Bad Romance (10 page)

“Now, if I knew this was how I would get you to smile like that I would’ve dragged you here immediately following the video incident.” Todd’s sexy voice drew me out of my daydreaming and I turned to him.

It was so easy with him. I stopped walking forward with Shannon and Cat and hooked my arm around his. His chuckle was hard to miss.

“
I like to keep my Kryptonite a secret. But now that I’ve exposed it to one of my enemies I shall be wary o
f offers bearing Mickey Mouse.”

He laughed then. Big and full and deep. That scent that was so him consumed me as I rested my head on his bicep. It flexed with the movement and I could tell he was shocked I was being so—well—cuddly.

Who doesn’t like cuddles?

Dax used to love to cuddle
.

No! You won’t think about him anymore.

Lie.

I thought about him all the time and it killed me inside. Well, inside this place, my safe haven, he would be far from my thoughts. Todd was a potential new friend that I hoped wouldn’t keep things from me ever again. Shannon was my bestie, and Cat, well—I watched as she made a dash into the candy shop on Main Street and proceeded to pick up a giant bag of Disney’s signature sour balls. Yep, this one was a keeper. I giggled and I could feel Todd’s eyes on me. I felt the heat in my cheeks and quickly pulled him after my friend into the shop to admire all the chocolate-dipped concoctions Disney had to offer.

“You want something?”

I nodded.

In Disneyland I seemed to have no shame. Normally I bought nothing—well, that was a bit of a lie. I got myself, every time I went, cotton candy. It was a thing. I intentionally would pick the worst thing for me and indulge because what happened in Disneyland stayed in Disneyland.

“Go ahead then.” He smiled and I pointed out the three chocolate and caramel-dipped marshmallows. He nodded at the girl behind the glass counter. As she rung us up I felt him press his front to my back. This hot breath smoothed over my ear and cheek.

“I missed you,” he purred.

I had to fight for control. I wasn’t a very accomplished flirt, nor did I even know where to begin to even try to achieve the level of seduction Todd could pull off with a wink. Instead I swallowed.

“You barely knew me before the ill-fated day,” I giggled.

Lord help me but I did just giggle.

I tensed against him and his arm slithered around my body as he passed over his annual pass and American Express Black card.

Jesus, if I saw that damned card again I would break and ask him where all that money came from. I should anyway. It was a nice normal question outside the totally abnormal circumstances of our friendship.

“I knew enough.” He nipped at my earlobe, which not only got my panties wet but a very unladylike squeal to slip between my lips.

I snatched the treat off the counter and darted around him. I headed right for Shannon, who was now shoveling about three balls in her mouth at once. Two green and a yellow. Most sour, she told me once. Shannon caught my gaze and smirked.

Shit.

“I see Todd is at work again,” she said around a mouthful of candy.

I glanced back over my shoulder and he was heading our way.

“Just stop. I can’t.” I paused.

“Can’t what? Hump the hot guy next door?” She was looking at me now just shaking her head. “I haven’t been a good enough influence on you.”

That got a smirk out of me before I pulled free a marshmallow and started to eat. Todd came to my side and grabbed my hand, pulling my arm through his once more. I avoided eye contact as I was once again turned into a cherry. He leaned in, and his lips and breath brushed against my cheek.

“I like touching you,” he whispered. Only he and I could hear it around the Main Street soundtrack and people crowding through the park at dusk. It was still warm, and I swear it got warmer every time he talked to me.

“Thank you,” I whispered back.

His deep chuckle drew my gaze and I locked eyes with his. Todd’s lips were pulled up on the corners and he looked happy and satisfied just being near me. When had that ever happened to me with a man before?

“
Sorry if I’m forward. I feel like I need to make up for lost time.” I kept my gaze pinned to him as I consumed the chocolate/caramel marshmallows that I really should not have gotten. I wasn’t skinny, but I wasn’t fat, then again I was all kinds of fluffy that kept me pretty much single all the time living in sunny California. But this guy seemed to like all that I came with. Yet something in the back of my mind kept thinking about how close he was to Dax. Dax Trenton, who made it his life’s
goal to hurt me.

Ugh, get out of my head, you bastard
.

I looked away from Todd then, just as we passed under the Adventureland arch, past the Tiki room, the scent of Dole pineapple goodness made me smile. Animal sounds filled the space around us and I watched Shannon in front of us happily bound to the Jungle Cruise line. It was mine and Shannon’s favorite ride. The sarcastic skippers always made us laugh and it was the best when we got a boat full of boring people and we were the only ones laughing as loud as we possibly could. We wandered through the queue amidst the sounds of old fashioned music and jungle creatures. It was a sharp contrast, but it was perfect. Todd and Shannon joked all through the line, onto the boat, and then Shannon instantly went to work on chatting with the skipper. The jokes started to pour out, totally off-script for the Skip, and we were all dying laughing. As per usual, we were the only ones on the boat laughing. Every innuendo and sarcastic jab at the fake jungle journey made my sides ache and tears leak from my eyes. We hopped instantly over to Indiana Jones. The standby wait wasn’t bad. Thirty minutes was cake for this ride. Disneyland had a total of one week that was considered off season these days. We just happened to be lucky enough to pic
k one of the days of that week.

As we moved through the dark tunnels and room, Todd’s hand moved. First to curl around my hip, then tugging me into his side, and finally, as we were finally seated in the car, getting our seat belts checked.

“First row arms up, tug on the red cord.”

The sound of the cast member muffled against the wicked gaze of Todd. Just as the car started to move, it jerked and I jerked forward right with it. And Todd caught me, against his lips. The ringing in my ears, how my body got warm against his clever and soft lips. He didn’t open his mouth but ran his tongue over my bottom lip and pulled back just before we looked into the eyes of Mara, jolted around the corner and the ride began.

My mind swam. I was so totally unfocused on a ride that normally I would act out in full dramatic, immature detail with Shannon. Instead I grabbed onto Todd’s hand and smiled. My squeals and giggles came at the right times to the adventure.

As the ride ended and we all slipped out quickly, Todd grabbed my hand and pulled me back when we started down the tunnels. Shannon looked back at us, a brow raised. Then she looked at my hand in his. How long had it been since either of us had a ‘Disney hook-up’? I beamed. Then the reality came down. I hated reality. It was why ninety percent of the time I retreated into books and comics.

This guy was Dax’s best friend. This guy would force me to be around Dax. This guy didn’t tell me when I knew Dax had something horrible to me in his room. A thing I still couldn’t remember. All I remembered were warm lips and my breasts aching something fierce. I slipped my hand from his and he caught my hand again. I looked up at him quickly and he stopped us.

“I get it. I’m not fucking stupid. But I’m going to earn it, got it. Dax won’t. He will take. I’ll earn every damned thing you give me, Clara. Just give me a chance.”

I opened my mouth to respond. I was going to tell him no. His kiss was hot and did things to me, but it wasn’t fire and ice. It wasn’t heaven and hell. And he wasn’t the one man I should keep away from but realized in that moment that I needed more than air.

I was screwed.

“Don’t answer now. Let’s just have fun.” He winked and then pulled me through the exit of the Indiana Jones Adventure. As we walked through the crowds of people we saw Shannon and Cat next to someone I couldn’t see. They were sitting on the stones in front of the fast pass time. As I drew closer he came into view. Those arms, that face.

“Damn,” I whispered.

His gaze pinned our linked hands and I fought every urge I had to yank my hand free. To explain to him it wasn’t what he thought. But it was. Something flashed in his gaze so fast I nearly missed it. His jaw worked and I would swear he looked—jealous?

No.

He crossed his arms over his massive chest.

“Isn’t that all fucking cozy and shit?” he drawled and my panties instantly hated him.

Chapter Ten

Dax

Get. The. Fuck. Out.

I leave Todd alone for one goddamned day. I stop keeping tabs—well, that’s a lie—I had Tamara find him, and find them all she did. And I leave him alone for not even a few hours and he’s ready to fuck, marry, and make Clara all fucking his.

Over my dead fucking body.

I didn’t care.

Lie.

It was such a fucking lie.

As much as I hated her I knew in this moment that I wanted her. I’d tried to ruin her to keep her alone and relying on me for entertainment when I came around. But I’d underestimated her. She was not just likable, but she was resilient to everything I was.

She used to not be.

And he would make it just like that again. If he couldn’t keep her alone, she would have him and no other.

Thought you were going to break her heart.

I can’t.

I will
.

Fuck. I’d turned into a pussy. The same pussy I was before this girl I trusted with everything turned her back on me. Left me to the hell that was my father and his life.

No.

I was not going to go back to that fucking place. Leave it in the past and move on. Instead, I decided my energies would be better spent seducing the fuck out of the girl I once called friend. If I had anything to do about it she would be called mine before the week was out. I would own her for as long as I wanted then when I got bored—let her go. Easy. Cake walk. I’d done it plenty of times.

Not with Clara.

Whatever. She would get left behind. I knew exactly how it felt.

I stood slowly, making my way to Clara. I got all up in her space and shit. Todd even tried to get between us but I wasn’t fucking moving, not an inch.

“
How you doing, Clara?” I didn’t care, but the way her eyes got wide and that pink spread over her cheeks. Fuck she was trembling. My dick was rising
in worship to this little doll.

Traitor.

Her throat contracted and I smiled. I tipped my head to the side and leaned down. Gooseflesh broke out all over her pretty, creamy skin. Fuck, I wanted her. I knew places in this park. Places no one would find us.

“Go on a ride with me, Clara?”

I swear to fuck the girl gulped. I could hear it. I watched her throat contract and shiver as I closed the little distance between us. That shit did something to me. Deep in my gut, and right to my cock this girl just did it for me.

Too bad you have to fuck her over and break her heart.

Fuck.

Being here now. Having her so close and yet so far away drove home how much I really missed her. Maybe owning her, making her submit to me would give me the power I needed over this girl to fulfill my dick and my desire to vengeance.

Wow.

More and more like your father.

Shit.

She stepped back and jerked her head a bit.

“Todd.” Fuck Todd. Mine. “Let’s go.” She turned the fuck away from me again and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like that bullshit one bit.

She was moving away from all of us, not even waiting for Todd, who’d been more fixated on my reactions than hers. He seemed to shake himself out of his stupor and run after her. Clara managed to make her way down the little path next to the Tarzan Treehouse and towards the line for Pirates of the Caribbean.

I smirked.

A dark ride.

This would be fun.

I took a step forward and was held back but the brutish force that was Shannon. The farther Clara got away from me with Todd, the more pissed off I started to get. I was playing this my way. I was the leader of this pack and they would all follow my fucking rule.

“What?” I barked in her face. Shannon wasn’t afraid of me. She leaned back, wrinkling her nose and pursing her lips.

“Don’t get all high and mighty with me, fucktard. Clara might be all stars and glitter for your hot ass but I’m on to you. I’ve dated enough losers to know that you’re making trouble. This isn’t over. After that bullshit video I don’t trust you.” She was jabbing me in the chest with her finger and if she’d been a male I would have removed it. But she was a woman. And I’d never fucking hurt a woman.