Cruel Summer: A College Bully Romance (Verona Academy Book 1)

by Melinda Terranova

  “Are you driving tonight, honey?” Mom asks as she eyes my tight dress.

  “I was going to. Why?”

  “No reason.” She smiles at me before returning to stack the dishwasher.

  My parents already knew about Ryan and his car buying antics. My dad was not keen on the idea at first, and only allowed Ryan to buy a car if he took my dad with him to help choose it.

  “I shouldn’t be out too late.” I skip up to my mom and give her a tight squeeze from behind.

  “If you need a ride home, please call?” She pats my hands.

  “Thanks.” I kiss her on the cheek before escaping.

  I rev my engine, the purr of the car excites me and I drive with the top down just to hear the rumble of the exhaust. I set the address into the navigation system before heading to pick up Emma.

  Emma is already waiting anxiously out the front of her apartment building, dressed in a nearly identical dress to mine. I laugh as she climbs into my car.

  “Nice choice of clothing.” I smile pointing at my dress.

  “Not bad yourself.” She winks at me.

  “Who’s party is this?” I ask as I press the start button on the navigation system.

  “A friend from one of my classes. She always throws parties at her parent’s holiday house.”

  “Thanks for inviting me, it was getting boring being at home with my parents.” I smile.

  “How are you liking living away from our small town? I wish I moved away, I feel like I’m going to get stuck here for the rest of my life,” Emma huffs.

  “Worse things could happen,” I say dryly. If only I could share the crazy shit I have managed to get myself caught up in, then the thought of staying in our safe little town wouldn’t seem so bad.

  “I doubt it. Maybe I should see if I could transfer to Verona?”

  My heart stammers against my chest. “Maybe.” I smile at her.

  “So, what is up with you and Ryan?” She presses me for information.

  “I honestly don’t know? He wants to get back together.”

  “You don’t want to?” She looks at me.

  “I don’t know?” I shrug my shoulders and gear down as we turn a corner.

  “Ever since he broke up with you, he has been a mopey shithead. He hasn’t been seeing anyone, if that makes things clearer.” She keeps her eyes on me, waiting for me to respond.

  My heart is torn. I’m surprised Ryan hasn’t been sleeping around and I now feel like a total ass for messing around with Enzo. “I still love him. I will always love him,” I say more to myself than to Emma.

  “He is still madly in love with you too. He messed up, Sum. He realizes that now.” Emma points towards a front gate. “That’s the house.” She claps her hands excitedly.

  I park the car on the curb behind the long line of other cars stretching the entire street. We walk up the driveway and I can hear the dull thud of music coming from the back of the house. I straighten my tight dress and curse myself for wearing it, I knew I’d be fidgety all night. Emma knocks three times and a young guy with scruffy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes finally answers the door.

  “Welcome to the circus.” His bright eyes sparkle and he winks at Emma.

  “Thanks Cole. This is Summer.”

  “Greetings.” Cole salutes me before moving out of the doorway to allow us through.

  “Hi,” I giggle at him.

  Emma grabs my hand and pulls me after her. The house is nearly pitch black, apart from the strings of fairy lights leading us on a pathway to the back of the house. Cole follows us the whole way and before we can open the back door he jumps in front of us.

  “Be prepared for a magical night of nights.” He takes a deep drag of his joint before blowing the smoke in our faces and opens the door.

  I fan the smoke out of my way as we step through to the back. The whole backyard is set up like a circus under a massive white and red tent. “This is crazy.”

  “She throws the best themed parties. You will have to come back home for her Halloween one.” Emma links her arm through mine and leads me towards the cocktail bar.

  “Two signature drinks please?” Emma orders.

  I people watch as we wait for our drinks to be made and recognize a few familiar faces from my senior year cohort and the year before. Emma hands me my drink and it is an aqua blue concoction with swirls of purple, I sniff it before taking a sip and am surprised it isn’t as sweet as it looks.

  “Good?” Emma asks before trying hers.

  “Mmm.” I nod. “Is Banks coming tonight?”

  “Yes, and so is Ryan.” She winks at me. “In fact, they just arrived.” She gestures towards the door.

  My heart skips a beat as I take in all of Ryan, dressed impeccably in black jeans and a black polo that hugs his muscled arms and chest. Once just a gangly teenage boy, he is now all man with his muscles and five o’clock shadow. These few months of rigorous training has done wonders and I find myself unable to take my eyes off him. Emma nudges me, obviously aware I’m staring.

  “You can have that, just tell him yes.” She grins as the two guys make their way over to us.

  I lick the remnants of my drink from my lips and gaze at Ryan. His beautiful mouth curves into a smile as he rakes his eyes over me, making me fidget. “Hi.” His voice is laced with desire.

  “Hi.” I stare up at him and tuck a stray hair behind my ear.

  “I’m here too.” Banks waves his arm between Ryan and I, breaking whatever spell he had cast over me.

  “Hey, Banks.” I roll my eyes at him.

  Banks grabs Emma by the back of the neck and kisses her seductively, right in front of us.

  “Want to give them some space?” Ryan grimaces.

  “Yes please.” I scoot around them and follow Ryan to the lounges in the far corner, away from the live band.

  I sit carefully, pulling at my dress as my ass hits the cushioned sofa. Ryan sits right next to me, our thighs touching. I can feel the pull he has over me. The damned pull he has always had over me.

  “You drove Betty.” He grins and leans into me.

  “I couldn’t leave her at home, she’d get lonely.”

  “We couldn’t have that.” His eyes light up.

  I drink the rest of my drink and stare at my empty glass, unsure of what to say to Ryan without leading him on. As much as I want to kiss him right now, because he looks and smells so fucking delicious, I know that it will just complicate things.

  As though he senses my spiral of thoughts, he clears his throat. “Want another drink?”

  I nod.

  He jumps up and I watch him casually saunter over to the drinks stand, not a bad bone in his body. This man is all pure and gentle, compared to the alternative. My mind goes to where I wish it wouldn’t. Always back to Enzo. Ryan returns with my drink and a bottle of water for him.

  “Not drinking?” I point at the water bottle.

  “Nah, coach will kick my ass at training tomorrow if I show up hung over.”

  “You’re really taking all this football stuff seriously.”

  “I have to, it’s my ticket to the big leagues and out of this town.” He scowls at the mention of the latter.

  “It’s not so bad here, you know?” I sip my drink.

  “That’s because you’ve escaped.”

  “To a hell hole,” I say under my breath.

  “What was that? I didn’t catch what you said.”

  “Nothing.” I drink a big mouthful of my cocktail and let it burn my throat.

  Ryan eyes my nearly empty drink. “I can drive you home, if you want to drink tonight?”

  “You know what, I might just take you up on that offer.” I grin as I skull the remainder of my drink. I figure the more I drink, the less I’ll allow myself to wallow in my thoughts.

  A cute guy strolls over in our direction and does a stupid jock handshake with Ryan. I roll my eyes and stifle a giggle.

  “Jase, this is Summer,” Ryan introduces me.r />
  The jock’s eyes regard me for a moment before his eyebrows shoot up. “So, this is the elusive Summer. I’m so pleased to meet you. We all thought you were a figment of Ryan’s imagination,” he laughs and squeezes himself next to Ryan on the seat.

  “No, I’m real.” I give him the thumbs up.

  “Okay, shut up man.” Ryan play punches Jase in the shoulder and the two of them start talking football.

  I stand up to slink away when Ryan grabs a hold of my hand. “I’ll come find you in ten.”

  “Okay.” I escape him and his boring football conversation.

  I bump into Emma, who has lost Banks. “I haven’t seen him for a bit. Want to get a drink?”

  “Why not?” I shrug. The alcohol I have already consumed clouding my judgement.

  After drinking a few shots of some vile green liquid, Emma drags me to the dancefloor. All my inhibitions have scattered and I find myself not caring how I must look dancing while extremely intoxicated, allowing the beat of the music to infiltrate my mind. I feel a set of large, warm hands grab me by the hips and I turn suddenly, losing my footing. Ryan catches me before I fall flat on my face and make a fool of myself.

  “It’s you,” I slur my words.

  “Fancy meeting you here.” He winks at me.

  I’m not sure if it is the alcohol or his alluring eyes that make me grind against him, but he doesn’t object. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. He feels different to before. More defined. Harder. I run my hands up his arms and across his pecs, the heat rushing to my core.

  “I think I should go home.” I squint up at him.

  “I’ll let Banks know I’m taking you home.” He grabs my hand and pulls me after him, leaving Emma on the dancefloor.

  We find Banks smoking a joint down by the pool house. “Lovers,” he coos.

  “Jesus,” Ryan breathes.

  “Where?” Banks looks around.

  I can’t help but giggle.

  “I’ll call a cab for you and Emma, it will be here in two hours. Got it?” Ryan grabs Banks by the shoulder and makes him pay attention.

  “Got it.” Banks salutes.

  “Give me your keys.” Ryan shoves his hands in Banks pocket and retrieves a set of keys to his Mercedes.

  “You could ask before you violate me.” Banks playfully slaps at Ryan’s hand.

  “Two hours.” Ryan stands and takes one last look at our friend before pulling me towards the side entrance.

  He opens the car door for me and my heart does stupid things in my chest, his proximity makes me want to do bad things. I bite my lip before I stumble into the car and watch as he strides around the bonnet to the driver’s seat.

  “Keys?” He holds out his hand.

  My alcoholic brain doesn’t want to play fair tonight, not with my heart and definitely not with his. “Come and get them,” I say defiantly.

  Excitement dances across his eyes, it is gone in a split second. “Summer.” He tilts his head.

  “Ryan.” I copy his tone.

  He reaches over and tries to grab my bag but I yank it out of the way just in time. He leans over, his face inches from mine. He smells like my Ryan, sweet and dependable Ryan. I breath him in as his hand reaches across me and searches for my bag. I watch him intently, the profile of his nose, the bow of his upper lip, the planes of his masculine face. All these things I am familiar with but now they all seem so new. So desirable. He turns slightly to gaze into my eyes. He feels the pull too and he inches forward, brushing his warm lips against mine, his hand resting on my upper thigh.

  He pulls back ever so slightly. “Summer,” he says my name with uncertainty.

  I let him know this is what I want by wrapping my hand around the back of his neck and pulling him towards me. His kisses are urgent, swallowing up every last detail, cataloguing it in his brain for later. His hand slides up my thigh and under my short dress. A dress I am most thankful I wore tonight. His fingers find their way to my panties and he runs them up and down my wetness. I moan into his mouth and push at him to move. He takes this as though I want to stop.

  “I’m sorry.” He jerks back into his seat, his heavy breathing fogging up the windows.

  “No, don’t be.” I climb over the centre console and straddle him, my dress ending up around my hips.

  Ryan’s eyes trace my front all the way down to my legs and he licks his lips. I can feel his hardness pressing against me and I want so bad to free him. He looks at me again, confusion washing over his features. His hands cup my ass and he bucks his hips into me.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “I’m not that drunk.” I lean into him and kiss him hard, grinding against him to get some relief.

  His fingers find their way between us and he pulls my panties aside, sliding two fingers inside me. A low guttural moan escapes my lips and I press myself into his hand. I pull away from him and frantically undo his pants button and pull his zipper carefully down. I look up at him then, his eyes half hooded, filled with want and need. He pulls his boxers down and grips his hard cock in his long fingers.

  “Are you one hundred percent sure you want this?” He looks down at himself then, pinching the tip of his head between his fingertips.

  “More than you know.” I lift myself up and he pulls his fingers out, moving my panties to the side. I position myself above him and slowly lower myself onto him.

  A deep sigh rumbles through his parted lips before he closes his eyes and leans his head against the headrest.

  I grind up and down on him, needing the friction and the release. He opens his eyes and stares at me before taking my face in his palms and pressing his lips to mine, gently parting them with his tongue. I allow him in. I allow him to swallow me whole and rid me of any regret. I need him to fill me and rid me of any memories of Enzo. I need him to fuck Enzo out of my system.

  Ryan reaches down for the seat lever and next thing I know, the seat falls backwards and I can’t help but giggle into his mouth.

  “I’ve missed you so fucking much,” he growls into my mouth.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to look at him. I know after this I will escape back to Verona and both our hearts will be shattered. I ride him and his hips meet me thrust for thrust, our bodies melding as one. It’s frantic and familiar, always the same. I grind against him until I can feel myself nearing release, my relentless motions sending him over the edge quicker than usual.

  “Holy fuck, Summer,” Ryan moans into my neck, his hands digging into my ass.

  His moan does it for me, I’m lost in all sensation as I ride the waves of my orgasm. I still and feel his rapid heart rate against my breasts, his arms circle me around the shoulders. He holds on to me for dear life, he too knows this means nothing. I sit up and don’t dare look him in the eyes before I climb off him and adjust myself, the wetness seeping into my panties.

  Ryan pulls the seat up and zips up his pants. He studies me for a moment before holding out his hands, not saying a word. I hand him the car key and stare out the windshield. The car rumbles as he slowly eases it onto the road. Neither of us speaking the whole way back to my parent’s place.

  “Are you okay?” Ryan turns to me once he has parked the car in the driveway.

  “I am.” I smile at him, at his beautiful, sweet and innocent face.

  “Are you sure?” He clears his throat.

  I entwine my fingers in his. “I am fine. Better than fine actually.”

  This grants me a panty dropping grin. “Good. I didn’t want you to worry that I thought what we did was anything other than a one-time thing.” He bites his lower lip.

  “You can stay on the couch if you want?”

  “Nah, copper in there will have me handcuffed by the morning.” He winks at me.

  I giggle and it feels good. “Just make sure you take good care of Betty, she doesn’t like to be driven recklessly.”

  “I’ll let her sleep in my garage.” He starts her
back up.

  I open my door and climb out, hoping to hell I don’t have a wet patch on my dress. “Good night.”

  “Night, Sum.”

  I close the door and watch Ryan and Betty drive off into the darkness.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Summer

  “Hold on, I’m coming,” I shout to the rude person pounding on the front door. I wrap my robe around me, stalk down the hall and swing the door open to come face to face with none other than the devil himself.

  Enzo stands with his hands in his pockets, smears of god knows what on his clothing, his shiny hair sticking up in all directions and dark rings circle his eyes. He looks like a hot mess. He lunges forwards and crashes into me, his arms twisting around me, holding on for dear life again. I wrap my arms around his neck as he buries his face in my shoulder and lets the held in sobs escape his lips. His body shudders against mine, my heart breaking each time he takes in a staggering breath.

  “Fuck, Summer,” he whispers between sobs.

  “What is going on?” I try to pry him away from me to look into his broken eyes but he holds me tighter against him.

  We stand in my doorway for a few moments as he gathers his broken self together and finally lets go of me. I watch him as he rubs his face with his large hands before his eyes return to mine. “I’m sorry.” He blows out a breath.

  “Are you okay?” I don’t know what to say to him.

  His well-practiced mask returning and he looks at me, deadpan. “I’ll be fine.” His hands return into his pockets and he stands in the threshold watching me. He cocks an eyebrow, taking in my appearance. “Morning.” His voice sends shivers down my spine. His mood shifting instantly, the broken man from minutes ago hiding beneath this non broken façade.

  I’m a ball of nerves, a knot of vomit wanting to escape my lips. I find it hard to breathe as I take in his blank stare. I look outside for his sidekicks and then return my gaze to his lips. “What are you doing here?”