Twisted (9 page)

“No,” I mumble, twisting my
lower body out of his reach.

“Why not?” he murmurs as I
feel his hot breath on my neck before his lips begin to trail across the
sensitive skin there.

“What do you mean 'why not'?
I told you the other day I wasn't going to sleep with you,” I point out as I
push against his chest.

He pulls back and stares down
at me with disbelief. “You were actually serious about that?”

“Yes.”

“What are you, a virgin?”

“What if I am?” I challenge.

Green eyes widen. “You're
kidding, right?”

“No, I'm not.”

“Shit. Really?”'

“We're really having
communication problems tonight.”

He pulls away from me and
sits up, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “So let me get this
straight. You're a virgin so you won't go to third base and you won't touch
drugs.”

“That sums it up in a
nutshell,” I say, propping myself up on my elbows as I study him. “That a
problem?”

“No. It's a challenge. One I
look forward to,” he says simply before he glances at his alarm clock. “That
brother of yours watching the clock tonight?”

I turn my head and stare
blearily at the numbers. “What's the time?”

“Twelve-forty-five.”

“Son of a bitch!” I scramble
off the bed, almost falling flat on my face. “We need to go. I was supposed to
be home by twelve.”

“He gave you a curfew?” Cole
snickers, not moving off the bed.

“Yes!”

“Are you eighteen?”

“Cole! We're leaving!
Now!”  I yank open his bedroom door and rush down the hallway. I'm hoping
that my brother hasn't made it back into town yet.

By the time I leave my last
class before lunch on Tuesday, one side of my head is throbbing painfully and
my stomach is churning. Once in a while I develop migraines and evidently I am
overdue for one. As I make my way towards my locker, I can't help but wince at
the sound of the locker doors slamming shut, and squint from the bright
florescent lights as they aggravate my eyes.

I need to go home and lock
myself in a dark room. And sleep.

When I reach my locker, I see
that Paige is already there and she flashes me a warm smile until she sees my
expression. “Hey, what's wrong?”

“Migraine,” I mumble as I
turn the dial on my lock.

“Ouch, my mom gets those
sometimes. Can you drive or do you need me to take you home?”

“Why would
Blayre
need a ride home?” I hear Cole ask as he walks
up to us.

“She has a migraine,” Paige
answers for me as I shove my books in my locker and carefully shut my door
quietly to avoid further pain.

Cole's hands touch my waist
and when I turn around to squint up at him, he frowns with concern. “I'll
drive.”

Paige snorts. “No offense
Cole, but she'll fall right off your motorcycle.”

“My head will fall off before
that happens,” I add with a grimace as I think of how tortuously loud the ride
would be.

Cole shoots us both a look.
“I have every intention of driving her car. What do you take me for?”

“You really want us to answer
that?” Blake asks as he saunters up.

Cole shakes his head and
turns his full attention on me. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Later
Blayre
,
hope you feel better,” Paige says before Cole slips an arm around my shoulders
and promptly leads me through the crowded halls. Outside the sun is shining
brightly and I wince and turn my head slightly into his warm chest.

“That bad?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you get migraines often?”
he asks as he guides me down the sidewalk and to the parking lot.

“Sometimes.”

We approach my car and he
asks for my keys. A second later I am slumped in the passenger seat as Cole
pulls out of the school parking lot. My eyes shut against the glare of the sun
and I am thankful when he doesn't try to make conversation. The only thing I
can think about is my yearning for a black room and something for the pain. Not
to mention a toilet because my stomach is really hating me right now.

When Cole finally cuts the
engine, I pry my eyes open and stare at his house blankly through pain filled
eyes. “Last time I checked, I live with my brother.”

“I only got about three hours
of sleep last night. I could use a nap and considering I'm male and I have a
girlfriend, I'd rather not sleep alone if I don't have to.”

“Girlfriend?” My head is
pounding as it swivels to stare at him.

His eyes search mine. “Not
yet?”

A thrilled feeling shoots
through me and a smile curves my lips. “Definitely yet.”

Cole chuckles. “Let's go. You
look like you're going to blow chunks.”

“I am. Where's that porcelain
throne of yours again?” I ask as I open the car door and force myself to climb
out of the car.

Cole immediately leads me to
the house and inside. “Down the hall on the left. Come up to my room when
you're finished.”

I make a bee-line for the
bathroom without a backwards glance. Since I never eat a full meal in the
morning, it doesn't take long to empty the pitiful amount of food that was left
over from breakfast. After rinsing my mouth, I take some generic pain reliever
and then go in search of Cole.

My boyfriend.

I like that.

He's in his room and thanks
to the drawn dark blue curtains, the room is cozily cloaked in shadows. He
walks over and hands me a shirt. “I figured you'd want to get comfortable.”

After a moment’s hesitation,
I accept the shirt and eye him in the dim light. “You do realize I have a
migraine and I am seriously out of commission for the day, right?” I ask,
feeling the need to let him know ulterior motives were not going to get him
anywhere.

Cole runs a hand through his
hair before it settles across his forehead. “This is new to me,” he admits.
“I'm trying to be nice because there is something about you that makes me want
to be. I brought you here to sleep, nothing more.”

I can tell by the tone of his
voice that he's uncomfortable with that admission and it makes me smile
slightly. “Turn around,” I say, unfolding the shirt.

“It's dark,
Blayre
.”

“And your point?”

He sighs and walks over to
the bed where he pulls off his shirt and drops it to the floor before climbing
in, his back to me. I quickly undress and I'm relieved when the shirt falls
almost to my knees. Then I climb in next to him, anxious to be rid of the pain
in my head.

“Roll on your side.”    

I give him my back and he
immediately scoots up behind me, spooning me as an arm slips around me. Then
there is nothing but silence in his room. I can feel the warm heat of his bare
chest through the thin material of the shirt and I like it. My eyes drift shut
and I find myself concentrating on Cole's breathing to distract myself from the
pain. Within a few minutes, I realize his breathing has slowed and deepened,
letting me know that he is already fast asleep. I guess he hadn't been kidding
when he'd said he was tired.

As I concentrate on his slow,
rhythmic breathing, I feel myself drifting...

“Time to wake up, sleeping
beauty.”

Cole's voice cuts into my
sleep and as I slowly wake up, I try to shake off the grogginess that clings to
me. My body feels drained and I wish I could sleep longer. When I finally open
my eyes, I find that the curtains had been pulled open, allowing the evening
sunlight to filter in the room, giving it a nice warm glow that doesn't seem to
bother my eyes. The scent of pizza has my stomach growling as I sit up and yawn
widely.

Cole sets a pizza box on the
bed along with paper plates, napkins, and two bottles of beer. He is still clad
in just his jeans, which allows me to study his chest. My eyes dip down over
his pectoral muscles to take in the clearly defined abdominal muscles. Then my
attention shifts to the large dragon tattoo that goes up his right side. It is
all black and the head makes it way under his armpit and towards his pectoral
muscle. The body and wings takes up most of his side and the tail curls across
his hip. Another tattoo is evident on his left bicep and it looks like a snake.
He looks dangerous and mouthwatering hot.

Screw the pizza. I find
myself way more interested in a half-dressed Cole.

He sits down, catches sight
of my expression and with a knowing smile asks, “Still out of commission?”

“Yes,” I say firmly as I
settle the sheets across my lap to hide my thighs. I grab a paper plate. Cole
is gorgeous but I definitely wasn't feeling up to a major make-out session.
“How long have you been awake?”

He opens the pizza box and
pulls out a huge slice of pepperoni pizza before dropping it on my plate.
“About an hour. How's the migraine?” He pops the lid of my beer and hands it to
me.

“Not too bad. At least it's
bearable.”

He nods and takes a drink of
his own beer. “I need to get you out of here within the hour.”

“Why?” I ask as I take a huge
bite of my pizza.

“My brother will be back
soon,” he says simply as he pulls a slice of pizza out of the box for himself.

“You don't want me to meet
your brother?”

“No.”

I wipe my mouth with my
napkin and study Cole as he eats. His expression—which moments ago had been
light, is now a bit detached. Obviously his brother happens to be a sore topic.
I momentarily wonder what their story is but let it go. It was too early in our
relationship to start delving into emotional stuff.

“So, do you normally date a
girl for less than a week and decide she's girlfriend material?” I ask,
switching the topic as I lick some pizza sauce off my finger.

This has him looking up and
his eyes meet mine. “You're the first.”

My head tilts questioningly
at his tone. “First to be labeled girlfriend that quick?”

“No, first girlfriend. I date
and some girls assume I'm their boyfriend but I never confirm it. I don't like
feeling cornered.”

My pizza is now forgotten.
“Having a girlfriend makes you feel cornered?”

He seems to hesitate.
“Getting stuck with a label brings expectations. Expectations I usually don't
feel like meeting.”

“Then why call me your girlfriend
today?” I ask with bewilderment.

“You're different,” he says
with a shrug before turning his attention back to his pizza.

I sit there for a long
minute, trying to process what he'd just said.  

“
Blayre
?”

“
Hm
?”
I say as I look up at him.

Amusement flickers over his
features. “It's too early to be figuring shit out. I'm lousy at this kind of
stuff so take it for what it is.”

“Okay,” I say lightly as I
turn my attention back to my pizza.

After we finish eating, we
clean up our mess and head out. It's after six by the time we pull into the
school parking lot and it's practically deserted. As I climb in the driver's
seat and shut the car door, Cole moves forward and rests his forearms on the
edge of the door. He studies me through the open window. “You okay to drive?”

“The migraine is fading and I
only had a couple sips of beer.”

He nods. “See you,” he says
before he leans further in and kisses my lips lightly, tasting of beer and
pizza. When he pulls back, I can't help but lick my lips and smile at him. He
flashes me a returning grin before he turns and walks across the parking lot to
his motorcycle.

I stare after him for a long
moment before starting up my car. A smile curves my lips as I back the car out
of the parking space. Cole had a hard exterior for sure, but I was pleased to
find that he also had a softer side.

As I settled into my new
life in Citrus Heights, the days morphed into weeks and I found myself relying
on Cole and Paige more and more. I was getting used to spending time with them
at school, and in the evenings I was either keeping Paige company at the mall
or I was out with Cole, tagging along to countless parties or drug related
business transactions. They kept me busy and I liked that. It kept me from
losing myself to the things that creep up on me when I let my mind wander.

Tate was the perfect
'non-existent brother.'  I still haven't been able to figure out whether
his absence bothered me or if it was more of a relief. It wasn't like Tate was
deliberately distancing himself from me, we just had conflicting schedules. We
saw each other in the mornings and by the time I came home from school—if I
came home—he would be leaving for his shift. We saw each other on the weekends,
but not too often because Tate was usually busy. He had an active social life
and at twenty-three, any red-blooded male would be out enjoying what life has
to offer. He'd invited me a couple times to join him and his friends but I
declined. There was a five or six year age gap between me and his friends.
Nobody liked a 'tag-along.'

Noah was just as busy
between his post grad courses and his evening bar tending job at
Soloman's
Sports Bar and Grill. We ran into each other
often since we shared the same bathroom, but most of the time he was on his way
out of the house or I was. As I said before, I like to stay busy.

I was content with the
direction my life had taken. I had a boyfriend and for the first time in my
life, I had an actual friend. I knew things wouldn't stay like this forever. I
might have grown up sheltered, but I wasn't naïve. Cole lived a very fast paced
life and he was taking me along for the ride. I also knew our relationship
would evolve and change. I expected it to grow either more
intense
as we spent more time together or there
was the real possibility it could implode and fizzle.

But when the change came,
it wasn't what I was expecting.

It came in the form of
Cole's fist. It was also the turning point for me and Noah. My actions from
this night would send me down the irrevocable path that fate deemed I deserved.

I am bored and more than a
little annoyed with Cole. We've been at this fraternity party for over an hour
and a half, and I have yet to spend any real time with him. Right from the
start, he'd gone off to deal drugs, leaving me to entertain myself. Normally I
tag along but Cole told me he'd be right back. I finally tried searching for
him but the house was too crowded.