’ll prove you wrong. I’ll show you I can give you what you need.
“No, you’re not a trophy and no one put me up to it.”
She looked down at her hands and then back up at me as if noticing how close we were standing. It took a second for her eyes to grow from confused to annoyed. Then she stepped back away from me, forcing me to drop my hands from her body.
“You know what, I don’t even know why I’m asking. You don’t seem to like giving straight answers and quite frankly, I don’t care. You’re not getting anything from me. I’ve already told you I’m not interested.”
“I can wait until you stop lying about what you want if that’s what you need.”
She glared at me again.
“I’m not lying. I have no reason to.”
I shook my head, smiling at her.
“Yes, you are. When you’re ready, you’ll come looking for me and I’ll be waiting.”
Before she had a chance to retort, I backed away from her, shoving my hands back in my pockets before I turned and walked away. The indignant huff I heard from behind me only made me smile wider. She’d got the message. She knew what I wanted. And knowing Meredith, she wouldn’t be able to contain her curiosity. She’d come to me next time. And like I’d told her, I’d be waiting to give her exactly what she didn’t know she needed.
Me.
Chapter Eight
Who the hell did Cole think he was? I’d like to damn well know. That boy had made it his mission to mess with me. This business about wanting me had to be utter bullshit. Not to mention he’d found out I was a virgin from Celia. The thought of her made my blood boil more than when Cole had been around me. And he’d heated it for a very different reason.
My best friend since I was four-years-old had turned out to be the biggest backstabbing bitch I’d ever met in my life. Honestly, I never thought she would turn against me, but she had over the summer holidays six months ago. The thought of it made me angry and upset. So yeah, maybe Cole bringing it up had put me on edge and I’d been extra bitchy to him. I could admit to that much.
Does he really like me?
I stared down at myself, trying to understand what caught his interest. He’d called me beautiful. All I’d got growing up had been boys calling me carrot top, ginger nut and fire crotch. The leering had started when I grew breasts but I figured horny teenage boys would go after anything with a pair of tits.
Cole had said none of that. He hadn’t leered either. The way he’d looked at me differed from other boys. Now I had time to calm down and think about it properly, Cole’s interest felt… genuine. Even if he was a cocky little shit. There’d be no denying that part. And I liked that about him. I shouldn’t like anything about Cole Carter. Not the way his dirty blonde hair often fell in his eyes where he’d let it grow long on top. Nor how his body had felt under my hands.
Stop it. He’s too young for you. You can’t think of him like that.
Cole had a point. He was sixteen and over the age of consent, but that didn’t make it any better. I couldn’t imagine what people would say about it if I got involved with Cole. Nothing good. Picturing Celia’s judgemental stare made me want to smack the cow around the face. I couldn’t believe she’d told him I was a virgin. She knew how embarrassed I was about it. Not that I had anything to be ashamed of. Keeping your legs closed wasn’t a bad thing. It had more to do with boys not finding me attractive. No one had even wanted to kiss me.
&nb
sp; I tried not to think about the incident involving spin the bottle when I was sixteen. Kyle had thrown a house party when his parents were away. It flashed through my head, making my cheeks burn all over again. When the bottle landed on me and Owen Blackburn. How he’d taken me in the cupboard and told me he’d rather get with Amanda Phelps, the nerdy girl with braces and terrible acne, than kiss me. If I told anyone we hadn’t snogged, he’d spread it around I didn’t put out. I’d kept my composure when we came out and had whoops and cheers from the others, carrying on with the game and being thankful when the bottle didn’t land on me again. Later, when I’d gone back to Celia’s for the night, I’d broken down in tears and told her the whole sorry story. She’d told me Owen was an arsehole and didn’t deserve to be my first kiss anyway. I didn’t want to share it with someone who didn’t give a shit about me.
In a fucked up way, Cole gives a shit about you. He told you he took care of Celia and protected you from the rumour mill. Doesn’t that show he likes you?
“You look like you’re about to tear your hair out,” came a voice from beside me.
After school, I hadn’t wanted to go home, instead I’d made my way to the park near my house and sat under an oak tree. The fresh air helped clear my head somewhat even if my thoughts had been consumed by Cole and my ex-best friend, Celia.
I looked up, finding my brother staring down at me.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at uni?”
Jonah grinned and shrugged.
“Yes, but my sister sent me an SOS at the weekend. I don’t have lectures until tomorrow afternoon.”
I’d forgotten about that. Mum and Grandma’s arguing had been getting to me no matter how much I tried to ignore them. And Jonah hadn’t responded so I’d figured he was busy.
“I didn’t want you to make a six-hour round trip for me. A phone call would’ve sufficed.”