“Put that back on.” He nods to the shirt.
“Pass. I don’t take orders from assholes.”
His eyes narrow. “Put on the shirt.”
“No. In case you didn’t notice, Kappa Mu is having a party. One I plan on getting back to and enjoying. You should have left with Aaron, but since you didn’t, I’ll be nice and let you borrow my car. But I’m going to go have fun.” I’d breeze past him out the door if he wasn’t still blocking it, but because he is, I lean back against my dresser and fold my arms over my chest to wait.
His jaw tics.
“Put on the shirt, Kasey.”
“No.”
“Dammit. Put on the fucking shirt.”
“Make me, asshole.”
Okay, that last comment, probably not a great choice of words. Dominique closes the distance between us. Capturing my hips in his hands, he jerks me to him.
“Why do you always have to fight me on shit?”
I give him an incredulous look. “You’re kidding, right?”
His nostrils flare.
“You do not get to dictate what I wear or do or anything about my life. You don't own me. Get that through your head.” Something in me snaps. All my frustration from before, my anger and hurt at his dismissal comes rushing to the surface. Where does he get off? “You think that, what, since we fooled around in a classroom that you all of a sudden get to make demands? That’s not how this works, Dom!” I shove at his chest. “Get the hell out of my way.”
He shifts his stance, still blocking me.
“Dominique—”
“Put on the shirt or take off that suit. You’re not going out where all those fraternity punks are in that.”
I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood. “Fine,” I snap.
Surprise flashes in his eyes and he takes a step back, giving me some space, but I’m not going to put on his stupid cinnamon smelling shirt. Since he wants me to take off the swimsuit, I’ll take it off.
I grab the straps of the swimsuit and tug them down, pulling my arms out.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring him, I push the swimsuit down past my ribcage, exposing my breasts.
“Jesus Christ!”
A small smile curls my lip and I shove the swimsuit down over my hips, letting it pool at my feet. I swallow hard, but refuse to be embarrassed as I raise my eyes to his. “Happy now?” My voice is surprisingly even, giving none of my nerves away.
Need flashes in Dominique’s eyes as he drinks me in. Then, without saying a word, he turns, jerks my bedroom door open, and leaves, slamming it shut behind him.
My phone rings but it takes me a minute to collect myself. I pick up Dominique’s shirt from the floor and slip it on. Not because I want to wear anything that belongs to him, but because it’s there. And then I dig my phone out of my bag. It’s no longer ringing, but I can see it was my mom who called. I’ll call her back later. I’m not really in the mood for one of her chats.
I consider going back to the party, but that doesn’t sound appealing either, so instead, I drop down on my bed and crack open a textbook, telling myself that my decision to stay inside has nothing to do with Dominique. I just need to catch up on some homework.
Clearly, I am a big fat liar.
Chapter Fifteen
There are only a few blocks between the Kappa Mu house and my place, so I walk, needing some time to clear my head. If I didn’t get out of there when I did, I was going to do something I couldn’t take back. I wouldn’t regret it. I know that much. Taking Kasey and laying her down on her bed, sliding into her wet heat, yeah, that isn’t something I would regret. But it is something that would make shit complicated, and I can’t do complicated right now. Almost to my street, I change course and head for the field instead. I could use a run. My body is wound up tight. I need to tire myself out and get Kasey out of my head.
Three miles in and I still can’t get the image of her naked body out of my mind. Sweat drips down my back, my calves burning, but I keep up the pace. Two more miles and my chest is heaving, but I still see her perfect tits. Her tiny waist. Her bare pussy. Running isn’t going to cut it.
I jog off the track and head for my place. Maybe a cold shower will help.
When I reach my door, I notice Aaron’s ride in the driveway, which means he’s home. Good.
“Hey, man. You good?” I ask as soon as I see him.
He looks up, eyes bloodshot and unfocused.
I curse. “What happened?”
He shakes his head.
I grab a water bottle from the fridge, uncap it, and bring it back to him. He accepts it but doesn’t take a drink. “Bro, you’re freaking me out. What happened?”
His hands flex. “I freaked out, alright.”
“I’m gonna need you to give me a little more information.”
He hangs his head, no longer meeting my eyes. “A car pulled up to me while I was driving. They had music going. I—” He swallows hard. “There were gunshots in the song. I didn’t think. Just fucking panicked.”
Shit. “But you came home? You’re good? Nothing else happened?”
He exhales a harsh breath. “Yeah. I’m good. Just freaked the fuck out.”
“Why didn’t you call? I would have come back sooner.” I rub the back of my neck. He can’t keep going like this. He needs help. Like real, professional help. “I think you should see someone—”
“I’m not talking to a fucking shrink.”
I open my mouth to argue with him, but a phone buzzing halts my response. Aaron frowns down at his phone, the thing still buzzing.
“Who is it?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No clue.” He lifts the phone to his ear and answers. “Hello?”
“I’m gonna grab a quick shower,” I tell him and head down the hall. I make it quick and cold. Enough time to wash the sweat from my body and erase the images of Kasey from my head so my dick calms the fuck down. That finished, I throw on a clean pair of clothes and head back to check on Aaron.
He still has the phone to his ear, but all the blood has drained from his face as he listens to whoever is talking.
“You okay, man?”
It’s like he doesn’t even hear me. His eyes fill with moisture and my chest seizes. Fuck. His hand falls away from his face, the phone still cradled in his palm. Whoever is on the other line is still speaking, but Aaron’s no longer listening. I reach for the phone and he relinquishes it without comment.
I bring it to my ear right as he drops his head in his hands, a sob wracking his entire body.
“Who the hell is this?” I snarl.
There’s a pause. “Are you related to Mr. Henderson,” a calm voice asks almost hesitantly.
“I’m his roommate. What’s going on? What did you say to him?” He’s not in the right headspace to deal with whatever shit this is right now.
The guy on the other line clears their voice. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I was explaining to Mr. Henderson—”
“Aaron,” I correct.
“Right. I was explaining to Aaron that there’s been an accident.” I wait. “His… his mother was in a car accident on the highway earlier today. There was a pileup, and while Ms. Douglas was able to stop before colliding with the vehicle in front of her, the eighteen wheeler behind her wasn’t able to do the same.”
Fuck.
“Is she okay?”
He’s quiet for a beat, and I look down at Aaron. He’s hunched over, elbows on his knees and hands on the back of his head. If she was okay, he wouldn’t be like that.
“She was rushed to Mercy Hospital but was DOA.”
“What the hell does DOA mean?” I bite out, and it’s Aaron who answers, his voice dejected.
“Dead on arrival.”
“What?” I ask him, eyes wide before repeating into the phone, “What? She’s dead?”
Aaron flinches.
“I’m sorry. She’s gone. Aaron Henderson is listed as her n
ext of kin. I was contacting him so we can proceed with the next—”
“No. He’s not dealing with that today. He just found out his mom is gone. Everything else can wait.”
“Sir, if I—“
“No. You can call back in a few days. Give the man some time to grieve.” I hang up and toss Aaron’s phone on the sofa beside him.
“Hey.” He’s not looking at me. “What do you need, man? What can I do?”
He hiccups and then gets to his feet.
“Whoa. Slow down. Where are you going?” He grabs his keys and heads for the door, but I block him. “Aaron—”
“I have to tell my sister. Shit. How am I supposed to tell her? How do—”
Fuck. I didn’t even think about Kasey. Shit. “Okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to do that right now. We have time.”
“Yeah, I do,” he shouts, tears tracking down his face. I’ve never seen him like this before, and fuck if I know how to fix it. “She needs to know. She’d want to know. Now. Not tomorrow or in a few hours. She needs to know now. But how the fuck am I supposed to do that, Dom? She’s my baby sister and I have to tell her but—”
I nod my head and grab him in a tight embrace. He clings to me like his life depends on it, hands fisted in the back of my shirt. “I get it, man. But, you’re still processing shit right now. You can’t drive like this. Just, sit down for a few, okay. We’ll sort this out.”
His shoulders shake. “She needs to know, man.” His voice is hoarse.
“I’ll tell her. You stay here and I’ll tell her.”
He pulls back and runs his hands through his hair, tugging on the strands as he begins to pace.
“You’re cool with that? You don’t mind?” he asks, not looking at me.
“I got you. I’ll tell her. You stay here. I’ll have the guys—”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” he grinds out.
“No, you don’t. But you just lost your mom and you don’t need to be alone right now either.”
He shakes his head, about to argue.
“What about Allie?” I ask. They’ve always been close, and she lost her mom a few years back. She’ll know how to help him get through this while I … shit. I don’t know how I’m going to break this to Kasey.
“Just, Allie?” he croaks.
“Yeah, man. Just Allie.”
A nod.
“Okay. I’ll call her. Just sit down. Okay?”
Another nod.
I pull out my phone and make the call. An hour later, there’s a knock at our door and I let her inside.
“Hey, how's our boy doing?” she asks, voice low.
I peer over my shoulder at the boy in question. “He hasn’t moved since I called you. Hasn’t talked either.”
She nods as I grab my keys. “Where are you going?”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “He asked me to tell Kasey.”
Her eyes soften and she places a hand on my arm. “Dom, that's … you shouldn’t have to—”
“I know. But he can’t, and someone needs to.”
“I can call Bibiana.”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve got this. You look after him. Don’t leave him alone or let him go anywhere by himself. If you need to call Roman to sit on him, do that, okay?”
She nods but...“I’m serious, Allie. He’s dealing with some other shit right now too. His mom dying is awful, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Do not leave him alone. I’ll handle Kasey, but depending on how she handles things, I don’t know what time I’ll be back. If you have to leave—”
“I got it. He won’t be left alone.”
“Good.” I leave Allie with Aaron and jump in my Escalade. When I pull up to her place, it hits me that I don’t know what I’m going to say to her, so I sit there, my car idling. It’s been a few hours since I left and I know she won’t be happy to see me but… it doesn’t matter. I told Aaron I’d have his back and tell her, so I’m going to do that. He shouldn’t be the one to drop this bomb on her. I’ve got this.
There’s a back entrance off the hall that leads to Kasey’s room, so I put my ride in drive and head that direction. There’s a chance Kappu Mu’s pool party is still in full swing. Greek parties are usually an all-day, all-night sort of thing. I don’t want to see anyone and deal with their bullshit, so I’ll slip into Kasey’s room and wait for her there if she isn’t inside already.
Chapter Sixteen
I’m tired and hungry and decide to fix at least one of those problems by grabbing a bagel from the kitchen. I probably should have put pants on but I doubt anyone is going to come inside, and at least I bothered to slip underwear on before heading to the kitchen.
Dominique’s shirt hangs down to the middle of my thighs, which is more than the swimsuit was covering. I should shred the damn thing. All I’ve had these past few hours is time. Time to think about how twisted up I am about a guy who clearly doesn’t give a shit about me. I’m not this person, so why am I letting him get to me?
Decision made, I’m done letting him tell me what to do, or wear. I’m done giving a shit about his feelings or worrying about whether or not he’s interested in me. I’m over it.
I’m going to focus on school. I’ll date. Yes, I’ll definitely date. Maybe Quinn or one of the other girls can fix me up with someone. I need to get over whatever it is that I feel for that asshole.
The toaster dings and I retrieve my bagel, dropping it on a plate before spreading a thin layer of butter on it. Next I add a layer of jelly. I know you’re supposed to use cream cheese, but I’m not a huge fan and this tastes a whole lot better. The door leading to the backyard opens and Deacon steps inside.
“Hey,” he says upon seeing me right as I bite into my bagel.
I give him a wave and point to my mouth as I chew. He nods and a few seconds later I swallow. “Sorry. Didn’t want to talk with my mouth full.”
“No problem.” He shifts uncomfortably.
“So…” I say.
“Yeah. Sorry. I was just coming in to use the bathroom.”
I point down the hall. “First door on your right.”
He nods. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He goes to take care of business and I put the butter and jelly back in the refrigerator. I take another bite of my bagel and grab a napkin before turning back to the fridge for a bottle of water. Hands full, I head back for my room right as Deacon exits the bathroom. “Have fun,” I tell him as I slip past.
“Oh, hey, wait up.”
I slow my steps, but I don’t stop entirely. “What’s up?”
“I was hoping we could talk,” he says.
“I thought we already did?” We pause outside my room. I have a bagel in one hand and the water in the other so I’ll need to shift things around to free up a hand, but I have a feeling if I open my door, he’ll want to come inside, and I’m not sure that's a good idea. Deacon is nice, and hot. But I’m in a weird head space right now, and yes, I definitely want to get over whatever hangup I have for Dominique at the moment, but I know myself. I’ll do something reckless, like throw myself at the guy and just make a bigger mess out of things, which isn’t fair to him. I need to find a guy not on the football team. One Dominique can’t screw with to get at me.
“We did, it’s just—” My door swings open on its own. Correction, the jerkface standing inside my room opens it.
“Leave,” he says to Deacon, right as I say, “What the hell are you doing in my room?”
Dominique doesn’t look at me, his penetrating stare resting solely on Deacon.
“Look, man...”
Dom shakes his head. “I don’t have time to deal with you right now. You need to go. Now.”
Deacon’s shoulders are stiff as the guys stare off with one another. Screw this.
“Hi. I have a better idea. How about you both leave. That’d be great.”
Deacon looks down at me, a flicker of hurt in his eyes, and I wince. “Sorry,” I tell him. “This one brin
gs the bitch out in me.”
That seems to satisfy him, but still, neither guy moves. I turn to Dom. “Why are you even here?” I just decided I’m done with his crap and this is what the universe does? It’d be bad enough if he showed up on my doorstep, but in my room? Really?
Dom looks down at me. “We need to talk.”
I scoff. “Pass. I don’t have anything to say to you.” The universe can shove it for all I care.
He gives me a once over, a smirk curling the corners of his mouth when he sees I’m wearing his shirt. “That looks good on you.” He fingers one of the sleeves.
I smack his hand away with my bottle. “Go home, Dom.”
“Kasey.” There’s a warning there.
“She said go home, man. Take the hint and back off.”
Surprising me, Dom ignores him. Well, I guess that isn’t really surprising, but I expected a verbal jab or maybe even a punch after that comment.
“I just want to talk—”
“No,” I snap. Honestly, I don’t want to talk to either of them. I want to eat my bagel and then I want to go to bed.
“No?” He rears back incredulously.
“You heard me. No. You were a complete asshole today. You were an asshole last week. You keep fucking with me and for what? I’m tired of this game, Dom. So, no, I don’t want to talk to you. Not today. Not tomorrow. Just, go away.”
He exhales a harsh breath and his eyes soften the slightest bit. “Kasey, I…” He pauses and turns to Deacon. “Look, I don’t like you, but I need to talk to her about personal shit. So, you gotta bounce. Now.”
Deacon’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “Fine. But only if you get the team to stop fucking me over in practice.”
“Done.”
A nod. A handshake. And then Deacon leaves, and wasting no time, Dominique pulls me into the room and closes the door behind me.
“Just because you got rid of Deacon doesn’t mean I’m going to talk to you. You can go, too,” I tell him, setting my water and bagel down on the nightstand.
He sighs, and I know he’s going to try again, but I’ve had time to think and I’m done. I want off his merry-go-round. “What part of go are you not understanding?”
Cruel Devil: A Small Town Brother's Best Friend, Enemies to Lovers Romance (Devils of Sun Valley High Book 3) Page 10