by Sam Crescent
“The only person I know you hang out with besides Ree is Sean. What’s wrong with him? What does that have to do with me?”
“You know he doesn’t like you and he wants me to talk to him about what’s going on here, and the truth is I don’t have a clue what’s going on. I’m so confused all the time. This isn’t supposed to be anything. It’s getting too complicated and I can’t stand it.” She shook her head, staring down at where he still held her. “Please, let me go.”
He didn’t.
She waited.
His gaze was on her wrist.
“Drake?”
“Why do you have to go?” he asked.
Glancing around them, she saw no one was waiting or watching. His friends weren’t there to bully or ridicule. “Whatever is going on here, I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
“We kissed. So what?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “Exactly, so what?” She shrugged. “You and I, we’re not besties. We’re never going to be anything more. It was one kiss today and that’s all it’s ever going to be.”
She tugged on her hand and he finally let her go.
Turning her back to him, she clenched her hands into fists and walked away.
You can do this, Pru. It’s Drake. Your enemy since you moved here. Your best friend is the only one who deserves your attention.
Drake didn’t make a move to stop her.
Part of her was thankful and another was a little disappointed. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy this attention. Not that she wanted Drake at all. Nothing between them would ever change. The kiss, though, his attention, and his gaze, that was enough to set her on fire, and she hated it.
Without looking back, she made her way home, only to stop when she saw Sean waiting on her front doorstep.
“No one’s home,” he said.
“That’s because they’re at work.” She pushed a curl out of her eyes and waited. She didn’t have the first clue what to say and part of her was a little guilty for the fact she’d spoken with Drake and kissed him.
They shouldn’t be kissing and she wouldn’t allow herself to be put in that compromising position again. Nothing good could ever happen to her if she was around Drake and she needed to remember that.
“I stopped by your work place as well. They said it was your day off,” Sean said.
“I did try to call you. A lot.”
“I know.”
“I don’t know why you’re so angry at me. I’ve done nothing wrong.” She hated this stalemate between them more than anything.
“I hate Drake.”
“So? It’s not like I’m sleeping with the guy.”
“But you didn’t see the way you and him looked at each other, Pru.”
“We didn’t look at each other in any way.” She wasn’t going to get into her confused feelings with Sean. He wouldn’t understand. He was the only person she could talk to. Ree hadn’t even bothered to stop by or to speak to either of them since the party. She figured sleeping with Drake had been her only goal, and now that she accomplished that, she and Sean weren’t worth her time.
“I don’t like him being near you.”
“He brought me home. Nothing more.” She wasn’t about to tell him about Drake destroying her phone. She’d been using her dad’s old phone, claiming hers had been stolen.
Sean sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be a dick to you. I can’t believe I’ve been acting like this. It’s not me and I shouldn’t take my issues out on you.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine.” He moved up toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes, breathing him in. This was her best friend in the entire world. The one person she could share everything with and yet, she couldn’t tell him her thoughts or her confused feelings about one particular guy. He wasn’t ready to know about that.
Wrapping her arms around him, she pushed her worries and concerns down. Whatever was going on between her and Drake, Sean didn’t need to know.
Pulling away, Sean kissed her head. “Come on, I’ll go and make us some coffee.”
She followed him into her house and for now, she was able to relax. Everything else could wait.
Chapter Ten
The prick needs a punch
Drake wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Prudence and Sean hand-in-hand as they walked through town. He sipped at his shop-bought coffee and chewed on his doughnut as he watched them. They looked so happy.
All friendshippy and all the bullshit he knew he couldn’t stand.
Whatever was going on between them, Sean wasn’t getting any. He didn’t believe for a second that little shit knew what to do with his dick.
He stayed in his place, leaning against his car as they approached. Prudence had just laughed at something Sean had said, and for whatever it was, Drake wanted to hurt him. The laughter died the instant she caught sight of him. She looked nervous and he liked it.
“Look what we have here,” Drake said, drawing their attention.
“Drake,” Sean said.
“Asshole.”
“Come on,” Pru said.
“Yeah, take your little dog. He needs to be put on a leash.”
Pru glared at him and he smiled right back. She had the cutest angry look.
Sean shook his head but put his arm around her shoulders. Drake clenched his teeth, growling at the sight. He watched the two friends pass and it made him lose his appetite. After throwing away the last of his coffee and doughnut, he climbed into his car and headed home.
The house was quiet and it would be all summer. He moved out toward the pool, pulling off his clothes and diving into the water buck-naked. Trying to unwind from the anger simmering inside, he swam laps. But all he could think about was snapping Sean in two.
As he broke the surface, he saw his friends waiting.
“Hey, man,” Marco said.
“You haven’t called,” this from Nick.
“Yeah, we’ve been worrying about it,” Carl said.
They all looked bored and the last thing he wanted to do was to hang out with them. “I’ve been busy. What the fuck do you guys want?”
“Figured you needed some company,” Nick said. “You haven’t got arrested or shot in the past couple of days. What’s up?”
Drake snorted. “What do you guys know about Sean?”
“Sean as in pussy Sean?”
“The kid that hangs out with Trash,” he said. He thought about her lips and how good they felt against his own. It didn’t matter about the kiss. She was still trash.
“Not a lot to know. He grew up in this town. Judgy little prick. You probably beat some sense into him,” Marco said.
“The only one,” Nick said, in agreement.
“I want him out of the picture.”
“What do you mean?”
He thought about Pru. As long as Sean was in the picture, there was no way he’d be able to explore this thing he had with her.
“Yeah, Drake, why the fuck do you want to mess with those losers, anyway? They’re so beneath you,” Marco said.
“I want to mess with whoever the fuck I want to. Last time I checked, I didn’t answer to you.”
Marco shrugged. “Whatever.”
He didn’t know why the fuck he was putting up with these assholes. Leaning back in the pool, he thought about Prudence. She was clearly guilty when it came to him. He didn’t even know why he was wasting his time with this.
After climbing out of the water, he walked past the guys and went straight to his room. He pulled on a pair of sweats and a shirt and made his way back downstairs. His friends were already playing on one of the games. He didn’t bother to interrupt them as he left his home. He got into his car and drove toward Prudence’s house. There was no sign of Sean or his car.
He moved toward the small park where there was a lot. Once he’d parked his car, he walked over to Pru’s house.
No one was aro
und. He checked in the windows and walked around the back. He had no idea what the fuck he was doing. Taking a seat on the back porch, he waited. Several times, he got up and was about to leave, only to take a seat again.
He needed shit to go back to normal between him and Pru, where he hated her guts or just liked to watch her suffer. She was always so open with her emotions and it was one of the reasons he liked to attack her.
He was playing on a game on his cell phone, waiting for Prudence and Sean to arrive. It didn’t take long for Sean to drive up to her house. He moved toward a large bush where he could watch without being caught. Drake pocketed his cell phone and watched as she climbed out of the car but leaned down to look through the passenger window.
Whatever Sean said made her laugh and he saw the blush on her face.
Clenching his hands into fists, he wanted to go over there and pound that smug bastard’s fucking face in. There was something about Sean that really rubbed him the wrong way and he wanted nothing more than to take him out, to fuck him up.
Finally, the feeling ebbed away when Prudence stood. She gave Sean a little wave, making her way up to her house. Sean didn’t drive away until she was in her house.
The moment Sean was out of sight, Drake moved toward the back door and knocked but he didn’t have a clue what he was doing or why he was even here.
Prudence walked into the kitchen, looking toward the door. He saw the surprise flash across her face when she caught sight of him. She hesitated but finally opened the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet your friend?”
“We’re not friends, Drake.”
“Are you just going to leave me at the back door?”
“I’m tempted.”
He gripped the edge of the doorway and pushed hard. She stumbled back, and he let himself into her house.
Prudence was back in his face within a second. “Get out or I call the cops.”
“You won’t call the cops.”
“Really? You think I won’t?”
“No, you won’t. Not if you want to answer questions as to why I came over in the first place.”
“I didn’t invite you here.”
“We’ve been seen together, Pru. You think anyone is going to believe that you don’t want me here? I’m the richest kid in town. I’ve got power, money, and what do you have? Nothing. Money talks, baby, and no one will believe a word you say. Not when I’m such a catch. Any girl will throw themselves at me.”
“Ugh, I don’t like how smug you are. I don’t want you here. Get out.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“And I don’t want you here. How’s that going to work?”
Drake laughed. “I’ve always been curious about how the other half lives.”
“Other half?”
“Your house is really small.” He smiled as he heard her growl. She was so freaking cute when she was angry. Seeing her lose control made him hot as well.
“Damn it, Drake. I mean it. My parents could be home any minute.”
“And you’d only introduce me as your friend. Let’s not think anything else that would happen. They’d probably be happy that you’ve finally gotten a good friend.”
“They adore Sean. They wouldn’t care about you. They’re not greedy and won’t be bought off just because of who you are.”
“For a clever girl, you sure do act stupid.” He saw all the pictures on the wall. None of them were from famous artists. They were all family photos of Pru at different ages, and also of her parents.
In all of them, they looked happy. They weren’t even professionally done. For the only photos he’d taken with his parents there had been a minimum of three photographers, along with makeup designers, and everything that a set would need to make them all look like the perfect family.
He’d hated it. The fakeness of his family. The lies each photo sold. There was no truth in a single image. The pictures here, they were all natural. There were no expectations.
“It must be nice,” he said.
“What must be nice?”
He turned to find Pru with her arms folded. He had a slight smile on his face. “Nothing.”
“Do you and your family have pictures taken? I don’t see the draw.”
“Do you like your parents?” he asked, avoiding her question.
“Of course. I love them. They’re my parents and they’ll do anything for me. I don’t understand what all of this is. Why are you even here?”
“I figured we could hang out.”
“Hang out?”
“Do you have a repeat button on or something?”
“I don’t understand what you want from me, Drake. Why do you want to hang out when you’ve got all of your other friends?”
He stared at her, wondering the exact same thing. There were his friends back home. The ones who were playing his games, probably drinking his father’s expensive scotch. There was any number of girls he could call to keep him company, and yet, here he was. Waiting for something.
Hanging out with Pru seemed like the best idea of them all.
“You know, I can’t have a picture taken unless it’s a selfie and then my mom likes to photoshop it so it’s perfect. I’m not allowed to upload anything that makes me look bad.” He didn’t know why he was talking. “We don’t have stuff like this. We’re always standing there stiffly as if we’ve got a giant stick up our asses.”
“Drake?”
“I don’t want pity.”
“I’m not giving it to you. I just … you’re confusing me. I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I don’t want anything from you. Believe it or not. My friends came by and I just, I wanted something real.”
She gave him that confused look again and he didn’t like it. “Real? You think you can be real with me but not anyone else?” she asked.
“I don’t know what I’m saying.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking at anywhere but her.
“Drake, you don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying to you. Okay? I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it whenever I’m around.”
She didn’t say anything and he had to look at her.
Pru was staring right back at him. “The kiss again?” she asked.
“Tell me you don’t think about it.”
“Drake, we’re enemies.”
“We don’t have to be.”
“But we are. You need to see that. We’re not good for each other.”
He took a step toward her, then another, not caring about anything else but to see her, to feel her against him. When he stood right in front of her, he reached out, cupping her chin. This, to him, felt like the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t get it or understand it, but it was there.
“Drake?”
“Shut up, Pru. Haven’t you ever noticed that things get complicated when we talk?”
She snorted. “What are you wanting from me?”
He looked at her lips. They were so ripe and full. He wanted to taste her again. He ran his thumb across her lip, watching her.
Why hadn’t he ever realized she was pretty?
Leaning forward, he found that her lips were just too much temptation to deny. He should stop, he knew that. His parents would hate for him to be with someone like Pru. She wasn’t in the same league as him. They probably already had a wife picked out for him. A girl with way more money than sense and who knew how to prance around in their world with the right image. Pru was so far removed from what his parents considered a good match. They wouldn’t see anything other than her lack of wealth and prospects.
Slamming his lips down on hers, he threw caution to the wind and just took what he wanted. As he slid his tongue across her lips, Pru surprised him, opening her mouth. He plundered inside, moaning at her exquisite taste. He didn’t even know why the kiss felt so fucking good, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to.
> She let out a moan and it was almost as if she was relenting. Her arms went around his neck, and he slid his hand down her back to cup her ass, holding her as close as he physically could. Moving back, he dropped her onto the sofa, following her down. He pressed between her spread thighs, wishing there was nothing between them.
He didn’t want anything to hold him back from touching her. From taking her, and from making her his. Drake pulled back from the kiss, staring down at her, a little startled by his sudden change of … feelings.
“What is it?” Pru asked.
He saw how tense she got the longer he just watched her.
Obsessing about a kiss was one thing. Craving Pru was an entirely different experience.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Drake?”
He got to his feet, very much aware of his raging erection, ignoring it and Pru’s voice. He needed to get the fuck out of here, and not just out of her house but out of town. The longer he stayed here, the harder it was to ignore these messed-up feelings.
Chapter Eleven
It only lasts so long
One week went by where Drake was nowhere to be seen. Not that Pru was complaining. Having a break from him was what she needed. He’d been confusing her with his kisses and attention. Even down to him ruining her phone. She needed to demand a new one from him when she saw him.
She didn’t have a clue when that would actually be because he’d decided to completely disappear. It wasn’t a problem for her, though. The break was nice, even if she did check across the shopping mall to see if he was camped out eating or following her around. But she didn’t miss him. That would be freaking crazy on her part to miss him, wouldn’t it?
Sean helped to make the time go faster. He stopped by to have lunch with her whenever he could, and they hung out when her parents weren’t around. She did notice he rarely stopped by if her parents were home.
If they were, he’d take her out somewhere. They’d go driving or watch a movie. Neither of them brought up Drake. The last thing Pru wanted to talk about was Drake. Sean was her best friend, her only friend, especially as Ree wasn’t talking to her. She hadn’t heard from Ree since the party, not that it was any surprise. She’d see Ree around town but the blonde completely ignored her. Pru wasn’t losing sleep over her friend’s sudden dislike of her. Clearly, screwing Drake had helped her climb the social ladder of high school.