Play the Game: Hannaford Prep Year Three

by J Bree

  “We don’t live in a safe world, Lips. We don’t live in the normal, blue collar world on the television. We’ll always be chased by demons because we have power.”

  I nod and huff out a breath while I reevaluate my entire exit plan.

  Finally, after stewing on it for five minutes, I get up to make another cup of coffee. “Do we have any ice cream left? I need the calories to plan this shit out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  With Ash’s demand for me to go stay with him still ringing in my head I decide to just get the fuck over the whispers and the risks of the school board finding out and to stay there for a night.

  I wait until Saturday when they’re all busy; Ash is out for a run and the other two are at the gym for their usual afternoon of boxing. Blaise has a lot of rage to burn through these days thanks to his dickhead father and Harley is bearing the brunt of it in the ring. Good thing he’s stacked and can take it.

  I tell Avery my plans and she smirks at me as she hands over the key. When I blush she snarks at me, “I’ll text them to be gentle with your sweet virgin body.”

  I think about killing her.

  Okay, lie but I do think about messing with her scarves until she has to press and refold the whole damn box tower but the psycho would probably enjoy it.

  I don’t bother packing a bag because Avery has a drawer full of clothes over there and I’ll steal a toothbrush from one of them if I have to. It’s just me, my knife, and my newly cut key.

  The boy’s dorm is thankfully quiet.

  I hold my breath until I’m safely inside with the door locked behind me. The room is different from last year and I toe my shoes off to walk around. Blaise’s bed has been shoved in the corner to make room for a mountain of music equipment, speakers, and guitars in black cases. His bed is covered in lyric books and guitar picks, his acoustic guitar slung over his pillows like he set it aside seconds before leaving. His last album hasn’t even been released yet so it makes no sense to me that he’d be working on new songs. Maybe it’s all just stress relief.

  Harley’s bed is bare, his books still in boxes and the patchwork blanket missing. He’s barely sleeping here anymore and with the extra study sessions with the cougar whore he hasn’t even had a day off to unpack even though we’ve been back at school for months. I make a note to force him to have another day off.

  Ash’s space looks the most lived in and I instantly feel guilty as fuck over it. I know he’s trying to be respectful, I know he’s trying to make sure nothing gets broken by pissing Avery off, but fuck. I need him. I need his snarking and his asshole nature. I need his fierce loyalty and the ruthless way he defends what he loves.

  I know that now includes me.

  I text him to tell him I’m waiting in his bed, and seconds later he texts the group message to tell everyone to fuck off for the night. I blush and giggle like a freaking schoolgirl then I climb into his bed and bury my face into his pillow while I wait. My eyes drift shut and I fall asleep even as the excitement builds in my belly.

  The dip in the bed doesn’t worry me at first because I’m so used to waking up to one of the guys climbing in to join me. It’s only when I hear the high-pitch and, definitely, female giggle that I bolt upright in the bed and snap the light on.

  Annabelle freaking Summers has crawled into the fucking bed.

  She stares at me in shock and then sneers, “You!”

  I shove her off the bed with my foot, ignoring the shooting pain it causes me, and then I seriously fucking consider stomping on her face until she stops breathing.

  “What the fuck are you doing in here?!” she screams and I gape at the bitch.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, it’s my boyfriend’s bed! What the fuck are you doing in here? How the hell did you get in?” Fuck am I glad I fell asleep before I stripped off. I scramble out of the bed and grab my phone. I spot Harley’s missing keys dangling from her fingers and see red.

  Annabelle stands and looks down her perfect nose at me. “I’m not stupid, I know the boys will get sick of slumming it with your cheap, Mounty pussy. It’s only a matter of time before they come back to me.”

  Yep. She’s clearly fucking crazy and that’s all I can take.

  I take the keys from her and if I snap one of her fingers while I do it then the bitch deserves it. I ignore her screaming and cussing me out while I shove her out the door.

  It’s completely irrational but I get fucking livid and throw a little tantrum. If the psycho bitch goes to the school board again, I’ll be expelled. I let Ash talk me into sleeping here and now I’m dealing with his shared psycho stalker ex. I call him ready to leave a scathing voice mail but he picks up.

  “That impatient for me, Mounty? I’m already coming up the stairs.”

  I snort at him and snap, “Annabelle fucking Summers just climbed into your bed and woke me up from my nap. I’ve kicked her the fuck out and I’m going back to my own bed while I wait to see if this gets me expelled. Just a courtesy call.” And then I hang the fuck up to the sounds of him cursing the whole damn universe out.

  I lock the door and turn off my phone while I try to calm down.

  It’s only when I hear the door unlocking that I realize they all have fucking keys and can get the fuck in and I need some fucking space! I stomp to the bathroom and lock that door instead. They’d have to break the damn thing down to get to me and if they do that, well, I’ll stab them.

  I turn the shower on and then sit on the floor, doing some deep breathing to calm the fuck down. Like Mariana’s fucking Trench levels of deep.

  The soft knock startles me and I frown. I can’t imagine Ash knocking like that.

  “It’s me, Mounty. Ash called me to deal with Annabelle and I told him to deal with his own sloppy leftovers.” Avery says, and I unlock the door for her, cutting the shower off now I know I don’t have to pretend. I can’t look her in the eye, I feel all raw and exposed at my little tantrum. Fuck, I’m being pathetic.

  I say that to Avery and she breathes ice at me. “No judgment. Fuck them.”

  “I just- I knew it was a bad idea to go there. I knew it! I let him talk me into it and now I’ve been spotted in his bed by that bitch and for all I know she’s managed to get a photo of me there. You’re going to have to save me from being expelled again and the fucking whispers are only going to get worse!”

  Avery nods and fluffs with her hair in that way she does when she’s plotting and texting. I wait her out, pulling my socks off and starting to strip to have a shower. Avery does always tell me hot water heals all.

  When I step under the hot spray, Avery hums quietly under her breath and lifts her phone to her ear. I can’t hear whoever is on the other end of the line but I watch instantly as a slow smirk slides across Avery’s mouth.

  “Oh, I’m sure it is a pleasure to hear from me, Summers. I have some news for you… I did warn you. If you piss me off again, I’ll have your scholarship revoked… well, crawling into my brother’s bed pisses me off… I can and I will… how about instead of slutting your way around my family you find another cock to worship… I hear Remy is desperate and he’s due to come into a reasonable sum…you’re not in a position to be picky Summers. Oh, and if you go to the school board about Lips again I won’t put out a social hit. I’ll end you.”

  She hangs up and smiles at me, genuinely sweet, as she leaves me to my shower. “I’ll go make us a coffee. We can pull the drawers in front of the door so the idiots can’t get in and then watch Dirty Dancing with ice cream.”

  I laugh at her enthusiasm for fucking with the guys and nod, lathering up and cleansing the shitty mood right out of my skin.

  When I’m finished and wrapping myself in a big fluffy towel the front door bangs open and I stop breathing so I can hear who the fuck it is.

  I hear Avery snap, “If you walk into that bathroom, she will tear your testicles clean off of your body, and I’ll stand by and let her.”

  The bathroom door slams open and Ash
storms in, kicking it shut behind him. I clutch my towel like he hasn’t watched Harley eat me out in public and blush like an idiot.

  “I have had the patience of a fucking saint.” He says, and I gape at him.

  “Do you want a fucking medal?” I sputter and he steps forward until he’s crowding me back into the bathroom sink.

  “No, I want you to trust me and trust that there’s nothing that trashy whore could do that I couldn’t fix for you. They want to kick you out? I’ll fix it. They want to bad mouth you? I’ll fix it. They want to hurt you in any way? I’ll fucking fix it.”

  His eyes are like the center of a flame, searingly hot blue that burns me until I’m panting up at him. I can’t function or form a reply when he’s looking at me like that.

  I pull away and root around until I find a clean set of bra and panties, matching and chosen by Ash last year. I try not to blush and fumble as I slip them both on while his eyes roam over my skin possessively. When I reach for my shirt he grabs my hand and tugs me into his chest. Snapping the bathroom door open, he barks out, “Go away, Avery.”

  Avery startles from where she’s sitting at the kitchen bench with her coffee texting, her eyes wide as she takes us both in.

  I gape at Ash, and from the indignant noise his sister makes I know she’s just as pissed about it. “This is my fucking room, asshole!”

  He smirks at her and my heart stops. Oh fuck. “Well, I’m about to lay the Mounty out on the closest flat surface and spread-”

  “DO NOT FINISH THAT FUCKING SENTENCE!” Avery screeches, scrambling out of the chair and grabbing her ballet bag. Cursing him out, so fucking colorfully I can’t believe it’s her doing it, she storms out, slamming the door behind her.

  I could die.

  Ash only looks more determined once we have the room to ourselves.

  “I’m still pissed off.” I say, because a sweet little declaration hasn’t changed my mood. Okay, it has changed it a little but I’m still practically vibrating with anger.

  “Good. It’ll only make you come harder.”

  Sweet merciful lord.

  “Wait, you can’t just-“ he cuts me off with a blistering kiss and then I forget why the fuck I was arguing with him.

  One of his hands wrap around my throat so his thumb fits under my chin, tipping my head back to where he wants it. It should not be a turn on, especially with his family’s history, but I fucking gush at his firm grip.

  He walks me backwards until I’m pinned against the table by his body, his dick pressing against my stomach and holy shit I forgot how big he is. I forget I’m kissing him, dazed and a little terrified, and he scoffs at me, tapping my hip until I hop up onto the table. When I move to wrap my legs around his hips he holds my legs down, spreading them wide. I frown at him, because I might be nervous but I don’t want to stop, and the smirk on his face only gets wider.

  “Lie back. I want to enjoy the lingerie I picked for you. I’ve spent a long fucking time thinking about how it would look on you.”

  I blush but do it, gasping as my back hits the cold table. The possessive look is back as he runs his hands down my chest, squeezing and teasing my tits, then sliding down until he can stroke back over the scrap of black lace between my thighs. I shiver, choking on the moan that claws it’s way out of my throat when he rips the lace clear off of my body. The rumble deep in his chest lets me know what he thinks of the sight of my wet pussy spread wide for him.

  “Avery will have an aneurysm if she finds out we did this on the table. She’s been clear about her stance on the furniture.” I choke out, and he drops to his knees.

  “Don’t tell her then, Mounty.” He says, and any reply I could have come up with disappears the second his mouth touches me.

  Holy. Fuck.

  Holy Jesus fuck.

  Okay, getting head is the best fucking thing and why did I wait so damn long to start dating? Stupid question, I was waiting until I found the three hottest guys who ever walked the Earth and then somehow managed to convince them all to share me. Fuuuuuuuck. As he teases at my clit my brain switches off and I start to grind against his mouth, chasing the sensation until I’m splintering apart at the fucking seams but he doesn’t stop. He’s fucking merciless as he pushes and pushes until I come again, gasping and crying out into the silence of the room.

  Lord, he is good with his tongue.

  When my thighs finally stop shaking, I sit up and tug at his shoulders until he stands, kissing me until we’re just panting into each other’s mouths, sharing the taste of my slick pussy between us.

  I want him.

  I don’t think beyond that, sliding off of the table and onto my knees as I reach for his belt with steady fingers. He smirks at me and helps to undress. I swallow roughly at the sight of his chest, all the lean solid muscle of a runner. Only when he’s kicked his pants and boxers off do I glance down but my eyes land on a smudge of ink right above his dick.

  I can’t even focus on anything but the tattoo.

  “Are you serious right now?” I croak.

  “Yes, I’m serious, that is my dick. I appreciate the awed tones though, Mounty.” He drawls out, all fucking smug and I can’t. I just fucking can’t.

  “No, I mean, do you seriously have the words ‘you’re welcome’ tattooed above your dick? I changed my mind, I’m not doing this.”

  Ash chuckles at me as I move to stand up then he holds me down with a firm hand on my shoulder. Oh look, there’s my damage again but sweet merciful lord if that doesn’t make me gush all over again.

  “It’s Morrison’s fault, get pissy at him, not me.”

  I scoff at him and then try to focus on his dick instead of the arrogant, smug, totally-fucking-Beaumont tattoo he has.

  Sweet lord in heaven.

  I forgot he was fucking huge. I gulp. There is no way that will fit in me. Not right now, and possibly not ever. I might dislocate my jaw doing this.

  “You’ll be fine, Mounty.”

  I punch him in the leg because I’m excellent at foreplay. He grunts at me, probably because the hit was a little too close to his monster cock for comfort, but when I wrap my hand around the base of his dick and pump he shuts up real fast.

  He’s right, I don’t dislocate my jaw but fuck it if it isn’t a stretch. He’s less worried about hurting me than Harley is, his hands in my hair tugging and pulling while his hips jerk forward, but that only makes me moan louder. He doesn’t warn me that he’s going to come either, just grunts and shoots down the back of my throat. It’s the soft touches afterwards that tell me how much I mean to him, and I love every fucking second of it. I could do that every day of my life and die a happy lady.

  When he helps me up from the floor and kisses me, I can’t stop myself from snarking at him. “You’re going to have to make do with blowjobs for a while. That is not going to fit in me. I’m half the fucking size of you as is.”

  He laughs at me, completely unconcerned by my stern warnings, and walks over to climb into my bed. Fuck, his ass is all toned muscle. Perfect to sink your teeth into.

  “Get in here. I need a nap.”

  Ugh, bossy asshole.

  But I do exactly what he says.

  The notification of my in-school suspension comes through as an email the next morning and I read it out to Ash while he sips at a coffee in bed, sleep mussed and fucking delicious looking after spending the whole night with me.

  “I told you, Mounty. Trust me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I refuse to let the house arrest stop me from doing whatever the hell I want, trusting in Ash and what he said to me.

  Avery starts working her way through the teachers and students that have helped Ms. Vivienne and by the end of the week two teachers quit and eight students transfer out of Hannaford. There’s nothing quite like Avery freaking Beaumont when she’s on the social warpath.

  On Sunday, after a long day of studying and trying to catch up on sleep, Ash texts me a demand to meet him in the boy’s
room and when I try to get him to come to my room instead he calls me a coward.

  The manipulative asshole, except it’s effective and I stomp over to rant at him in person.

  When I unlock the door and fling it open the words die in my throat at the arrogant fucking smirk on his face and the fact that he’s lounging on his bed in his fucking boxer’s. Dammit. His nipples are like my kryptonite and I think somehow he’s figured it out!

  “Do you want to argue, Mounty? I’d rather we go for round two but I’ll fight if you need the foreplay.”

  I cut him a look but I lose the higher ground by drooling all over myself as I climb up onto his bed to get to him. “Shut up and kiss me, asshole.”

  Ash chuckles and nips at my lip, “Why, Mounty, I didn’t think you’d be up for ass play just yet but if you ask nicely I could be persuaded.”

  Aaaaaaand now I kinda wanna die.

  He doesn’t let me pull away, his hand firm on the back of my neck as he strokes his tongue over mine until I forget why it was I was so embarrassed in the first place. I feel like a fumbling idiot as I clutch at his shoulders because his hands are steady and sure as he strips my shirt from me and with a quick flick of his fingers my bra is off and across the room.

  I’m panting the second his hands cup my tits, kneading and toying with my nipples, and for a second I’m so distracted I don’t feel the buzzing of my phone. It’s only when Ash curses into the skin of my neck that I realize what’s pissed him off.

  911. Our room. Now.

  I glance at the text from over Ash’s shoulder as he works his way down my chest. I’m only checking it because I know it’s Avery and my stomach fucking drops. I shove at his chest to move him and dial her number frantically.

  “Atticus asked me on a date! A real one. He’s going to come pick me up after my recital tomorrow night. We need to plan out everything, Lips. My outfit, my hair, my opening line, how I’m going to turn him down if he tries to kiss me because I want to string him along a bit. Stop sucking face with your man-meat and get over here.”