My mind went blank.
Fear was replaced by lust as he took over. His arm encircled my waist and he pulled my body flush against his. Tilting me, his mouth took control, moving over mine. Our kiss was both sinful and worshipful at the same time. Each meeting of our lips was even more decadent than the one before it and I could feel him restraining himself. But when my tongue met his, his grip on me tightened and a deep, rumbling moan vibrated through him.
He pulled away slightly.
I opened my eyes to find him staring at me.
“What are we doing?” he whispered.
I drew his face closer to mine and kissed him deeply in response. “Something we shouldn’t,” I murmured against his mouth.
His soft lips and magical touch created a sensation that coursed through my body. As our kiss intensified, his hand roamed down my back to my ass like it was familiar territory. Drawing me closer, he slipped his hand underneath my tank top and caressed me with his fingertips. That subtle touch alone sent shockwaves directly to my core. My toes curled when his tongue teasingly met mine. Shivers ran up and down my spine as his dick rubbed against me. It was all those little things that created the intense desire that twisted my gut so forcefully that I moaned into his mouth.
If I had on panties, they would’ve been soaked.
He pulled away slightly. “Brooklyn…” His voice was rough and thick with want. “Is this what you want?”
Instead of answering, I kissed him. For at least five solid minutes, we rolled our bodies against one another as we tasted each other’s lips. The long languid kisses were deep, sloppy, and hot.
“Brooklyn,” he groaned, the pads of his fingers brushing the underside of my breast. “I’m trying… but you’re making it hard.”
“I can feel how hard it is.” I sucked on his bottom lip. “And that’s making it hard for me.”
“Are you sure this is a bad idea?” His finger moved over my hardened nipple. “Because I’m not.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes, it’s definitely a bad idea.”
“So, you don’t want me to eat you until you come?”
His words sent a chill down my spine. But at the exact same time, reality hit me.
“You’re my best friend. I don’t know why the idea popped in my head, but I think it’s just the craziness of the week. It’s stress. My body’s reaction to everything going on with me and happening around me is to release the stress in the best way possible. I haven’t had sex in a while and you’re admittedly a very attractive man. I think it’s just a combination of stress, tiredness, and horniness. That’s all. That’s all it is,” I overexplained as words somersaulted from my mouth.
His hand slipped from my breast and relocated to the small of my back. He was quiet. The way he looked at me was uncharted territory.
“I’m just stressed and it’s making me crazy,” I added.
Nodding slowly, his eyes searched mine. “You never answered my question.”
“I know,” I whispered, blinking back a wave of emotion that came over me suddenly.
“Why?”
A minute passed before I could give him my honest answer. “Because I’m scared.”
He planted a gentle kiss against my lips before pulling me onto his chest. Without another word, he held me until we fell asleep.
…
Chapter Nine
I cracked my eyelids open and realized I was in bed alone. Groggily, I grabbed my phone and immediately shot up. It was way later than I thought. Looking through my phone, I had three missed calls from Kim’s burner phone and a text message to meet her in the back with the rugs. I had a couple of hours to spare and wanted to talk to Jay in the light of day. I wanted us to have a clearheaded conversation, free of alcohol and hormones because last night was a mistake.
Though… it didn’t feel like a mistake.
“Jay?” I called out as I walked through the apartment.
When I made it to the kitchen, I noticed that he was gone and so was the duffle bag he carried to the gym. Part of me was relieved to put off the conversation because I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say. I knew we needed to talk about it, but I didn’t know how I felt about what happened. I just knew that our friendship changed last night. The other part of me wanted to live in denial. Either way, I was going to be thinking about what happened for the rest of the day.
Like I don’t have enough on my plate. Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temples. What is going on with my life?
Two hours later, I walked into the furniture store with my head on a swivel. I was greeted by a sales associate who was helping an older couple. I stood, reading the signs to find the carpet and rug department. When I saw the arrow pointing to the right, I quickly headed that way.
“Over here!” Kim called out from behind an oversized spool of carpet.
I walked over until we were both hidden behind the tall tower of varying degrees of beige carpeting. “Hey,” I greeted her. “Why are we here?”
“Because look around. The store is dead and no one our age is buying carpet.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“And because I need to tell you something,” she whispered, sweeping her eyes around the area we were in. “Dakota is trying to pin the fire on you. She’s trying to pin everything on you. I think the season is over.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “I met with Coach Ainsley on Friday and she basically said it was over.”
“Did she tell you the police investigation is why the season is over?” Kim’s eyes were wide. “Did she tell you that Dakota told her and the police that everything was your idea?”
My stomach sank. “What?”
I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. I heard Dakota tell the PROs I’d done it. I knew Dakota told Coach Ainsley I’d done it. But the fact that she told the police that fake story floored me. It was one thing to lie to people on campus, but she lied to the police.
“But I didn’t have anything to do with this,” I insisted.
“I know.” She looked around. “That’s why I got Mrs. Yates to give me your number. That’s why I’m here.”
“What’s going on, Kim?” I wondered confused. “This whole covert operative thing is freaking me out.”
“Dakota called Mrs. Yates on behalf of the team, but when she asked for my number, she wouldn’t give it to her. So, she got my number from Olive because she wanted to talk to someone who didn’t live in the house.”
My brows furrowed. As head cheerleader, Dakota had the numbers for every member. “Why wouldn’t she give Mrs. Yates your number?”
Kim leaned forward, pointing her finger at me. “Because Dakota is a bitch and this whole thing is her doing.”
“Yeah, but she had help.” I tried not to show emotion, but I felt the pained look on my face. “Where were you at the party? Didn’t you notice that I wasn’t in the car?”
She shook her head. “Honestly, no. Vivian told me to go outside and start the car. Two girls ran to the car and hopped in. Once Olive got in my car, it was full. Then I saw Sonya go to Dakota’s car. Then all of a sudden everyone was running out and when they yelled drive, I did. It wasn’t until everyone was back at the house that I noticed you weren’t there.” Her chin quivered. “I noticed you and Carter weren’t there.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Was that the plan all along?”
She gave me a sympathetic look and nodded. “From what I understand, Dakota was always planning to set you up and most of the other cheerleaders knew it. There were a few who looked confused, but most of the cheerleaders were saying that this is what happens when you sleep with another cheerleader’s man.”
“What?” I screeched.
“Shh!” She shushed me as she scanned the room again before continuing in a hushed tone. “Dakota was telling everyone that you were sleeping with Trevor and that you were disloyal to girl code—”
I made a face. “No, I didn’t!”
“She said that you and
Trevor were fucking behind her back so that you deserved whatever the PROs were going to do to you.”
Flashing back to a week ago, my voice was full of emotion. “I was left there to take whatever punishment the PROs saw fit.”
Kim nodded. “That was the plan apparently. She wanted to get you back for Trevor and get you kicked off the team.”
“Why would she even think it was me?”
“Before they kicked me out that night, Dakota was saying that she knew none of the cheerleaders would betray her like that and that only left you and me. She said I wasn’t attractive enough for Trevor, so it had to be you.”
My jaw dropped. “She had the audacity to say that? And to your face?”
“I think they forgot I was there honestly. But yeah, she said it.”
“She’s a bitch and a liar, so I hope you didn’t feed into that nonsense.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t even matter.” She waved it off. “My point is that they were all in agreement of what they were going to say when they talked to the PROs.”
“And all the cheerleaders were in on it?” I shifted from one foot to the other. My voice shook as I asked the question that had been plaguing me. “Did Carter know?”
There was a flicker of sadness in her eyes. “Yeah, she knew.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “She knew?” I gasped, my mouth agape. I shook my head. “She couldn’t have. She wouldn’t have.”
“I don’t know, Brooklyn. Maybe she didn’t,” she offered, even though she didn’t look convinced.
“Who said she knew?”
“I talked to Olive. And Olive told me that Dakota told all of them that it was going to be a hazing for you. She said that she was going to do my hazing another time, but this weekend was focused on you. But Olive swears Dakota didn’t tell her the actual plan. And she assumed that she didn’t tell Carter either because once the fires started and everyone was running to the cars, Carter got into it with Vivian because she felt guilty. And then she went back for you.”
“So, she was in on it, but then felt guilty,” I repeated in a state of disbelief.
Un-fucking-believable!
“And Olive is upset. Even though she was going along with it when the end result was just that the PROs were going to give you a hard time, she keeps calling and crying, saying that she didn’t want any of this to happen. With Carter dying, the police are involved, and she doesn’t want to lie or get you locked up. So, she talked to me about what she should do because Dakota has threatened all of them.”
“She needs to tell the truth!” I exclaimed and then flinched when I heard someone cough in the next aisle. We moved to the other end, near the berry colored carpeting. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her to tell the truth.”
“And what did she say?”
She sighed. “She’s scared. I don’t know what she’s going to ultimately do, but she’s scared of whatever it is Dakota has on her.”
I felt dizzy. “So, I could go to jail because all of them are willing to lie on me. I had nothing to do with any of it! I spent the whole night in the basement with…” I averted my eyes.
It wasn’t so much that I was trying to protect Aiden and his presence at the party. It was mostly because I was embarrassed that I had publicly made out with a man who wouldn’t stand up for me when I needed it most.
“Yeah, with Aiden,” Kim finished the sentence with a peculiar look. “I was going to meet someone down there, but when I got halfway down the steps, I saw you two all over each other.” She cocked her head to the side. “You didn’t think that was a secret, did you?”
“I mean I know people saw us talking in the basement. But when we started getting personal, everyone had gone back upstairs. I didn’t think it was a secret, but I didn’t know anyone saw us making out.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Will you tell the police you saw me in the basement with Aiden?”
“Of course. I can tell them I went down and saw you two.”
“Thank God,” I exhaled. If I were one to cry, I would’ve cried. “Because it was just the two of us down there, I need someone to back me up.”
“They didn’t believe you and Aiden?”
I took a deep breath. “Aiden’s worried about press so he hasn’t told the police anything. He won’t even confirm he was there.”
Her eyes turned into saucers. “Does he know the extent of what’s going on?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He knows. He said he needed to talk to his lawyer before he could get involved.” I shook my head. “So, that’s why I need you to go to the police and verify my story.”
“Wow, that’s surprising. I kind of get why he would be concerned about press, but the way you two were making out, I wouldn’t have guessed he’d leave you hanging.”
“Yeah, me either,” I sighed. “It’s crazy to me that I liked Aiden, yet Dakota did all of this because she thought I liked Trevor.” I gestured wildly. “She is trying to ruin my life because she thought I was sleeping with Trevor.”
“And the crazy thing is… I’m the one sleeping with him. I was going to have him fuck me in the laundry room that night.”
My eyebrows flew up. “What?”
Although it wasn’t the most shocking of the bombshells she dropped, I didn’t see it coming.
She shrugged. “Dakota’s a bitch and at first it was just to get back at her for all the stuff she was doing to us and then”—she smirked— “the sex was good, and we were having fun.”
I closed my eyes. “Kim…”
“Don’t judge me! Obviously I’m going to end things with him because he’s part of this.” She put her hands on her hips. “And you dated a PRO, too. What was his name?”
Why does everyone keep bringing that up?
“I’m not judging you!” I waved off what she was saying. “It’s not even about you and Trevor. Date who you want. Fuck who you want. But this whole thing started because Dakota thought it was me.”
She gave me an apologetic look. “You’re right.”
“I told the police everything I knew, but if all the cheerleaders are saying the same thing, it’s my word against theirs.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you in private. I didn’t want to get mixed up in any of this, but after what Olive told me, I wanted to go to the police. But after what Trevor said, I knew it was bigger than all of us now and I had to get in touch with you.”
I blinked incredulously. “What did Trevor say?”
“Trevor’s dad is trying to tie Carter’s death in with the boat fire.” After a pregnant pause, she continued, “They’re saying she helped you start the fires and you were able to swim away but she got stuck and drowned.”
My stomach roiled and I felt like I was going to vomit. “Who is saying that? That’s bullshit! I wasn’t anywhere near any fire!” I hissed.
She licked her lips. “I don’t know who originally came up with it, but both the PROs and the cheerleaders benefit from it.”
I put my hands on my knees and let my head hang. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Br—”
“Give me a minute,” I huffed. Numb, I gathered myself and then stood. “Okay.”
“Trevor was talking to his dad while I was there on Thursday and that’s how I got in on that conversation. He hasn’t said anything else though. I haven’t ended things with him yet, so I can see what other information I can get out of him. But then that means…” Her voice trailed off.
I didn’t even try to guess. I was too emotionally spent from all the information she was dumping on me.
“It means what?” I asked quietly.
“I can’t go to the police.”
My shoulders slumped and I felt defeated. I just looked at her. I didn’t know what to say because I understood why going to the police wouldn’t get any information from Trevor. But at the same time, it was yet another person who knew I was innocent who wouldn’t go to the police to back up my story.
Her eyes were wide as she watched me. “It’s up to you. I can go to the police or I can keep an eye on Trevor. Whatever you think will help. Because at the end of the day, if they get their way…”
“It all falls on me,” I finished for her.
We stared at each other silently for a full minute.
“Can I help you two with anything?” an older man who worked for the store inquired as he approached us.
“No, thank you,” we said in unison.
He proceeded to tell us about their carpet special anyway.
When he realized we were not interested nor listening, he walked away. But the brief interlude gave me the opportunity to think about the options Kim gave me.
“I don’t want you to sleep with him if you don’t want to,” I started quietly.
Kim held up her hand. “I will gladly fuck him, get the information you need, and then fuck him.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“What they are doing is wrong and you deserve a fighting chance.”
Reaching over, I hugged her. “Thanks again.”
We said our goodbyes and I headed to my car. I climbed in and turned the music up. Giving into the tears, I sat in the parking lot for an hour wavering between rage and fear. The sky darkened, like my mood, and it wasn’t until my stomach rumbled that I realized I was hungry.
Gino’s.
I was on autopilot as I made my way to the best pizza place in all of New York. When I parked, I sat in my car for a while thinking about my conversation with Kim. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the rain pounding the top of my car shook me out of my daze.
Reaching in the backseat for my umbrella, I realized I left it in Jay’s apartment.
“Dammit,” I muttered as I opened the door and stepped in a puddle. With my hands shielding my face as best I could, I took off running into Gino’s.
“Oh wow, it’s coming down out there,” the hostess greeted me. “You’re soaking wet.”
I wiped the water droplets from my face. “Yeah.”
“Well come on in and dry off!” She invited me in, waving her arms emphatically. “Have a seat anywhere.”
I glanced around the usually packed establishment and realized I was the only customer. “Where is everyone?”
Trouble's What You're In Page 10