Used (Unlovable, #1) (Unlovable Series) (27 page)

Our moment of fun is short-lived when I spot an angry Ransom staring at us from across the room. I stiffen up and look to Austin. “Why does your cousin hate me?”

He looks over his shoulder and then back at me. “’Cause he wants you so damn bad he can’t fucking see straight. But, he’s got those damn rules of his. Poor fucker.”

“What rules?”

“Ah … not for me to discuss,” he says. “I know I like to flirt with you and give you a hard time, but I’d never fuck around with you either.”

“Umm … thanks, I think.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I’d love to fuck around with you. Nothing would
satisfy
me more. But not when Ransom’s got it so bad for you.”

“He doesn’t have it so bad for me. You’re mistaken.”

“Yeah, you’re wrong about that, sweet thing. I’ve never seen him so hung up on a girl before. Even Victoria, who he pledged his undying love for back in high school, didn’t have a hold on him like you do.”

“Well, he just wants what he can’t have. Much like every other guy—no big mystery. It’s not me he’s hung up on, it’s the idea of me not falling over myself for him with stars in my eyes and air in my head.”

A tap on my shoulder has me turning to see Greer, eyeballing Austin. “Nuh, uh. No jealously. Austin’s a lover not a fighter,” I joke. “Right, Austin?”

“Right!” he shouts as he leans in and gives me a peck on the cheek.

“Oh my God, this has gotten beyond ridiculous!” someone screeches. The three of us turn to see a drunken Becky and a wide-eyed Amber standing beside us. “I mean, are you just gonna have a three-way right here on the dance floor so that everyone can see for themselves what a slut you are?” she practically screams in my face.

Suddenly, I have a wall of men in front of me. “Get out of my way. I want to punch that lying, hypocritical bitch right in her face,” I screech.

“Whoa, now,” Austin says calmly, throwing his arms out. “Nobody needs to go hitting anybody.”

“What the hell’s going on over here?” Ransom appears behind Becky and Amber.

“Oh, Denver. Here’s another one for you. Perhaps a four-way is in order tonight?”

“I’ve had about enough of your shit,” Greer jumps in before I can say anything. “You are a hypocritical little thing, aren’t you? You think guys don’t talk? You think we don’t all know about how quick and willing you are to get on your knees for most of the cowboys in this room?”

I hear her gasp of outrage before she explodes, “I’ve done no such thing.” She looks around desperately. A grin works its way over my whole face, and I am helpless to stop myself from snorting with laughter. “Don’t you laugh at me, you little skank!”

“That’s enough.” Ransom grabs her arm and starts pulling her backward. “Come on. Let’s go walk it off,” he says.

Greer shouts out over him and the crowd, “At least she’s honest about who she is. Not one person standing in this room can say that. We all have our secrets. We all have our hidden faults. Not Denver. You’ll never hear her deny who she is. You’ll never hear her claim to be perfect. She’s the most honest person here!” With that, he grabs my hand and wraps me in his arms, resuming our dance.

After a few more shots and a little more dancing, he pulls me behind him and drags me from the party, and up the stairs toward his apartment. We’re both swaying back and forth, so it’s pretty slow going. Curiosity finally gets the best of me. “Was that true? Does she really give out free blow jobs?”

Greer laughs roughly. “No, but it doesn’t need to be true, does it?” He sobers for a minute. “All it takes is an accusation, a murmur. And you know, firsthand, how people rush to judgment and want to believe the worst.”

“Greer, I can’t believe you said that if it wasn’t true.” I’ve never seen him act like that before. And he witnessed those kinds of confrontations plenty of times. “I’m glad you did though. That little bitch deserved to be put in her place for a minute.”

I stop him and tug him down to my stair without breaking eye contact. “Greer, that really turned me on. What you did for me. I’m done waiting. I need to be with you.”

Leaning in, he grasps both sides of my face, and his mouth moves hot and fast over mine. My lips tingle as he kisses the feeling back into it. “I’m going to put you in your place now,” he threatens as he kisses the corners of my mouth. I groan against him.

“You think you’re the man for the job?”

“You better believe it,” he declares, sweeping me up and carrying me down the hallway to his apartment.

He puts me on my feet, and we both stumble before falling into one another, using the other for support. Laughing, we stagger into his room, frantically groping each other. All my pent-up desire for him comes rushing to the forefront, and I can’t get enough of him. He makes quick work of the snap buttons on my shirt, tugging so that they open in rapid succession.
That was hot.
I can’t help but giggle. I meet his big, blue eyes, and the look I see there causes my laughter to die quickly. He has always been so in love with me, and all I’ve done is push him away and block him out, only giving a little piece of myself—the piece I deemed unimportant and detached. Am I finally ready to give him all of me?

Greer runs his hands down my arms and clasps my hands in his. Pinning me against the door with his body, he kisses and sucks my neck until I can’t breathe. I pull my hands free and fist them in his curls to direct him over me. I can smell his stolen cigarette and the tequila, and in my drunken haze, it fuels me. “God, yes, Greer,” I say with a moan.

My head drops back, and I’m gone as my zipper flies down, his hand down my jeans in seconds. Oh, those fingers. They play me and rub me like a delicious torrent, until I’m chanting his name and spouting gibberish. His eyes widen and revere me like he’s just cracked the safe on the Crown Jewels. I become putty in his hands as he works me to climax in mere seconds. He’s an expert at my body. “You are amazing,” I breathe.

“You feel incredible. I can’t wait to be inside you again. You’ve been starring in my naughty fantasies for so long.” My laughter bubbles out and around us, wrapping us tight.

Bracing my hands on his shoulders, I gaze at him as he removes my boots. When he slides my jeans down, the friction from the crisp material sends tingles down my thighs, over my calves, and over the tops of my feet. He grins when he notices the goose bumps and looks up at me as he kisses his way up my thighs to the crease in my leg. Hooking his thumbs in my panties, he slides them down slowly, his hot kisses trailing behind them.

Rising, he quickly slides my shirt from my shoulders. I help him out by unclasping my bra. Once they are exposed, Greer stares appreciatively at my breasts, and I heat under his gaze. Without warning, he dives and devours them while inching us over to his bed. I gasp as his hands and mouth work themselves over my tender nipples.

“We’re finally gonna do it on a bed,” I joke. He laughs before pushing me back to topple on the mattress and takes on a serious look as he kicks off his boots and clothes. When he is standing naked, I let my gaze wander down his strong, lean body. I give him a mischievous grin when I get to his manhood. My eyes work their way back up to his. He is so gorgeous. Every. Single. Inch.

“You are so beautiful,” he echoes my thoughts. “I’ve waited forever to have you again.”

My mouth widens into a soft smile. I’ve wanted him too. I feel terrible for making him wait for my commitment. He’s always been so good to me. And he waded through all my bullshit, making him the only person I could ever truly count on. The fact that I almost threw him away is sobering. “You’re gorgeous, Greer, inside and out,” I breathe. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

He runs his teeth over his bottom lip and gives me a lopsided grin. “Yours?” he questions.

“Mine,” I confirm.

“Yours.”

Bending, he picks up my foot and runs his lips over the top of it to my ankle. As I try not to squirm, he kisses his way up my body until his lips hover over my belly button, then he dips in to tease and play while I run my hands through his hair. “Denver, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted this. How much I’ve wanted you. How much I’ve
needed
you.”

“I need you too. I’ve missed you,” I admit that truth. I hadn’t really understood the depths of it, but I had missed him terribly since I closed myself off to him. I missed his tender touch. His pure friendship. His sweet attention.

Under my hands, his jaw tightens, and he swallows hard. “Watching you talk to
him
, to those other guys, has been hell on me. I’m done with all that teasing. I’m afraid you don’t understand.” He pulls back to make eye contact with me. “Do you understand?” I’m puzzled, seeing something I’ve never really seen directed at me before. Anger. Ferocity. Before I can say anything, he tells me, “You. Are. Mine. Do you understand that? No one else can have you.” His hands tighten in a pleasurably painful vice on mine.

“Greer?” I question.

“Denver, I … I mean it.” He grinds his hips into mine and moves down to my mouth. I jerk my head to the side. I can’t let him kiss me yet. This doesn’t feel quite right. My stomach pinches. Something’s off. “You back to not kissing me? What else do I have to do?” He attacks my neck, biting and sucking. “You want him too, don’t you? I knew it. You’re still not gonna commit to me? I don’t want you talking to him anymore. I can’t take it. I see the way he watches you like you’re a seven-course meal. I won’t have it.” He spreads my legs with his knee and presses his length against me, rubbing up and down against my tiny bundle of nerves. I close my eyes and moan. He feels so good. “I’ve worked too hard for this just to let him come along and fuck it all up. Do you get that?”

I try to reason with him through my drunken haze. “Greer, we’re barely tolerant of each other. I want to be with you. You’re being ridiculous.”

Anger flashes again in his eyes, reminding me of a tornado with its scary quick power. “You’re not going to speak to him anymore,” he orders.

I bristle and buck against him, which only serves to bring him closer to me. I don’t even really like talking to Ransom half of the time, but no one is going to tell me what to do, especially Greer. “Greer, I’ll speak to whoever I damn well please,” I bite out, remembering all too suddenly why I don’t like drunk Greer. He’s making me uncomfortable. “You know? I think I need to go. This is a mistake.”

His grip tightens even more, but there’s no more pleasure mixed in. It’s just painful, and it scares me a bit. I remind myself that Greer would never really hurt me, and I force myself to relax. “No, you’re not going anywhere. I’m not letting you shut me out again.”

“Greer, you’re being a jerk. You’re just drunk. This is not you. Let me up, please.”

His eyes narrow at the word
jerk
. “Do you remember Drew from high school?”

My breath leaves me in a swift rush. Drew, come to find out, had been responsible for much of my humiliation and torment. “You know I do. You’re the one who told me that he started all those rumors about me.”

“He started them because of me. Because of what I had to do to make sure you were only mine.”

My brow draws together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

He drops his lips to my chest and runs them over me lightly. Then his kisses turn heated. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I hurt you,” he rasps. Tequila makes his mood swing like a pendulum, every single time. I shouldn’t have let him drink that with me, but I was so frustrated. His words make me snap to attention. “I didn’t know it would take on the life that it did, though. I only told him one tiny thing so he would stop trying to take you from me. When I saw how the guys started ignoring you and the girls warned everyone away from you, I couldn’t help myself. I made sure everyone knew that you were willing to fuck your friends”—he stresses the plural—“with no strings.

“I had to make sure no one stole you away from me. Do you see the lengths I’ve had to go to? I’ll be damned if I’m going to let all that hard work, all those years of waiting to truly possess you, go to waste. I would do anything to keep you. That’s love, Denver. That’s how much I love you. Can’t you see that?”

His confession freezes everything inside me, and all the hateful and vindictive things that had been hurled at me over the last few years come at me with lightning speed. They strike at my heart until I lie there, a tattered, frozen mess.

How many nights had I cried myself to sleep? How many days had I spent trying to figure out a way to get everyone to see I wasn’t like my mother? I’ve endured years of accusations of being nothing but a slut.

I’ve only had one person to comfort me and know me and watch out for me.

And that one person had been the very root of all that pain.

He set up a slow drip of poison and watched as it oozed into every aspect of my life, coating me in every way, until I didn’t know who I was anymore.

Years of pushing everyone out of my life so that they couldn’t hurt me even more. Years of pretending to be something I wasn’t so that it wouldn’t hurt all that bad. Years.
Years!
I’ve had to put up with that shit, and all because of
his
insecurities, of
his
possessiveness? I can’t believe it. I can’t believe he could hurt me like that.

When my shock wears off, I realize that he’s kissing my breasts and murmuring how happy I’ve made him. But I want him off of me. Fury throws a fiery blanket over my frozen state, and I’m boiling instantly.

“Greer, get off of me.” I struggle against him, but he just tightens his hold again and switches from his two hands holding me to just the one. The tequila’s made him stronger while it seems to have made me weaker.

He focuses his mouth on one of my breasts, while his other hand runs down me and massages the other before going down to play between my legs. I feel sick. He repulses me. Do I even know this person? “Greer, get off of me,” I repeat with more force. “I want to leave. I don’t want to do this.”

“Your body’s singing a different tune, baby,” he breathes against me as his fingers slide inside of me. His thumb plays at my bud of nerve endings. “You are so wet, so turned on for me. I’m about to take you hard. Just like you like it. I’ve needed you for so long.”