Forgiven: a bully romance (An Academy Twin Rivalry Series Book 3)

by Taylor Blaine

  The entire time his hands were on me, I hadn’t thought of Braddox or how he’d made me feel, because he paled in comparison to Jaxon. They weren’t even on the same scale.

  Jaxon turned his head, avoiding my gaze as he reached in front of me and buttoned up my shirt, slowly and methodically.

  “What are you thinking?” Sudden shyness overtook me. When Braddox had left and I’d thought it was Jaxon, I’d been too nervous to know how to act. Now, actually there with Jaxon, and I was too nervous I hadn’t done a good job. What if I’d disappointed him?

  He slowly looked up at me, dropping his hands to my thighs. “I’m wondering if you’re comparing me and Braddox.”

  There it was. Finally. He’d actually told me what he was thinking and I had an answer, he might not start out liking, but he would understand by the time I was done.

  I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I’m comparing you.”

  His expression fell neutral and I recognized it for the self-preservation that it was.

  Shaking my head, I slowly smiled. “This moment with you erased everything he could have done with me. This…” I moved my hand between our chests as I stared into his eyes. “I don’t think there’s a name for what we just did. I want to do it again. I want to just stay here as long as possible. With him? Even when I thought it was you, I wanted a bath or a shower right away. It wasn’t right. Something wasn’t right.”

  I touched his lips with my thumb. “This is right. You and I… are right. I’ve never experienced anything like that.” I twisted my lips to the side. “Now, it’s my turn to be insecure.” I chuckled but it wasn’t out of humor so much as it was self-deprecating. “Do you… I mean, was I any good?”

  Jaxon grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled my face closer to his as he kissed me again until dizziness overtook me. He grew hard again inside me and my eyes widened as I pulled my mouth from his.

  “I want to do it again; you were that good.” He growled, then pulled my head down to his, reaching up and gently tweaking my nipple through the shirt.

  And that’s what we did. And again. Until I was screaming his name and no one else’s.

  Chapter 10

  Braddox

  I paced – okay, limped was more like it – from one side of my room to the other, my arms folded and my head bowed as I considered what to do. My damn upper thigh hurt like hell.

  Jaxon had been at Mom’s funeral. And so had Olivia. I couldn’t believe she’d shown up. That didn’t disappoint me so much as frustrate me. If she had gone for any other reason than as emotional support for Jaxon, I wouldn’t care. But she’d gone to be there for him. Why else would she have driven off with him?

  Benedict had called after they’d left. Against my better judgment I’d ordered him to follow them. I hadn’t heard back and that was two hours ago.

  My damn leg wouldn’t stop hurting. I wasn’t into narcotics, so I’d sold the oxycodone the doctors had given me and traded up to a strong, smooth weed. Oregon wasn’t legal like Washington yet, so I’d called my private dealer and ordered enough to keep me numb for the next two months. Not that my injury would last that long, but I planned on getting more from Olivia in that time.

  The girl had almost made me cum right there with a knife against my nuts. That wasn’t something that came along more than once in a lifetime.

  My phone rang as I reached the wall beside the bathroom door. I pulled the cell from my pocket and swiped the screen. Benedict was finally getting back to me. “Did you go off to have an orgy with them or something?” I had to make light of it or I’d be close to admitting that I was nervous they’d gone and had sex. I didn’t want her with Jaxon. That would ruin all my plans for her and me, if she got closer to him.

  I didn’t care if she slept with other people, but sleeping with Jaxon felt like a personal insult. Like she was sleeping with me but not with me.

  “Sir, they went to the beach and had sex multiple times in the front seat of his El Camino. There wasn’t service past the cliffs or I would have sent you pictures. Would you like me to send them to you now?” Benedict was above all a professional. He probably didn’t have feelings, but I wasn’t paying him to think or feel. I was paying him to keep me informed.

  I closed my eyes and leaned on the wall closest to me, trying to picture in my head what that would look like – me and Olivia screwing in the front of an old Chevy. The picture wasn’t very clear. I nodded before speaking. “Yes, send it now. Add them to the dossier, as well. I want them blown up to sixteen inches wide and delivered to my house care-of me. Got it?” I was going to frame them and put them all over my bedroom. I didn’t need to actually be in the pictures to imagine it was me she’d screwed. Jaxon was my double. If he’d screwed Olivia, then I had another shot at getting inside her.

  I was going to take every chance I could. I normally wasn’t into kink, but the knife had me convinced that no matter what she did, Olivia had me hook, line, and sinker. I turned and faced the wall, bracing both hands on the textured surface as I stared at the ground.

  Could I accept that they were actually having sex? I had to face it, own it, and acknowledge that I’d pushed her this way. I’d pushed him this way, too. I expected it and there was no way I would leave it as it was.

  I hadn’t tried going to her room since that night, but I just had to be in her space. I needed to smell her, feel like she was wrapped around me, even if I couldn’t have her. I thrust myself away from the wall and stormed to the secret passageway to her room, pushing the door open and coming to a shocked halt.

  The room was emptied of any personal items. There was no evidence that she’d ever even been there. I strode to her closet, peering inside at the empty shelves and bare carpet. She was gone. But I saw other signs of her around the house. Where could she have disappeared to?

  Out in the hallway, I stormed to Jaxon’s room, finding his door unlocked. The items inside were unstimulating as I stared around the tidy area. Was he a teenaged boy or not? I shook my head. At least Olivia’s things weren’t in his room. I wouldn’t have stood for that.

  Which room was she in? If I was here, where would I go? I eyed the room beside Jaxon’s, a rock settling in my stomach as I realized she would want to be next to him as much as possible. Wasn’t that what I’d wanted with her?

  She didn’t want me.

  I slowly approached the door and reached out to turn the handle. But it was locked. I reared back, narrowing my eyes as I realized she was doing everything she could to make sure I couldn’t get into her life. This just infuriated me more.

  What Olivia didn’t know was that I was a fairly even-tempered guy, but if she provoked me much more, she wasn’t going to like what happened.

  My phone buzzed as I stared at Olivia’s door and I pulled it out to open the texts Benedict sent.

  The pictures. I opened them, one at a time, wincing at the sight of Olivia’s breast in Jaxon’s mouth. I got hard as it was easy to see myself in that position. Wow, Benedict had gotten closer than I’d thought possible with his images.

  Rushing to my bedroom, I used some lube with one hand on my cock as I flipped through the images with my other hand. Benedict deserved a raise.

  And that’s all it took for me to become angrier, more jealous. I was going to take care of things. If I couldn’t have Olivia, then no one, especially my brother, would either. I needed to train Olivia to believe she wanted me more than I wanted her. Convincing myself of that would be the hard thing.

  I could do anything. I just needed to get my head back in the game. Getting rid of Jaxon was the only way I’d be able to have Olivia all to myself.

  ~~~

  I found myself at Donnie’s less than an hour later, fueled with anger and the need to take back what was mine. Because make no mistake, Olivia was mine. And Jaxon had the audacity to come in and try to steal her from me.

  Parking the Nova, I strode inside, noting not for the first time that his parents were gone. Donnie was, once a
gain, devoid of parental supervision.

  All the better for me.

  Down the hallway, I slowed my pace. What was I going to find? I hadn’t seen Ryan at school since the day he’d been stabbed by Olivia. That thought left me feeling a little like she was cheating on me with more than just Jaxon. I liked it rough with her. I wanted more.

  Donnie’s suite took up the entire east side of the house, but I had the odd sensation he wasn’t in his part of the home. I walked through the large house, listening for a sign that he was somewhere. With the type of people he knew, he wouldn’t just leave the house open unless someone was there.

  Toward the back, I opened the door to the backyard and walked outside, instantly availed of images of me and Olivia the night of the party.

  Lights on in the pool house pulled my attention from the dark sky and the guard railing set up to protect people from the cliffs. It didn’t take me long to get to the pool house. I opened the door, shaking my head as I spoke, rolling my cuffs to my elbows. “Donnie, man, you’re one hard shit to find.” But I stopped when I looked up, finding Donnie half-naked and sitting in the hot tub on the far side of the pool area with three other guys. I didn’t look too closely to see if they were dressed or not.

  Smiling easily, I tried not to show my discomfort. I’d heard of meetings with the guys we dealt with, but they never ended well unless you were the giver and not the taker.

  I jerked my chin up as Donnie climbed from the bubbling waters and moved toward me, his head tilted back in pure cockiness. When he reached me, he stretched his hand out, shaking mine and hitting his elbow against my bicep. “What’s up, Brax. I haven’t seen you since revenge night. Dude, your brother never stuck around.” He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms, glancing back at the men in the pool who watched us with well-focused eyes.

  “Yeah, well, I nailed Olivia. She thought I was Jaxon. I’m not sure how he woke up after being roofied. Did you give him enough?” I moved to the window, standing there in case I needed to run. There was something ominous in the room and I couldn’t place my finger on it.

  “Oh, man. Seriously? You finally nailed her?” Donnie rolled his eyes and hooted, slapping his fist into his palm. “You’re one lucky bastard, I’ll give you that.”

  “Yeah, well, right now? She’s screwing Jaxon. I just heard from my guy. I need something done.” I met Donnie’s gaze and the humor and awe slid from his features like water on a waxed car.

  “What exactly do you want done?” Before I could answer, Donnie rested his fingers on my forearm and shook his head. “You need to understand… once this is set up, you can’t call it off. You order something done and pay? That’s it. There’s no going back. Braddox. These guys won’t stop until the job is done. Whatever it is.” A hollow look in his eyes left me feeling cold, but I powered through. I wanted Olivia for my own. Jaxon was in the way of that.

  I always got what I wanted.

  Always.

  I nodded sharply. “Yeah, I know. I’ll send you details of when and where after I get everything straightened out. Get me the price and I’ll bundle up cash. Sound good?” Getting cash was as easy as breathing for me. Plus, the chance I might actually be able to have Olivia all to myself was worth more than double what I’d given her for a dance.

  “Okay, it’s your call. I’ll need everything emailed a few days before you want the job done. So, pick your timeframe and I’ll get the order in.” He folded his arms, his muscles flexing as he moved.

  I nodded in agreement and then tilted my head to the side as I considered him. “Whatever happened to Ryan? I haven’t seen him since that night.” Did I have a strong enough constitution to hear what had happened? I wasn’t sure.

  “Honestly? I had my way with him for the weekend and then turned him over to some associates. They sold him to a trafficking ring. We won’t hear from him again. I think he learned his lesson.” Donnie spoke glibly about something people just didn’t talk about. I nodded slowly, forcing my expression to stay neutral. “Got it. Did you hear about Stephanie?” I changed the topic as fast as I could.

  Donnie’s gaze hardened. “Yeah, the same group that took Ryan punished her. She didn’t stand a chance.” How did Donnie know the same people that Staci Stabler did?

  I furrowed my brow and nodded. “What did she do wrong?” I had to act like I didn’t care, but I did. She’d died while essentially under my protection. I was screwing her, that made her my problem. Even Donnie, though, hadn’t realized just how long I’d been banging Olivia’s friend.

  Donnie leaned in and glanced back at the men and then back to me. “She found out about the Stabler situation.”

  “What Stabler situation?” Staci’s last name was Stabler. What possible situation could Donnie be referring to?

  Donnie grinned and nudged Braddox with his shoulder. “Come on, man. Don’t be coy. You’ve been banging Staci. I mean, so has Shores and a lot of the surrounding areas but you can’t spend that kind of time with her and not know the things that her and her mom do. Right?” He squinted at me like maybe just maybe I actually could.

  And I could, but that wasn’t something I was going to reveal to him. I’d screwed Staci to scratch an itch, that was it. I didn’t have conversations with her or treat her as anything more than the hole she was.

  “Well, just so you know, she’s pretty messed up. Stephanie was sneaking around their house and caught the mother and daughter in a group thing with some guys from school. The mom’s security detail – which actually makes my guys look like preschoolers – were in the next room and they scared Stephanie. Stephanie ran out, ripping the mother’s hair from her head. I have no idea what happened after that except Staci hasn’t been back to school and the guys have been after Stephanie. They think she stole a car that belonged to Maria Ramirez. That’s what they shoved Stephanie’s body into and left her at the school. I wasn’t there for the rest of it.” He shrugged. Everything that should have scared him seemed to barely keep him from falling asleep.

  Whoa. Olivia had found Stephanie’s body. No wonder she’d been distant. Of course, it had nothing to do with what I’d done to her. What we had done was inevitable. Did you get mad at a storm coming across the horizon? No, you prepared for it and even found joy in its presence. That’s what Olivia would learn with what happened between her and me.

  “Sounds like I need to get closer to Staci than I thought.” I grinned and elbowed Donnie. “That girl is freaky. You’d probably like what she’s into.”

  Donnie laughed and glanced behind him again. “Look, I need to get going. Did you want to join us?” He looked at me like maybe, for once I’d swing that way. Just when I thought there was no way he was gay, he gave me eyes like he was giving me then.

  I carefully shook my head. “Nah, man. I need to set up some details for your guys. Maybe next time. I’m finding myself more and more interested in the potential you’ve been offering.” I didn’t need to tell Donnie the truth. I didn’t need to tell him that the only reason I hung around him was because of the information he had access to and the things he could do for me.

  I wasn’t friend of the year, so sue me.

  Excitement lit up the hollow look in Donnie’s eyes. “Yeah, that sounds ideal. Let me know beforehand and I’ll make sure I have some quality blow.” He winked and high-fived me as I turned back to the door. Donnie whistled under his breath and sauntered back to the hot tub, unaware of or maybe reveling in the predatory looks bestowed on him by the men in the water.

  I returned to the house. I still hadn’t gotten the security information from Jaxon that I’d set him on. At the rate I was going, I doubted I was really going to find what I wanted. Since I knew Donnie was occupied, I stole into the security room and used my phone to google how to access deleted files or edited files from the system he had.

  I wasn’t a brilliant techy like Jaxon, but I could google like no one’s business. I downloaded what I needed to and tucked the drive into my pocket. That mission over, I
could head home and finalize the plans for my revenge on Jaxon. If I had my way, he’d be out of the picture in the next few weeks.

  I believed in the power of threes. Stephanie had died and my mother. If I could send Jaxon on his way, that would be three.

  If Olivia wasn’t careful, she’d force me to make it four.

  Chapter 11

  Jaxon

  When I was upset with Olivia, it was easier keeping the information to myself about what I’d learned about the night of the party. I didn’t want to tell her about what I’d seen. I couldn’t help the guilt I felt about leaving her to Braddox at Donnie’s and not following her longer. I could have stayed. Part of why she’d been attacked had been because she was all alone.

  Not only was Staci attacked, Stephanie was as well, and Stephanie’s attacker completed what he set out to do. The worst part was, Stephanie had been set up.

  I scooted back on the bed and pulled my laptop higher on my lap as I stared at the screen. Since I’d identified the problem time frames and screens, I continued going back and forth between Stephanie’s attack and Olivia’s near-complete attack. I flipped between the two frames, scouring the scenes for more information, more details to arm myself with.

  My anger mounted and my hands shook. I had to lean my head back and close my eyes so I could take a calming breath.

  A knock on the door between Olivia’s room and mine brought a smile to my face, helping alleviate some of the pressure building inside me. I pressed pause on the video and pushed the laptop to the side, calling out to her. “Come in.”

  Olivia pushed the door open cautiously; her arms laden with a backpack full of papers poking from the partially opened zipper. “Hey, can I talk to you?”

  We hadn’t had a chance to see each other since the other day after the funeral and I was just as insecure about why as she looked about it. I nodded and smiled, motioning for her to come in.