Jaded (3 page)

We all headed for the media room and I curled on the couch as the guys sat on each end and inhaled their food.

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After Corrigan got up for more, I leaned forward and punched Bryce on the arm.

“What?” he asked, cradling his arm.

“You start it.”

We both knew what I meant.

A pained look crossed his face. “Oh, come on. You’re the girl. Be girly.”

I punched him again.

“Ow! That one hurt.”

“Bryce,”

I

warned.

“Fine. Alright, just…stop hitting me.”

I raised my fist again, but Bryce caught it and hauled me onto his lap.

He grinned in satisfaction as he leaned back against the couch. Both of his hands moved to my hips and he held me in place when I moved to slide off.

“This will be more enjoyable if you stay exactly where you are.”

Hearing the microwave door open and shut, I leaned forward, kissed Bryce

quickly and twisted his nipple.

“Ow! That hurt too,” Bryce cried out.

I slid off his lap and kicked him for good measure.

Corrigan returned and started to eat his second helping when Bryce groaned and spoke up, “Alright, man. What’s up?”

Corrigan froze mid-chew and looked us over.

He finished chewing, swallowed, and slowly settled back against the couch. He kept his plate on his lap.

Bryce looked at me with raised eyebrows, but I watched Corrigan instead.

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Finally, Corrigan spoke up, “Alright…you should know…I’m moving.”

“What?” I sat up and asked in shock.

Bryce’s eyes widened—a feat that I’d never seen before, but he didn’t say

anything.

Corrigan watched us another moment and then threw his head back in a laugh.

“I’m so joking, you guys. God—look at you.” He kept laughing until Bryce

punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow!” he yelped and moved away. Corrigan shook his head and continued eating in between laughs. “Seriously. You guys looked like I’d died or something. That was hilarious.”

“Not funny.” I glared.

“It was funny.” Corrigan chuckled as he finished the rest of his food. When Bryce and I continued to stare at him, he threw his hands in the air, “Come on, guys! Seriously!

You don’t want to go there.”

“What is wrong with you?” Bryce asked, more curious.

“Nothing’s wrong with me. Why do you automatically assume something’s

wrong?”

“Because we were making out and you interrupted. You never interrupt us,” I

spelled it out. That was my first clue anyway.

“If you want to make out right now, don’t hold back. I have no problem with it.”

Corrigan flashed his charming grin again.

I blinked, stunned at how slippery he could be. Then I said, “No. Tell us.”

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He glanced at Bryce for a second and shook his head again. “Seriously. Nothing’s wrong.”

He didn’t want to share and it was starting to become more work than it deserved.

I rolled my eyes and asked, “How do you know Steele’s sister? What’s her name?”

Bryce glanced to him and asked, “You already know her?”

Corrigan stiffened, but answered, “Her name is Mena and yes, I’ve met her. It didn’t go so well.”

“What happened?” Bryce flashed a grin. “You hit on her, but shagged her best friend.”

Classic Corrigan and as his jaw tightened, Bryce had hit the bulls-eye.

“Oh come on, Corrigan. How are you expecting to make a better impression over that?” I laughed.

The charm was back when he replied, “I’ve got a few tricks.”

I narrowed my eyes and then rolled my eyes. Corrigan was in one of his moods and I lacked the energy to play his game.

Bryce studied for a moment longer and then decided the same as me. Corrigan

would do what he always did.

“Come on. I’m ready to go back. How about you two?” Corrigan stood up and

waited.

I did have three cars at my beck and call. Mine, plus my parent’s. They didn’t need them in Europe or wherever they were.

Bryce watched me. I turned to him and we both shared a wolfish grin.

I dug my keys out and chucked them to Corrigan.

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“Crash her and you pay for her,” I warned and he sent a suggestive leer at us before he jiggled the keys.

“Thanks, Sheldon. Feel free to tape it so I can watch later,” Corrigan called over his shoulder as he jogged up the stairs and out the door.

Bryce watched me, trying to gauge me.

He always did this too.

Sighing, I uncurled my legs and stood. As I stretched gracefully, Bryce enjoyed the show with a half-grin curling at his mouth. I bent forward, holding his gaze intently, and reached for his plate. I grabbed my own and then traipsed up the stairs.

Bryce followed as I placed the dishes in the sink and proceeded upstairs to my room.

I left the door open and fell on my bed as Bryce followed inside.

“When are your parents coming back?” he asked as he pulled his shirt off. My eyes traveled over his muscular chest and stomach.

“They’re in Italy and won’t be home until Thanksgiving,” I murmured, huskily, as I knelt on the bed. “Between you and me, I don’t even think they’ll be back by then.”

Bryce left the door open since my room could get stuffy and moved closer to me.

“You told me they’d be back this weekend. I remember,” Bryce stepped closer

and closed his eyes when I slid my hand down his chest. I hooked a finger on the inside of his pants and he said hoarsely, “because that was your excuse for my party on Friday.”

I unsnapped the front button and slid the zipper down.

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I pulled him down on top of me and whispered, closing my eyes as his hand

started his own exploration, “Maybe I just didn’t want to go and see you hit on all those other girls.”

“Baby.” Bryce rolled me underneath him and propped himself up on one elbow.

I opened my eyes and held his sapphire ones.

He bent forward and pressed a kiss to my jaw when he murmured, soothingly,

“You’re always my first choice. You know that, don’t you?”

In truth, I hadn’t gone because we’d had a ‘near emotion’ event that day. That’s what Corrigan called them when I witnessed a cheerleader pawing the front of Bryce’s pants that afternoon. Bryce hadn’t known I was around, but my jaw clenched and I turned away.

Corrigan had shaken his head when I left down the opposite hallway and out the door.

The sight of a girl mauling Bryce wasn’t anything new, but the sight of Bryce enjoying it had cut deeper than I wanted to acknowledge. I begged off the party and my excuse had been weak. At the time, Bryce registered the feeble excuse with a flicker in his eyes, but he hadn’t said anything.

I entwined a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head to mine.

Against his lips, I whispered, as I twisted one of my legs over his, “I better damn well be.”

Bryce smirked once before he captured my lips with his and his full weight fell on me.

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Moments later, both of us were panting as the rest of our clothes followed to the floor and Bryce gasped, “Condom.”

“Usual place,” I whispered against his skin as I stayed wrapped around him.

Bryce groaned and I pressed against him.

We hadn’t been together all weekend.

“Baby,” he grunted. “I have to go. Condom, now.”

The haze disappeared enough for me to remember the importance of that little piece of rubber and I let go. Bryce was off the bed in a flash and he grabbed a condom from my dresser drawer. He met my lips when he returned and it didn’t take long before the condom was applied and Bryce rolled me underneath once more.

He slid in and both of us groaned in pleasure.

As the tempo sped up, slowly, Bryce continued to kiss just underneath my ear. It was one of my spots that he’d discovered early on.

I tilted my head back, ran a hand down his back, and moved to meet his lips with mine.

I knew that was something he liked.

He groaned into my mouth and increased his thrusts.

After awhile, both of us just held on as we climaxed together and our bodies shuddered. We stayed put, wrapped around each other with Bryce still inside of me until our bodies had stopped convulsing.

I sunk down onto my pillow and nearly purred when Bryce ran a hand down the

side of my body, from my shoulder to my knee. It was soothing and I rolled to allow him to move to the other side of my body.

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Chuckling, Bryce pulled out and pressed a kiss to my hipbone as his fingers

finished their exploration of my body.

He moved to the side and pulled my bedcovers over both of us before he turned and wrapped an arm around me, spooning from behind.

I yawned, feeling contented, when I glimpsed the clock.

12:45.

“We should go back for the rest of the afternoon,” I murmured, tiredly.

Bryce chuckled into my ear and asked, “What for? We’ll just get reamed out by the principal.”

“So what? We should stay in bed all day?”

“Why not?” He propped himself on an elbow and looked down on me as I fell to my back. He smiled and murmured, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Because you have soccer practice in three hours,” I pointed out. “If you’re not in school, you can’t play.”

A shadow of weariness passed over him as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

“What?” I asked and sat up.

Bryce shook his head and reached for his pants.

“What?” I repeated and reached for my own.

“Nothing,” he clipped out and moved to the shower. When I heard the water

running, I dropped my clothes and crossed to the bathroom doorway.

I could see Bryce in the shower and his eyes found mine through the translucent glass shower door.

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He finished and stepped out a moment later.

He moved aside and was dressed when I finished my own shower.

Bryce sat on my bed and waited for me to finish dressing.

Finally, I asked when I put my hairdryer away, “What is it?”

“Nothing. Are you done?” He stood and grabbed a set of car keys on my

nightstand. He knew I kept keys to all three cars on any set. I always kept an extra set in my bedroom, one in my purse, and another set in my pockets.

“Are you mad?” Even as I asked it, I felt my chest tighten a little. This was encroaching onto a conversation I didn’t want to have, but I’d already asked.

“I don’t want to fight so let’s just…,” he waved towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“What fight? Did I say something to offend you? Is this about soccer practice?” I felt myself cringing with each question. Seriously. I feel like I had lost control of my mouth. I couldn’t stop asking questions…I was annoying myself.

Bryce opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it and turned towards the hallway.

I followed behind and neither of us questioned it when Bryce drove us to school in my mom’s Chrysler.

.

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The fifth period bell must’ve just rang because we saw a bunch of students in the parking lot when Bryce turned off the engine.

Neither of us moved, but watched the crowd just outside the door.

It was warm and we had an extended break between fifth and sixth period. It

wasn’t uncommon for nearly everyone to flock outside, either in the back or in the front of the building.

I couldn’t stand the tension, but I also knew I didn’t want to get out of the car with how things were between us.

Finally, I said weakly, “I don’t know what to do right now.”

Bryce bit off a bitter laugh and shook his head. “You don’t have to do anything.”

“What?”

“You’re always saying that. Get a clue, Sheldon,” he snapped and slammed the door behind him.

I sighed and watched as Bryce was greeted by Chad, Trenton, and so many others.

Get a clue? What did that mean? And why did I actually care?

I followed behind, feeling just…uncomfortable. I didn’t care that most of the students had knowing looks on their faces.

I didn’t want to stop and chat. It must’ve shown in my face because a path cleared for me so I was able to walk inside without any hassle. As I stopped in the girls’ locker room, I grabbed some deodorant from my locker. I had forgotten to apply some at the house.

There were three girls at the sinks and when I turned back, all three had their eyes on me.

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“What?” I asked, tiredly. If I was Bryce, I just would’ve snapped at them. It took a lot to get me heated.

All of their eyes widened and turned away.

Thank goodness…for them.

I washed my hands and saw that one of the girls stayed behind.

She had jet-black hair that streamed to her waist. She was petite with a cute green tank top over a faded trendy miniskirt and black boots that stopped just underneath her knee.

“Hi?” I asked. What’d she want?

“You’re Sheldon Jeneve, right?” she asked and tamed a strand of hair that was out of place. She didn’t look nervous, just confident.

“Yeah.

And

you

are…?”

“I’m Mena Cruiw. My brother is Denton Steele.”

Oh. I studied her again and saw a faint resemblance in the eyes, but that was about it. Oh, and the nose curled at the same spot.

“You have a different last name?” I asked the obvious question.

“I was adopted by my stepfather, but they’re having problems so they sent me out here to live with my biological dad.”

“You and Denton are half-siblings?”

“No,” she said shortly and leaned against a sink. “We’re full brother and sister, but he still loves our dad. Me, I’d rather not have anything to do with him. You know my stepmother and biological dad.”