by Becca Steele
My dick reacted like it always did when I thought of him, and I forced myself to focus on soccer formations in my head, pushing him out of my mind.
Pale green eyes invaded my thoughts again, and I groaned aloud.
Time to try something else. I mentally began listing his negative points.
Arrogant.
Rude.
Abrasive.
Troublemaker.
Delinquent.
Straight (99% sure).
Hates me.
Halfway through, things somehow changed.
Green eyes I want to get lost in.
Lip piercing.
Chiselled jaw.
Hot. Fucking hot.
Mine.
I was so fucking screwed.
3
Carter Blackthorne, Xavier Wright, and Kian Courtland. I looked up, my gaze drawn to the three kings of Alstone High as they strolled towards us with their typical casual, confident swagger. Kian pulled out a chair and sprawled in it, no care in the world as he stared at the people flocking around him with disinterest. It was like they were flies, buzzing around him, and yet he couldn’t be bothered to swat them away.
I cleared my throat, acting like I didn’t notice the scowl he was directing my way, and turned my attention to the conversation about our upcoming game against Highnam Academy. After reassuring the guys that I had it all under control, never mind the fact I had no idea what Highnam Academy were like as a team, we discussed tactics for the upcoming game. Eventually, Kian’s dirty looks got too pointed to ignore, and I got to my feet, stretching out my whole body. I didn’t miss the way his eyes honed straight in on the strip of skin that was exposed when I lifted my arms, my untucked shirt riding up. Was I imagining the flash of heat in his eyes? Probably.
“Ah, put them away, mate.” The playful tease came from Chris, one of my teammates, and I smirked.
“You don’t wanna see these muscles?” I purposely lifted my shirt higher, flexing my abs. Groans echoed around the table, except for one person who was noticeably silent.
Kian.
Now I was positive I wasn’t imagining the heat in his gaze as he stared at me.
It was too much. After tucking my shirt back in and straightening my school blazer, I swung my bag over my shoulder. “Catch ya later.”
I sauntered away from the table and back into the main school building, deceptively casual, but my legs were threatening to give way.
Fucking Kian Courtland.
Where to go? The bathrooms were too busy; I needed to be alone. Switching direction at the last minute, I headed down the corridor and through the double doors that led outside to the gym and locker rooms that were used exclusively by the sports teams.
I used my pass to enter the silent building. If I’d been here ten minutes earlier, it probably would’ve been teeming with school athletes, but right now, towards the end of lunch period, most had disappeared to get sustenance before the afternoon.
Making my way into the locker room, I lowered my bag to the floor and sank down onto one of the wooden benches in front of the bank of lockers, placing my head in my hands.
I don’t know how long I sat there, just breathing in and out, but eventually I became aware of a presence in the room. I lowered my hands and turned my head, already knowing who I’d see.
Kian.
Staring down at me with arrogant contempt, hot and brooding, he was a dark prince, and I was his subject.
No. I needed to remind him, and myself, that we were equals. He may have been top of the food chain, but that didn’t give him the right to lord it over me. Jumping up so fast that I almost made myself dizzy, I moved to lean against the lockers, the bench between us giving me some breathing room.
The air surrounding us thickened, my traitorous cock stirring as our eyes locked and I took in the dark expression on his face. Fuck. I hoped he didn’t notice.
He rounded the bench, coming to a stop a few feet away from me.
“What’s your deal, Golden Boy? Trying to take my place? Worm your way in with my friends? Remember, you’re new, and I’ve paid my dues. Don’t even fucking dream of trying to replace me.”
“I’m not trying to cause trouble,” I told him honestly.
His lip curled, and he took a threatening step closer. “Stop trying to take my fucking place, then. If you do, you’ll regret it.”
“Really? Want to bet on that? Seems like your friends like me. Coach likes me. He told me I was integral to the team,” I goaded. “Everyone’s replaceable. Even the mighty Kian Courtland.” I needed to stop provoking him, but he riled me up and I couldn’t seem to help running my mouth whenever he confronted me.
For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty appeared in his eyes, and I was struck with a pang of regret. “Hey, I didn’t mean—”
He interrupted me. “Why are you looking at me like that? Are you gay or something?”
His low question seemed to echo all around us, and I swallowed nervously. Now was the moment of truth.
“Yes, I am.”
There was complete silence in the room. He just stared at me, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and worrying at his lip ring. Making a snap decision, that I hoped wouldn’t end up with me getting sucker punched, again, I stepped closer than I’d ever dared before. Our bodies were touching now, my cock abrading against his thigh as he shifted position, trying for nonchalance even though there was a raging inferno swallowing us whole. Inclining my head, I lowered my voice to speak in his ear, attempting to keep my tone controlled. “Are you?”
“No.” His emphatic denial came out far too quickly, but he hadn’t moved from his spot, and as I pressed my hips to his, the layers of material between us did nothing to conceal the rigidness of his cock against my own.
I smiled, dipping my head to his neck and inhaling the subtle, heady spice of his addictive scent. “Could’ve fooled me,” I murmured.
“I fucking hate you. You’re nothing to me. Nothing.”
Yet still, he didn’t move.
“Is that so? Why aren’t you moving, then? Anyone could come in here and catch us like this.”
My words suddenly jolted him into action, and he pushed at my chest so hard, I staggered backwards, crashing into the bank of lockers.
“Stay the fuck away from me.” He stalked off towards the doors, wrenching them open and disappearing from the room.
I straightened up with a sigh, rubbing at the back of my head where it had slammed into the locker. I’d pushed him too far, and now he was gone.
One thing I knew for sure now, though, was that Kian wanted me—even though he didn’t want to want me.
That, I could work with.
4
HALLOWEEN
I took the mask Xavier handed to me, slipping it over my face and flicking the switch to activate the lights. Everything was suddenly bathed in a yellow glow, and I held up my phone to take a selfie.
I chuckled at the image. Neon yellow slashes in the shape of an X covered both eye areas, and the mouth was outlined in yet more slashes, approximating a huge, sinister grin. After uploading the image to my social media so my friends back home could see it, I pulled my hood on top of my head and melted into the crowd of guys.
Initially, I’d been a little disappointed when Alstone High hadn’t seemed to be planning anything for Halloween. Back at home in the US, my whole school would’ve been celebrating, and the entire neighbourhood would have gone all out with decorations. Here, everything seemed disappointingly low-key in comparison.
Now, though, standing around the back of the haunted house with the sounds of the county council-organised Fright Night carnival echoing through the evening air, things were looking up. I half listened as Carter began barking out instructions, my eyes constantly straying to the guy in the red mask standing to his right.
Kian.
We’d avoided each other for the rest of the week at school. Yeah, we’d ended up sitting at the same table at lunch, and we�
��d shared some of the same classes, but neither of us had spoken. I’d caught him watching me, though, his gaze always dark and contemptuous, but there was a heat to it that hadn’t been there before.
Carter reeled off a list of dos and don’ts relating to some shit involving capturing girls, but since I wasn’t going to be doing that, I didn’t pay attention. Instead, I remained fixated on Kian. As if he was aware of my scrutiny, he turned his head in my direction.
I sucked in a breath as the group of guys began moving towards the front of the haunted house, headed up by Carter, Xavier, and Kian. When Kian drew level with me, he paused for a moment, his voice a taunting drawl. “A yellow mask for the golden boy. Appropriate. Shame you have to sit this little game out, huh?”
Leaning closer, I whispered my words for his ears only. “Maybe I’ll take part in the chase. Maybe I’ll catch myself a delinquent.”
“Don’t even fucking think about it,” he growled, shouldering past me.
A grin spread across my face. Man, he was so easy to rile up. He dished it out, and I gave it right back. There was something about getting under his skin that was so damn satisfying.
The sound of the siren from The Purge reverberated around the park, and I waited until the echoes died away before making my own way around to the front of the haunted house.
Illuminated by the sweeping coloured lights, I watched the guys in their neon LED masks dart between stalls and rides in pursuit of their prey. Shaking my head, I turned in the direction of the haunted house, passing through the gaping mouth and into the darkness inside.
A guy dressed as a clown with a white painted face and distorted, bloody grin ran at me, but I sidestepped him, continuing through the corridors. Rounding a corner, I found myself in a dimly-lit open space, with a cackling witch who was stirring a cauldron.
She called out to me in a low, croaking voice, but my attention was diverted. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of red, and I paused, switching direction and heading down the corridor to my left.
Flicking the switch on my mask’s LED lights to turn them off, I melted deep into the shadows of the haunted house, undetected, watching him sneak up behind a girl.
She screamed in terror, struggling against his body. Hot jealousy burned through my veins, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to react as my teammate-slash-antagonist murmured something to the girl before lifting his mask, running his lips over the exposed skin of her neck.
The corridor echoed with the pounding of heavy footsteps, and Carter came up behind him, ripping him away from the girl and simultaneously giving him a shove, in the direction of my hiding place. I heard him snarl, “You’re not playing fair,” before Carter and the girl disappeared.
I acted on instinct, before I could think it through. Leaping out of the shadows, I threw my body against his, sending us both staggering back against the wall. His mask was still raised, pushed up on the top of his head, and I tore off my own, before bringing my lips to his ear.
“Hello, Kian.”
His whole body stiffened, and I heard his breathing quicken as I ran my nose down his jaw.
When he spoke, he only said one word, but his voice came out as a low, tortured scrape that had my cock stiffening in my jeans.
“Preston.”
Fuck. One minute, I’d had a hot little female body pressed against me, all lush, soft curves and full tits, and the next, she was gone, and I was being pinned against the wall by six foot two of blond, all-American masculinity. Instead of softness, everything was hard. So fucking hard.
Preston brought his mouth back to my ear. I was frozen in place, just like before, when we’d been in almost this exact position in the changing rooms. “What do you want?” His voice was a sultry drawl that made my dick jump.
I pulled my lip between my teeth, concentrating on the bite of enamel against metal and skin, instead of the way he was grinding his hips slowly against mine.
“What do you want?” he repeated, his breaths getting harsher as he kept up his movements, and my dick lengthened, the tortuous pleasure of the friction against my jeans making me want to thrust my own hips into his. I fisted my hands at my sides, to stop myself from doing something I’d regret, like touch him.
I wasn’t gay. I liked girls.
I didn’t like guys. Most of the time.
Especially not ridiculously good-looking, mouthy American guys who were trying to take my position.
Without that position I was nothing.
With that thought, I finally got the strength to shove him away from me. “I want you to leave me alone.” Trying to storm away with a raging boner was a lot more difficult than you’d think, and my mood soured as I stalked past the huge, neon Ferris wheel, towards the park gates.
The combination of the throbbing beat of the music playing from the sound system and the bright strobe lights flashing around me made my head pound. Forget picking up a girl—I wasn’t in the mood anymore. It was time to move on to my next task of the evening, before I headed to the cove.
A hand gripping my bicep halted my trajectory, and I spun around to see Preston eyeing me with what looked like either apprehension or remorse on his pretty-boy face.
“I thought I told you to leave me alone.” I bared my teeth at him.
“I wanted to apologise.” He shrugged, his shoulders slumping. “I know I was out of line. It won’t happen again.”
Why the fuck did I feel a sense of disappointment at his words?
Raising my eyes to his, I studied him for a moment, pulling my lip between my teeth, before I gave up and allowed the words to come out. “You wanna be a delinquent for the night, Golden Boy? Put your mask back on, and follow me.”
5
“Where are we going?” Sliding into the passenger seat of Kian’s car, I glanced over at him. His mask was still pushed up on the top of his head, and his eyes were sparking with wicked intention.
“Be quiet and let me drive.” He started the engine, the car roaring to life with a growl. He changed gears with smooth, confident movements, the car picking up speed as we moved along the road.
“Damn, you look hot when you’re driving,” I muttered, immediately regretting the words. “Sorry.”
His gaze swung to mine, his eyes bright in the glow of the streetlights. Surprisingly, he didn’t comment. When I thought back to what had happened in the haunted house, I was shocked he’d even invited me to come with him.
“I’ve never driven stick before.” I filled the uncomfortable silence with the first comment that came into my head. Kian’s eyes were back on the road, but I saw them widen.
“Never?” His hands flexed on the steering wheel as we took a left onto a street lined with trees on one side, and a high stone wall on the other.
“Never.”
“We need to rectify that,” he said decisively.
“We do? Are we friends now?”
His eyes narrowed. “Does anything about any of our interactions so far make you think we are?”
A memory flashed through my mind.
I was on a high. First game after Kian Courtland, the star striker, had been suspended, and I’d managed to score four goals and an assist, leading us to a 5-1 win which put us in position at the top of the league table. It had taken me forever to escape afterwards—everyone wanted to congratulate me. Phrases like “Midas touch,” “golden boy,” and “star player” had all been banded around, and the attention was overwhelming. In the best way.
After opening the trunk of my car and placing my gym bag inside, I straightened up and turned around, realising I wasn’t alone. Kian stood there, hard and threatening, lip curled and his pale green eyes glinting with anger.
“Golden Boy.”
He spat the words at me. I opened my mouth to reply, but he hadn’t finished. “Don’t get any ideas about taking my place as the star player.”
“Feeling threatened? Maybe you shouldn’t have brought drugs into the school, Delinquent.”
&n
bsp; He snarled, and then without any warning, struck at me with a jab straight to the stomach.
Gasping, I doubled over in pain, tears coming to my eyes. I was dimly aware of him stalking away as I collapsed against my car.
Returning to the present, I shook my head. “Nope.” Then I added, “What about now?”
“We’re not friends.” His jaw tightened, and I rolled my eyes. This guy was throwing out so many mixed signals that I’d be surprised if he even knew what was going on inside his head. Giving up for now, I turned away from him to stare out of the window instead.
Kian slowed the car as we came to a quiet, tree-lined street with widely spaced-out houses, Scandinavian-style with timber frames and huge glass windows. He pulled off the road next to a small clump of tall pine trees and turned to me. “You can wait here if you want.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer me. “Wonder if I’ll get arrested, this time.” There was a faraway look in his eyes, the hardness disappearing, replaced by an almost wistful look.
Unease settled heavy in my stomach, and my decision was simple.
“I’m coming.”
“Mask on and hood up. And don’t say a fucking word.” He slid his mask into place, and I followed suit, exiting the car. I watched as he ducked back inside, pulling something from the back seat, and then he was jogging along the road and turning down one of the driveways leading to the sprawling houses. This house was dark and silent, not even a single Halloween decoration outside.
A beep sounded, and the garage door rolled up, smoothly and silently.
“Whose house is this?” I hissed.
“Mine. Stop fucking talking.”
At his harsh whisper, I clamped my mouth shut. My questions would have to wait.