Chapter 5
Chapter Five
W hen I eventually walk into class, the teacher stops talking. Looks at me and waits for me to sit down before continuing. She doesn’t say a single word, just gives me that disapproving look— as if I need her approval.
Besides, it’s not my fault I’m late. It’s Connor’s.
Just the thought of him is making my heart race. What the hell is he doing here? I was never supposed to see him again. I liked it better that way. I could pretend that I wasn’t affected by his presence.
“What happened?” Krystal asks under her breath.
“Nothing,” I tell her, not bothering to look her way. Krystal is one of my best friends, as much as someone like me can actually have friends. When your family runs the city’s underworld, it’s safer not to let people get too close.
Except I did let someone get close. I let Connor get closer to me than anyone ever has before.
And I liked it. A lot. The fact that he knows that pisses me off.
I don’t even know why. It just does. I don’t like letting anyone have the upper hand on me.
But I can’t control the way my body reacts to him.
It started the moment I walked into the student services office.
I became hyperaware. That tight feeling in my stomach—the same one I had on Saturday night—came back.
That’s how I knew it was him. Either that, or I was suddenly hot for the school receptionist. Considering Miss Kemp is in her mid-fifties and hates me, I should be glad it’s not her I have an uncontrollable lust for.
That’s all it is. Lust. I’ve never felt it before, to the point I thought I was broken. But now that I’ve felt it, I want more. Just not with him.
Argh, why is this happening to me? Why him? He’s cocky, and don’t even get me started on that stupid smile of his with one dimple that pops in on his right cheek. I want to get my blade and cut the stupid thing out.
And then there’s his eyes. Green. Emerald green.
And that stupid accent. Irish with a lot of Boston mixed in.
I might have looked him up yesterday. I was bored, and I wanted to know who I gave my V card to.
So sue me. It’s not like anyone else wouldn’t want to know.
It doesn’t mean I wanted to see him again. I didn’t. I don’t.
I wonder if he’d be dumb enough to tell Dante what he did with me? I have no doubt my cousin would cut the bastard’s fingers off right there in front of everyone. The men in my family are a little… unhinged when it comes to thinking they’re protecting us.
He wouldn’t. Connor can’t be that stupid. He has to know who I am. He’s the O’Malley heir. And I’m a Valentino princess. No world exists where our paths should cross. Well, not the way they did.
Oh my god, I could just imagine what my brothers would do if they found out I slept with an Irishman. I wouldn’t say we’re mortal enemies, but we’re certainly not friends.
And the Irish? They like to stay under the radar. Most people at this school wouldn’t even know that they’re hanging out with Irish mafia. Especially Kenny. Connor’s cousin, whose house we were at on Saturday. I should have put two and two together, figured out that they were related.
I guess I did in the back of my mind.
Maybe that’s it. The forbidden thing is why I’m so into him. I can’t think of any other logical reason. He is literally everything I hate in a guy. Attractive, overconfident, cocky. Okay, maybe that’s extreme. I do like attractive people. I’ve just never liked one as much as I like him.
Lust, I remind myself. It’s lust, not like. I do not like Connor O’Malley. I might want to climb him and ride him like my favorite roller coaster, but I do not like him. Besides, people sleep with people they don’t like all the time.
Take my cousin Orlando, for example. He’s always sleeping with girls he wouldn’t give the time of day to. He can’t stand most of them. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t like their bodies.
I wonder if Connor would let me use him for his body. Get this lust thing out of my system. I don’t know why he wouldn’t go along with that. He’s a guy. What guy is going to say no to getting laid?
“You look like you either want to kill someone or… Nope, you just look like you want to kill someone,” Krystal says.
I turn and glare at her. “You want it to be you?”
She just smiles at me. “You wouldn’t kill me. If you were going to, you would have done it by now.” She laughs. “Who is it? Want me to bring a shovel?”
This is why I like Krystal. She really would bring a shovel.
For all her annoying attributes, she’s loyal.
I also don’t doubt she likes the benefits of being friends with me.
Everyone at this school wants to befriend a Valentino.
It’s safe passage through the high school years. You become untouchable.
“Unless it’s Dante. He’s far too cute to be burying.” Krystal smirks. And there’s her flaw. She crushes way too hard on my cousins. Mostly Dante, who wouldn’t touch her, because I’ve threatened to cut his balls off if he messed with any of my friends. But Krystal doesn’t know that.
“It’s no one. And gross,” I tell her.
Krystal shakes her head. “Did you see the new guy at Kenny’s party? Rumor has it he’s starting today, and he’s fine with a capital F. By the way, where the hell did you disappear to on Saturday night?”
There have been numerous times I’ve wanted to kill Krystal. None more than right now. I can even picture it. My hands wrapped around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. Her lips turning blue.
“Whoa, why do you look like I just killed your cat?” she asks, shifting away from me slightly.
Smart girl.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Deny, deny, deny. I will not react. No one can know that I know who Connor is. It’s for his safety as well as mine.
I might have told him to go and brag to Dante about being with me, but I did that knowing full well he wouldn’t.
I don’t know how I knew. I just did. I mean, anyone with half a brain wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that.
And Connor isn’t stupid. Stupidly good looking, yes. But stupid dumb? I don’t think so.
I just need to avoid him for the foreseeable future. It’s a big school. How hard can it be?
Never in my life have I spent my day looking over my shoulder, or walking through the halls dodging a certain someone whenever I saw their ugly beautiful face. This isn’t me. I’ve never had to hide from anyone. So why the hell am I hiding from him?
Because I don’t trust that the cocky asshole won’t just walk up and start talking to me. Sure, I can be a bitch and pretend to not know him. I could put him on blast and make him a literal pariah of the school. No one other than his family would talk to him. Because they all listen to me.
I don’t want to do that, though. I just want to avoid him until he forgets I exist. Which really shouldn’t be long. Judging by the way my brothers and cousins fuck and forget girls, I’m sure it’s a matter of time before Connor has moved on to someone else.
“Why are you acting cagey?” Dante closes my locker door on me.
“Cagey? What does that even look like?” I ask him.
The asshole pulls out his phone, snaps a photo of me, and then turns the screen around. “Like this.”
“Funny, it’s a good thing you’re an academic, because a comedy career isn’t in the cards for you.” I pat his chest, hiking my bag higher onto my shoulder.
“You see Orlando around?” Dante questions.
“Have you checked under all the skirts?” I deadpan.
“He’s not that bad.” Dante shakes his head, even though we both know our cousin is that bad when it comes to his dick. Dante’s different. He has his eyes on one girl. A girl who won’t give him the time of day. Which just makes the whole thing funny.
“Why are you looking for him anyway?” I ask.
“I was going to get him to give me a ride home.”
“Where’s your car?”
“In the shop. Looks like it’s your lucky day. I can just ride with you instead.” Dante wraps an arm around my shoulder as he leads me out of the building.
“You know, I could have better things to do with my time than drive you around,” I tell him.
“But you will anyway because you love me.” He smirks.
I roll my eyes. The hairs on the back of my neck rise with awareness. He’s here. Somewhere.
“That ass is in my AP math class,” Dante says under his breath.
“What ass?” I look around for that exact ass I know nothing about.
“The new Irish fucker,” Dante says while glaring in the direction of Kenny’s red Ferrari.
I make the mistake of glancing over. Connor is there. Staring right at me. Shit. What the hell is he doing? Does he have a death wish?
“What the fuck is he looking at?” Dante grunts. “What fun little torture devices you got on you?”
“Me? Nothing,” I tell him.
“ Please , you are always strapped with shit. Give me a toy. I want to play with the new kid, Aurora,” Dante says with a sinister smirk.
“Get in the fucking car, Dante. Or don’t and walk home for all I care.” I open the back door, toss my bag on the floor, and then climb into the driver’s side.
Dante follows and buckles himself into the passenger seat. He then bends down and pulls out a packet of Cheetos from his bag.
“Don’t even think about eating those in my car, Dante, or you really will see what torture devices I have on me,” I warn him.
I love my car. My dad bought her for me. She’s a custom baby-pink Mercedes G-Wagon with white leather seats and matching pink trim. She’s mine. And Dante is not getting his fucking orange Cheetos dust all over my clean seats.
“Fine, but just so you know, I’m starving. I didn’t eat lunch today,” he groans, dropping the packet back into his bag.
“Why’d you miss lunch?” I purposely missed lunch. I didn’t want to chance running into Connor in the cafeteria.
“I was busy.” Dante looks out the window as I pull out of the school’s parking lot.
“Busy chasing Josie around? Has she even said two words to you yet? Other than fuck off ?”
“She has, actually. Just today she said: Stop following me, Dante .”
“Wow, that’s almost like a marriage proposal. Did you hand her your dick along with your balls?” I ask him.
“Fuck off.” Dante switches on the radio. Blasting it and effectively cutting off any chatter we might have had.
I’m not going to lie. It is fun to see my cousin so twisted up over someone. Dante always gets what he wants. He’s literally a spoiled rich kid who’s never heard the word no. Until now, it seems.