Tainted Romance

by Simone Elise

  "I'm not going." The most understated sentence of the century. I could think of many more terms and words to add to it.

  I couldn't stop the glare I fired at Zane. Why the hell was he smiling?

  "Come on, sweetie, it will be fun." Taylor's sun-kissed face smiled at me. "Come on, Allie… please…"

  "I am not going to the fuck cabin with you." I crossed my arms. "Never."

  Zane was grinning, and I really wanted to slap it off his face. "My dad is expecting it."

  "We can't let the Alpha down," Taylor added.

  "I never agreed to go to the fuck hut with you." I pointed a finger at him. "And whatever happened to ‘this won't be long’? Huh?"

  Three weeks we have kept this up and it was killing me. Lying was hard; always having to think before I spoke. I hated it.

  "Well, maybe mom wants a grandson or granddaughter before I get my car."

  "Well, that won't be happening. I hope you like buses," I snapped and sharply turned on my heel hearing the last bell ring.

  "Calm down, Allie. Zane and Ebony are coming with us. We thought it could be a party weekend." Taylor slipped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side, while Zane walked on the other side of me.

  "Zane and Ebony? Well, doesn't that just sound like a fucking joyful time," I snapped.

  Ebony was and always will be a complete utter bitch who I often imagine stabbing with her extra tall high heels.

  "Look, it is all planned and it is going to be fucking awesome." Taylor smirked, and we stopped outside my classroom door. "I'll message you later, babe."

  "Don't you… I started, but before I could finish, Taylor planted a kiss on my lips.

  "See ya, babe." He winked before walking off. I glared at his back until he turned the corner. I would think of a way to get him back for this.

  "What are you doing?" I snapped at Zane who was still standing there.

  "Well, I was trying to get into the classroom, but there is this snappy bitch in my way," he grunted.

  Huffing, I turned on my heel and walked into the classroom. I had attempted to block out the fact we shared this class together.

  I took a seat at the back of the classroom and Zane, being the true prick he is, sat next to me.

  'I think Taylor really likes you.' Zane's voice flooded my mind.

  'Doubt that,' I snapped back into his mind.

  'I love seeing you squirm.' Zane didn't hide his amusement.

  'Are you really going to the cabin with us?'

  'You didn't really think I would let him take my mate to the fuck cabin?' His voice was filled with sharpness. 'Over my dead body.'

  Hearing the protection in his voice caused desire to burst through my body. At least I knew he didn't want to give me up - well, not completely.

  'I don't like it.' I looked at Zane, and it was one of the rare moments I enjoyed being able to speak to him internally instead of out loud, where others could hear. 'Pretending that he is my mate. At first, I dealt with it, but now it is really getting to me.'

  'That's because your wolf is fighting you. Just like mine is fighting me, for letting you.'

  I smiled slightly. 'If I'm being dragged off to the fuck hut, I am glad you are coming, at least that way Taylor won't be getting any ideas.'

  'Fucking right he won't be getting any ideas.' Zane's face flushed with rage.

  I hid my smirk and let my hair fall around my face, shielding the grin from his gaze.

  Chapter Eleven

  Taylor was the most frustrating person I had ever met. Perhaps all people were this annoying, and I just didn’t know because I spent very little time around them. Either way, Taylor was grating on my nerves, and right now my nerves were red and raw.

  I was ready to snap.

  “Do it again, and I will lean over and slam that face of yours into the sand,” I hissed across at him.

  If Taylor wasn’t smirking, he was usually gloating and right now he was doing both. He was gloating because he had managed to annoy me to the point of explosion and he was smirking watching my reaction.

  “Come on, Allie, it’s a lovely day,” he continued his pointless flirting.

  “I will kill you.” I was deadly serious.

  “No one else is covering up.” Taylor pointed out, his one and only point!

  “No one else has to put up with you either.”

  “Come on, show me that fine body of yours.”

  Come to the beach, Allie. It will be fun, Allie. Come on, Allie, everyone is going. I wanted to slap myself for letting him talk me into this.

  ‘Zane, you better come save your best friend before I kill him.’ I forced my words into Zane’s mind. He was playing volleyball, and I wouldn’t lie I had been stealing glances in his direction.

  He was shirtless, I was a female, it was impossible not to!

  ‘Kill him, it doesn’t bother me.’ Zane’s voice flooded my mind, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He was playing like I wasn’t talking in his head.

  My eyes flashed to Taylor when he dared to put his hand on my knee. ‘Zane, he is touching me. I swear to God, if you don’t come over here and get your friend, I will drown him in the sea,’ I roared my words into Zane’s mind while still glaring at Taylor.

  We leave for the cabin tomorrow, and why the hell I agreed to spend an extra day with him I didn’t know.

  “Get your hand off me.”

  I watched Taylor’s grin grew wider. “Come on, baby, don’t be mean to your man.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and that was it.

  “Ouch!” Taylor dodged my second punch, but at least I got a good one in.

  “Touch me again, and I’ll hit you harder.”

  ‘Seems to me you are handling him fine. Anyway, if it bothers you so much, stop pretending to be his mate.’ Zane’s voice flooded my mind, just in time for me to look up and catch his glance.

  ‘Fine. Don’t help me,’ I grunted back into his mind.

  Then I noticed the female on his team flirting with him and I saw red. No screw that, I saw blood red.

  “Allie?”

  I was too busy glaring at the female touching my mate to notice the sudden shadow being cast over me; then I looked up and, well, shit just got real.

  “Aaron?” My mouth hung open as I looked up at a guy I hadn’t seen in years.

  “Thought it was you, Allie, couldn’t miss that glare anywhere.” He flashed me a bright smile and ran a hand over his wet blonde hair. Water droplets covered his bare chest. He had grown up and filled out since I’d last seen him.

  “Aaron Wilson?” I got to my feet, dusting the sand off and grinning up at him. “Seriously?”

  “The one and only, Allie bear. Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize me?” He opened his arms, and I quickly jumped into them and hugged him tightly.

  Aaron Wilson was my next-door neighbor and best friend until he moved away four years ago. He had been my best friend since I was five and now I was looking at a grown man.

  We pulled apart, and I was still grinning like a mad woman. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back? Seriously, Aaron! You’re here!”

  I was overly excited, and that was an understatement.

  “I was going to stop by your house tonight.” He grinned, then looked awkward for a moment. “Didn’t know if you would still remember me.”

  “Aaron, I would never forget you!” I looked him up and down. “Although you have definitely changed; darn, Aaron, you grew up!”

  “Talk about yourself, Allie.” He smirked slightly. “So, you going to tell me who the guy is standing behind you, glaring at me?”

  Aaron was looking over my shoulder, and I spun around, but instead of seeing Taylor, it was Zane and Taylor.

  “Oh, it’s Taylor and, um, Zane.” I waved my hand and looked back at him.

  I was hoping that would be it, and the boys would take a hint and p
iss off, but like always Taylor wanted to make things awkward, and Zane lived to annoy me - funny how suddenly he was interested in my life.

  “I’m her boyfriend.” Taylor’s hand shot out, and Aaron stood a tad taller and shook it, glancing at me in the process.

  “Fake boyfriend,” I corrected him, and Aaron’s eyebrows rose at that. “It’s a long story. One I’m happy to tell you, tea tonight?”

  “Sounds good, Allie bear.” He smirked at me looking a lot happier. “So, who are you?” He nodded his head at Zane; Zane’s chest was raising slowly, his arms across his chest.

  “Zane. Her friend.” Zane’s words were tight, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

  ‘Drop the attitude, Zane,’ I snapped in his mind.

  “Ok,” Aaron drew the word out and looked between us.

  “Tonight, how about I pick you up at eight? We can do a late tea,” Aaron said.

  “We are leaving early tomorrow, remember, Allie?” Zane chooses now to pipe up.

  Right, we are going to the bloody cabin. I cringed internally.

  “Where you heading to?” Aaron asked.

  “We are going to this cabin in the woods for the long weekend.” The more I explained the situation, the more Aaron’s eyes flashed in understanding.

  “Right, well, I’m home for the week so we can catch up when you get back.” He glanced at the boys before giving me another smile. “See ya, Allie bear.” He gave me a wink, and I watched him walk off.

  Aaron Wilson.

  “So, he’s human,” Taylor stated openly and then looked at me with this taunting smile. “You like a human.”

  “No, I don’t,” I huffed at him. “He was just an old friend.”

  Zane’s eyes were burning holes through my soul. I needed to get away from him and his judgmental eyes.

  “So, are we going swimming then or what?” I snapped at Taylor and reached for the hem of my dress, ripping it off.

  Taylor was checking me out, and wasn’t even pretending to hide it. “I’ll follow you anywhere, sweetheart.”

  I dropped my dress to the sand, my eyes meeting Zane’s for a split second. I saw the red raw desire in his eyes - his wolf was looking at his property. I knew that look and feeling, because my wolf had been reeling for control when he was jumping around all sweaty and topless before.

  Taylor couldn’t stop himself from grabbing my hand and walking hand in hand to the ocean. As soon as the waves were above our waists, I stomped on his foot.

  Taylor muttered a curse word, and I couldn’t stop myself from smirking at his pained face.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you, boyfriend, love hurts.” I winked at him before splashing him.

  “You’re going down, girlfriend!” he yelled at me, as I swam off.

  ‘If he touches you, tell me, and I’ll be there in a minute.’ Zane’s voice flittered through my mind.

  ‘What do you care?’

  ‘It’s not easy watching you swim around half naked, looking like sex on a stick, with my best friend.’ Zane’s voice had rage in it as it flashed across my mind.

  I looked across the waves at my mate; standing at the edge of the water glaring at us. Taylor was too busy splashing me to notice.

  Chapter Twelve

  ZANE

  If you were wondering what was on my thoughts, well there is the answer - Zane.

  Whom was sitting in the backseat, joking with Ebony, the bitch from hell. Ebony was wrapped under Zane’s arm, which no I didn’t hate, I despised.

  Taylor was driving and humming to the radio, off tune mind you. I had the amazing pleasure of sitting in the front also.

  There were three seats in the back, so could someone bloody tell me why the hell she had to sit in the middle and be under his arm? Really, am I the only one with this question.

  By the time we reached the cabin I wasn’t in a bad mood, I was in a foul one, and Taylor had clearly picked up on it because not once did he try and pick on me.

  Five long hours in the car with three dipsticks would wear anyone’s temper thin.

  Blake had made it his mission to keep sending me taunting messages which I suppose only made this whole thing worse.

  Zane, Ebony, and Taylor were all friends. Until a short time ago, I was an invisible blob to them.

  “Allie, you planning on getting off that phone, or are you just going to keep ignoring me?” Taylor grunted.

  I glanced up from my phone, after reading yet another message from Blake. Taylor was at the back of the car unloading the bags. Ebony and Zane were nowhere in sight, which left Taylor no choice but to look to me for help.

  “Um, sorry.” I slipped my phone in my jeans pocket and helped him unload the car.

  I shifted two bags on my shoulders and dragged a suitcase behind me, following Taylor up to the cabin.

  A big wooden old cabin, hidden in the hills; excluded for obvious reasons.

  “So, there are only two rooms.” Ebony bounced down the stairs, Zane following. They had already been inside.

  “Well, girls in one and boys in the other.” Taylor dropped the bags he was carrying on the porch.

  “I don’t think so,” I snapped. No way was I sharing a room with little miss evil. She would kill me, or I would kill her.

  “I agree with her.” Ebony crossed her arms and, for the first time today, acknowledged I existed.

  “Well, I’m not sleeping on the couch.” Taylor shook his head. “No way. Not happening.”

  “I’ll share with Zane.” Ebony smiled and flashed him a wink.

  Oh. Fuck. No.

  “Not happening.” I dropped the bag off my shoulder, which I was sure was hers, on the porch. “You can sleep with Taylor. I’m sharing a room with Zane.”

  “Why would you want to share a room with Zane?” Ebony’s eyebrows rose, with way too much interest.

  “Because I can’t trust Taylor to not feel me up and Zane on the other hand, hates me.” I shrugged my shoulders, downplaying it like the world’s best actress.

  “I find that a bit unfair since you are pretending to be Taylor’s mate after all.” Ebony crossed her arms, leaning back on those dangerously tall high heels of hers. “How about Zane decides?” Her head flittered over to Zane.

  My eyes were on him and when he didn’t say anything I wanted to reach for the nearest branch and whack him with it.

  “Well then, Zane?” Ebony prompted him.

  ‘Be too hard to sleep in the same room as you.’ Zane’s voice flashed in my mind before he spoke out loud.

  “I’ll crash with Ebony.” He picked up his bag and hers, before walking back into the cabin - Ebony, of course, following, grinning with victory.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not the type of guy that likes to feel up a sleeping lady.” Taylor winked at me.

  I wanted to kick something, that something being Zane.

  Fine, he could sleep with her. Share a room with her, whatever. I wouldn’t let them think I cared; I wouldn’t give Ebony the pleasure.

  I had planned on just getting through the weekend. Ignore Taylor and sneak looks at Zane, but my plan had changed.

  My whole mission for this weekend now was that I wasn’t going to ignore Taylor. I was going to give him every bit of my attention, and while doing that, I was going to ignore Zane and Ebony.

  If Zane thought sharing a room with me was going to be hard, then he was about to get a very rude awakening.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Time was slowly ticking by, and it seemed that every minute that passed I was making more of a mess of the situation, not to mention Taylor was more than keen on anything I suggested. So, when I suggested a dip in the hot tub, he didn’t even have to think about agreeing.

  Then when I suggested a drink, he agreed.

  When he suggested twenty questions, I agreed.

  Then when he kissed me, I kissed him back and now here we were. My arms linked around his neck, his fingers
running down my back, and our lips locked.

  It started suddenly, and it ended just as suddenly because my empty mind was filled with a raging mad man’s voice.

  ‘STOP IT.’ Zane’s words scorched my mind, and I pulled away from Taylor straight away, my eyes darting up and landing on Zane standing coolly a mere meter away next to Ebony.

  Taylor’s eyes opened, and his eyebrows furrowed together, but he soon realized why I had stopped when Ebony stepped into his line of sight.

  “We thought we would join you two, but it seems we might be crashing the party.” Ebony’s hazel eyes sparkled with amusement.

  I broke away from Taylor and moved back to sit across from him.

  “Not at all.” Taylor shook his head then ran a hand through his wet hair. His eyes snapped to mine for a moment before he looked away; just like me, he was questioning what had just happened.

  Ebony got into the tub first, followed by Zane. I couldn’t take my eyes off the water. I couldn’t look in his direction as I felt ashamed of what just happened, but it happened so quickly, and, at the time, I was just trying everything in my power to forget about Zane.

  It seemed locking lips with Taylor had done that. I could barely remember my name when we were kissing; it was like my mind had gone blank.

  A splash of water caused me to snap back into the moment. Taylor was looking at me amused, head tilted to the side. Clearly, I had missed something.

  “You aren’t listening are you, Allie?” Taylor smirked.

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “Ebony asked if we wanted to go for a run?”

  I hadn’t been for a run in a while, and I had never seen Zane’s wolf. “Sounds like a good idea.” I shot her a tight smile. “Perhaps the best one you have ever had.”

  Ebony stifled a laugh and kissed Zane’s cheek. “I actually think it was my second good idea today.”

  Just don’t kill her, Allie. I calmed myself down, watching her kiss my mate. My heart squeezed for a moment, and she might as well have had her polished manicured hand squeezing it.

  I tore my eyes off them and looked back at Taylor. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the wolf side of you, Taylor.”