Chapter Thirteen — Maya

BEFORE: One Day Ago

“Is Gerard coming?” Quinn asked as we surveyed the caterers moving about as they set up for my eighteenth birthday party the following day. Larissa had outdone herself organizing it, which surprised the hell out of me. I didn’t think my stepmother gave two shits about me, but if this party was anything to go by, it would seem she did.

“Yeah, he’ll be here late though. He has to work and can’t get out of it.”

She raised her brows and smiled in that uniquely wicked way that meant she was plotting something. “That gives you more time to play with Oliver. I seriously think you should make a move on him. The man is tripping over his dick to get to you.”

I looked in Oliver’s direction and found him staring at me. No smile, and definitely no indication that he was tripping over himself to get to me. Quinn was usually right when it came to men, but she had it all wrong where Oliver was concerned. He simply continued to stare at me. Actually, it was more like a glare.

And damn if that glare didn’t shoot desire through me.

I turned away from him and gave Quinn my full attention again. “He caught me giving Gerard a blowjob the day he arrived and lost it at him. Like seriously lost it.” The recollection of that moment caused me to tense up, heat rising in my belly. “Damn Larissa for not telling me that Oliver was on his way. I had no clue he was coming and then BAM, I look up into his eyes while I have Gerard’s dick in my mouth.”

Quinn burst out laughing. I could see how that could be hilarious from her point of view. Not so funny for me. I'd never been as mortified in my life. There I was, imagining Gerard’s cock was Oliver’s—and giving it my best shot—only to be caught by the real thing. Standing there—watching. Sometimes life was fucking cruel.

“Well that tells you something,” she said with that smug look she got when she believed she was right.

I shook my head. “It just tells me what I already knew—Oliver is crazy and I hate him. He’s always interfering in my business when it has nothing to do with him. I just wish he would leave me the hell alone and go back to his whores.”

Her eyes narrowed on me. “When are you going to admit to yourself that you have it just as bad for him as he has it for you? This has been going on for damn years, Maya. It doesn’t have to be anything other than sex if that’s all you want.”

I would die if she could read my mind.

One minute I wanted to have sex with Oliver and the next I wanted to get as far away from his as possible. My thoughts drove me insane some days. It would be a hell of a lot easier if he weren’t in my life.

Maybe I should leave.

Run as far from Oliver King as I could. Go to school in another state.

And goddamn it, those thoughts alone twisted my stomach in panic. The thought of not seeing him drove me crazier than he ever could with his taunts. I had two years of experience in exactly how that felt. It sucked.

“Maya? Did you hear what I said?”

Her voice cut through my thoughts. “Sorry, yeah I heard you. I can’t imagine sleeping with him. I don’t think my father would approve. Besides, it's just gross thinking of screwing my freaking stepbrother.” That was the biggest lie I’d ever told my best friend. I'd rather not admit the exorbitant number of hours I’d spent imaging sleeping with him. I still wasn’t any closer to knowing how to handle this.

I’m so damn conflicted between what I want and what I know is right.

She shrugged. “Suit yourself, but I think you two need to deal with this attraction soon. It’s consuming you, and I worry about where it'll all end up.”

Quinn was right. Oliver consumed my thoughts day and night. But she was dreaming if she thought I would ever go to him and admit any of this.

“Maya.” The voice I heard in my dreams floated from behind me and I turned to find Oliver standing behind me.

I shivered under his gaze. Those steely eyes of his pierced my soul and stirred a need in me I struggled to understand. My legs threatened to buckle under me as the need for him blazed through my body.

As we stood staring at each other, Quinn excused herself. “I’m going to leave you two to it. I’ll catch up with you later, Maya.”

I watched her go and then found Oliver’s gaze again. It hadn’t deviated from me. He’d moved closer so our bodies almost touched and his warm minty breath danced across my face.

Close enough to cause me to lose all common sense.

“Is that prick whose dick was in your mouth the other day coming tonight?” he demanded to know, his voice dripping with scorn. “Your ex?”

And just like that, any desire for him evaporated, anger settling in its place.

“Screw you, Oliver,” I spat.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, little bee? My cock fucking you, showing you what you’ve been missing with all those school boys.”

I tried to move away from him, desperately needing to put some distance between us. “Don’t delude yourself. The last thing I want is your cock.”

The vein in his neck pulsed and anger clouded his features. His hand snaked out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me back to him. “One of these days you’ll know what my cock feels like. I’ll make you my slut, Maya, and you will fucking beg for it. You’ll crave what I can give you.”

Every nerve ending in my body sparked with desire and my heart beat so fast it could jump out of my throat at any moment.

Oh my God, I had to be sick to be turned on by those words.

But I was.

So. Fucking. Turned. On.

Oliver had flipped the switch again with just those words.

How the hell does he do that?

I tried to struggle out of his hold but his grip tightened around my waist, his fingers digging in hard. The pain shot through me and I begged, “Let me go, you’re hurting me.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Satisfaction? In some ways he was still a mystery to me, even after six years, so I couldn’t be sure. Bending his face closer to mine, he taunted me. “Good. You’ll learn to enjoy pain when you’re with me.”

Fear surged through me. Oliver wasn’t making sense anymore and this conversation needed to end. I pulled away hard and he finally let me go. As I stumbled backwards, I snapped. “Stay away from me, Oliver. I’m not interested in you, your cock, or your pain.” Lie. Damn lie. Without giving him a chance to reply, I turned and stalked out of the room.

I’d always known Oliver King was bad news and this just proved it.

And yet, my core whispered its sick desire for everything he had to offer. My panties were soaked and I bet he knew it.

Not only did I want his cock, I fucking craved it. How much longer could I fool myself into believing I didn’t? But I had to resist him—he only wanted me as a plaything. As much as I told myself it was only sex I wanted from him, I knew that once he had me, I’d want more. Always more. And that was just plain fucking dangerous.

No good could come of it. Regardless of how much I wanted it.