Chapter twenty

 

Squealing loudly, I try to push Beau away. His aggressive hands digging into my sides are close to making me pee myself.

If there is anything a girl hates, it’s being tickled. We don’t look sexy like they do in the movies. We look like deranged hillbillies having an epileptic fit.

It’s not pretty.

“Please, I call mercy. Mercy, I tell you!”

He chuckles deeply as he rolls on top of me, pinning my hands above my head. “I don’t negotiate with mini terrorists.”

“I said I was sorry.” I blow the hair out of my face while trying hard not to laugh. “Stop tickling me.”

He tilts his head to the side, glancing down at me with an amused expression. “See, I would, but you promised me the cake was a misunderstanding.”

I nod my head vigorously. “It was. It really was. He was only aiming for the triplets. He didn’t know it would explode like that.”

“And my car?”

I bite my lip, glancing over his shoulder. “Was an accident?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Um, telling?”

“I see,” he chuckles, his one hand gripping both my wrists as the other starts to move down my body.

I squirm, already crying from laughter. “Please, no. Don’t! It really was an accident.”

“How is covering my car with silly-string an accident?” he asks dryly, his lips twitching.

“Jacob just wanted you to feel like one of the family?”

“He also let my tyres down.”

He didn’t do that part, but I’m not going to tell Beau that.

“I said I was sorry.” I pout.

He chuckles deeply, leaning down to take my mouth. I try to wrap my hands around him, but he keeps my wrists pinned down securely.

Pulling away a little to look at me, he says, “What are you going to do to make it up to me?”

“Apart from clean your car and get someone to replace all four tyres?”

“No, I can sort the car out. I did most of it last night. I’m more interested in how you’re going to make up for the fact you fell asleep last night, while I cleaned the car.”

My mouth forms an O. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” he grins.

When we got back last night, I’d been so tired from the chaos my family caused that I’d readily agreed to make it up to him in the shower, after we got the cake washed off our bodies.

But while I’d been in the shower, he’d gone downstairs to clean what he could off the car. Turns out, silly-string dries like glue.

He took too long, and the last thing I remember was my head falling to the pillow.

I give him what I hope is my saucy look and lower my lashes at him. “Well, if you let me go, I’m sure I could think of a few things.”

He licks his lips. “I’m listening. What were you thinking?”

I suck my bottom lip into my mouth. “Something tasty, something mouth-watering that will keep you going for the rest of the day.”

His eyes dilate, heating with passion. “Now that is what I’m talking about.”

Smiling coyly, I nod my head and inwardly grin when he lets go of my hands. I run my finger down his bare chest, trying to ignore the clenching between my legs as his erection presses against my core.

“I’m glad you think so. Because if you want a cooked breakfast, I should really start it now.”

He rears back, looking adorably confused as his eyes scrunch together. “What?”

I nod my head to the side where the clock is. “You have work in an hour, and if we go at it again, you’ll be late.”

He gasps, his gaze coming back to me, looking truly stunned. “You sneaky little woman.”

I shrug, grinning widely. “I do my best.”

“When I get you alone tonight, you’re so going to pay.”

I press a kiss against his lips, smiling. “Promises, promises.”

Before he can do anything else that will result in me giving in and making love to him, I push him off. He rolls to the floor with a grunt, whilst I whistle and jump from the bed before grabbing one of his T-shirts and pulling it over my head.

“I’m going to get you back, sweetheart.”

I stop at the door, looking over my shoulder. “So, you don’t want breakfast?”

He gets up, his expression predatory. “Oh, I want breakfast.” I squeal when he dives for me, and rush from the room.

One thing is for sure, tonight just got more interesting. I can’t get enough of him.

 

*** *** ***

 

Lily and I finish getting our face paints done before skipping off to join the others. The boys had gone off on their own, complaining that we were ruining their game.

We all got the same face paints; little white flowers on a stork running down the side of our faces, all covered in glitter. They look amazing as we snap another group selfie.

“Say cheese,” Hayden yells, holding her selfie stick in the air. We all smile for the camera, before moving off through the large crowd.

I’ll have to remember to double thank Beau when he meets up with us later. Today has been a blast, and as the evening flows on, it just keeps getting better.

Lily links her arm through mine. “You look positively happy.”

I’m grinning like a mad fool, because instead of breakfast, Beau and I had sex again. It was worth being twenty minutes late to meet the others. And if the blush that had covered my cheeks was anything to go by, the others guessed what I had been up to.

“I really am. He makes me happy, Lily.”

“I’m glad. Has Dad spoken to you since last night?”

I grunt, not a fan of my dad at the moment. He’d promised me he had nothing to do with helping Jacob with the prank. He’d forgotten to mention he was the one who’d let down Beau’s tyres. I haven’t had the heart to tell Beau, not wanting him to dislike my father.

He’d promised me last night he would make it up to Beau and to me, but I’m not holding out hope. I’m his eldest daughter and the first to have a boyfriend. I honestly don’t think he’d prepared himself for this moment, praying I’d stay single forever.

With Beau not going anywhere though, he is going to have to get used to it. I wasn’t giving Beau up for nobody.

“No. I’m still a little mad he went that far last night.”

“At least he didn’t punch him,” she says.

“Yeah, it’s progress, I guess. Or at least it would be if he hadn’t done that dive across the table. Right now, though, it’s Hayden I want to get back at.”

Lily grins as we watch Hayden ahead, dancing to the music. “She really does have it coming.”

I grin evilly. “She really does.”

“Ewww,” Lily moans, and when I glance at her, her face is scrunched up in disgust.

“What? What’s wrong?” I ask, looking around, not seeing anything.

She pulls me to a stop and drags me back a few steps, before pointing to the crowd on our right. I gag when I see my brother Aiden with some scantily dressed girl in his arms, dry humping him. She’s barely wearing anything and it’s freezing out.

I’m wearing my puffy bomber coat, gloves, and my UGG beanie I’d got in the sale last January. How the fuck this girl can be wearing a short denim skirt, a long-sleeved T-shirt that is ripped so it ends just below her breasts, and a bomber jacket undone is beyond me. On her feet she’s wearing simple boots, and by the look of the blue tinge to her legs, she’s not even wearing tights.

Stupid.

“That is just gross.”

Lily pulls me back and we rush to catch up with the others. “I hope he remembers the talk Dad gave them. She doesn’t seem very—”

“Bothered with who she sleeps with?”

She scrunches her face up. “Yes. I was hoping he’d grow out of sleeping around by now. I don’t want him to catch STD’s.”

“He probably already has one,” I add, waving at Charlotte. “Did she really bake loads of cupcakes?” I whisper.

Lily laughs, pushing me in the shoulder. “Stop. She was being kind, thinking the boys would get hungry.”

“She’s just so darn cute, but her cooking really sucks.”

“Yes, it really does, but I won’t be the one telling her that. She’s loves mothering people. It’s just who she is.”

“She really is one in a million. Anyway, how are you doing?”

I know coming here wasn’t something Lily would normally do, but because her favourite girl band were playing, she couldn’t say no. My dad even offered to chaperone, so if she wanted to leave, he would take her home. After last night though, we declined his offer, telling him we’d look after her.

We’ve managed to stay away from the beer tents and larger crowds. We also didn’t visit the other side of the park where a different techno beat of music was playing. According to Maddox, who had scoped the place out first before letting Lily go anywhere, it was a rave over there. People were smoking, drinking and bumping all over the place.

People are still drinking from clear white cups filled with beer, but so far, she hasn’t seemed too affected.

“I’m doing okay. It still pisses me off how much it can affect me, but as long as no drunken fool stumbles into me or breathes on me, I should be okay. I’m actually having loads of fun. I can’t wait to go on to the fair.”

“And we will, we just want to see Dunk before Hayden tracks them down again. And fairgrounds are always better when it’s dark. The music is louder, and the lights are brighter.”

“Speaking of Dunk, did Hayden really punch the lead singer in the nose? I thought Immy was joking.”

I laugh lightly, because seeing Hayden stumble over her words in front of the star singer had been hilarious. What made it funnier was when she’d gone to get out her autograph book for him to sign. She’d ended up whacking him in the nose, causing him to bleed all over the place. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Yeah. She’s hoping she can get his attention from the crowd and say she’s sorry.”

Lily throws her head back, laughing uproariously. “She’s still going to try and get him to sign it, isn’t she?”

“Totally.” I grin as we step behind our group.

“This should be a good spot,” Hayden yells over her shoulder, waving her hands in the air as the band on stage finishes their set.

Madison steps towards us, worrying her bottom lip. “I don’t think this is a good idea. The security bloke said she had to be on her best behaviour.”

Hope, who is standing near, glances at us. “You do realise no one can tell her what to do? Not even her parents can tell her, so I doubt she’s going to listen to him.”

We watch as Dunk is announced on stage and Hayden goes wild. She hangs onto poor Ciara’s arm, jumping up and down as she yells for his attention.

I glance to the stage briefly, wincing when I see the dark bruises under his eye and across his nose. She really did a number on him. I don’t think it helped when she’d offered to ice it. She’d whacked it on, making it worse.

When I glance back, Ciara backs away, shaking her head at Hayden. I start to giggle, but soon lose it when Hayden turns to us and storms over.

“One of you put me on your shoulders. I need him to see me and those bimbos have got their boyfriends to do it. I’ll never get a chance if they stay up there.” She points furiously to where a couple of guys have girls on their shoulders, scowling.

“And what are you going to do, knock them down?” I ask, joking.

She sniffs. “If I have to. Now, let me on your shoulders.”

“No way, I like my back in working condition, thanks.”

She glares at me before looking at Lily, who wisely takes a step back. “Can’t, weak knees.”

When the others shake their heads, she stomps her foot before moving back over to Ciara, who is another huge fan of Dunk.

“I love you, Milo. I’m your number one fan,” Hayden screams, bouncing around and waving her hands. The people in front of her turn around to glare, but she ignores them, screeching at the top of her voice.

She even goes so far as to knock one of the girls off their boyfriend’s shoulders, so she can take a selfie with Dunk in the background.

The boyfriend, still scowling, says something to her, but when he doesn’t get an answer, he turns to us and walks over.

“Get your friend in control. She’s ruining my chance of hooking up.”

My face scrunches up in disgust. Why do men think about sex every second of the day?

I smile sadly, patting his shoulder. “We’ll try out best, but she only gets to leave the ward once a year.”

“Ward?” he asks, looking over his shoulder quickly.

“Yeah, she accidently grabbed the balls of the man who was being cocky to her in the line at HMV. It was a terrible occurrence, so they hospitalised her. She’s on meds, but once every year they let her take a break from it all.”

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing when his eyes widen, and he rushes over to the group of friends he was with, gesturing them to move away. They do, and another crowd moves in, dancing along with the music.

Hope laughs, glancing over at me. “You are looking for trouble, missy. She’s going to kill you.”

I hold my hands up in surrender. “It’s not my fault she has crazy tendencies that have people believing my stories.”

“It’s the eyes,” Lily agrees.

“Now what is she doing?” Charlotte asks, her expression concerned.

My eyes cast towards Hayden, finding her pushing the new crowd away so she can see the stage better.

This group look a little rougher, so messing with their heads won’t work. When the biggest of them watches her, then us, we all automatically move to the side.

Even when Hayden walks towards us, we give her a wide berth. For as long as she’s star struck over Dunk, we’re going to pretend she doesn’t belong with us.

She’s at a level of crazy none of us are at, but put Theo James in front of me, and I’d definitely reach that level.