“What are you doing, babe?”
I whip my face to his. “Fixing this.” I point at my mouth.
He chuckles, and immediately, my irritation dissipates. I love when he laughs. My heart does a cartwheel, and a fuzziness in my tummy makes me feel strange. All because I used “love” in a thought about Troy. Does that mean I’m in love with him? My heart skips another beat as an answer. My brain freezes, and a gasp escapes my lips.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his tone filled with concern.
Like a moron, I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
Troy keeps staring intensely at me. It doesn’t help that my face feels warm, which means my cheeks are giving away my embarrassment. I quickly wipe off the lipstick and slide out of the car. He immediately places his hand on my lower back, sending ripples of heat up my spine and through the rest of my body.
Charlie, control yourself. You spent the night and morning fucking his brains out.
My inner pep talk does little to help me. It actually makes me even more hot and bothered. It won’t do to walk into Golden Oaks like this. I have to start thinking of something completely unsexy to rescue my mind from the gutter.
I can’t think of anything.
“I forgot to ask, what’s going on with the prank we’re going to pull on Andy? You didn’t forget, did you?” Troy asks, saving me from myself.
“Shit. I kinda did. Let me text Fred real quick.” I fish my phone out of my purse and send him a message.
I don’t expect him to reply right away—it’s too early for him—so when my phone pings with a reply, I’m shocked.
“What did he say?” Troy leans closer, peering at my screen.
“Hey! Stop peeking at my private messages.” I push him off, pretending to be offended.
“Do you want me to start developing jealous boyfriend tendencies? Because I will if you start sending private messages to your buddies.”
I glance at him, dreading to read truth in his statement. But Troy’s eyes are dancing with amusement, and his lips are upturned.
“I like some possessiveness… in the bedroom.”
Ah hell. I had to open my big mouth and put me right back into crazy nympho mode.
Troy groans. “Why did you have to say that? Now you’ve woken Junior.” He points at his crotch. There’s definitely a bulge there.
“Junior?” I snort. “I didn’t know you named it.”
“Babe, all guys name their dicks.”
“Oh yeah? What do Andreas and Danny call theirs?”
“Excuse me?” He arches his eyebrows. “I’m not going to discuss my friends’ penises with you.”
This moment is too surreal. I can’t believe we’re talking about male anatomy when we’re a minute away from meeting his grandmother.
We’re right in front of the entrance, so I have to school my features. “Okay, okay. Let’s try to behave.”
“You’re the one who started it,” he replies tartly.
“You’re the one who had to kiss me like you wanted to bang me right there in the car.” I poke his chest.
“Keep up with the sassy attitude and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Heat rushes through my face, especially when I belatedly notice a family right behind us. They must have heard the tail end of our conversation, judging by the wife’s horrified expression and the husband’s smirk. I let them go in first and won’t budge from my spot until I can’t see them in the lobby anymore.
Troy seems to have guessed why I’m stalling and doesn’t rush me. I take the lead when I’m ready, saying hello to the receptionist working today.
She smiles and then tells us that Ophelia is waiting for us in the gardens. We continue down the corridor in silence. Troy refrains from touching me. I’m glad he’s keeping his distance, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s acting nonchalant now because he doesn’t want his grandma to know about us. Not willing to have a repeat of this morning and say what I shouldn’t, I stop in my tracks right before we’re about to walk out the back door.
“Do you want your grandma to know about us?”
He gives me a quizzical look. “Of course. Unless you don’t want her to know.”
“I have no reason to hide from her that we’re dating.”
“Good. Me neither.” His eyes seem to twinkle with mischief.
“What?” I ask, immediately suspicious that he’s up to no good.
“What if we don’t tell her right away, just pretend we’re nothing but friends until I sweep you off your feet and kiss you senseless in front of her?”
I stare at him without blinking for several beats until I finally say, “No.”
His expression falls. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to make out in front of your grandmother,” I whisper-shout.
He sticks his tongue out. “You’re no fun.”
Heavens above, why do guys have to act like toddlers sometimes?
We find Ophelia chilling in a lounge chair, sipping a drink that could be regular iced tea or a Long Island. Hard to tell. Her boyfriends aren’t around, which surprises me. She smiles when she notices our approach and sits up straighter, pushing her oversize sunglasses over her now pink head.
“Charlie, Wolfie. I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”
I give her a hug and then Troy follows me, kissing Ophelia on her cheeks.
“Well, we almost didn’t make it,” he says.
“Why is that? Partied all night long?”
He gives me a naughty glance. “Something like that.”
Ophelia, who is the sharpest lady I’ve ever known, doesn’t miss the gesture. “Oh my. Have I inadvertently played Cupid?”
Hell. I’m blushing so hard now that it’s a miracle steam isn’t coming out of my ears.
“Gram, you’re making Charlie uncomfortable.” Troy sits on the lounge chair next to her, leaving me standing there to suffer my humiliation alone.
Jerk.
“What did I say? You’re young and attractive. You should be going at each other like ferocious bunnies. I know I would with my boys if my joints allowed.”
Kill me now.
Troy makes a face that clearly tells me he’s regretting putting me on the spot. Ha!
I pull up a chair on the other side of Ophelia.
“Speaking of which, where are Jack and Louis?” I ask.
“Oh, they’re out, running errands. I had to send them away because—”
“Jane? What are you doing here?” Troy sits straighter in his seat.
“You didn’t know I was coming?” She glances at Ophelia.
“Must have slipped my mind to mention it.”
Troy’s gaze travels over his sister’s shoulder, and he becomes visibly tense. “Oh great.”
Curious, I turn around, and see the source of his irritation is an attractive, middle-aged woman who is sashaying in our direction. Her hair is bleached white-blonde, and her sunglasses are even bigger than Ophelia’s. She’s way too overdressed for a visit at Golden Oaks. She must be Troy’s mother.
My spine goes taut, and sudden nervousness takes hold of me. I’m usually not bad with parents—Blake’s folks adore me—but I sense it’s going to take more than a sincere smile to win this lady over.
“Good morning. I see you beat me here, son,” she deadpans.
“Yeah, Charlie got me out of bed early.”
Gee, thanks, Troy, for throwing me at the shark without a warning.
She turns to me, and even behind the sunglasses, I can sense her eyes assessing me. I try not to squirm in my chair. If I had known I’d be meeting her, I’d have picked something nicer to wear instead of my faded jeans, Chucks, and a vintage T-shirt. At least my hair isn’t in a messy bun, and I put makeup on to hide the dark circles.
“Oh, is that your new roommate?” she asks him as if I wasn’t sitting right there.
I jump from my seat and extend a hand to her. “Yes, I’m the roommate.”
&n
bsp; “Actually, she’s no longer my roommate. She’s my girlfriend,” Troy pipes up.
I swear the woman’s handshake tightens when she learns that, and then she drops my hand as if touching me burned her. I wonder if anyone noticed that or if it was just my imagination.
“Is that so? Does that mean you moved out?”
“Uh, no,” I say, looking at Troy for help.
Finally, he notices I’m floundering and jumps off his chair to come stand next to me. “Why would she move out?”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to live with a girl you just started dating? Living together is a commitment, not a whim.” She turns to me. “No offense, darling.”
Yikes. Tell us how you really feel, why don’t you?
“Oh, sit down, Elaine, and stop raining on everyone’s parade,” Ophelia butts in. “Just because you couldn’t make your marriage work doesn’t mean your son can’t live with his girlfriend without causing the Rapture.”
She twists her face into a scowl. “I’m sorry. I felt it was my duty to point out the obvious. But you’re right; it’s not my place to comment. Kids are so independent nowadays.” She glances at Jane. “But don’t you get any ideas. You’re not going to move in with any boy while you’re still living on my dime.”
“Gee, Mother, double standards much?” Troy retorts angrily.
“Oh, honey, society is full of double standards. I’m merely protecting my daughter.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Did she just insinuate that my parents don’t care about me because they didn’t say I couldn’t live with Troy? To be fair, they don’t know I’m dating him, and I doubt they would bat an eye, considering their marriage is hanging by a thread.
Immediately, my anger dissipates, and it’s replaced by an overwhelming sadness.
If I knew how this day would toy with my emotions, I wouldn’t have left the bed.
37
TROY
Charlie is morose after we leave Golden Oaks. I don’t need to be a genius to guess meeting my mother put her in that state. Curse the woman and her evil ways. I wish Grandma had told me Mom would be paying a visit today. I’d have canceled ours.
The drive back home is quiet, and not even the radio manages to fill the void.
“Hey, don’t let my mother get to you,” I tell her once she parks in front of the house. “She’s a witch, and she will suck the joy out of you if you let her.”
Charlie gives me a pitiful smile. “I’m not upset about what she said exactly. She did remind me about my parents’ fight though.”
“Do you want to drive to Littleton today? I’ll come with you.”
She shakes her head, staring straight ahead. “No. Only if Ben needs me. I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with what’s coming.”
She means if her parents get a divorce. I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes. When my parents split up, I had already been in a dark place, so one more bad thing didn’t impact me as much.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we invite your friends for another board game party?”
She turns to me, and this time, the smile seems more genuine. She cups my cheek, and because I can’t help myself, I take her hand and place a kiss on her open palm.
“Thanks for suggesting it, but everyone is busy today. But I know what can make me feel better.”
A sly grin unfurls on my lips as my mind wanders off to Hanky-Panky Town. “What?”
“A Lord of the Rings marathon. It’s high time I introduce you to my favorite series ever.”
My smile wanes a little as a smidgen of disappointment comes through, but I hide it from Charlie. It’s not like we haven’t had plenty of sexy times in the past twenty-four hours.
“Sounds good, babe,” I reply.
“I promise you’ll love it.”
“And if I don’t and end up falling asleep, I know you have a special way to wake me up.” I wiggle my eyebrows up and down.
Her cheeks become bright pink, and suddenly, the air between us is charged with electricity.
“Let’s head inside before you get any ideas,” she says.
I follow her out of the car, rearranging my cock in a more comfortable position. “Too late; they’re already in my head.”
When we come to the front door, we find a box waiting for us. It has Charlie’s name written on top in block letters.
“What is it?”
She lets out a squeak. “This must be from Fred.”
I open the door and let Charlie walk in ahead with box in hand. She sets it on the kitchen counter and peels off the note attached to it.
“What’s in the box?” she reads out loud. “Oh my God. No way.” She laughs, but I don’t get it.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
She widens her eyes. “Come on, Troy. Seven? The epic final scene where Brad Pitt loses his mind over the box?”
It finally dawns on me. “Oh shit. Don’t tell me Gwyneth Paltrow’s head is inside that.”
“No, silly. Actually, I have no idea whose head is inside.”
Charlie grabs a pair of scissors from the drawer and cuts the tape. The first thing I see when she lifts the flaps is blonde hair and fake blood. Carefully, Charlie pulls the prop from the box. She lets out a yelp and then drops the prop back in the box.
Damn. If she got spooked even knowing what it was, I can only imagine Andreas’s reaction.
“Hey, I want to see.”
She closes the box again, keeping both hands on top. “Better if you don’t.”
“Charlie, what the hell? What’s in the box?” I know I sound exactly like Brad Pitt now.
She grimaces, keeping her hands in place. “Before I let you see it, you have to understand that Fred has a dark sense of humor, and I’m sure he didn’t mean to upset you.”
I bristle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Charlie lets out a heavy sigh. “The head in the box is a fake of your sister.”
“What?” I shout, making Charlie wince. “Let me see this.”
I pry the package from her and reopen it. Bile pools in my mouth when I remove Jane’s fake severed head from the box. It’s so lifelike that it feels like I’m holding her actual head.
“This is so fucking wrong,” I say. “Why would he pick Jane as his model? Is he a fucking psycho?”
“Oh my God, no. I’m pretty sure it’s because he also noticed Andreas’s interest in your sister. Like I said, twisted sense of humor.”
“We can’t use this.” I put the head back, wishing now that I had listened to Charlie and not peeked.
“Are you sure? It would be epic.”
“Imagine if it were Ben’s head.”
Charlie’s eyebrows furrow, and her eyes become hard, but the moment only lasts a few seconds before she relaxes once more. “Disturbing, but Ben would probably love it.”
Now that the shock has passed, I can see the appeal of using the prop. “I guess we could use it if Jane agrees.”
“Yeah, and we should totally invite her to come to the party.”
“No, absolutely not,” I object vehemently. My visceral reaction to the idea surprises even me. I’m protective of Jane, but not to this level. Maybe it’s the certainty that Andreas has a thing for her that triggered it.
“Don’t get mad at me for saying it, but Jane will start dating soon—guys you don’t even know. How terrible would it be if she dated Andreas, your best friend?”
“It’s because Andy is my best friend that I know he’s the last guy on earth I want dating my sister. He’s a player, Charlie. The worst kind.”
She holds up her hands. “Okay, okay. I’m not going to broach the subject again. What about Fred? Would you allow her to date him?” She quirks an eyebrow.
“He just made a fake severed head of her likeness. The answer is a million times no. She’s too young to be dating anyone.”
Putting her hands on her hips, Charlie stares at me hard. “Troy Wolfgang Alexander, I won’t tolerate th
at kind of Victorian mentality from you. She’s eighteen, for crying out loud. I’m sure she’s already dated plenty of guys, and you don’t even know.”
“I seriously doubt it. My mother is stricter than me. And Victorian mentality?” I chuckle. “At least you didn’t call me a caveman this time.”
“I don’t think Neanderthals cared much about who their sisters shacked up with.”
“Shouldn’t it be caved up?”
She throws her hands up in the air. “Ugh! You’re impossible. Just because of that, you’re on popcorn duty—and none of that microwave crap. I want the real deal.”
I don’t move right away, too busy staring at my gorgeous girl. My sexy nerd turns even more irresistible when she’s mad and bossy like that. I love it.
I love her.
The realization sets in my chest, but instead of becoming terrified, I’m centered, whole. My easygoing smile vanishes when I stride in her direction and slam my lips to hers, claiming her mouth in a possessive way. Her surprise only lasts a moment before she surrenders to the assault.
I’m taken over by a frenzy. I have to connect to Charlie skin to skin right now, or I’ll go mad. I yank at her clothes with only one hand since my arm is back in the sling. Mercifully, Charlie is caught in the same urgency as me and shrugs off her jacket and T-shirt on her own. We only break apart when it’s necessary to remove a piece of clothing. In less than a minute, I have her bent over on the couch, and I’m fucking her into oblivion.
38
TROY
I’m still trying to come to grips with the realization that I’ve fallen in love with Charlie fast and hard. I was friends with Brooke first before we went out, and it felt like a natural progression of our relationship. Everything with Charlie is brand-new, and I find myself way out of my depth. I’m only certain of one thing: there’s no chance in hell that I’m confessing my feelings to Charlie anytime soon. I don’t want to scare her away.
It’s no surprise that my protective nature has extended to Ben though. I can imagine pretty well what he must be going through because I also lived through it. Of course, it’s worse for him since he’s stuck in his parents’ house and can’t really escape the fights. If his school wasn’t in Littleton, I’d suggest he stay with us for a while.
Heart Stopper: Rebels of Rushmore Book One Page 21