Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kash
Sam Tinnesz - Play With Fire
I was sitting in class with my legs stretched out in front of me when my phone started to ring, the tone echoing throughout the quiet classroom. We were supposed to be reading a chapter in our textbook and then doing a quiz afterwards. But only a few people had my phone number. My parents, who would never call me during school hours unless it was an emergency, Jamie and Ash who were both in classes right now, and then a few other people who were in class. So, I grabbed my phone, ignoring the pointed look my professor was giving me and glanced down at the screen.
Why the hell was Ashton calling me?
Hitting the green icon, I placed it to my ear, not giving a shit that phones were prohibited. “What?” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low.
His breathing was heavy, like he just ran a marathon, or just got done fucking someone. The latter was probably more probable. A few people glanced over at me with interest, like they wanted in on my phone conversation. They were like leeches, begging for the first piece of drama they could sink their teeth into.
“Meet me in the parking lot. Now.” He hung up without another word, leaving me confused as hell.
This better be fucking good. I was already behind from having to miss the first day. Sighing, I pocketed my phone and shoved everything into my bag before rising. “Family emergency,” I called out before heading for the door. I didn’t wait for a response, slipping out into the hallway and making a beeline toward the double doors at the end of the hallway.
Deep down, I knew Ashton wouldn’t drag me out of class for the hell of it. If it was over something small, he’d simply ask me if I wanted to skip. We already spent so much time together as is, though. We’d finally successfully moved our things into the fraternity house and were slowly making it our own. There was still a lot of dust that needed to be taken care of. On the bright side, all of the bedrooms had their own bathroom attached. There was also a huge ass dining room, a pool in the backyard, and a home theatre with a massive TV in it. The place reminded me a lot of Ashton’s house, but there were more rooms and even balconies.
Jameson’s voice cut through my thoughts, making me pause as soon as the fresh air hit my skin. “Wait up.”
I turned, holding the door open with my elbow. “He called you, too?”
“Yeah.” He readjusted his bag on his shoulder, his eyes darting past me. “What the hell?” he muttered.
I turned back around, scouring the parking lot until my gaze halted on Ashton. A girl was passed out in his arms, her long dark hair tumbling toward the ground as he cradled her bridal style. Her arms were limp, and her neck was bent in a weird angle from the lack of support.
“Is that Everleigh?” he asked in disbelief.
My throat tightened at the question. It sure as hell looked like her, but it was difficult to see from here. I knew he hated her, but he wouldn’t physically harm her, right? He’d never been that type of guy.
Jameson stepped through the threshold, and I let the door fall closed behind us. It didn’t take long for us to reach the parking lot. My eyes instantly zeroed in on the girl between his arms and if he kept holding her like that, she was going to have a sore neck by the time she woke up.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
Ashton didn’t answer right away. He turned and handed Everleigh to Jameson who immediately held her close to his chest. Her dark lashes fell over her sharp cheekbones, casting a shadow beneath them. She didn’t look like she’d been harmed, and her breathing appeared to be steady.
“She had a panic attack and passed out,” Ashton explained. “Professor Whitlock was bitching her out for being late. She already looked pale as shit when she entered the classroom. Apparently, her mom died yesterday.”
Jameson and I exchanged looks, my chest tightening at that new knowledge. We’d known Everleigh’s mom pretty well back in the day. She always let us come over and was always making snacks and ordering food for us.
“Are we taking her to the hospital?” Jameson asked, obvious concern dripping from his words.
“No,” Ash said curtly. “There’s no reason to. She’s fine. We’ll take her to the house.” He fished his keys from his pocket and slipped behind the wheel.
I didn’t know a lot about panic attacks, or anxiety in general, but Jameson has had a lot of those growing up and it was never life threatening. He was usually fine after lying in one spot and drinking caffeine. Sometimes, caffeine made it worse, though. It really just depended.
I opened the back door for Jamie and slid in up front. When Jameson made it into the back successfully, he reached over and tugged the door closed. His hands instantly moved to her face where he proceeded to brush her dark hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered with the movement, but she didn’t wake.
A pang of jealousy sliced through me at the fact that he got to sit back there with her, touching her, but I quickly dismissed it. She was off the table. We only had one purpose for her, and that was revenge. I wasn’t a horrible enough person to do anything to her while she was as vulnerable as this. We’d let her rest and get her strength back up, but that was it.
It took less than five minutes to reach the house and when we did, we took her upstairs and placed her in Jameson’s bed. Ash tugged her shoes off, discarding them on the floor and then tugged the comforter up over her. Her eyes lazily fluttered open, but they were distant and unfocused—kind of how you’d imagine someone who had been drunk or drugged would react.
“Ashton,” she whispered.
He glared down at her, despite his obvious concern. He obviously still gave a shit. Otherwise, he would have dropped her off at the hospital and left her there. “Go back to sleep,” he bit out. “We’ll take you home later.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Jameson decided.
We both looked at him like he grew a second head, but it was Ashton who spoke. “Why? You touched her pussy once and now you feel responsible for her?”
There has been a lot of tension within our group the last few days. From Ash letting Crystal suck his dick, to me kissing Everleigh just to spite him, to Jameson fingering her during that stupid game and having her blow him.
Jamie narrowed his eyes. “It was tight, too,” he taunted. “She squirted all over my fucking hand.”
Ashton lunged for Jameson, but I was stepping between the two of them before it could turn into an all-out brawl. There was no reason they should be fighting over this bitch. She was a whore. Plain and simple. At the end of the day, she was no better than Crystal was. She’d just managed to fool us all into thinking she was worth more than she was.
“Calm your shit,” I snapped. “Who fucking cares if he fingered her? It’s not like you’re going to date her again. She’s no different than the other skanks we fuck around with.”
Ashton scoffed in response. “Then why did you get mad that your ex sucked my dick?” he countered. “You planning on dating her again?”
He had a point. But Jameson did what he did as part of the stupid game. He wouldn’t have gone out of his way to do it.
The bed creaked and Everleigh slowly sat up against her better judgement. Her hand immediately went to her head, and she winced. She still seemed disoriented and probably had no idea what was going on around her. I couldn’t lie. It was hot seeing her so helpless and vulnerable. She was lucky I had no desire to take advantage of her after her mom just died, otherwise, I probably would. I’d been sitting right next to Jameson when she was on his lap. I heard her moans, her whimpers, and saw her body convulse when she came. Either her boyfriend didn’t know how to touch her, or she simply wasn’t into him. Because Jamie had her getting off in under five minutes.
Something hard hit the back of my head, and I flinched. “What the fuck?” I growled, looking over at Ashton who had very literally just smacked me upside the head
“Stop looking at her like that.”
I snorted at his obvious possessiveness. “You never minded before.”
“That was then. I can’t have you assholes getting all hot and bothered by her. She’s nothing. Remember that.”
Jameson kicked off his shoes, shooting Ash a devilish smile before he climbed into the bed with her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her down so that her back was to his chest. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed again and her breathing evened out.
Ash was seething, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Jameson was doing this shit on purpose. He faked a groan as he rubbed his crotch against her ass to spite our best friend and then laughed when Ashton took another step toward him.
“Relax, asshole,” Jamie retorted. “I’m not going to defile her worn out cunt while she’s sleeping.”
“Or when she’s awake,” I added, shooting him a pointed look.
We weren’t fucking her. It didn’t matter how hot she was, or what history we had with her. She blew it all to shit when she cheated on Ashton. Why make her feel good at all in any way after what she’d done? She didn’t deserve it.
Jameson rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”
But I wasn’t buying it. He’d always felt connected to Everleigh in a way neither of us had. Not even Ashton. They’d been drawn together somehow, like they were in their own little bubble. Now that Everleigh had lost not only her father, but her mom, too, they’d probably understand one another on an even deeper level. He’d fuck this all up if he wasn’t careful. Any of us would. Ashton and Everleigh had the most history. If he let his guard down for even a second, he might remember all those old feelings. It could ruin everything, and I wasn’t going to stand by and let that happen.
“Move,” I demanded. “I’ll stay with her. I don’t trust your ass.”
Jameson’s arm tightened around her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
God. What the fuck was this? He was guarding her like she was some kind of precious item he didn’t want anyone getting his hands on. Annoyance flickered through me at the thought. We came here for a reason—to make Everleigh suffer.
Ashton’s voice cut through my thoughts. “It’s fine. Come with me.” He jerked his head toward the door, his tone leaving no room for argument. It didn’t stop me from hesitating, though. Reluctantly, I followed him out into the hall and shot him a questioning look.
He pulled the door closed behind him with a soft click and started for the stairs. I had no idea what he was planning. But I knew that Everleigh’s little panic attack wouldn’t deter him from ruining her life. It wasn’t anything serious, anyways.
It wasn’t until we reached the office that was still in the process of being decorated, that he finally spoke. “I’ve been talking to someone.” He slipped into the seat behind the huge mahogany desk taking up a good portion of the room.
I remember him saying he wanted us to all share a girl, but he never mentioned it again. “Like…someone you want to date?”
He nodded. “For all of us. I’m not telling you her name just yet. But she knows Everleigh from the inside out. Probably better than anyone. We could use that to our advantage.”
He had to be talking about Amber. But I’ve seen the way she defended Everleigh whenever someone pushed her around too much. She wouldn’t be an easy girl to crack. Then again, good dick could even turn the most loyal bitches into conniving skanks. If he could somehow pull it off, then I was game. Anything to move this process along. We’ve been going way too easy on her, but that wasn’t for her benefit. It was for ours. Seeing her again affected all of us more than we cared to admit.
It was easy to hate her from afar and to fantasize about all the twisted shit we’d do to her if we ever saw her again. But having her right at our fingertips and being face to face with her after all this time, did bring back unwanted memories. Times that we used to look forward to and enjoy, were now horrible reminders of what once was and could never be again. She was a different girl than she was back then. Bolder, stronger, even prettier. I wanted to peel back every layer and corrupt her until she was just a shell.
I blew out a breath, forcing those thoughts to the back of my mind. She would pay in due time. That was for sure. “I’m in. Just tell me what the plan is.”
His lips curled up at the corners. “We’re meeting with her tonight. After Everleigh goes home. We’ll go from there.”
“Is she hot at least?” I muttered, not really wanting to shove my dick into a chick who didn’t appeal to me. I could put a bag over her head and pretend she was Everleigh, but there was a chance even that wouldn’t work. Did she have the same hair color? The same skin tone? Height? Curves? Most girls weren’t as short as Evie was, though. She was like five feet even.
Part of me just wanted to fuck the shit out of her to get it over with, but the other part of me knew it would just complicate things, and she didn’t deserve to feel me inside of her.
When I went to check on Everleigh again, her eyes were finally open, and she appeared to be in a much better condition. It had to have been one hell of a panic attack to have her faint like she had. Wore her the fuck out if she could go right to sleep afterwards.
Jameson had fallen asleep, his body on top of the blankets while hers was still beneath them. It was relieving to find that he at least had some self-control. Her eyes were wandering around the room, taking it all in with confusion written in her features. When she finally noticed me, her face paled, and she attempted to sit up but was stopped due to the arm draped over her midsection. She whipped her head to the side, noticing Jameson for the first time.
“What the hell happened?” she asked, her voice coming out raspy.
I made my way across the room and shoved Jameson’s arm off her. He grumbled something incoherently, but didn’t wake. “You passed out in class.” I held a hand out and she reluctantly slid her small one into mine, electricity sparking through the area our skin connected. I fought the urge to pull away and helped tug her out of the bed. My eyes dropped to her red and black nails. She’d never been the type to get mani-pedis. She was the kind of girl you’d take mudding, to street races, to a sports game, but never to a fucking salon. Even if they looked nice on her, it felt weird. But I suppose I didn’t really know her anymore.
“Fainted?” she repeated, tugging her plump bottom lip between her teeth. The same way I did when I devoured her mouth the other night. She’d tasted so good—just like cherries. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, one to just simply piss Ash off for thinking it was cool to shove his dick down my ex-girlfriend’s throat. But it turned into a full on make out session. Until she shoved me. I fought the urge to taste her again and nodded, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
“Are you hungry?”
She hesitated, looking at me like she was trying to figure out if that had been a fake offer. I might have been an asshole, but I wouldn’t starve the girl. It kind of pissed me off that she thought I would. “Can you just take me to my car? I can grab something on the way home.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Do you still like Mac and Cheese?”
That was one of her favorite comfort foods when we were teenagers. She would have eaten it every single day if she could have. She’d only let me make it for her because I made it taste better in her opinion. All I did was add in extra cheese and butter.
“I’ll always like Mac and Cheese.” She sounded offended that I’d even ask and I couldn’t even fight my smile despite wanting to give her the cold shoulder just to be a dick.
“Come on then.” I started for the door, not caring if she was following or not. I knew she would, though.
When we got downstairs, I told her to sit in the dining room so I didn’t have to be near her any longer than necessary, but she insisted on being a thorn in my side and hopped up on the counter, letting her legs dangle. I grabbed a pot from a cabinet and placed it on the center island before fishing through the fridge for the butter, cheese, and milk. I filled the pot up with water before heating the stove up and letting it boil.
Awkward silence stretched between us as we waited, and I had this insane urge to strike up a conversation with her to pass the time like we used to. But that would make this feel even more normal, and we couldn’t go back to how things were before. No matter how much I wish we could.
This already felt too familiar.
Mac and Cheese and board games were mine and Everleigh’s thing. Popcorn and horror movies were Jameson’s thing with her. Soccer and rough sex were Ashton’s thing that he shared with her. I’d just make her the damn food and then leave the room.
Once the water was brought to a boil, I poured the noodles inside and started stirring. I could feel Everleigh’s eyes on me the entire time, boring a hole through the side of my face. I fought the urge to look at her, though. I wasn’t nearly as strong when it came to her as I thought I was.
When the noodles were the perfect consistency, I turned off the burner and racked my brain for where the hell I’d put the strainer. My eyes darted around the kitchen, until it struck me. It was in the cabinet. Right behind Evie’s head.
I cleared my throat before starting toward her. She glanced at me in confusion, so I pointed at the cabinet. “I need something out of there.”
I wedged myself between her warm thighs, my heart beginning to race from being in such a compromising position with her. We were practically chest to chest as I raised my arm, reaching for the handle of the cabinet. Her breath audibly hitched, having the same effect on her. The scent of cherries wafted off her, making me want to smother my nose in her neck and inhale until my lungs burned. All I had to do was turn my head slightly to the left.
“Kash,” she whispered. “I can get down if it makes this easier.”
My hand was shaking, and I dropped my arm, ready to take her up on that. But when I turned to look at her, her brown eyes seemed to swallow me whole. My gaze dropped to her lips and I internally cursed myself, knowing I didn’t have the strength to not do what I was about to. I couldn’t even lie and claim it was to piss Ash off this time, although it would if he ever found out. He’d let the last instance go because he knew he’d been out of line, but this was completely different. It would be because I w anted to.
But fuck it. Just one more taste.
I braced one hand on the counter by her leg and used the other to grip her hip. Her eyes widened when she realized where this was about to go, a pink tint coating her flesh. That was the only warning I gave her before leaning in and brushing my lips against hers. It was even sweeter this time, because there was no ulterior motive. Her cherry lip gloss melted onto my tongue, the mere taste making me hard as a fucking rock. She gasped against me, but didn’t even try pushing me away. She wanted this, too.
I jerked her toward me, her ass nearly sliding off the counter, but my body blocked her in to prevent it. A surprised yelp tumbled from her lips, and it was music to my ears. I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue taste hers, and she welcomed me instantly, threading her fingers through my hair like she couldn’t get enough. I used to fantasize about what it would be like to kiss her, to have her kiss me back. And now I knew. It was mind blowing. How the fuck could anyone get enough of this? Enough of her ?
She was sitting at the perfect height. If I wanted to, I could fuck her right here. But unfortunately, there were people in the house with us, people who wouldn’t approve. My hands moved to her hips, and I ground up against her, my hard erection pressing against her hot core. A moan escaped her, and even though it was muffled by my mouth, I wondered if anyone had heard it. I dropped my hands to her ass, tugging her toward me more forcefully.
Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Not her betrayal, not the girl we were meeting up with later, not Ashton, and definitely not revenge. Right now, I just wanted her . Just for this short moment.
The kiss grew even more heated, and she started moving her hips to grind against me. A groan rumbled up from my throat as she wrapped her lips around my tongue and sucked. Maybe she needed this. A distraction after her mom’s passing. I was more than happy to distract her in any way possible. As long as it meant I got to do this .
I dropped my lips to her neck and started kissing and sucking while she caught her breath. She shuddered against me, whimpers falling from her mouth as she held me close, her fingers still threaded in my hair.
“Fuck,” I muttered, righting myself again. I grabbed a fistful of hair and jerked her head sideways, causing her to release me. “Open your mouth.” She didn’t even hesitate. Dirty fucking girl. “Tongue out, baby.”
Her pupils were blown wide with hunger, her face a beautiful flush. I remember what she looked like after devouring Jameson’s cock. She’d been so goddamn gorgeous with tear-stained eyes, smeared makeup, and a flush even brighter than the one she wore now. She pushed her tongue out obediently and I spit in her mouth. Instead of recoiling like I thought she might, she swallowed, swiping her tongue against her bottom lip to taste all of me.
I dropped my hand from her hair and moved it to her neck, applying a small amount of pressure. I knew that if I ever got to slide into that sweet fucking pussy, she’d make all my fantasies come true. I’d never expected little sweet Everleigh to be so fucking dirty.
I smashed my lips against hers again, loving the way she writhed against me, like she was seeking out some kind of friction. I half expected her to push me away again when I first kissed her, but she welcomed me like she’d been starving for it. Her hands fisted the front of my shirt, and she jerked me forward as much as possible. A frustrated whimper slipped through her lips, bleeding into my mouth. I pulled away breathlessly, my heart hammering against my ribcage.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, even though I’m pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“It’s not enough,” she panted.
A smirk captured my features, probably coming off cocky, but whatever. “You want me to fuck you, Little E?” I hummed, burying my nose in the crook of her neck. She trembled against me, her grip still tight on my shirt.
“Yes, asshole,” she bit out. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Jameson and Ashton could walk in at any moment,” I muttered, hating that they were even here at all right now. But maybe it was a good thing they were. Hadn’t I just been thinking earlier that none of us should fuck her? That she didn’t deserve it? It truly was so easy to get caught up in the moment.
She released a heavy sigh, tilting her head back in agitation. I took that opportunity to start kissing up the column of her neck, even though I really should be stopping this altogether. My tongue darted out, sliding against her sensitive skin. As expected, she shuddered again, soft whimpers fleeing her.
What was this fucking girl doing to me?
My dick was straining hard against my jeans, begging to slip inside a warm pussy. Not any pussy. Everleigh’s . I couldn’t even pretend otherwise.
“Are you wet?” I muttered against her ear, eliciting a series of goosebumps along her flesh nearest to it.
“Soaked.” She breathed out, unashamedly.
I groaned in response, clenching my eyes shut. She wasn’t going to make this easy on me. I’d eat her out or something if I could. But we could still be caught, plus the scent of her pussy would be all over me and the guys would sense it right away.
I captured her swollen lips again, running my tongue along them right as the sound of a door slamming punctured the air. Her eyes widened at the same time mine did. I jumped away from her like my ass was on fire right as Ashton entered the kitchen. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins at how much of a close call that had been.
Turning to Everleigh again, I pointed to the cabinet behind her. “Can you get me the strainer?” Truthfully, I just wanted her to turn so Ash wouldn’t see her flushed face and bruised mouth. Mine probably didn’t look much better. She turned on the counter, bracing herself against the back wall as she reached for the cabinet. This position had her ass up, and my dick was throbbing even more from the sight. Unsurprisingly, Ashton was staring at it, too, but he didn’t seem to notice that we’d been seconds from tearing each other’s clothes off.
Even if he hated her right now, he loved her at one point. It was a line I wasn’t supposed to cross, and he would definitely feel betrayed by it. Guilt gnawed away at me, but I shoved it down just as fast. I shouldn’t have to feel guilty about this. For the last year of their relationship, he was throwing her at me and Jamie, trying to get us to fuck her. He didn’t get to suddenly dictate how we felt about her when he’d pushed her into our laps. She was fair game.
She got the strainer down and readjusted herself on the counter, holding it out to me. I quickly began fixing her Mac and Cheese and set her up a spot in the dining room before hurrying as subtly as possible to the bathroom to wash my face. My lips were red and bruised, so I splashed cold water on them to help bring the swelling down a bit and waited a few moments for my dilated pupils to go back to normal, too.
When I looked more presentable, I flushed the toilet just in case and headed back to the kitchen to start cleaning up. Ashton was still there, stuffing a granola bar in his mouth. The scent of coffee was potent in the air as the coffee machine worked its magic.
“Do you think she’s okay to drive herself home?” Ashton asked conversationally before taking another bite.
Since she was practically begging me to fuck her and grinding on my dick moments ago, I’d assume so. “I don’t see why not. She seems fine.”
He nodded. “Good. I didn’t want to have to go out of my way. I’m already going to have to put up with more of her cheating face to work on our chemistry project.” He rolled his eyes. “At least Amber will be there to keep me company.”
“Me and Jamie got our projects too,” I admitted. “What is yours about?”
“Fucking batteries. Like they couldn’t come up with something more original. It’s fine, though. It’ll be an easy grade as long as everyone pulls their weight, so can’t complain too much.”
Jamie and I didn’t have the class period together, but we’d been assigned the same thing. So, we were planning on working on it together anyways despite being paired off into groups. “Me and Jameson can come along. Briley is also in my Chemistry class. We don’t have beef with her, too. Do we?” I raised my eyebrows, curious to see how far his anger had gone. “Because I could invite her and make a whole thing out of it.”
He thought about that for a moment before nodding. “She can come. We’ll shoot for tomorrow if that works for you. Probably around six thirty.”
“I’ll let her know.”