by S. J. Sylvis
“Hayley.”
I sliced my head over to the crack in the door. “I’m going to kill you!” I yelled, stomping over to Christian. He pulled himself farther into the room, shutting the door behind him. This time, I turned the light on. The switch flicked, and I glared at him. His jaw was set, the sharpness drawing my attention to it.
“Is that why you came to my room so late last night? You went to Gabe’s house? To what? Teach him a lesson?”
I was pacing again, feeling like I was going to explode.
He shook out his dark hair. “That wasn’t my intention when I got there, no.”
“Ugh!” My feet stomped over to him, hovering near the wooden door. “You know what? I don’t even care. Just go back downstairs and back to fucking that girl. You two were putting on quite a show. I’m sorry Gabe had to ruin it.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to suck them back in. Christian and his minion were not important, and I hated that I sounded like a desperate, jealous girlfriend.
“What if I don’t want to?” Christian pulled himself away from the door and stalked over to me. I stood my ground, my stare never wavering.
“You looked like you wanted to before Gabe showed up. Don’t let me stop you.” God. Why was I acting like this?
“Does it bother you? Seeing me with Kayla?”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. “Not one bit.”
His head cocked to the side. His hooded gray eyes almost had me backtracking my words. The way he was looking at me had me forgetting I was angry with him. I wanted his lips on mine in the worst way.
On cue, I heard a girly voice slur from the hallway, “Christian? Christiannnn, where are you?”
Jealous rage crept along my limbs. The thought of Christian sticking his mouth anywhere near Kayla made me want to rip her hair out. Oh my God. It does bother me. So much.
I panicked with the thought. I rushed over to the door and put my hand on the doorknob, ready to shove Christian out, right into Kayla’s arms. Maybe then I’d have no choice but to ignore my feelings, and maybe I could stop bending all my rules and remember how difficult it was to heal your heart when someone close to you was ripped away.
The metal knob twisted in my grasp, but Christian’s palm landed on top of my hand. He spun me around so my back rested along the door. The click of the lock sent a thrill all the way to my toes. His brooding eyes were hooded as they lazily dropped to my mouth. Do it. Kiss me. My heart thrashed in my chest.
“Let’s stop playing this game, Hayley.”
“I’m not playing a game.”
His arms caged me in, each one resting beside my head. His knee found its way in between my legs, and I had to fight the urge not to move my body. Everything felt hot. A surge of energy fanned over my skin.
“You are. We’ve been playing a game since the moment you kissed me outside of Pete and Jill’s.” The memory was something I replayed almost daily. Any time my mind would wander, it’d end up right there: me kissing Christian. It was like hitting the tip of an iceberg.
I swallowed, my resolve slipping with him being so close. No. “You’re the one playing games.” I tipped my chin even higher to meet his stare. “You tell me you hate me, try to torment me at school, swoop in to save me—even when I tell you not to—sneak into my bedroom every night, cause me to forget my name, then ignore me at school, followed by an eye-fuck whenever we’re in a moment like this, and then you start kissing another girl right in front of me, your hands skimming her body.” My voice grew as my list went on, feeling more and more agitated. “I hate you,” I muttered, my eyes dipping to his mouth. I knew what his lips felt like on mine. They made everything disappear—morphed hate into love, and sadness into happiness.
“I hate you, too,” he groaned before dropping his hands onto my face and smashing his lips onto mine.
My heart jumped to my throat as his mouth covered my lips. My hands wrapped around his neck, going into his hair as his tongue flicked my upper lip to give him access. It roamed over mine, and I deepened the kiss, seeing sparks ignite behind my eyes. Christian groaned into my mouth, and I got off on the sound. I liked him at my mercy. I liked that I affected him as much as he affected me. Every longing stare, every scorched touch, all the pent-up energy we held every single night in my room was coming to light.
He was feral, kissing me as if he were branding me.
And for once, with a clear head, I was submissive. When we had let our guards down the first time, I blamed my heightened emotions. I told myself I wasn’t thinking clearly. But that was how it always was with him. My emotions were always standing straight up when he was around. And I realized I had it wrong the other night. Christian didn’t cloud my judgment between right and wrong; he made me divulge in whatever felt right, and this—this right here—felt right. It felt good. He felt good.
Christian’s hands moved under my butt, and he lifted me up. My legs automatically wound around his hips, and I felt his hardness rub against me. Heat spread all the way up to my throat.
“Too long,” he grunted, pushing me up against the wall. “It’s been two days since I’ve touched you like this, and it’s been too fucking long.”
I couldn’t speak. I just needed more of his mouth on mine, silencing every thought.
I moved my body up and down on his, and he swore under his breath. He walked us over to the bed, dipping his head into the crook of my neck and sucking my tender skin. Goosebumps covered my body.
Christian slowly lowered my body, his dark stare scorching me on the way down. His fingers reached the hem of my shirt, and he slowly lifted it up and threw it across the room. He descended down on top of me again, my body his to do whatever with. The reins were in his hands. I liked the feeling it gave me. I liked feeling handled by him. For once, I didn’t want to be in control. Christian made me feel wanted, and that was something I didn’t feel often.
His warm mouth moved from my swollen lips over to the delicate side of my ear. I reached up and grabbed his biceps, the feel of his skin making me hot all over again. Once his head dipped down to my shoulder, kissing the bare skin, he slipped his finger under the strap of my bra and almost ripped it off.
“I want to savor every bit of this, but I just can’t.” His words came out rushed, and before I knew it, I was lying on the bed without a bra on. His pupils dilated, and when his head dipped down to suck, I saw stars.
“Christian,” I breathed, arching my back.
I felt wild. The pressure in my core needed a release before I lost my mind. I wiggled in his grasp, trying to move below him as he teased and sucked my bud. His hands finally moved to my jeans, and with the undoing of my button, we heard the music come to a stop downstairs. He paused, his fingers ready to pull the denim from my legs with his mouth hovering over mine. We were both panting. His neck was red and splotchy from our heat meshing together. Then, we heard yelling and the brief shout of, “COPS!”
My heart fell to the ground, right there along with my bra.
Chapter Thirty-One
Christian
The fear in Hayley’s eyes had me snapping to attention. So close. I was so close to giving in to what we both wanted and needed. Kissing her again felt like I had gotten a slice of heaven. My body was moving in ecstasy.
“Christian. I can’t be caught here with drugs and underaged drinking.”
Hayley flew off the bed and slipped her bra on. Her fingers were trembling and fumbling over the clasp. I rushed over, still in a daze from kissing her, and clasped it. She was rambling. “I can’t get caught. I’ll go into a group home. Maybe back to juvie. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
I put my hands on her upper arms to calm her. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
Her eyes were wide, the blue in them even bluer than before. The doorknob jiggled as partiers tried to hide—which wouldn’t work. The only way not to get caught by the cops was to get the hell out of the house.
“Christian. What are we going to do?�
��
Fuck. I don’t know. I eyed the window, and Hayley’s eyes lit up. She ran over and pushed it open, leaning her body out to peer down. “Let’s go.” She looked back at me for a second before getting ready to jump.
I rushed over and pulled her back. Jesus Christ. “What the fuck, Hayley? You’ll break your goddamn neck.”
“I’d rather break my neck than go to a group home and age out.” Her words were rattled, eyes wide and fearful. “You don’t know what it’s like, Christian. I can’t get into trouble.” She peered up at me, fear clouding the fire I saw in her eyes moments ago when she was grinding her body against mine.
I knew at that moment I’d do anything for her. The last five years didn’t matter. Thirteen-year-old Christian was back, and Hayley was his whole world again.
“Go get your shirt.” Hayley looked down at her chest, confused that she wasn’t wearing her shirt. She quickly ran past the bed and searched frantically. I leaned my body out the window, the cool air grounding me for a moment. That’s a long jump.
“I can’t find it!” Hayley was still searching for her shirt, but we no longer had time. I heard the pounding footsteps echoing in the hall. Ripping my shirt off my back, I flung it over to her. She slipped it on within seconds, the hem hitting her mid-thigh.
“I’m going first, then you’ll jump after.”
“You can afford to get caught.” She rushed over, moving past me. “I can’t. No sense in you breaking your legs. You have football to worry about.”
So stubborn. I pulled her back by my shirt. “Hayley, for fuck’s sake, stop being so independent! Let me help you. This is fucking sixth grade all over again.”
She bounced back on the heels of her feet. “I jumped then, and I can jump now!”
She is so fucking infuriating and hot and sexy and…
I moved her quickly, spinning her around my back. Pushing her away, I leaned one leg out the window, the wood resting under my weight, then the other. My chest broke out in goosebumps from the crisp autumn air. “Once I land, jump, and I’ll catch you. Then, we run like hell.”
“What about Piper?”
“Ollie will take care of her. Now let’s go.”
I jumped and held my breath as I braced for landing. Jumping for Hayley. How did I end up here? Once I felt the ground below me, I tucked and rolled, jumping back to my feet quickly. The jump wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought. I glanced up and saw the light around Hayley’s head appear when she slipped back from the window. Then, I saw her legs, and within a second, she was jumping from the window.
She landed in my arms with a whoosh, and I couldn’t help but notice how her hands automatically wrapped around my neck. Perfect. Our bodies fit together like that was how we were meant to be for life.
“Let’s go.” I put her back on her feet and grabbed her hand. We ran like hell through the darkness. Thankfully, I parked at the end of the gravel road since we were the last to get here, which would make it easy to leave.
Hayley ran alongside me, her shorter legs somehow keeping up with mine. “What about Piper?” she asked again.
“Ollie has her.” She tugged on my arm.
“But how do you know? I can’t leave her!”
In the chaos of it all, a smile tugged at my lips. Hayley—even as much as she wanted to be selfish and save her own ass—was still worried about her friend.
“I’ll call Ollie once we’re in the car. Go, hurry. They’ll be coming to check cars soon.”
I knew how this worked. It wasn’t the first time I’d been busted at a party. This was definitely a first for Eric’s cabin, though. Someone had to have tipped the cops off. The cabin was tucked away on the outskirts of town, deep in the forest. I was certain it was Gabe.
Once Hayley and I were beside my car, I dragged my gaze around the cabin, watching people scramble out the two doors that likely had cops posted beside them. I unlocked the car, the lights probably drawing attention as we shuffled inside. My back pressed along the cold leather of my seat as I tossed Hayley my phone.
“Call Ollie,” I demanded, hearing the rumble of my engine.
I tore down the gravel road fast, pebbles flying past my wheels.
“There’s a text from him.” Hayley held onto the handle above the door as I sped around the curves and dips of the road. “It says, ‘I have Piper and Eric. Did you guys get out?’”
“Tell him we will meet him at Piper’s in a few hours.”
“A few hours? Where are we going?”
I slowly inched my neck in her direction. “To finish what we started.” Then, I pressed my foot on the pedal and sped like my life depended on it.
When we pulled up to my house, the car was jam-packed full of sexual tension. Neither one of us dared to even speak a syllable on the way over in fear it would ruin this thing we had going.
I hesitated with my hand on the door handle as Parkway Drive tumbled through the speakers. I could feel the thump of the bass within my chest. I ground my teeth, trying to figure out what to do. Fuck.
“My dad is home.”
Hayley shifted in her seat. “Okay, so…”
“I need to tell you something before we go inside.”
She rested her back along the passenger seat and gave me her full attention. Her dark hair was messy as it rested along her shoulders. The dash lights casted shadows across her high cheekbones. She kept her face solemn, blank. She was so hard to read sometimes.
“I didn’t go to Gabe’s with the intention of losing it on him.”
“Then why did you go?” Her anger was back. She crossed her arms over her chest—the chest my mouth was on not too long ago.
“I went because the night you got attacked at the game, the cameras near the bathroom caught a car speeding off shortly afterwards. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t his.”
Her face flattened. “He was in the game. It wasn’t him.”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t convinced. I needed to know for sure.”
“Wait. There were cameras? How did you even get access?”
And here comes the part I didn’t want to get to.
“I hired a P.I.”
She blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. “What?”
I gazed out the windshield, noting my father’s Porsche and Jim’s Range Rover. “I hired a P.I., and instead of waiting for him to run plates and figure out if the car was a clue to all of the fucked-up shit you’ve been through, I decided to pay Gabe a visit.” I shrugged, clenching my knuckles tightly as I grasped the steering wheel. “Once I saw him, I lost it. I kept thinking about his hands on you and how scared you must have been, and it shook me.”
I risked a glimpse at her face, and her brows were furrowed. “How do you even have access to a P.I.?”
“It’s my dad’s. It was the P.I. he used after my mom…” I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. “It doesn’t matter. He’s been looking into the case with your father, trying to figure out who attacked you, who made threats against you.”
Her mouth opened, but I didn’t wait for her protests. I opened my door and climbed out. I went to her side, opened the door, and peered down at her, resting my arms on top of the door. “I don’t care that you don’t want my help. Let’s go.” I inclined my head toward the door.
I knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She’d protest, get angry again, and repeat that she didn’t need help, but in reality, we both knew she did.
To my surprise, Hayley didn’t say anything. She climbed out of my car and pushed her hair behind her ears. She looked so innocent and downright beautiful. The scowl she often wore and directed toward me made her appear strong, which was definitely hot, but I liked this side of her too. She looked fragile, breakable, and the only thing I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and fight off every last threat that could break her in half.
“Christian.” I spoke too fucking soon. Here come the protests. “I’m wearing your shirt.”
“What?” I looked down at my bare chest as a gu
st of wind brushed along my skin. “Oh. So?”
She looked around the driveway nervously. “So…won’t your dad…you know…think we had sex or something? This looks bad. I don’t want to walk in there and have him think the worst of me. I’ve never met your dad.”
I couldn’t help the smile that had my face lifting.
“What?” she huffed.
“It’s cute that you want to impress my dad. Careful now, or I’ll think that you actually like me.”
Even with the moon being our only light, I could see her cheeks tinting with embarrassment.
She pushed past me quickly, heading for the door.
Before I caught up with her, I took a deep breath and leveled my thoughts. I had a hunch I was walking into a war zone, but nonetheless, I was more than likely on the winning side. My father and I didn’t see eye to eye, so this wasn’t necessarily anything new to me.
Once Hayley and I were inside, I grabbed her hand and walked us down the hall, past the large living room, and down a step, onto the tile floor of the kitchen. I spotted my father and Jim sitting at the breakfast bar.
“Christian.” His voice was laced with anger, but his tone wasn’t loud. “I told you to stop with the Hay—" His tired eyes darted to Hayley, and he snapped his mouth shut.
Jim stood up with a coffee mug in his hand, wearing something similar to my father: dress slacks and a button-down. My father appeared much more disheveled, though. His hair looked as if he’d run his hands through it a few times, and his shirt was unbuttoned on top, his sleeves rolled up.
“Hi, Hayley.” Jim gave Hayley a warm smile that I’d never seen before. He barely even addressed me most of the time.
Hayley’s cheeks were still dotted with a pinkish hue, and a weak smile appeared. Is she being shy?
I chuckled, and she shot me a glare.
There she is.
“Hello, Hayley,” my father said curtly, looking back and forth between my naked torso and my shirt draped on her body.
“Hi, Mr. Powell.”
He dismissed her quickly and set his eyes on me. “We need to talk.”