CHAPTER NINE

COLE

“I understand why you’re doing it, but are you sure you want to do it?” Shane asks me.

I nod. “Not a doubt in my mind.”

“Okay.” He turns, giving me his back, and walks out of the kitchen.

I move to the kitchen island to make my third drink when Kellan comes up to me. They’re all going to come to me one by one. Well, except for Deke. He knows my mind is made up. And none of the others are gonna be able to change it. They should know that by now. “I think we should call it quits,” he growls.

I arch a brow. “Why is that?”

He sighs heavily. “She’s a liability. What if one of us gets in trouble because of her?”

I shake my head. “Won’t happen. We’ll let her take the fall before we go down with her.”

“How can you guarantee that? She could roll over on us.”

I slap his shoulder. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got your back.”

He stares at me as if he doesn’t believe me, but I give him the drink I just made, and he downs it in a few gulps. His nerves showing.

I’m making myself a new drink since I just gave mine away when my side is bumped and two arms wrap around my waist. “What the …?” I look down to see Austin standing beside me with her eyes closed and a big smile on her face.

My first thought is to shove her off me. The second is to lean down and kiss her hair.

I do neither.

Instead, I stand staring down at her like she has two heads. “Austin?” I finally say. “What are you doing?”

She looks up at me, and her big green eyes look glazed over. She’s tipsy. Great! I’ve only made her two drinks, and neither one were strong. For this very reason. I didn’t wanna put up with a drunk girl. She had a bottle of Fireball in her hand when she entered the game room. Shit!

“I know you want to kiss me. Go ahead,” she says softly.

I laugh nervously. She can’t read me that easily. “You had your chance upstairs. You passed.” Good choice.

She leans up on her tiptoes, her mouth next to my ear, and whispers. “I dare you.”

My body stiffens. She doesn’t understand what those words mean to me. How they give me a pass to do whatever the fuck I want. As if I needed that.

I turn in her arms, so I’m facing her, and slide my right hand into her hair. Her eyes close, and those perfect red lips release a moan. The soft sound goes straight to my cock. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” I say against her lips.

Her eyes open and look up into mine, and her hands slip up the back of my shirt. I feel eyes on us in the packed kitchen, but I ignore them. She has all my attention. And this is what I wanted, right? For everyone to know that she belongs to me. A message so no other guy even attempts to take her from me.

Her nails drag down my back, and I imagine her doing that while I fuck her up in my room. Just her and me. “I know exactly what I’m doing,” she purrs. “Now. I dare you to kiss me.”

I smile because I’m gonna make her wait for it. I tilt her head back and run my lips along her jawline. And down her neck. She smells like heaven and sex all wrapped in one small package that I just wanna rip open.

A shiver runs through her body, and she moans, “Cole.”

“You asked for it, Austin. Remember that.” I nip at her neck, and her breath hitches. Her nails dig into my back, but only now, she’s pulling me toward her. Needing me closer. I agree.

I let go of her hair, grab her thighs, and lift her off the floor. Spinning us around, I set her ass on the kitchen island. I hear the faint sound of bottles being knocked over, but neither one of us pays attention to them. Both of my hands return to fisting her hair. I yank her head back as she lets out a whimper, and then my lips are on hers. She opens for me, and I dive in. My lips on hers aggressively. My tongue in her mouth with determination, and she tastes like cinnamon.

So fucking good!

I growl into her mouth, and she moans into mine. Her hips grind into me, and I know she can feel how hard I am for her. ’Cause she pulls her lips from mine and pants. “Fuck me, Cole.”

AUSTIN

My heart pounds in my chest, and I try to suck in a calming breath. I just asked him to fuck me.

I’m so dead. And so drunk.

But I want him. Why do I want him? He’s done nothing but try to get me arrested. Blackmailed me. Over and over yet I just asked him to fuck me.

Is it the danger? The way he touches me? The way he speaks to me? I wasn’t lying when I told him I’m not a virgin. But that doesn’t mean I have a lot of experience either.

He pulls away from me, causing my legs to fall from around his waist. His blue eyes look me up and down, and then he turns, giving me his back, and walks out of the packed kitchen. Denying me.

Shame washes over me at what I just did. He wants me dead. Not for sex.

“Whoa,” Becky says, fanning herself as she sidles up beside me. “That was intense.”

I jump off the island and grab the bottle of Fireball. I take a gulp and then shove kids out of way who stare at me like I’m some kind of joke. I push a couple making out in the hall and make my way toward the back door.

I need some fresh air.

I stumble my way out to a gazebo. The night air hits my face, and I take another drink.

I plop down and look over the large backyard. An Olympic-size swimming pool sits to my left, and I wonder why Cole and Lilly were over at my father’s house swimming today when he has his own. Looking at my right, I see tennis courts lit up and kids drinking from kegs.

“There you are,” Becky says, coming out the back door.

I blow the hair out of my face. I just wanna be alone.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” I lie.

She plops down beside me. “Wanna hit?” She offers me a joint.

“Thanks,” I say and put it to my lips. I take a long drag. The smoke fills my lungs, and I lean my head back, holding my breath. Then let it out. And hand it back to her.

“So you and Cole … I get it now.”

“I hate him,” I say without thought. My body doesn’t understand that.

She laughs and takes a long drag from the joint and passes it back to me. “You guys weren’t fooling anyone, honey.”

I take a drag. “What do you mean you guys?”

“Cole doesn’t kiss and tell. Well, he doesn’t kiss and show either.” I arch a brow. “He’s a manwhore, don’t get me wrong, but he is very discreet about who he takes to bed. I thought he was going to lay you down on the island and do you right then and there for all of us to watch.” She chuckles.

“Me too,” I say honestly.

“Not gonna lie. I wouldn’t have looked away.”

I throw my head back, laughing. “Well, you told me to take advantage of it while I can.” I take another hit of the joint. “I intended to do just that.”

“I didn’t mean right then.” She laughs. “But I’m sure everyone enjoyed the show.”

“That wasn’t a show. That was pathetic,” I say, and she chuckles. I take another hit.

“Hey, girls,” a man says as he enters the gazebo. He’s got blond spiky hair and a set of soft brown eyes. His black long-sleeve t-shirt and dark faded jeans show off his large, muscular size.

“Hey, Bryan,” Becky greets him.

He offers us a Solo cup. “I brought you girls a drink.”

“No thanks,” I say, holding up the joint between my fingers.

But Becky takes a drink and then passes it to me. “Vodka,” she says.

“Okay, one drink.” Vodka is my favorite. My mother’s boyfriend always had it at the house, and when you’re in the mood to get drunk, you drink what is available.

“Becky, Christopher is looking for you. Something about you owing him a shot for some bet you guys made.” She rolls her eyes but jumps up and walks off with a wave of her hand, leaving me alone with the new stranger.

He takes her seat next to me. “Where’s Cole?”

“Why the hell would I know?” I ask, wishing the weed would kick in. So I lean back against the wood, relaxing.

“Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

“No,” I say quickly.

“That’s not what it looked like.”

I let out a sigh. “Why does everyone care what we were doing minutes ago?”

“Because I thought you would want to start your year out right by being on the arm of the hottest guy in school.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Cole may be a dick, but he doesn’t say corny lines like that. No. He just tries to blackmail you for murder. “And who is that?” I indulge him.

“Me.” He grabs the Solo cup from my hand and takes a drink of the vodka. He goes to hand it back to me but drops it.

I stand quickly, gasping as the cold liquid spills all over my lap.

“I’m so sorry,” He jumps up. And then his hands are on me. I go to move backward, but my knees hit the bench.

“It’s okay,’” I say, but he pushes into me, causing me to fall back down onto my ass. My head even with the zipper on his jeans.

He stands over me, and he leans in and sniffs my hair. “What the …?”

“Bryan!”

His voice interrupts what I was about to say.

Bryan sighs heavily and turns around to face Cole but blocks me so I can’t get up from the bench.

“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Cole demands.

“What you didn’t have the balls to do earlier,” Bryan answers, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cole gives me a quick once-over before his narrowed eyes go back to Bryan as he storms across the backyard toward us.

I look away from him. I don’t need him to save me. I reach up and shove Bryan out of my way. When I stand, Bryan turns to face me. “Let’s go.” He grabs my arm.

“I’m not …”

“Let her go!” Cole growls at him and yanks him forward. Bryan pulls me in the process, and we all fall down the two stairs at the entrance to the gazebo.

I roll onto my back as I look up and see Cole punch Bryan in the face.

“Austin? Are you okay?” Becky asks as she runs over to me.

“Fine,” I snap, getting up. She reaches up to pull the grass out of my hair, but I shake her off as I turn to face the guys.

The backyard starts to fill with people. Deke and Shane run out the back door.

Cole is straddling Bryan, punching him in the face. Bryan manages to block it and then land a punch to Cole’s chin, knocking him off.

Bryan goes to hit him while he’s down, but Cole lifts his right leg, kicking him in the stomach. Bryan stumbles back, and Cole jumps up in time to hit him in the face. Blood runs from Bryan’s mouth, and then Cole hits him again. Bryan stumbles back. Before he can recover, Cole hits him again. When Bryan falls to the ground this time, he doesn’t get back up.

People gather around the backyard with their phones out, recording the fight. Deke and Shane both just stand there, looking at their friend but waiting for I don’t know what. They let him beat Jeff almost to death. Maybe they don’t get in his way until the job is almost done. I shake my head as I walk past them toward the house. It’s time for me to go.

I’ve already got my phone out of my pocket and ordering an Uber when Becky comes up beside me. “I’m going home,” I tell her. “Wanna share an Uber?” I know she is just as drunk as I am. And she smoked too.

“Absolutely,” she says.

I walk into the house just to be pulled back. I spin around to see who placed their hands on me and come face to face with Cole. His chest is heaving, and his forehead is covered in a thin layer of sweat. He has a cut on his upper lip.

“Where are you going?” he demands.

“Home.” I spin around, giving him my back, but he yanks me back again.

I turn around and shove him backward. He doesn’t budge. “Stop putting your hands on me, Cole,” I yell.

“Austin …”

“You had your chance. You passed.” I throw his same words back at him.

His jaw sharpens, but this time when I turn around, he doesn’t try to stop me.