Treacherous: Twisted Youth #1

by Chloe Walsh

  Reluctantly, I shoved the carton an inch closer to my uncle and I did so with as little enthusiasm as humanly possible before resuming my post of ignoring the enemy.

  The jackass had grounded me for the duration of my Christmas holidays – and had even taken two weeks leave from work to observe me. The stipulations of my punishment included not leaving the house, no sleepovers, and the confiscation of my car-keys, phone and laptop. Max also made it perfectly clear that I was to have absolutely no contact of the physical form with the boy next door, be it fighting or fondling – his actual words.

  So I'd basically spent the past two weeks staring out the window longingly. I hadn’t seen Noah since that night and the only thing keeping me slightly sane was the fact that he'd knocked on my front door every single day. I thought it was pretty great of him considering Max always answered and hurled abuse at him. But Noah always told him the same thing; you can try to keep her from me, but I'm not going anywhere…

  On the upside, Max's emergency leave was up and he was due back at the hospital today.

  On the downside, the tension between us now was palpable and I knew in my heart and soul that we'd lost a part of our relationship that could never be repaired or replaced…

  I was mentally counting down the minutes until Max left for work. I didn’t want to be around him anymore – not since the words 'I have absolutely no intentions of wasting my life raising another kid that's not mine' came out of his mouth two weeks ago. Betrayed didn’t even begin to explain how I felt around him now.

  "For a girl who turned eighteen last week your behavior is incredibly juvenile," Max muttered and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from shouting out a string of F-bombs that would only prove how juvenile I truly was.

  "No need to remind me about my fabulous eighteenth," I replied sarcastically. "It was such a joyous occasion." Not really, since I spent the entire day in bed feeling sorry for myself.

  "I'm due back at work today," he said. "But don’t for one moment think that changes the stipulations of your punishment…I'm speaking to you, Teagan," he snarled in a condescending tone and I snapped.

  I'd had all I could take.

  "I'm eighteen now, Max," I hissed, glaring across the table at the man I'd once worshipped. "And luckily for me that means you don’t get to tell me what to do anymore."

  "While you're living under my roof I do," he shot back, cheeks flushed.

  "Maybe I should move back home and live under my own roof," I tossed back angrily.

  "Well then maybe you should," Max growled before letting out a heavy sigh.

  Shaking his head he stood slowly and picked up his mug. "You may not believe this, Teagan, but I'm doing this for your own good."

  "Doing what?" I snapped. "Tossing me out on the streets. Gee, thanks a bunch."

  Max sighed heavily. "No one is tossing anyone out. Teagan, all I'm trying to do is protect you from making the same mistakes your mother did," he told me. "With that waste of space."

  My hackles rose. "Patrick Connolly may not be your cup of tea, Uncle Max, but he's still my father – my flesh and blood."

  I hated my dad for what he'd done, for the absolute fucking agony of not having my mother in my life every day, but he was still my dad. The bond was still there, buried deep, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit here and listen to Max talk shit about him. And comparing me to my mother was just sick.

  "And he's still the reason your mother is in a grave," Max spat as he stalked towards the door. "Four years today, Teagan. December thirty-first that man you call your father put my sister in her grave." He let out a shaky breath. "Don’t make the same mistakes she did… seeing that boy could put you in yours."

  "Noah is a good person," I all but screamed as tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t need Max reminding me what day it was. I was fully aware New Year's Eve was my mother's fourth anniversary.

  "Ask Noah who his father is," Max snarled. "Or better yet, ask him what price is on his head."

  "I know who his dad was," I shot back, furious. Closing my eyes, I inhaled slowly and tried to keep calm. "I know enough about him to know he's who I want to be with."

  The sound of the front door slamming provided me with a miniscule amount of relief though the damage was done and I felt truly shattered.

  Climbing to my feet, I hurried up the stairs and reached my bed before the tears flooded me.

  Dammit, I hated New Year's Eve…

  ****

  Noah

  I watched from my living room window as Teagan's uncle stormed out of their house before tearing off in his car. Miraculously, Ellie and George were still away and – according to a text I'd received from Ellie – wouldn’t be back until school resumed.

  My heart hammered in my chest as I watched his Focus drive out of sight.

  This was it, the moment I'd spent the past two weeks waiting for, only now I was suddenly nervous.

  Shit, what if Teagan didn’t want to see me as badly as I wanted to see her – needed to see her. Hell, it had been two weeks since we'd slept together. What if she regretted it – regretted me…

  I stood at the window, freaking the hell out of myself, relaying to myself everything that could possibly go wrong until the sky turned dark and the street lamps came on.

  Across the street, Low's house was lit up like the fourth of July and I knew just how much food I'd be consuming and alcohol I'd be swiping if I walked across the street and joined the Carter's New Year's Eve party – I'd been to the previous four – but the gorgeous blonde in the house next door kept my feet firmly on this side of the street.

  Dammit, I needed to see her.

  I had to.

  I couldn’t wait a minute longer.

  Inhaling a deep breath I straightened my shoulders and made my way next door.

  ****

  Teagan

  "Why are you crying, Thorn?" Noah's voice penetrated the silence and I stilled.

  My bedroom door creaked shut and I felt the mattress dip beside me seconds before his warm hand press against my cheek, wiping away my tears.

  "Please stop crying," he whispered. Wrapping an arm around my waist, Noah pulled me flush against him. His thumb brushed over one of my eyelids and then the other.

  Sniffling, I forced myself to stop crying and open my eyes. The moonlight pouring through my bedroom window highlighted Noah's beautiful face, his eyes were black as night, and I scrambled closer to him, the need to touch him almost unbearable.

  "Happy tears?" he asked in a soft tone as he stroked my cheek.

  "No," I replied. "I got into a fight with Max earlier and today is…my mom's anniversary." I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly. "New Year's Eve is the one day of every year that truly gets to me."

  "On a brighter note," Noah husked and I sagged in relief. He got it. He got me… "There's something in the kitchen that needs naming."

  "What?" I stared at Noah and tried to gauge his expression, but the guy had an excellent poker-face.

  I tried to down play my burning curiously but that lasted all of five seconds before I leapt off the bed and scrambled out of my room. Rushing down the staircase, I skidded to a halt when I reached the kitchen door. When I saw what was in there my jaw dropped.

  "Well?" Noah chuckled, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "It's not the same as your old one, but it was the best I could get. The guy in the shop said a Gibson was the next best thing – what do you think?"

  "I think it's a guitar?" I gaped at six-string and then at Noah's beautiful face. "Noah, why did you buy this for me?"

  "I bought it for you because I'm the reason Ellie smashed your…Martin," he told me, smirking on the last word. "Happy birthday, Thorn."

  ****

  "I want to keep you," Noah whispered hours later as we lay on my bed, so quietly I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to hear.

  I opened my eyes and stared into his.

  "If I could wrap you up and lock you away – keep you someplace safe wher
e nothing and no one could touch you then I would. I just want to have you, Teagan."

  "I missed you these past few weeks," I choked out as I lay on my side clutching the front of his hoodie, gripping it tightly. "I mean I really, really missed you, Noah," I admitted, feeling better now that he was with me. "Like desperately missed you. I mean, how messed up is that – I've spent the last six months forcing myself to believe that I hate you and now…" I paused and let out a shaky breath. "And now that I've admitted the truth to myself – how I really feel about you – I feel like I'm…"

  "Drowning?" he offered before pressing a kiss to my lips, causing my whole body to spark to life. "I know the feeling, Thorn," Noah husked. "There wasn’t a thing I could do to stop you from getting inside me," he added in a gruff tone. "You just were. You came. You…stayed."

  There was something incredibly sexy about a man with strength – a man who could express himself. I could see the strength in Noah's brown eyes. I heard it often in his words, I felt it every time he touched me. I wanted to feel how that strength felt inside me again…

  "I want to remember this moment forever," I breathed, feeling right for the first time in weeks. "Being here…how it feels…how it smells, the taste of you, the weather." I curled my toes up and sighed in contentment. "I think I'm quite possibly falling in love with you."

  "Jesus, Teagan, don’t say it if you don’t mean it," Noah warned me in a hoarse tone as he clutched my body to his. "Not that…don't say it if you're not categorically sure."

  "Categorically?" I rose my brows and smirked. "Swallow the dictionary before you called over, Noah?"

  "I'm serious," he growled.

  "So am I," I teased.

  Rolling me onto my back, Noah leaned over me, eyes hard and locked on mine. "Don’t mess with me, Teagan," he husked. "Not about something like that."

  "I wasn’t…" I whispered, feeling suddenly anxious. Raising my hand, I cupped his face. "I'm not messing with you, Noah," I heard myself saying. "I meant every word."

  It was the truth.

  I meant it.

  Holy shit, it was the truth….

  I closed my eyes and inhaled a slow calming breath before I spoke. "I shouldn’t have said that."

  "Yes, you should," Noah countered, pressing a kiss to my nose. "If you meant it…"

  "I meant it. Oh sweet Jesus, I meant it," I hissed, feeling incredibly vulnerable. "Shit, I love you."

  Noah laughed and I opened my eyes and glared at him.

  "Stop laughing at me, asshole," I growled. "I just told you I love you. This is serious."

  "I know," he husked. "Can't you feel how happy you've made me?"

  Noah pressed his bulging erection against my thigh and I clenched my eyes shut before letting out a whimper. "Oh dear god, it's too soon for that kind of talk…"

  "Says who? The media, Dr Phil, your uncle?" Noah chuckled before dropping his mouth to my neck. "Love doesn’t have a specific time-frame, baby," he husked as he trailed kisses up and down my skin.

  "Well, it should," I moaned as I writhed under him. The weight of Noah's body on mine was ecstasy and I was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. His lips had that effect on me. "And stop calling me…baby."

  "You said in," Noah whispered as he held himself above me, smiling down at me. "You said you're in love with me."

  My cheeks reddened. "Yeah, so?"

  "That's the most important word," he told me gently.

  "Wow," I teased. "You're sprouting more crap than usual."

  Noah smirked and pressed a kiss to my lips. "You love your uncle, right?" he asked.

  I nodded. Max was an ass but I loved him…

  Noah's smile widened. "You've loved your pets, maybe a favorite teacher or a certain brand of candy." Frowning, Noah husked, "You've used those three words at some time or another to describe those objects and people?"

  I nodded again as heat crept up my neck.

  "Which of those have you loved?" he asked me as he brushed his nose against mine.

  "All of them at some stage, I guess," I replied.

  "Exactly," Noah said with a smile. "But which one of them are you in love with – or have you ever been in love with?"

  "None," I admitted.

  "That's because of the in, Thorn…"

  The alarm on my phone went off, signaling the start of a brand new year and I smiled up at the boy next door. "Happy new year, Noah."

  "Happy new year, Teagan." Noah bent his head and pressed his lips to mine. "And for what it's worth, my in belongs to you," he whispered.

  "It does?" I asked, barely breathing as my heart hammered in my chest.

  "Of course." Noah scorched me with a kiss that ignited a fire that burned a hole right through the center of my heart. "You're my thorn," he rasped between kisses. "If you leave me, I'll bleed out."

  ****

  Chapter 21

  Teagan

  New Year's Day and the remaining week of our Christmas holidays passed in a beautifully snowy – yes, it snowed – blur, and consisted mostly of stolen moments of passion and intimacy between me and the boy next-door.

  Noah would either sneak over here when my uncle went to work, or if Max was home I'd wait for him to fall asleep before sneaking outside and meeting Noah in his car. Thankfully, Noah's so-called family stayed away and we were able to remain in our little bubble for a little longer. With George out of town, Noah's knuckles were in semi-retirement mode which was absolutely fine by me. I didn’t want him fighting anyway.

  I was slowly coming around to the idea that I adored the tattooed muscle head next-door. It was a terrifying feeling, though, because I'd been in love before – with Liam – but the…burning intensity and hunger I felt for Noah was pungent. It was smothering, overwhelming and completely enthralling and to be honest I was pretty sure I'd never be the me I was before I met him again…

  My stomach felt like it was going to fall out of my butt as I walked into English class on Monday morning. The prospect of seeing Noah without sneaking around – and as an official couple – had my stomach twisting in knots. I was both nervous and excited as I scanned the classroom for his familiar face.

  I spotted Noah's empty desk and my heart sank.

  It sank even further when I noticed who had recovered from his chicken pox epidemic.

  Jason grinned at me, waggled his eyebrows, and I wanted to gag.

  Oh god…

  ****

  "They hate me," I told Hope as we walked through the cafeteria towards our usual table. "I'm serious, Hope. I can never show my face inside your front door again."

  "Stop being such a drama queen," Hope chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "My parents do not hate you. They've had weeks to get over it – and they have. So stop being a baby and call over sometime. I really want you to meet Jordan – clothed."

  I slumped down on the chair beside Ash and let out a heavy sigh. "Do you think it's possible for a person to die of embarrassment?"

  "Depends on the circumstances surrounding the case," Ash shot back in an amused tone.

  "Oh, well how about Hope's entire family catching me stark naked – with the exception of my knickers – and underneath Noah back at Christmas. Does that constitute as a good enough reason or should I add my uncle throwing a conniption fit to the list?"

  "You and Noah?" Ash squealed, dropping her spoon onto the table. "When…how…where?"

  "The how I'm still unsure of," Hope chuckled as she took a seat opposite us. "But the when was a few weeks ago and the where was my couch."

  Ash's eyes gleamed with delight. "You little skank."

  "Yes," I mumbled, casting Hope an evil glare. "I'm all of that and more."

  "So what does this mean?" Ash demanded excitedly. "Are you two, you know, a couple now?"

  "Yeah," I muttered, red-faced. "But I thought he'd be here today and he's not…I hope…it's just…ugh god, this sucks." I buried my head in my hands and groaned. "I'm so confused. He makes me so confused an
d flustered. I don’t feel normal."

  "Well you are," Hope cackled. "You're having a normal reaction. Just a perfectly normal teenage girl – whose hormones are raging – reaction to her hot teenage boyfriend – with equally raging hormones...err…hey Noah."

  My entire body froze and Hope's whole face reddened as a pair of strong hands clamped me under my arms and lifted me out of my chair.

  The sound of cat calls and wolf whistles was drowned out by the frantic beat of my pulse as Noah turned me in his arms and crushed his lips to mine. He did that thing with his tongue bar and I was putty in his hands.

  I could hear people whispering loudly around me, I could feel eyes boring into my skull as the majority of students were lapping up the gossip we were providing for them, and in that moment I couldn't have cared less. The rest of the world seemed to slip away when he was this close to me.

  "I could eat you," he whispered against my mouth. "You smell fucking awesome."

  I knew we were in the middle of the cafeteria, with a fully seated audience, but in that instant wild horses couldn’t have dragged me away from him. "Where were you this morning?" I asked against his lips.

  "I overslept," he husked. "This little nymph next-door kept me up half the night. But I'm here now."

  Noah's hands moved to my waist, tugging me closer as he sat on the table with me facing him on his lap. "Let's get out of here," he purred, his voice seductive and his offer extremely enticing. "We need to talk about something."

  "Can't," I breathed. "I have a practical test in biology after lunch. We're dissecting a cow's heart."

  "I'll test you," he husked. "I'll give you a practical lesson in human reproduction."

  "Noah…"

  "And I'll give you an A plus," he teased. "I'm very thorough. All you have to do is bend over and spread your…"