Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) (14 page)

“Is he being an asshole?” she asked, smiling knowingly. “I’ll go and kick his ass if you like.”

I smiled.

“That’s okay.”

“I heard about last night.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling a little weirded out that she knew so much.

“Will told me,” she added. “I must say, you’re looking pretty well put together, all things considered.”

“I’m hiding it. I’m a big ball of mess inside.”

“You can’t let him win,” she said next, her smile gone. “As soon as you let it mess with your head, he’s won.”

It sounded like she was talking from experience, but it wasn’t something you could ever ask a person. I could see something in her eyes that spoke volumes, something had happened to her, too.

She went up another step and offered, “Come back in and have a drink with me.”

I suddenly really wanted to, but I shook my head thinking of Zac.

“I better not.”

She smiled.

“He’s letting you wear his favorite T-shirt. I think you’re okay to come back inside.”

I examined the T-shirt that had a band’s name and tour dates on it from a couple of years ago.

“Really?”

“Unless you put it on without him knowing.”

I shook my head.

“He gave it to me to wear.”

She laughed loudly.

“Well, there’s a first,” she said with a wink. “Come on.”

Zac

I stepped out of the bedroom to see them all sitting around the living room starting to eat pizza. Janey and Will were arguing over the pizza toppings, while Noah passed a slice to Ava who was sitting next to him, trying not to look up at me.

If I was honest with myself, a major part of me was pleased that she had stayed. Her legs were crossed under her on the couch, and I suddenly hoped to god that she had put the shorts on. Ava in my favorite T-shirt and nothing else was for my eyes only.

I grabbed a slice and then headed over to the kitchen and grabbed beers out of the fridge. I handed them around and passed one to Ava, wondering if she even drank beer.

She took it with a mumbled thanks and I could see she was still mad at me. I sat down across from her and watched her lick some sauce off her bottom lip. Her eyes connected with mine before they quickly looked away.

Thoughts of shoving the pizzas off the coffee table and putting her on there instead and licking her all over crossed my mind, but I cleared it as I took another bite.

“So, Ava, what’s your story?” asked Janey.

She covered her mouth as she chewed on her pizza.

“You’d be bored within seconds.”

“That I highly doubt,” said Janey. “Got any cute older brothers?”

“Nope, it’s just me,” she returned.

“Shame,” said Janey.

“I’m not enough for you now, am I?” asked Will cocking his eyebrow.

Janey rolled her eyes.

“When you’re around. So, last year of school?” she asked Ava.

“Yep.”

“Uni next year?”

“Probably,” she said.

“So what do you drink when you go out?”

“Jesus, Janey. Do you want to know her shoe size next?” I asked, annoyed.

Janey grinned wickedly and asked, “Shoe size?”

“I’m a seven and I like shots,” replied Ava with a smile.

“That’s my girl,” said Janey clinking her beer bottle against Ava’s. “We should go out. I think we could have some fun.”

Terror sliced through me at the thought. Ava had to stay away from Janey more than she had to stay away from me.

“Sounds like trouble to me,” said Noah with his mouth full.

Ava smiled.

“I’d like that.”

“We can get messy together,” said Janey with a wink.

I glared at Janey, but she didn’t look my way. She knew that I was pissed with the idea. She was doing this deliberately to get a rise out of me. It’s what she does best. She was the queen of pushing the limits and then self-destructing.

“Let’s go out tonight then,” she said next. “Girls night at X Bar. Up for it?”

Ava grinned and quickly replied, “Okay!”

I glared darkly.

“You’ve been drinking, Janey. You can’t drive.”

“We’ll catch a taxi,” she said, eyeing me defiantly.

I looked at Ava and wanted to tell her not to go. I wanted to demand it, in fact. But I knew at that moment she’d probably tell me to shove it. I was sure I saw defiance in her eyes as she returned my look. I knew I was in trouble.

Janey started talking about getting clothes for Ava to wear and went out to her car. I threw my half-eaten slice of pizza back in the box.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered.

“Me, either,” said Noah, looking at Ava. “Keep her away from drugs and guys, and you’ll be okay.”

Ava looked a little confused and freaked out. I wanted to reassure her, or demand for her not to go.

“I’ll check who’s on the door tonight,” said Will, pulling his phone out. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

A while later, Ava came back out of the bedroom dressed and ready to go out with Janey. She looked like my every fantasy—tight leather pants wrapped her sinful body, with a top that hung off her shoulder showing her perfect skin. Her feet were in black heels that were made with sex in mind.

Will couldn’t help himself and he whistled in appreciation.

“Beautiful Ava,” he said.

She laughed nervously and looked over at me shyly.

Fuck me.

I drank her in and then went to the fridge, grabbed another beer, and slammed the door shut. She stepped closer to me as the boys laughed at something on the television. She leaned against the kitchen counter, while nervously biting her bottom lip.

I was about to bite it for her as she whispered, “You don’t want me to go.”

“No, I don’t,” I returned quietly and stepped closer to her.

She looked up at me with her beautiful sexy eyes, and asked, “Why?”

I know I was meant to be keeping my distance, but I leaned up against her, and I placed my arms on either side of her on the counter. To hell with my self-control and doing the right thing.

“She’s a loose cannon. Anything can happen, and I don’t want you in any danger,” I expressed, looking down at her body against me.

She looked a little offended and snapped, “I think I’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know Janey,” I said, touching my forehead to hers, breathing her in.

“Well, I will after tonight,” she returned defiantly. “Stop treating me like some little innocent.”

“She lives in a different world than yours,” I warned.

She didn’t know half of it.

“I’m not something you have to protect all of the time,” she whispered. “I know what happened last night, but you don’t have to do it now. I can see it drives you mad.”

My hand went to her waist, and I pulled her against me.

“You wearing those pants drives me mad.”

I felt her sharp intake of breath and then my lips were on her, tasting her. My tongue explored inside her mouth as I pushed her against the counter. My hand moved up from her waist to her ribcage, to the underside of her breast.

She whimpered softly and all hell broke loose as the urge to take her right there slammed into me.

“Okay, let’s go!” called Janey. “Stop marking your territory, Zac.”

I pulled back ready to snarl something at her as Ava put her hand on my chest.

“Coming,” she breathed, sliding out from under me.

“I’m a phone call away,” I said huskily to her.

She looked back at me with her kiss ravaged lips and nodded with a dazed smile.

“Don’t wait up!” said Janey in an annoying sing-song voice as they left the unit.

* * *

A few hours later, my phone beeped with a Facebook notification showing that Janey had put some photos up and had tagged Ava. I sat up and butted out my cigarette. I stared at the first one of them together at the bar, hugging each other and laughing. The next one was a photo of a line of shots along the bar. Another was of Ava smiling sexily at the camera, about to do another shot. I paused on that one and looked her over in detail. She was so beautiful that it made my stomach twist. I flicked the screen to the next one and saw Ava standing between two guys, posing for the photo.

I texted Janey in frustration:
Stop playing fucking games

She replied instantly:
It’s called socializing. I can’t help it if you have a problem sharing…

I texted her back angrily:
She’s not a point to be made, Janey

Janey:
Being a little possessive, aren’t we?

Zac:
Fuck you

Ava

I danced away from the guy who kept offering to buy me a drink and looked for Janey. She seemed to be preoccupied with her phone for the moment. I looked around the amazing club and then at the dancers around me. I was enjoying the fun with Janey, but wasn’t really interested in anyone other than Zac.

I couldn’t get the kiss from earlier out of my mind and it still made my toes curl each time I thought about it. Had he done it deliberately so I didn’t find another guy tonight? Maybe it was his life’s ambition to continually give me mixed signals.

I looked back at Janey and saw her rolling her eyes. Then she came closer to me.

“Let’s go,” she said, grabbing my hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked, over the music.

“My brother is being possessive for the first time since….ever,” she said.

Suddenly, Janey was pulling me through the dancing bodies and we were leaving the two interested guys dancing by themselves.

I raised my eyebrow as we reached the bar again.

“How?”

The bartender came over and Janey ordered more drinks.

She turned back to me and said in a firm tone, “Just don’t let him break your heart.”

“He’s already told me he doesn’t do commitment.”

She looked at me seriously.

“You understand what that means, right?”

“What?”

“He really doesn’t, Ava. He’s fucked up in the head about relationships. I am, too. We’re from a fucked-up family. You can’t go into this thinking you’ll change him,” she shouted over the music as she paid for the drinks.

I took mine and sipped it.

“I’m not.”

“I can see in your eyes that you’re already so infatuated with him. It won’t end well. It never does.”

I gave her a dark look.

“But nothing has even started.”

She shook her head.

“It has. Everyone can see it. But it will end, Ava. Have no doubt about it. We’re both too far gone to be saved,” she said, downing her drink.

“So what are you saying? That I should just give up now?”

“No,” she said vehemently while shaking her head. “Have fun and enjoy him, but understand that it won’t last. Don’t let him break your heart!”

I sipped my drink, and innocently asked, “Why is your family so fucked up?”

“Daddy dearest left us high and dry when we were young. Just left one day without a word. Mother dearest caught herself a rich replacement, who fucking hated us with a passion from day one. Still does. We rebelled against him. He kicked Zac out at sixteen. I stayed a bit longer until one night his own son tried to be more than a stepbrother to me. I left that night and Zac went back and beat him to a pulp. He nearly killed him. He was sent to Juvie for six months, because of it. My stepbrother’s indiscretion was never spoken about. We’re just one big disgrace to the family!”

I was silent as I took it all in.

I took another sip before I asked, “So you escaped him?”

Janey’s eyes glazed over for a moment.

“No. He got what he wanted.”

I whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She suddenly shifted the mood with a wicked grin.

“So, are we going for another dance before we leave?”

She was changing the subject and the girl whose eyes had glazed over in pain had gone.

“We’re leaving soon?” I asked.

She laughed.

“Something tells me I should get you back at a decent hour. Besides, I need Will.”

I raised an eyebrow.

She laughed and grabbed my hand.

“He’s the only one who calms my discontent,” she said, pulling me back onto the dance floor.

Chapter Eight: Don’t Even Breathe On Her

Ava

I spent the time in the taxi looking through Janey’s Facebook profile and her photo albums. There were a lot of clubbing photos and a lot with the three guys. I stopped on one with her hugging Zac, while he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. They were both entrancing together, gorgeous and wild with so many dark secrets behind their knowing eyes.

I had discovered one of Janey’s secrets tonight and it gave me a little insight into her past. I would never bring it up again, because I could see it had traumatized her. It also made me feel lucky that I had gotten away when I did from Antony.

“You need to walk in to school tomorrow with your head held up high,” said Janey next to me. “Don’t let anyone see that they are affecting you.”

I dreaded the thought of going at it alone tomorrow. Sophie had turned her back on me, and I had been left with no one. I pondered if everyone would be waiting to laugh and tease me, or if they’d just leave me alone.

My head swirled from all the shots and I leaned my head back on the seat, happy that I had gone out tonight with Janey. I liked her and had no idea why Zac had warned me against her. She was wild and fun and just what I needed at the moment.

The taxi stopped at the front of Noah’s house at the top of the driveway and I paid the fare. Janey stumbled out and giggled. I laughed and followed her and then came to a halt.

Antony was leaning against his car that seemed to be sporting four slashed tires and the word “Cocksucker” was spray painted on the rear window. He was talking with two other members of the football team and looked over, pausing as he saw me.