Bad Romance (9 page)

It was Friday, my day off.

Where I should’ve been studying for a quiz on Monday, I had allowed Shannon to drag me to the Montclair Plaza Mall. She wanted new shoes and just got paid. She worked at the local Sprouts Farms Market, and was off today too. The plan was to shop, get a lunch and head down to Disneyland around three. Spend until close there and grab dinner. I needed Disneyland after the month I’d dealt with. The quiet agony that I suppressed was weighing on me. So many nights I wanted to cry for the boy I lost in Dax. This new man that was birthed in his place was a stranger and the more I thought on it, the sicker I got.

Still, I didn’t tell my dad about him. It would break his heart. He’d been just as devastated when the state came to collect him, saying he was being
placed in his father’s custody.

Marcus Trenton.

Chills broke out all ove
r my body remembering that man.

A day later my mother was killed in a car accident. Everything came tumbling down at once in my life and I was only a child. It was me against the world back then. I realized quickly my father had lost me, my mother, and Dax. I needed to stop being selfish and allow him to mourn.

So we did. We mourned together.

We’d all grown up in or in the outskirts of Chicago. And Dax’s father was one of the biggest career criminals known in those parts. I was pretty sure if I asked around the bad elements here people would know his name. Dax had totally disappeared from my life. He’d promised—why did I really expect a child to keep that promise?

“
Always, Clara-belle. Always mine, always yours.”

Always.

It was like our thing.

I felt a burning sensation behind my eyes and I started to shake. It hurt every time I thought about it and realized Dax Trenton had totally forgotten me. Who knew what his father had done to him once he went back? The state had put Dax in our custody and for two wonderful years he’d lived with us. Then he was just gone.

A clearing throat behind me dropped me out of my internal musings. I’d been just standing in the middle of the Doctor Who section of Hot Topic, zoning out.

Great, Clara, just great.

I shifted my gaze towards the sound, and instantly I felt my body go on high alert.

Todd stood, leaning against the table with all the Doctor Who shirts. His perfectly muscled arms were crossed over his chest. There went that simmering again. It was slow at first and as my eyes locked on his unique blue hues I was lost to his playful gaze.

“Fancy seeing you here, Ms. Clara.”

I felt the heat spread in my cheeks and I turned from him. I sealed my lips shut. Maybe if I said nothing he would go away. It’d been working so far. Then again, so far I’d only seen the top of his head. I would leave an hour early in the morning just to avoid running into my hot neighbors.

I walked away from the table, and went to look up at the wall of Disney themed tanks, hoodies, and other items I didn’t really need. They had an Elsa sweatshirt—my dad would kill me knowing I was spending my food allowance on Hot Topic crap.

“You can’t ignore me forever. At some point you will have to talk to me, then you will remember how much you adore my company.” I could feel the tug in my lips. I dropped my head and warm hands rested on my shoulders.

My back was still to him, but I felt his heat right up against me.

“I’ve been doing a great job so far,” I whispered. God, I sounded like a damned mouse.

Slowly and almost carefully, he turned me around. I kept my gaze pinned to the ground. Fingers slipped under my chin and tilted upward to look into those warm, glittering eyes. His hair was a little tousled. Who was I kidding? It was designed to look neatly tousled at all times. It really was unfair how beautiful he was.

“
At this point I’m not above begging. I just need us to have a little talk.” His voice was low. The deep tone seemed to vibrate through me. Goosebumps lifted up my arms and I felt this
tight feeling low in my belly.

My shoulders slumped. I knew I couldn’t keep my distance from this guy. I didn’t trust him just yet, but I knew that I couldn’t stay away.

“Todd.” I stepped back out of his hold. “We aren’t ever going to happen. I mean, I can’t, not now,” I finished honestly. As aroused by him as I clearly was, it was just that. With him, the idea of his friendship got me hotter than the idea of him as my boyfriend.

He shoved his hands in his front pockets. My eyes pinned to how he looked in those jeans. They were fitted to his body as if they were custom made. He had on a loose Quicksilver blue tank top and rainbow flip flops. My scan met his eyes and he was sporting this smug, knowing grin.

“You sure about that, Ms. Clara? Because that perusal was quite sexual in nature.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, heading to the register. No one was there as usual. I got on my tip toes and scan
ned for a worker. I saw no one.

Todd leaned his elbow against the counter, facing me
and so very close. I shivered.

“Just lunch, that’s all I’m asking.”

“I’m having lunch with Shannon,” I replied quickly.

“Ah, but Shannon likes me. We are secret friends when you’re not around.”

I glared at him because I knew this. I shifted a step back from him, and he just leaned closer.

“Please. I’ll pull a Top Gun if you don’t, in the middle of the mall.”

I swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t,” I whispered.

He grinned. “Oh, I would.”

“
Um, are you ready?” The unamused voice of the female employe
e had me jerking way from Todd.

“Ye—yes, I’m all set,” I stammered.

Todd just kept looking at me with this satisfied smirk on his face. His eyes glittered playfully. All the while the employee kept looking between Todd and me like we were intruding on her home or something.

“That will be fifty-four dollars and ninety-eight cents.”

I went to dig in my small over-the-shoulder bag but Todd’s deep rumble halted me. When I looked up he was handing the woman an American Express Black card. I knew the dude had money but not that much money. I reached my hand out to intercept it, but he moved it out of my way and the woman took it. As she was making the charge, I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. I wasn’t a huge pouter but he was blackmailing me—clearly.

“That’s low,” I whispered.

He slapped his hand to his chest, and had the decency to look wounded.

“How dare you, Clara! It is not low at all to buy something for a friend!”

He performed the whole thing so over the top that I couldn’t stop it. I laughed. I couldn’t help it, it was all just so cute.

“
Okay,
fine! Lunch and we will talk.”

The woman handed me my bag, Todd his card, and told us to both have a good day. We left the store just as Shannon was coming towards us.

“Oh good, he found you. I knew you would be in the fangirl store.”

My mouth fell open as I looked between the two of them.

“
You mean—this
─” I glared at the two of them. Shannon just shrugged while answering a text and Todd put his arm over my shoulder and laughed. It was deep and masculine and hit me right where it counted, between my legs.

“Yes, my dear Clara, it was all a set-up.”

“But—”

“Oh, just stop it, Clara. Todd had nothing to do with the video. It was Dax. Dax is the villain and Todd is the hero. There, all solved. Now, I’m starving. What ya buying us, Todd?”

He just laughed and shook his head.

“Well, I was thinking Eureka Burger.”

“Sounds great. Let’s get moving.” Shannon turned and led the charge.

I glanced up at Todd and jokingly slugged him in the side.

“So violent.”

“I’m still upset. We need to work this all out.”

“We will,” he whispered and leaned down to give me a light kiss on top of my head.

“Oh, he’s coming to Disneyland with us too. I invited Cat from my algebra class at SAC too.”

Four. Great. Just great.

Chapter Nine

Dax

They moved up the front walkway together, a laughing wave of happiness that had something twisting around my gut. It was tight. Too tight.

What. The. Fuck.

I leaned against the frame of the large window and moved into the corner so if they looked over, they wouldn’t see me.

Which, just like I expected, and ever predictable, Todd glanced over. His eyes squinted against the glare that bounced off the window.

He couldn’t see me.

The self-satisfied smirk was hard to miss. I knew Todd wanted Clara. Like fuck I would let that happen. I took a slow pull from his glass. The shuffle behind me brought my muscles to tense.

Tamara.

I still hadn’t fucked her as some demented reward for helping me attempt to ruin Clara. Looking back on the whole mistake, I realized I’d totally played my cards wrong. The best thing would be to get her to trust me, then break her. Take her apart piece by piece. Then she would know how I’d felt all those years ago when she abandoned me. Promises were broken. Important promises and all I could feel for her was a need for sick vengeance. Yet, my cock had other ideas. Every time she looked my way he got harder than fuck and demanded entry.

I took another lazy pull of my drink before the arms of a snake slithered around my waist. My body’s instinct was to bolt. But I had to keep this one close if I would even get close to breaking Clara Parker. An image of Clara’s unshed tears flashed in my mind and something rough slammed into me. It was a possessive need to protect her.

From me.

What bullshit.

She deserved me.

But you don’t deserve her.

Where the hell had that come from?

“I’m horny as fuck, Dax. Fuck me?”

I avoided her begging. It was like nails on a fucking chalkboard. How anyone could put up with her for longer than ten seconds was beyond me—or reason.

“Do me a favor?”

She huffed.

God help me, I didn’t hit women.

“I guess. I still haven’t gotten paid for the last favor.” At that her hand slid down. Her long, boney fingers grasped my dick. It responded.

Don’t fucking judge me. It was a chick grabbing my junk.

I shoved away from the window. Clara, Todd, and Shannon had disappeared into the house more than a few minutes ago. Now I was just acting like a creeper. The movement dislodged the leech from my cock and I walked towards the stairs.

“Find out what Todd is up to tonight.”

“Are you fucking serious?” she barked up at me.

I stopped. Every muscle in my back rippled as I cracked my neck, fighting for control. I fought to not give this chick the boot. Without turning to look down at her, I responded, “Yes, I’m very fucking serious.”

“This is about her, isn’t it?”

I took another pull off my drink.

“I know a lot of ‘hers’. You are going to have to be specific, Tamara.” My lazy drawl was under control. I was kind of shocked.

“
You know. That Parker girl.” She said Parker like it was some plague on her person. Like the word came straight from some vile place. My fist clenched around the glass in my hand. “It didn’t work. People fucking like her too much. Hell, I think I kinda like her. You gotta admire a chick that wasn’t broken by what you did to he
r and just went about her day.”

I picked that moment to look over my shoulder. Tamara’s words shocked me. Tamara didn’t fucking like any other female, not even her so-called friends. But what I saw in the woman’s expression was something akin to respect.

I can’t do this.

You fucking will. Now buck the fuck up.

“Find out.” I walked the rest of the way up the stairs and slammed the door to mine and Todd’s rooms. The lock fell into place and I jogged up the small set of steps. Setting the glass down on my bedside table, I collapsed back on my bed. I grabbed my dick, closing my eyes, and a very nerdy, sexy, brunette came to life in my head.

Clara will be the death of me.

Or I would be the death of her.

Somehow that idea didn’t seem so appealing anymore.

***

Clara

“
All aboard!
”

Ah, the sweet hail of the Disneyland USA Main Street train station was like a balm on my conflicted soul. Silly as it was, it was the only place I could really think, heal, and be rational. You may think me silly for that, but for me it is liberating to come to a place that was designed to make parents and their children equals. The jingle of the Main Street music consumed me and I felt the tug at my lips.