Pieces Of You & Me (2 page)

Chapter 2

Grey

Pooh
.

I hated Winnie the Pooh with a passion because of one person. Olivia.

She looked so angelic coming out of the pool…
like a beauty that never got old to look at. Every guy in school wanted her. I did, too, but I’d rather get hit by an eighteen-wheeler than admit that. Fuck that.

When it came to her, I got all hot and cold.
Literally
. My body’s reaction to her added more to my contempt where she was concerned. I wanted her so bad that my body burned for hers. On the other hand, she was such a bitch that those burning feelings would freeze at a single word from her.

I knew she was beautiful. Hell, sometimes I got so awestruck that I forgot why I hated her to begin with. I remembered gasping when I first saw her in our third grade class.

She knew how she affected men, and she used that to her benefit. She toyed with men, parading them in front of me. The only thing I could be grateful for was that none of my guy friends took the chance on asking her out, nor did she seek them out, knowing how I’d react.

Everyone that went to school knew about our extreme dislike to each other.

Olivia Taylor…

Had been…

My first crush.

My first kiss.

My first love.

My first heartbreak.

Things fell apart during fourth grade and it hadn’t stopped since. I remembered that the hate had started when I received her letter. It was how she broke up with me.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

When I flush the toilet, I think of you.

To this day, I hated roses—or anything red or blue. The letter was, of course, burned with a match light in my backyard. Everything I felt for her then had gone to ashes.

It started little at first. A little teasing here and there, or a snide remark whenever she passed by, then it got to spitting showdowns. Summers without her here were pretty quiet.

Now my disruption was back, living in my own home. Wonder what kind of gimmick she’d ploy to rile me up.

I didn’t have to do anything, not really. I knew for a fact that having me breathe the same air as her already made her furious. All I had to do was keep my smug, cocky, sexy smile in place and it was a surefire way to drive her crazy.

Easy.

***

The following morning, I was in the kitchen chugging a glass of orange juice when she strolled in, wearing tiny sleep shorts and a tiny, sleeveless shirt that showed off her flat stomach. Olivia gave the word
morning wood
a new meaning. She was so hot that I almost spat out the juice, but instead, I choked on it, making me cough loudly.

“If you stopped checking me out, you could’ve saved yourself the woody.” Olivia tsk-tsked me before grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and sexily biting into it.

Damn, but she was fine. I wished more than anything that she would turn ugly, yet damn, she only seemed to get better. My secret desire for her was raging right along with my morning issue; not from any romantic sense, but in a purely one-off, sexual conquest kind of way.

Saving face, I gave her
a onceover and snorted, leaving her at that. Though women in skimpy bikinis might’ve surrounded me all afternoon long, Olivia’s tight body was the only thing that got me going hard all day.

She was going to be trouble; I could just feel it in the air. The goosebumps that spread like wildfire all over my body weren’t from the thought of her as trouble, but from the images of her sweet little body sweating for me.

Chapter 3

Liv

There was still a week left before school started, so I spent most of my time hanging out and catching up with my best girl, Josie
; shopping, watching movies and exchanging romance novels that got our attention. Since we were in high school, sharing books was not only economical, but also quite fun. We hadn’t gone ebooks yet, so we spent most of our afternoons sipping coffee in Barnes & Noble, hunting for the perfect book. She, too, was a major Mr. Darcy fan.

“So, let’s get down to business,” Josie muttered as we sat across each other on the carpeted floor, with her leaning against the historical romance book, while I had contemporary romance as my cushion for the next couple of hours. We did this a lot; hunt down for our next ultimate read. Sometimes, we got so consumed that we would end up reading most of the novels we picked, purchase it and then discuss it for the next week. If I had a book soul mate, her name was Josie Stephens.

Placing my thumb in-between pages, I eyed her with impatience, sighing. Interrupting mid-reading was just plainly rude. This was a rule for most bookwhores. She knew better than to get between me and my current paper romance. “What business would this be, hmm?”

Josie rolled her golden eyes at me. “Duh. It’s been two days since you arrived from down under, Liv, and still you haven’t said anything about what it’s like having a hunky prime specimen, with the name of Greyson Edwards, living in the same house.”

I sighed. Josie, though she wouldn’t admit to it, had a serious fixation for Greyson. Her loyalty was admirable, not like Edith, who killed my trust by dating Grey—no scratch that—they were “friends with benefits”, so she exchanged a quick roll in the sheets occasionally with a guy for our friendship since kindergarten. I supposed our friendship wasn’t all that important to her since she easily threw it away when she got her first night with Greyson Edwards.

Carefully placing the book on the floor, I folded my arms underneath my breasts, ready to be interrogated, petulantly. “Grey is a douche to the highest order. This morning, I caught him staring at my ass. How’s that for a start? Really, it’s gross. I felt like his eyes were molesting me.”

Josie, instead of being disgusted like I hoped she’d be, looked even more intrigued. “I tell ya, Liv. That guy is still holding out hope.”

“I’m with Liam, thank you very much. Besides, Grey and his bad boy appeal don’t really get my engine going.”

She smirked. “Um, which planet are you from? You’re such a liar. This one-time during lunch, I saw you stare at him all afternoon without his shirt on.”

One-time
. That incident only happened once and she was holding it against me! I was going through such a rough time, and Grey was there, throwing a football nonchalantly—sans shirt and all—and I sort of slipped out of my hate-campaign towards him.

“That was two years ago and you knew how messed up I was after that surprise algebra quiz.” One thing I hated more than anything was Mathematics. Those darn numbers all looked muddled to me.  Throw in the letters and I’m a hot mess.

Her dark knowing eyes glittered with amusement. “Do you ever wonder—?”

I had to cut her off. “No, Josie, I fucking don’t. Not when he’s the subject. So drop it.”

She sighed, still grinning from ear to ear. “If you say so… but just remember this, I’ll be the first person to say
I told you so
, Olivia.” 

Ignoring her, I tried to read again, hoping I could get absorbed in the plot that got me interested before Josie interrupted me. But alas,
my mind had been dominated by soft brown hair and deep blue eyes.
Damn her!

When I got home, I was surprised to find out that Grey wasn’t going to be home for the next few days. Apparently, he was going somewhere. Something like a last hurrah before school started again. Brett seemed to be okay with it. It made me wonder if his “easy” parenting only made Grey more of a notorious player—well, notorious at everything.

Greyson was known for not following rules. Period. Now looking at the easy going Brett, it made me wonder if he was okay with his son prancing about town with no care in the world, racing like a maniac around the canyons.

I even heard rumors last year that they went racing around that particular canyon where a massacre happened about a decade ago. It was a dead town, with no lights, with no service and nothing around you but darkness. Why the heck would you risk your life for that kind of sport anyway? It was dumb and, not to mention the obvious, stupid.

So when I went to bed that night, I wondered what it would be like to live in Grey’s world. Josie, for one, was fascinated by it. I was more curious than fascinated, but would never want to be in it.

Men like Grey were not taken seriously. Liam, on the other hand, was more my type. Funny, hot, had fantastic manners, a man with an accent and, not to mention, smart. He was all I could ever want in a man.

Even though we were separated by continents and we weren’t opposed to try to see if there were other fishes in the sea during our time apart, I knew he was the one for me.

One year was all I had before I went back to
Sydney, study there and hopefully, permanently, make it my home. I had it all planned out. We loved each other. That was all that mattered.

Chapter 4

Grey

“Do you need me to give you a ride?” I asked the fresh looking Olivia, who just came downstairs, all made up for her first day of senior year. The question could be taken in all the ways she wanted. It wasn’t hard to figure out that I wanted
—had wanted for years—what everybody else got a taste of. She knew this, though no one was going to admit it out loud.

Laura, my father’s girlfriend, who was the only woman around here that I got on with, served me a plate with pancakes before spinning around and greeting her only daughter. “Good morning,
sweetkins. Pancakes, eggs and bacon?” she directed to Liv, who was trying her damnedest to avoid my gaze as she situated herself across me, nodding her reply.

Since dad was on his man throne, she didn’t have that much choice when it came to seating without being so obvious.

“Josie’s going to come and get me in ten, no worries.” She gave me a saccharine smile before soaking her pancakes with maple syrup. She always had a sweet tooth; it was her weakness I once knew so well.

My father, Brett, reached across to pour her a glass of orange juice.
“Grey won’t mind. Right, son? It’ll save Josie the hassle. We’re technically all family.”

“Uh
uh,” I mumbled.
Uhhh… family?
Hold that shit. Olivia and I were in no way—I MEAN, no shitting me way—a family in my head. My imagination alone would get me in trouble. If they planned to marry—which I’m hoping they didn’t—I would certainly oppose it one hundred percent. It wasn’t about Laura, but definitely about Olivia. The thought of her as my stepsister killed my appetite. Hell. To. The. No.

Downing the rest of my orange juice, I gave a light shiver as my thoughts hounded about her as family. Seriously, I needed to get out of here. The woman in question was dressed to provoke more illicit thoughts from me, wearing some tight jeans that left nothing to any guy’s imagination. Looking at her straight in the eye after what my father just
said, would be beyond awkward.

After a quick discussion between the adults, and Olivia telling Josie that she’d be riding with me starting tomorrow, I dashed out of there in a flash.

Once I was outside, I pulled out my keys and opened my car door.

The only thing I allowed myself to buy with my maternal grandparents’ money that I inherited as a part of my trust fund was my BMW M3 GT4, black on black. I raced as a hobby and it was the only thing that was an escape for me. So even if I wasn’t into buying expensive items, I had to give in to this sweet ride.

The car was pricey, but my car was my haven. The faster they were, the better. There was nothing more exhilarating than shifting gears through the canyons. It was a dangerous sport, but one I thrived for. I craved the adrenaline rush, that feeling when you know your blood’s humming through your veins, all set and ready to go… and the squeal of the tires, the smell of rubber and the sound of a hungry engine, was the only thing better than sex.

Sliding into my car, I sat there a moment and listened to the engine roar to life. I was frowning when I saw Olivia emerge from the front door, strutting my way before Josie’s Honda came to view. Those two were best friends. Even though Olivia and I barely spoke a word to each other, Josie and I had a friendly camaraderie. I could see her now waving towards me before Olivia blocked her from my view as she hopped into her car. She gave a quick honk and I just nodded towards them.

I hated these moments, and I usually got them once in a blue moon, but I had always wondered what the fuck really happened with Olivia. At one point, she and I were so close. I supposed I shouldn’t even be surprised. She was a bitch in the making then. After all, didn’t they say the gorgeous ones were as shallow as they came? I would normally disagree, but when it came to Liv, I had to side with that saying.

After that little
spitter-spatter incident in the kitchen, I had been avoiding her like a disease. You see, though I had been constantly thinking about her, I just couldn’t give myself away. I did want her, bad, but that was where I was cutting the line. So I spent most of my time chilling with my boys, hittin’ the sheets with Edith a couple of times before I finally came back home late at night. Even then, when I passed by outside her room—which overlooked the pool house—I looked up, wondering what she’d been up to.

I heard she was seeing a guy in Australia, but I wasn’t sure if it was serious or not. From what everyone was saying, those two looked great together. She wasn’t in my social media circle, but even if I could see tagged posts by friends of friends, I couldn’t, for the life of me, look at it. I pinned it down to disgust that she was sleeping her way around town, but who knew if it was legit? I knew the entire football team wanted to nail her last year, and even a few bragged that they did, much to my… disgust.

I was no saint, but seriously, when it came to Olivia Taylor, I had double standard. Maybe because I despised her for so long. Maybe because she was my first kiss. Or maybe because she was my first love. Truthfully, there was no love left since she broke my little third grade heart, killing all of my good intentions then. Olivia taught me so many things, and one of them was the remarkable feeling of hate.

Shrugging, I removed any thoughts of her as I shifted the stick and drove off to school. My mind became a breeze when I went a little above the limit. Reckless driving wasn’t a favorite of mine, however, this morning, I felt the sudden need for speed. I wasn’t going to pretend that I didn’t know what opted this immediate rush for my fix. It was her, living in my brain, coming to life in there and holding me hostage.

It would be shallow to say that I was transfixed by her angelic beauty. It was more than that. I knew it was. The moment always caught me the second she entered my world, and it seemed that each and every time I would become hypnotized by everything about her. Even her cattiness enthralled me, which was mind-boggling. I liked my women a tad saucy, yet submissive. Olivia, well, she was a force on her own. Maybe that’s what it was, that she didn’t care much about what I wanted and thought of her that really got my blood going.

Whatever it was, I knew the moment I got a taste of her again, our worlds were going to collide, combust and explode.

Without notice, I had already arrived to my destination. I wasn’t even surprised that Edith was waiting for me in the parking lot. She and I really weren’t an item, but you could just say that she saved herself for me, whenever, wherever I needed those times. I wasn’t a commitment-phobe; however I didn’t like the idea of dating one girl for months on end. Open relationships were more my thing. Life was one big party; why be a pooper and bust it with love and relationships? Ask my mother; she was a great role model.

Running a hand over my hair, my eyes scanned the parking lot. As always, Liv was around, talking and catching up with old friends. For a second, our eyes caught and then she had the nerve to roll her eyes at me before resuming her conversation.

“Ass,” I muttered under my breath just as my eyes landed on her bottom. “Hole.”
Way to go mess with my head so early in the morning, Olivia
. 

Coming out of the car, Edith came bouncing in to greet me with a kiss on the lips. “Hey Grey, I’ve missed your hot ass.” She grinned before reaching out to my behind and giving it a tight squeeze.

Great, she was one of those women who would easy mistake your hardness as if she was the one who had that kind of effect on me. Well, it wasn’t like I was going to openly admit who caused me to be in this state. No fucking way. “Easy there, Edith. It’s the first day of school. Wait until lunchtime to get frisky, will ya?”

When I looked up, I caught sight of Olivia giving me the evil eye before I saw her look away and start to walk with Josie towards the main hallway.

Huh.
Olivia and her demeaning looks, nothing’s changed in that forefront.

It was a difficult accomplishment, but I managed to pry my eyes away from her swaying hips. The woman could really strut, and it didn’t help that each step she took emphasized her curves.

Sighing out loud, I told myself to get a grip.

As classes went, they were same old, same old
; different class, different teacher, but same old outcome. Boredom. I wasn’t lazy, per se, but I wasn’t one who would go out of my way for extra credit. I had a good photographic memory, so I supposed this came in extra handy when it came to school and exams.

Tiffany, my other go-to sidekick besides Edith, was plastered on me when we join the rest of the crowd during lunchtime.
My mood was decently okay, until I saw Olivia talking to Gavin, I almost lost my shit. Literally, I could feel the heat permeate out of my pores. What the fuck was Gavin doing? When he asked me yesterday about Olivia, I told him off, stating that she was fucking off limits. No man in my crew ever disrespected me like this—until now. They knew Liv and I had history, albeit it was puppy love, but still, to me that counted for something.

“The fuck’s he doing,” I hissed, making Tiffany look towards their direction.

“Gav’s been trying to get her since last year. Since rumors are flying that she’s moving to Australia after graduation, Gav’s taking chances,” Tiffany informed me as she nuzzled my neck. “Let’s skip lunch and go for a ride,” she purred close to my ear. 

Yeah, that sounded like a very good idea right now. “Head over to my car. Meet you there in a sec,” I replied before tapping her ass so she could get going. The sooner this was over, the better.

Once Tiffany left, I counted from one to ten before I strode over to their table. The second Josie saw me, she blatantly cleared her throat, warning them, but much to my dismay. When my eyes connected with Olivia’s, hers turned cold, while mine turned hungry. I wanted her so bad, and so did the rest of the guys. The rest had a go with her, but not one of my crew. I would never fucking allow it.

“What the fuck’s this shit, Gav? Thought we cleared this up yesterday?”

He looked downright pissed off. “Dude, come the fuck on. Liv just agreed for a date. So just chill, it’s all good.” Gavin glared at me, while I also saw Olivia giving me a look,
a look of challenge
.

My eyes flashed back, not backing down. “You’re breaking codes here, bro. You know better than to fuck with me.”

Gavin stood up, pulling his sleeves up. “Who gives a fuck about what happened in third grade!
We’ve all moved on!
If you want to take this out somewhere, I’ll be more than happy to take you there.”

The little shit.
He was getting more arrogant and cocky because Olivia was right there next to him. I knocked him out before and I could knock him out again. As codes went, a guy shouldn’t fuck with ex-girlfriends, current girlfriends, moms, sisters and all the relative chain ‘cause that’s just plain old dirty. Gavin was pissing on my territory and I didn’t appreciate it—not a fucking bit.

“Tonight—” I sneered at him, but was cut off when Olivia stood up, taking me by surprise when she pushed on my chest and forcefully dragged me out of the cafeteria, leaving hush whispers in our wake.

I was all muscle, but for some reason, she easily dragged me with her. Was I becoming a pussy or what? I got my answer when she took me behind the cafeteria and somewhat slammed me against the cement wall, glaring down at me with stormy eyes.

“You need to stop!” she hissed inches from my face. “I don’t care if we’re sharing a house and I don’t give a rat’s ass about “bro codes”.” She made air quotes, which in turn made my blood boil to the hilt. “If I want to date him, that’s my business. If you’re still so hung up about that stupid juvenile kiss we shared, go call a psychiatrist because from where I’m standing, it sounds like a fucking personal problem!”

Yes, Olivia Taylor was definitely getting personal and becoming more of a problem. She had balls to spit on my face after all this crap?

Growling, I switched our places, making her now the one trapped in between my hands and body. “You little slut. If you need to get laid, take it somewhere else, but never around my peers, you hear?”

“You’re just jealous of Gavin and the rest of them because you can’t have me, Grey,” she spat back, fuming. “But guess what? You’ll never fucking have me. Not fucking ever.”

Demons were everywhere; one by one they fell, possessing us both. “I beg to differ.” My eyes caught her heavy pants, making her breasts quiver. The silkiness of her skin glistened underneath the sunbeams and
yes, temptation was rearing its ugly head, big time. “I know the art of seduction, and if I’m right with my calculations,” I whispered against her neck, her breasts pushing up against my hard chest; it felt like sweet ecstasy, “you’re probably pretty well irrigated and lubed up for my taking.” Closing my eyes, I smelled her for the first time in years. And fuck, she smelled like fresh blooms, sunshine and happiness. Something coiled deep within me, driving the hunger to take over and possess her, even just for a short time. All I wanted was another taste. “I could take you here and no one would know.” And damn, I wanted to take her rough against this cemented wall, while I kissed her senseless.

She tensed, frozen. “You wouldn’t dare. I’m going to tell my mom that you forced yourself on me.”

That
made me snap my eyes open. Blinking rapidly, I pulled myself off her body, staring at her with mixed emotions. Everything just came into perspective. She was leaving in less than a year. She and I were nothing to each other. Besides, I respected Laura too much to mess with her little girl—even if the girl in question had the capacity to fuck my head like no other woman could.