“Nothing about what you do gets me hard, Fury.” I flip him the bird before falling down on one of the massive worn leather couches and tipping my bottle to my lips.
“This fucking blows,” Rich says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Whose idea was it not to invite the rest of the fucking squad.”
“Mine,” Chelsea announces as she waddles into the room with her hand on her round belly. “This vacation isn’t a fucking orgy.” She flicks a deadly look between Justin and Rich. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves to chill out.”
“We could enjoy ourselves just fine with Aria and Marissa here.”
“You’re a dog.”
“Says the pregnant cheer captain.”
Shane shifts to the edge of the couch he’s sitting on, ready to jump to his girl’s defense but it seems it’s not necessary. I guess Chelsea doesn’t have the rep she does for nothing.
“At least I’m getting some.”
“Oh burn,” Ethan booms.
Despite Justin and Rich’s almost constant moaning about the lack of girls, we have a pretty good night.
The place is stocked with everything all of us could need for the week, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think Zayn and Ash might have had a point about getting out of Rosewood and clearing my head.
We spend our days working out in the state-of-the-art gym in the basement and hanging with the girls around the pool. Even the guys stop moaning eventually, finally getting bored of their own voices.
Ash and I sit down with Jake to talk through next year, it seems that Jake has Ash pinned for next year’s captain and he talks to me as if I’m going to be in a position to be worried about this shit. But I learned long ago not to count my chickens before they’ve hatched, so I’ll just take each day as it comes and roll with the punches.
Hanging out with these guys, it’s easy to forget where I’ve come from or what I’ve been through but the reality is that I have a record and a parole officer keeping an eye on everything I do. My life is a world away from the privilege most of these guys know.
I get daily updates from Stella to let me know that Harley is okay. But with every day that passes my hope of being able to salvage anything between us lessens as she still refuses to even read my messages.
My feelings about it must be obvious because even Poppy and Ruby start being nice to me by day three at the cabin. I know I look like a miserable motherfucker but the fact they’re taking pity on me after what I did tells me it could be worse than I thought.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Ruby asks when we find ourselves alone in the living area.
I scrub my hand over my face, sweep my fingers through my hair before placing my cap back on my head. “Is it that obvious?”
“Just a bit. You miss her.” This time, it’s not a question. There’s no point.
“Yeah. I’m kinda used to it though. I’ve always been on the periphery when it comes to her. I stayed at arm’s length because of Zayn and then… well…” I trail off because I know they know the truth about everything. “I stupidly thought that night was my chance. If I’d have known how badly it would have fucked everything up, I might have thought differently about it.”
“You weren’t to know.”
“I guess not. But still, I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life for what went down that night. I should have known what he’d done. I should have got her out of there before it got out of hand.”
She reaches over and squeezes my forearm.
“It wasn’t your fault. Just give her some time. Something tells me that she’ll come around.”
“Really?” I ask, sounding a little too hopeful.
“Ky,” she sighs. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that my best friend can be as stubborn as an ox when she wants to be. Just bide your time. The perfect moment to tell her how you really feel will present itself. And, it might even be sooner than you think.” As she says the words, I watch guilt pass over her face.
“What are you hiding?” I ask, not wanting to beat around the bush when it comes to Harley.
“N-nothing,” she stutters, looking anywhere but in my eyes.
“Is she coming here?” My heart rate picks up at the thought of seeing her walk through the door to join her friends.
“No. Forget I said anything.” Before I get a chance to start begging her for information, she’s up and out of the room.
Pulling my cell from my pocket, I shoot Stella a message to check in before shoving it back in my pants. I’ve stopped messaging Harley. Each one goes unread so I’ve decided that until she allows me to talk to her face to face then I’m going to hold back on everything else I want to say to her.
We’re all sitting in the living room later that night shooting the shit, but while everyone else seems to be relaxed and enjoying themselves, I’m wound up like a fucking spring.
I can’t help thinking that everyone knows something I don’t. Not only does Ruby keep shooting me weird looks, but Ash, Zayn, Poppy, and even Amalie and the other girls are doing the same, not to mention that when someone goes to the kitchen to grab drinks, no fucker gets one for me.
I’m starting to think that either they’ve decided I’m not welcome anymore or there’s something going on that I’m not privy to.
I’m just about to get up to get my own fucking beer when the front door crashes open.
A couple of sets of eyes turn to me before everyone looks to the door.
My heart is in my throat as I wait for whoever it is to emerge.
Heels click on the polished wooden floor and my need to get up and go and find out the truth for myself damn near gets the better of me.
I’m on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding in my chest when a shadow falls over the doorway and then a familiar body appears.
The breath I didn’t know I was holding rushes out of me as I lock eyes with a blue pair I wasn’t expecting.
“Stella? Is she here?” I ask, not caring what everyone around me will think about my desperation for my girl.
“Fuck yeah, get your ass over here, baby girl,” Rich shouts, holding his arms out and making grabby gestures with his hands.
Stella rips her eyes from mine and pins him with a look that he really should be scared of.
“I’d probably snap your tiny cock in half, bro,” she sasses as everyone in the room except me and Rich fall about laughing.
“It’s not actually small. Chels, tell them,” he whines.
A ripple of tension flows through the room as Shane curls his fists at his sides, but all Chelsea does is throw her head back and laughs harder for a few seconds.
“You’re asking the wrong girl to come to your defense, tiny.” She winks, holding her forefinger and thumb a couple of centimeters apart. “You need advice on which one of the singles will show you a good time, you come and see me, girl.” She smiles at Stella before planting her lips on Shane to try to placate him. It clearly works because not two seconds later does he relax under her kiss and his unclenched hands slip under her tank.
Shaking my head at the two of them, I turn back to Stella.
“Shall we?” she asks, her eyes trained on mine for a beat before she turns and disappears from sight.
I look at Ruby, needing to know if this was what she was talking about earlier but all she does is smile sweetly as I walk through the room.
Stella’s leaning back against the counter with a bottle of water in her hand, making herself at home, when I find her a few seconds later in the kitchen.
“What the fuck is going on?”
37
Harley
I wake from probably the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had. I have no idea what time it is but the bedroom is still totally dark and the cabin is in blissful silence.
It’s safe to say that I freaked the fuck out when she started heading toward the mountains.
But as promised, we didn’t head to where the team was.
Although I’
d tried to avoid my cell, or more so the messages that are sitting on it from Kyle, I’d caved to my need to look at Instagram, although I regretted it the second I did because I discovered that while I turned down the invitation to join them in their giant cabin, that Kyle hadn’t because while I was miserable and missing him more than I’d ever admit, he was there enjoying himself. He was smiling in every single picture I found of him and it made my heart hurt worse with every one I saw.
I want him to be happy, of course I do. But I’m not sure I want him to find that happiness with my group of friends when I’ve been left behind.
I blow out a slow breath.
I have no idea where the location of their cabin is, I’ve refrained from looking up how close we might be to each other right now. I don’t need that kind of temptation.
Reaching for my cell, I wake it up and check the time.
It’s past lunch. Jesus.
The two days we’ve had here have been beyond perfect.
I have no idea how she managed it, but the kitchen was fully stocked with all the food and drink we could possibly need and the log fire in the living area was already burning when we arrived.
This place really is a slice of heaven with its huge couches, massive wraparound porch complete with day bed, and hot tub overlooking the forest below.
When I get downstairs, I find that despite the silence, Stella is already awake and reading her Kindle in front of the fire with a mug of coffee.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” she says when I drop down onto the couch opposite her. “How are you feeling?”
“So much better.” The wounds from my ordeal are still there and will be for a few days yet, but they’re healing and my body is aching less with every day that passes. Even my head is beginning to feel a little more stable thanks to Stella.
“Good, I’m glad.” She smiles softly at me, and I’m once again reminded of how grateful I am that she gave me a chance when she usually runs away from making friends.
“It’s this place. It’s like it has magical healing powers.”
“Yeah?” she asks, a hopeful look appearing in her gorgeous blue eyes.
“How couldn’t it? You’ve seen it.” I gesture around the cozy interior.
“Yeah, I never want to leave.”
“You and me both. You want another coffee?”
“Please.”
I take her mug before walking through to the kitchen and making us both a fresh one.
“What’s the plan for the day?” I ask when I rejoin her. I don’t know why I ask, we agreed on the journey here that we were going to do absolutely nothing, and that was more than fine by me.
“I need to pop out, we’ve almost run out of logs.” She flicks a look to the fire.
When we first arrived, the alcove beside it was full of wood, but it’s all almost gone.
“I thought you said there was enough for our entire stay,” I enquire. She had organized everything so well that it surprises me that we’ve just run out.
“There’s more outside, but it’s damp. The welcome pack gives an address for a place for dry stuff. Thought I’d go check it out.”
“Okay. I can come.”
“Nope. You are staying put.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Stella pins me with one of her looks and my lips slam shut instantly.
“You can cook. There are ingredients in the fridge for lasagna.”
“Okay, I can do that,” I concede, although I’m not happy about it.
It’s hours later when Stella finally makes a move to leave the cabin. She insisted on showering and applying a full face of makeup before stepping foot out the front door. I started to wonder if she was sneaking out on a hot date not just heading for wood.
“I’ll leave the front door unlocked,” she says when she comes to a stop in the living room.
“Okay. Once I’ve finished dinner, I might jump into the hot tub.”
“I won’t be too long.”
Only minutes later she’s gone and the cabin becomes even quieter.
I grab my AirPods from the table, press play on my favorite playlist, and I make a start on the lasagna.
I wiggle my hips in time with the music and sing my heart out, feeling lighter than I have in a long time.
Once the lasagna is assembled and just needs a blast in the oven, I clean up the kitchen, still rolling my hips in time with the music before heading to my room to change into my bikini to hit the tub.
I wasn’t as organized as Stella—partly due to not knowing where we were going—so I don’t have my Kindle, but I found a healthy supply of smutty romance books on the bookcase in the dining room, so I grab the one I’m halfway through along with my cell and I make my way down toward the porch to watch the sun go down behind the trees.
I glance at the clock on the wall as I pass the kitchen and notice just how much time has passed since Stella left.
Concern washes through me, and I check my cell to see if she’s tried to call.
Finding nothing, I hit call on her number.
“Hey,” she answers immediately. “I’ll be back soon. I got lost and then started chatting to the guy at the wood place.”
“Stell, have you snagged yourself a mountain man?” I tease.
“I haven’t been gone that long.”
“Long enough,” I mutter jokingly. “Seriously, if he’s that hot, stay longer. I’m good here.”
“I appreciate that, but seriously, I’ll be there soon. Dinner done?”
“Yep, just waiting for its diners. I’m just about to hit the tub.”
“So get off the phone, and go and enjoy.”
“Okay, okay, I’m going. See you soon.”
I’m just about to hang up when she stops me. “Har?”
“Yeah?”
“Uh… nothing. I’ll see you soon.”
My brows pull together as I repeat our short conversation in my head. Something doesn’t feel right about this.
Telling myself that I’m just reading into everything too much, I pull the refrigerator open and grab myself a soda.
I’m almost at the door when I notice that the fire has almost gone out.
Placing everything down on the side, I head over to put a couple more logs on.
I’m still poking at the embers, trying to get it to take when car tires crunch against the gravel out the front of the cabin.
“Come on, you fucker,” I moan at the fire.
It’s been mostly Stella’s job since we got here and she makes keeping it going look so easy, but I’m thinking that might just be another of her hidden skills because it’s clearly not that simple.
The front door opens and footsteps head my way, although I’m too distracted to realize they don’t sound the same as the ones that left a few hours ago.
“How do you keep this fucking thing alight? I swear it hates me.”
When she doesn’t answer, I push from the floor and turn around to see what’s the issue.
I gasp in shock when I don’t find Stella looking back at me but the one person I’ve been fighting to get out of my head.
“What are you doing here?” I snap, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. But I can’t deny the heat that floods my body as I stare at him. As always, his cap is sitting on his head, his angular face still showing signs of the fight, but it’s his eyes that capture me. They are their usual light blue but there are shadows lingering behind them, regret maybe, and he looks like he hasn’t slept since I turned him away.
Shaking my head, I push all those thoughts away. No good can come from thinking of that night.
His lips part to respond but no words come out.
“Stella set me up, didn’t she?” I seethe, disbelief flowing through me. I fucking trusted her.
“Yeah, but don’t be mad at her. She’s trying to help.”
“Where is she?” I ask, forcing my concern for my friend to the forefront.
“She’s at the cabin with the guys. We’ve swapped.�
�
I rush to the window and look out at the driveway, finding Stella’s Porsche parked exactly where it was earlier.
“She’s… you’ve… fuck.”
He watches me warily as I pace the short length of the living room.
“Kyle, I—”
“No,” he says, stepping up to me and forcing me to stop marching.
I try to move away but he reaches out and wraps his hands around my upper arms.
“I need you to hear me out.”
“No, I don’t need to do anything. I told you, we’re done. You shouldn’t be here. You should go back to the cabin. I don’t want you here.”
“You’re lying,” he states, stepping closer until the heat of his body seeps through the robe that’s loosely tied around my middle.
“I told you, Kitten, I always know when you’re lying.” A smirk pulls at his lips.
“Not this time.”
He stares at me, tension crackling between us. My body is desperate to lean into his heat, his touch. But I fight it.
He chuckles and all it does is kick my irritation levels up a notch.
I swallow, allowing myself a second or two to gather my thoughts. With him so close and his scent filling my nose, it makes it hard to form a thought, let alone conjure up an argument.
He releases my arm before I get to say a word, and for the briefest moment, I wonder if he’s going to concede.
I should know better.
“Your eye twitches,” he says softly, pressing one fingertip to the side of my eye.
I flinch at his burning touch and move to take a step back, but his fingers tighten on my arm, keeping me in place.
His finger trails down my cheek until it traces over my bottom lip. I want to pull away, but with the way his eyes are fixated on me, I can’t find the strength to do it.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much,” he whispers.
“It’s been a couple of days,” I sass, forcing myself to ignore the fact that I feel exactly the same about the situation.
A growl rips from his mouth at my words. His hand releases my arm but it’s only for a beat because he’s not letting me go.
LEGEND: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rosewood High Book 7) Page 34