Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) (26 page)

“He already thinks you were the one who slashed his tires,” she said eyeing Zac.

“His tires are the least of his concerns,” he said getting up and heading to the kitchen.

I shivered a little, watching him lean against the sink and light up a joint. I knew I would never want to be an enemy of Zac’s.

“But I don’t understand,” said Sophie. “They will know it was you and come after you. You’ll be in all sorts of trouble.”

Zac dragged on his joint and didn’t look over. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

“They won’t know it’s us,” said Will.

“But why would you go to all this trouble for me?” whispered Sophie.

“I’m not,” said Zac darkly, glancing over to me.

I swallowed at the intensity in his eyes. He was doing it for me.

Noah eyed Zac meaningfully and then turned to Sophie.

“Because what they’ve done is wrong.”

“You didn’t think to maybe stop being with him when he tried to rape your friend?” asked Zac menacingly.

Sophie looked at him in surprise and then wiped her cheek, looking back to me.

“Ava knows I’m sorry about that.”

I took a breath, feeling the tension in the room. Zac was right, but I felt terrible for Sophie as well.

“I personally like a good ass kicking,” grinned Will, putting

his hand out for Zac to share the joint he was smoking.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“We should still get another girl instead of Ava,” said Zac crossing his arms and still leaning against the sink. “I know Shara would be up for it.”

I looked over at him. Of course, Shara would be up for it.

“I want to do it,” I said defiantly.

“Me, too,” said Sophie with a shaky voice. “I hate them and what they did to both of us.”

Zac locked eyes with me.

“No one is to know about this. Ever. Once they’re in the room, you girls have to leave. And I mean go home, away from any of it.”

“Let’s go to Asylum,” said Will standing up. “Enough of the plans. We’ll get them, kick their asses, and move on.”

Noah stood up as well.

“I think he plans on doing more than kick his ass,” he said to Will knowingly.

My eyes narrowed at that comment. What did that mean?

I watched Sophie’s reaction as we walked into the main part of the club where there was a death metal band playing. She looked around in wonder, taking in everybody. I knew that was how I would have looked a few weeks ago. I watched Noah stand with her and say things into her ear. He looked to be reassuring her and she was smiling up at him. They headed over to the bar together, and I knew she would be safe with him.

Zac took my hand and led me off in another direction, greeting a group of friends amongst the heavy music. They did friendly hand grasps and I stood back a little, wondering if he wasn’t introducing me because I was only temporary or that it was too hard with the band playing? I decided to choose the latter and tried to hear what they were saying in each other’s ears.

A song ended and they all stopped and cheered. Zac put his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. His arm went around my shoulders and he pulled me in close to him.

“Your friend looks a little scared,” he said into my ear.

I glanced over at Sophie and then back at him.

“You don’t like her, do you?”

“She’s a moron,” he returned instantly. “You could do so much better.”

He turned to laugh at something with the guy next to him, our conversation gone. Sophie not believing me with Antony had hurt, and it was something I was unlikely to forget. When it came down to it, though, she would be the only one left after Zac walks out of my life at the end of the month.

I watched the band, enjoying being close to Zac. It was the only place I wanted to be, regardless of what he thought of my friend or our situation. I thought of Saturday night and all the things that could go wrong. What if I couldn’t slip it into their drink? What if they weren’t even interested in speaking to us, let alone have a drink with us? What was Zac planning on doing to them afterwards?

Zac

I stepped out of the toilets and came face to face with Sophie. She smiled up at me, making it clear that she had been waiting for me, knowing we were hidden from the main room of the club. I looked down at her smiling face, curious as to what she was up to, having been with enough girls to know when one wanted something.

“I just wanted to say thanks for helping with the Antony and Nathan situation,” she said leaning into me.

“I told you earlier, I’m not doing it for you,” I returned.

She fluttered her eyelashes.

“But I wanted to thank you anyway,” she said touching my chest lightly.

I eyed her with cool disdain.

“Thought you didn’t like burners,” I taunted.

She looked away from me with guilty eyes and then touched my chest again, her fingers tickling me.

“I never said that.”

“What do you want, Sophie?” I asked stepping closer to her.

She stepped back into the wall behind her and looked up and giggled softly.

“I think you know what I want.”

“I actually don’t,” I mocked coldly stepping even closer to her. “You’ll have to tell me.”

Her eyes danced excitedly.

“You. I know what you have with her is temporary, and I want you.”

“Really,” I stated coolly.

“Why wait until the end of the month. You could have me tonight. I’m more experienced than her. I could probably satisfy you more.”

My eyes flicked to her mouth, and I watched her tongue deliberately wet her top lip as I leaned in closer. I watched her slightly pant as I leaned into her ear.

“I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last skank on earth.”

She gasped and shoved me back, her eyes wild with hurt. I laughed and looked her up and down in disdain.

“She satisfies me in ways that you could only dream about.”

She glared at me, her chest heaving.

“Don’t fuck with Ava, because then you fuck with me,” I said with a taunting glare. “And you don’t want that, Princess.”

“Go to hell,” she said angrily.

I smirked.

“I was just there and it wasn’t pretty.”

She stormed off, back into the club and I waited a moment before I went back out, too. She had just given me yet another reason as to why I didn’t like her. She didn’t have Ava’s back, and I hated anyone who didn’t. I had already been feeling uneasy about including Ava in the plan on Saturday night and now I wanted both of them out of it. Sophie couldn’t be trusted and I needed to sort my Plan B out.

I saw Ava by the bar, watching the band and sipping her whiskey amongst the crowd. The dull thud in my chest reminded me that I wouldn’t have her back soon either. If all went according to plan, I would be in her past sooner rather than later, and she could go and enjoy her life the way she was meant to, without me.

The thought fucking killed me, but I had to ignore it. I had to push my wants aside and look after her best interests. I wasn’t any good for her, and she was too fucking good for me.

As if sensing me, she turned and locked eyes on me, her lips curling into a smile as she sipped her drink. She was exquisite and the finest I had ever had. It was going to hurt like fuck to let her go. I went to her, wanting to enjoy the moments I had left before I disappeared forever.

She moistened her lips as I reached her, leaning my body into hers, as I fastened my lips on hers. I tasted her with my tongue, the whiskey and her sweetness flowing through me as her fingers tickled behind my neck. My hands went around her waist, and I anchored her to me, oblivious to the death core crowd going crazy around me.

“Let’s go home,” I said into her ear, biting her lobe while I was at it.

She looked at me in surprise.

“Already?”

I nuzzled her neck.

“I want to do despicable things to you.”

She giggled, throwing her head back as her cheeks flushed and I squeezed her tight in anticipation.

“What about Sophie?” she asked looking around for her.

“What about her?” I asked. “Noah will get her a taxi when she’s ready to go home.”

She started to type a text to her as I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of there.

Ava

I knew we were alone at Noah’s place as we walked inside. I went straight into Zac’s arms as the door closed. He held me tight as he gave me a wicked look before his lips kissed mine.

I ran my hand through his hair and pulled back an inch.

“So, why do you dislike Sophie so much?”

He cocked his eyebrow.

“You want to talk right now?”

I laughed.

“I just want to know why. She was happy to get a taxi tonight separately, because she thinks you don’t like her.”

He shrugged.

“She only cares for herself. She took Antony’s side when he tried to rape you. Do I need to go any further?”

I shook my head and quietly admitted, “I guess not.”

“This whole video thing has happened before, Ava. She was the girl in your fake one, by the way.”

I looked at him in surprise.

“Really?”

He nodded.

“No female in her right mind takes ‘something’ that will make her feel good in a situation with two guys with their dicks out.”

I agreed in silence, knowing he was right.

His hand went to my cheek and then grazed down to my neck.

“Sophie is nothing like you, and I can’t see why you’re even friends.”

“Maybe I’m keeping up the friendship so when our month is up, I still have someone,” I said quietly, looking away from his eyes.

He exhaled.

“You agreed, Ava.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” I whispered.

“I’m wrong for you, on so many levels. Remember that,” he said with eyes that were hot and dark with emotion.

I looked down, away from him, my lashes concealing my expression. I wouldn’t remember that because I didn’t believe it. He took my chin and pulled my face up to look at him, his dark eyes so perceptive that I wanted to suddenly look away.

I didn’t want him to see how much I cared, how much I had fallen in love with him. His eyes burned into me, and I swallowed down a lump of fear. Fear of him leaving me before my time was up.

“Zac,” I pleaded in a whisper.

For a moment, he looked like he was fighting his own demons, as if he was preparing to send me away, so I would remember it was only temporary. I knew he wanted to show me, make me hurt, to see everything that we could never be, but he also wanted to devour me. I knew right then that he wanted that more.

His mouth captured mine in a blinding kiss, and I gasped as he lifted me up and gripped my bottom hard with his hands.

My hands ran through his hair and around his neck as our mouths assaulted each other. He yanked my top off over my head and threw it somewhere in the room as I pulled his top off in a madness and threw it somewhere too.

His skin was warm as I clasped to him, his hand running over my bra and squeezing my breast as he hungrily kissed me. I groaned softly against his mouth, as his hand went to my back and flicked the clasp of my bra, pulling it away as my breasts rubbed against his chest. I needed him now and I panted his name against his lips.

He carried me across the room, grasping the back of my head with one hand to keep me to him as he kissed me ravenously. We made it to the kitchen area and he pushed me up against the fridge, feasting on my tongue. I squealed at the coldness on my bare skin.

He moved to the small kitchen table and shoved some plates out of the way as he placed me down on it. One hit the floor with a loud clang, and I laughed as he undid my jeans and pulled them off.

“What if someone comes in?” I asked as he started to kiss me again.

He didn’t answer. He concentrated on my mouth as his hands caressed my body. He made his way down my neck to my breasts with his mouth, the sensation taking my breath away. I closed my eyes and whimpered in appreciation as I clung to him.

He returned to my mouth and hauled me against him, my legs open and around his back. He undid his jeans and quickly put a condom on. Then he was inside me and I groaned. He took me on the table, each thrust making the plates rattle. My sighs turned to squeals of delight.

I no longer cared if anyone walked in on us, because it was only him and I who existed. It was only him inside me, making me tremble and then soar into a complete explosion. I clung to him so tightly that I nearly cried.

His fierce control shattered and he gave a deep growl as he lost himself inside me. I held onto him, still feeling little aftershocks as he tried to breathe, his mouth on my shoulder. He then pulled back slightly, looking over my body as he stood back up. Pure satisfaction reigned in his eyes and my chest ached at the intensity. He stood before me with his amazing taut body that exuded power. His jeans rested low on his hips and were half undone.

I loved him, with every breath in my body. Pure, unadulterated love that made me lean up and brush his lips with mine again. He picked me up without breaking the kiss and walked us over to his bedroom. The door closed behind us. I didn’t want to wait a second longer. I had to have him again. I had to be in his arms. It was the only place I wanted to be.

The next morning, I headed downstairs and rushed to the front door, wanting to get out of the house before Sarah saw me.

“Ava? Could you please come in here before you head off to school,” said my father from the kitchen.

Surprised that he was still here on a work morning, I walked in to find them at the kitchen counter eating breakfast together.

“I’m going to be late for school”.

“I’ll be quick,” he said wiping his hands on a napkin. “I’m really not happy about the amount of nights you are spending away from home”.

“I’m studying,” I stammered. “These are the last weeks of school”.

“You have to sleep over at Sophie’s to study?” asked Sarah sweetly. “Maybe I should give her mother a call”.

Gritting my teeth, I said “We are studying all hours of the night so we can graduate. I really didn’t think that would be a problem”.