But now that we’re in the moment, I’m starting to second guess it.
Isn’t losing your virginity supposed to be a big deal? Especially for girls? I want our first time together to be special for Gwen. Flowers, candlelight, music. All that romantic shit from those chick flicks she’s always watching. My nasty ass bedroom with dirty dishes and empty soda cans everywhere isn’t the ideal atmosphere. It doesn’t really set the mood.
I lift my head, studying her swollen lips and flushed skin. “I love you too. But, you know we don’t have to…”
A soft smile forms on her lips, as if she can hear all the thoughts swirling around in my head. “I want to,” she assures me, not even a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “We’ve been together for a year, and I’ve loved you since we were seven years old. I’m ready.”
She lifts the hem of my shirt over my head, melting away all my doubts as her fingertips trail down my chest and abdomen. My dick is already hard by the time she begins unbuttoning my jeans. A shy smile tugs at her pouty lips once my pants hit the floor.
Smirking, I step out of them and kick them aside. “Your turn.”
Her stare stays on me as she slowly peels off her clothing, leaving only a pair of pink silky panties with a white bow in the front. She doesn’t try to cover herself, allowing me to drink her in as she stands bare before me.
Gwen has always been self-conscious about her body, but not when she’s with me. She seems to blossom before my gaze. Like my image of her is being reflected back at her, and she sees how truly breathtaking she is.
I pull her close until our bodies are flush, my dick twitching with need as our lips melt together. We move toward my bed, our mouths staying molded until the backs of her legs hit the mattress.
She gets on the bed and makes herself comfortable, removing her underwear while I grab a condom from the drawer. I push my boxers down before ripping open the condom wrapper and removing it with shaky hands. Gwen watches with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation as I slip it on.
After climbing into bed, I position myself between her thighs. The head of my penis rubs against her opening, and she sucks in a breath, her legs tightening around me.
My lips land on hers, the kiss calming my racing pulse as I gently slide into her. She stiffens under me, the moan she releases into my mouth sounding more like pain than pleasure.
I freeze and tear my mouth from hers, leaning back to meet her eyes. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” She shakes her head, taking a deep breath. “It’s supposed to be a little painful. That was the worst of it, the aching feeling is already going away. Don’t stop. But…go slow at first.”
Her body relaxes, allowing me to slowly push deeper until I’m all the way inside of her. The warm, wet sensation is intoxicating. Not wanting this to be over before it even begins, I hold my breath and make slow thrusts.
Gwen gradually opens more for me, her hips rolling with mine. Each time we meet, her movements are harder and faster. Now, it doesn’t seem like she’s feeling anything other than need.
Her fingertips dig into my back, urging me to pick up the pace. But I’m already on the edge. I’ve prided myself in being able to make her come. No way am I going to finish without her now.
“Take it easy on me, Princess,” I wheeze. “I won’t last much longer like this.”
She ignores my plea and takes my mouth with hers. Our bodies move in sync, undoing me a little more each time her hips meet mine.
Relief floods me when her orgasm causes her to cry out a minute later. I stop holding mine back and grind into her with more vigor, coming a second later.
As I try to catch my breath, I give her another chaste kiss and rest my sweaty forehead against hers. “God, you’re fucking perfect.”
“That was fun,” she says, panting. “Can we do it again?”
I chuckle, saying a silent prayer that we’ll get to do this together for the rest of our lives.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Present
GWEN
The gym is decked out in blue and gold. Balloons, streamers, and stars everywhere you look. Everyone is dancing and having a good time, celebrating our win last night. It might be silly and stupid, but the night feels magical.
This isn’t the first school dance I’ve attended. It’s not even my first homecoming. I’ve gone with Aidan and our friends every other year. But this one is different—special. Because this time, Cole is with me.
You broke me first by Tate McRae blasts on the dance floor, and my arms wrap around him as we sway to the music. The night couldn’t be more perfect.
“Are you happy, Princess?”
I lean back to meet his gaze and smile. “Very.”
Cole surveys the area around us for chaperones before planting his lips on mine. The hungry kiss earns us some attention, people around us cheering. My head is dizzy with lust by the time he pulls away, the smirk on his face causing a quiver deep in my belly.
He winks at me before whispering in my ear, “I can’t wait to be inside of you.”
There’s no sense in trying to deny how ready I am for that as well. My mother took me to get birth control last month after I finally got the nerve to ask her. There will be nothing between us tonight.
“Well, you have to wait a little longer,” I tell him. “We can’t abandon our friends.”
Our friends. It’s insane how close we’ve all become. But crazy in the best possible way. Violet, Arwen, Mia, and I even went shopping for our dresses together. Each of us picked out a different jewel tone. Emerald green for me, sapphire blue for Violet, amethyst for Mia, and ruby for Arwen.
“Trust me, they wouldn’t think twice about ditching us. If Arwen wasn’t playing queen of the ball, she would’ve left long ago.”
I shake my head, though he’s probably right. It’s hard to make plans with everyone in our friend group when they’re all paired up and unable to keep their hands off each other. Someone is almost always late, leaves early, or doesn’t bother showing up at all.
My gaze roams around the room in search of our friends. The guys are all at a table without their dates.
“Fine,” I relent. “It looks like the girls are in the bathroom. I’ll go hit the restroom and say my goodbyes. You let the guys know we’re leaving.”
“Thank god,” Cole grumbles.
He gives me another quick, rough kiss that makes my toes curl before taking my hand and leading me off the dance floor. Once the boys confirm their dates have all gone to the bathroom, he sends me on my way.
The hallway is dark and eerily quiet, the clack of my high heels echoing through the empty space. My feet move a little faster as dread settles over me, the rapid beat of my heart pounding against my ribcage.
Mia’s laughter sounds in the distance, and I release the breath coiled in my chest. A second later, someone grabs me from behind, an arm wrapping around my waist and a hand covering my mouth as I’m dragged into an empty classroom. I fight to free myself from their bruising hold, but my attacker is too strong. The door gets kicked closed and we stand still, heavy breathing blowing on my ear while my friends pass by outside.
I squirm, kicking my legs and screaming against the hand hoping to make enough sound for them to hear me. But my efforts are in vain.
The hallway goes silent again, and my captor finally speaks. “Go ahead, keep struggling. I like it. All it’s doing is turning me on. But if you get me hard, I’m not walking out of here with blue balls.”
Shane.
Bone chilling fear rocks through me as he runs his nose up my neck, breathing me in. “We need to talk, Gwennie Pig. If I remove my hand from your mouth, are you going to be a good girl and stay quiet for me?”
After I nod my head, he slowly removes his hand. “What are you doing, Shane?”
“I already told you,” he grits. “We need to talk. This was the only way I could get you alone.”
“Okay. Please let me go
so we can talk. Face-to-face.”
My stomach churns as he rubs his crotch against my ass. “Fine. But don’t try anything stupid.”
The moment he releases me, I reach for the door handle. He pushes me, my back slamming into the wall as he pins my hands to it. A sinister grin spreads across his face when I whimper from the pain, his eyes ogling my body.
“Green isn’t your color. It’s his,” he hisses. “But this dress is lovely. It displays all your best assets.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because you fucked everything up. It was all going perfectly, but you just couldn’t stay away from him.”
Cole and I have been dating for months, neither of us hearing anything from Shane. But a part of me knew he’d never let go of this vendetta he’s clung to for years.
“Please, you’re hurting me,” I say. “I never said anything to Cole. He found out on his own.”
“Oh, I know exactly where he got his information.” He releases my hands but keeps me caged in. “Did you know your boyfriend attacked me?”
My chest tightens as I shake my head. When Cole told me he talked to Shane, I suspected he used his fists to get his point across.
“You mean like you’re assaulting me now?” I quip.
His eyes darken as they narrow, and the air stills in my lungs. “Stop pretending like this doesn’t turn you on. I’ll bet your panties are soaking wet right now.”
I snarl, my trembling hands shoving his chest. “You’re a sick bastard.”
“Me?” he shouts. “Do you even know who you’ve been opening your legs for, you stupid fucking cow?”
I spit in his face. “Go to hell.”
He’s freakily calm as he wipes my saliva from his face with his shoulder. “We’re already here, bitch. And you’re screwing the devil. Use your brain. How do you think he found out? You didn’t tell him, and I sure as shit didn’t.”
I’ve given this some thought more than once, unable to come up with a single explanation that didn’t incriminate Cole in some way. Not that I’d ever give Shane the satisfaction of knowing that. “I don’t know or care, but I’m glad he did.”
He tsks, shaking his head. “Wrong answer.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because you need to see who he really is. I tried to show you, make you understand the type of person he would become. Don’t you get it? I’m not the bad guy here.”
Not the bad guy? Is he serious?
“Cole has never done anything to hurt me, which is more than I can say for you.”
His nostrils flare as he sucks in a breath, his expression unreadable by the time he exhales. “Shattering your illusions is going to be so much fun.”
“You’re the delusional one.” I flinch when he lifts his hand like he’s about to strike me, my stomach rolling when he lovingly caresses my face instead.
“I wish we could have some more time together. But he’s bound to come searching for you any minute now. We wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea or wreck the surprise I have planned.”
“What surprise?”
He smirks at the panic in my voice, ignoring my question completely. “You do know if you tell him about this, he’ll come after me.”
I huff out a laugh. “Is that supposed to keep me quiet?”
He shrugs, his lip pressing with indifference. “The choice is yours. If you want him to get arrested and find out about his father…”
My teeth grind at the condescension in his tone. The asshole is right; telling Cole would only cause problems for him and ruin our night.
Shane smirks. “Now she gets it.”
He steps away and gestures for me to go. Desperate to get away from him and back to Cole, I rush for the door. But Shane places his hand on it before I have the chance to get it open.
He sniffs my hair, and bile burns the back of my throat. “When you let him between your legs tonight, I hope you think of me. I’ll certainly be thinking about you and all the things I wanted to do to you in this room.”
I shiver with disgust, fleeing the room as soon as he removes his hand from the door. My vision blurs from the tears filling my eyes, my breathing shallow as I sprint down the hall.
Feeling safer, I stop right outside the gym to catch my breath. If Cole sees me this way, he’ll know something is wrong. I blink to dry my eyes, dabbing away the moisture. Then I smooth my dress and hair, hoping there’s no sign of my struggle.
Cole comes strolling out of the gym just as I’m getting ready to head inside, a bright smile lighting his face when he sees me. “There you are. I was getting worried. Arwen said they didn’t see you on their way back from the bathroom.”
Shit. How do I explain that?
“Oh. I—” My lie catches in my throat, and I clear it. “I was feeling a little cold and decided to stop by my locker to see if there was a jacket in there.”
Cole’s brow creases while he studies me, his palm pressing on my heated cheek. “You’re cold? Are you feeling all right? Because you definitely don’t seem cold.”
I inch closer to him, placing a quick kiss on his lips to try to distract him. “I’m fine, just got all hot and bothered when I saw you again. You look so handsome in this suit, but I can’t wait to rip it off you.”
My diversion works, and lust fills his eyes. “Well, what the hell are we waiting for? Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I giggle as he grabs my hands and drags me toward the door. “Wait. Shouldn’t I go say goodbye to our friends.”
“Nope. You can text them on the way to the hotel.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
15 years old
GWEN
The reflection in the mirror smiles back at me as I wash my hands, lost in thoughts of Cole. He told me last night that he has a plan—a way for us to come out as a couple to our parents. We’ve been sneaking around for well over a year, and secretly in love with each other for a lot longer than that. I’m so ready to come out to the world.
It’s torture being at school, unable to hold his hand or kiss him in the hallways like every other couple here. What’s even worse is having to stand back and watch as other girls throw themselves at him, my insecurities eating away at me.
Things are so much different for Cole now. His days of being the skinny poor kid are behind him. Now, he’s Cole Masterson, part of the infamous Westbrook Three. He doesn’t talk about the things he does with Thatcher and Arwen, and I don’t ask. I’ve learned not knowing is better for both of us.
I dry my hands and run my fingers through my hair, freezing when an eerie feeling comes over me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention, my body stiff as I turn.
Someone rushes me, placing a hand over my mouth before I have a chance to scream. My back slams into the wall as Shane’s smug face comes into focus. There’s still a cut above his eye and faint bruising around his mouth, the only remaining evidence of what happened to him.
Rumors swirled two weeks ago when he was absent. Whispers that Thatcher and Cole had taught Shane a lesson. One that left him too ashamed to show his face at school. When he returned, he was noticeably quieter.
I never asked Cole if the rumors were true, part of me unwilling to believe he could do something like that. The other part, one I’d never admit out loud, was glad Shane finally got what he deserved.
“I’m going to remove my hand,” he whispers, his breath hot and putrid. “Don’t scream.”
My eyes narrow as he removes his hand from my mouth, my hands shoving at his chest. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He smirks, as if my fury amuses him. “We need to talk.”
“We really don’t,” I scoff. “And we certainly don’t need to do it in the girls’ bathroom.”
“Keep your voice down,” he warns, stepping closer again. “Trust me, you want to hear what I have to say.”
I sigh, rolling my eyes. “I highly doubt that. But since you’re clearly not going to let me go u
ntil you say it, get it over with.”
“I know you and Masterson are screwing.”
“Excuse me?” I screech, heat splashing across my face.
Cole and I have been going at it like rabbits every chance we get, but I’m not sure how Shane could possibly know that. We haven’t even told any of our friends we’re dating, too worried the news would find its way back to our parents. Small towns are known for gossip for a reason.
My reaction is all the confirmation Shane needs, his lips spreading into a cocky grin. “I’m betting since you’re his dirty little secret, your parents don’t know. Wonder what they would say if they found out their daughter was sleeping with the help.”
Anger boils inside me. It isn’t the first time someone referred to Cole that way, though it’s been a while since anyone’s had the balls to say it to his face.
“Don’t talk about him like that, asshole,” I seethe. “My parents love Cole. If you thought you could bully me with this bullshit, that makes you not only wrong but also pathetic.”
There’s more conviction behind my words than I feel. Though my parents do love Cole, I’m not entirely sure how they’d react to the two of us dating. Still, I won’t let this asshole threaten me. I’ll just have to pray he doesn’t call my bluff. Or hope that Cole’s plan works.
As I try to step around him, he blocks me. “Oh yeah? Well, maybe we should talk about his dear old dad instead. I recently found out some very juicy information about Nicolas Masterson’s murder.”
I shake my head in disgust, my teeth grinding. “Just when I thought you couldn’t sink any lower. That’s such a dick move, bringing his dead father into this.”
“Oh, but his father isn’t dead.”
My mouth drops open, while his face lights up with pleasure.
He has my attention now.
The Princess and The Jester: A High School Bully Romance (Westbrook Three Book 3) Page 18