CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STRAY
“Oh good. Now that we’ve been joined by the campus criminals, my day is complete.” Codie’s gaze locked on me as I approached with the rest of my friends.
Rebel wanted to hang with Storm. The rest of us had come along for the hell of it.
Of course, I’d had my own reasons to join.
I’d been giving Codie space for the last few days since the night I’d fucked her.
She seemed to need the time to decompress after our encounters.
That didn’t mean I hadn’t been around, only that she hadn’t seen me.
“Happy to be the best part of your day,” I said, making damn sure she saw the heat in my stare as I drank in the sight of her. “I know how much you love it.”
“You wish.” She did her best to laugh me off. “Better tone down that ego of yours, Stray. One day your head will get so big, you’ll simply float away.”
Was my strawberry actually bantering with me? Flirting if I dare say so myself. In front of our friends even. To what did I owe this sudden turn of events?
Codie, Storm, and the rest of their friend group sat in a circle on the grass.
Some of them ate lunch. Others stared at their phones or lounged about drinking up the sun.
Rebel inserted himself next to Storm. The rest of us created a circle around the girls.
I did my best to get close to Codie without making it too obvious.
She rolled her eyes, her silent way of letting me know that she knew exactly what I was doing. Maybe I should stop playing it so safe when other people were around. I’d been balls deep inside this woman, and I had every intention of doing it again. Did it really have to be a secret?
“Is my ego really that big?” I asked, nudging Codie with an elbow. “Or am I just that awesome?”
Codie shuddered dramatically. Staring down at the last few bites of a sandwich she held, she said, “I think I’ve just lost my appetite. Thanks for that.”
“No worries. I’ll finish it for you.” Plucking the sandwich from her hand, I shoved the rest of it into my mouth.
She stared at me like she didn’t know whether to laugh or slap me.
I was cool with either one. Holding her gaze, I winked.
She turned her attention to Storm, as if silently pleading for help.
There was no hiding the pink tinge that colored her cheeks.
As much as Codie wanted to pretend she hated my presence, I knew it was a lie. Her body language gave her away.
“You really can’t take a hint, can you?” Ripley asked. “Codie would never go for a player like you, Stray. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Her attempt to defend her friend was respectable. It also proved that these girls didn’t know a damn thing about what had been going on between Codie and me. I liked being Codie’s dark secret. Her shameful pleasure.
I let out a bark of laughter. “Am I? What story did she tell you to explain the bruises on her neck? Are you all really that blind?”
Next to me, I felt Codie cringe. There was a sudden sharp pain in my side as she brutally pinched me. Goddamn that hurt.
“Have you guys seen the dress I picked out?” Storm jumped in, pulling out her phone and waving it around. Her sudden subject change made me suspicious. Maybe one of Codie’s friends knew about us after all.
She quickly dominated the discussion by making sure her friends saw the photo of her wedding dress. She then got them talking about bridesmaid dresses and what colors would be best. Boring.
I rubbed the spot on my side where Codie pinched me. That was going to bruise. No way she wasn’t getting punished for that.
While the girls discussed boring wedding details, Casper lit up a joint and passed it around. Catching my eye, he signed, “You’re so obvious. Have you no shame?”
I merely smirked and shook my head. I really didn’t. Not when it came to Codie and getting what I wanted.
Just to be an ass, I butted into the conversation. “I vote for short skirts. Something that really puts your asses on display. Long skirts are good too. Perfect for ducking under for a little fun.”
Codie shot a desperate look at Storm. “Can I wear pants?”
I ignored the glare from Ripley. She was far too uptight for her own good. She probably seriously needed to get laid.
“No pants,” Storm said. Shaking a finger at me, she added, “No shenanigans at my wedding. Everyone will be on their best behavior.”
My expression was solemn as I placed a hand over my heart. “Absolutely. I’ll save the shenanigans for the after party.”
The joint came my way. I took several puffs before passing it on.
Instead of helping me relax, it only made me hyper aware of Codie’s proximity.
Close enough to touch. And yet, I couldn’t even hold her hand without drawing the attention of everyone.
Something so simple shouldn’t have been off limits.
Our arrangement didn’t include public shows of affection.
Codie did her best to avoid looking at me or acknowledging me in any way. Needing some kind of reaction from her, I bumped my foot against hers. When that didn’t work, I slid a hand in behind her and lightly tickled her lower back.
She jerked at my touch. Grabbing my hand to shove it away, she held on for just a moment, her fingers holding tight to mine. Then she pushed my hand away, pretending like it had never happened.
“Man, I hate dressing up,” Auryn complained. “Do we have to?”
“Yes. You have to. Just for the wedding. You can change for the reception.” Storm shot Rebel an exasperated glance, like she was already so over dealing with us idiots.
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Rebel admonished. “It’s Storm’s big day. Anything she says goes.”
Auryn rolled his eyes and muttered something about Rebel being Storm’s bitch while Casper made a whipping motion. Dominik wasn’t paying attention or contributing to the conversation at all. He was too engrossed in staring across the yard to where Venom sat at a table eating lunch.
We all hated Venom. However, Dom seemed especially aggressive in his reactions toward them.
I found that surprising since their leader had gone after Storm.
Rebel had done what he needed to do though, and he’d moved on.
Not Dom though. He was convinced that Venom was plotting against us. He was probably right.
“That’s not the insult you think it is, dude.” Rebel reached over to punch Auryn in the leg. “Maybe one day you’ll be lucky enough to be some gorgeous lady’s bitch too.”
Auryn’s face scrunched up into something both disgusted and skeptical. “I’d rather not. I’ll leave the pathetic displays to you and Stray.”
“Hey,” I protested, “What did I do? Leave me out of this. I’m not the one getting married in college. I’m just here for a good time.”
I felt Codie’s expression darken at those words. She was the one constantly telling me off. What did she care?
Rebel flipped me a middle finger. “You’re lucky you’re sitting too far away for me to punch.”
I gave him my best shit-eating smile. Honestly, I had no problem with Rebel and Storm getting married. I was happy for them both. Being as tight as we all were, I had to bust his balls about it.
“Just a good time, huh?” It was Storm who spoke. She shook her head, looking disappointed. “Is that really all you want, Stray?”
Oh yeah. She definitely knew about Codie and me. Why else would she stare at me like a mother about to scold a bad kid?
I shrugged. “I would be open to more with the right person, I guess. Too bad most of the chicks around here don’t know a good thing when they have it.”
Codie bristled beside me. “It takes a lot more than being skilled with your dick to impress most women. Maybe try working on your personality.”
Damn. This girl came to play. Our friends made various sounds from laughter to “oooohhh.” Yeah, she got me there.
“Damn, strawberry. You’re ice-cold. Razor sharp. You definitely know how to put a guy in his place.” I let her have this win. She would pay for it later.
Her eyes narrowed at my use of her nickname.
Before she could muster up another insult to throw at me, Venom chose that moment to cause a distraction.
They slowed down as they passed by. Damon scowled at our group, snarling something about how only dumb bitches would be seen with us. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Rebel was on his feet in a blink. “What the fuck did you say? Care to repeat yourself, asshole?”
“You heard me.” Damon stood his ground, unafraid. “Only absolute skanks would associate with trash like you guys. Nice to know which ladies are dumpster diving so we can stay far away from them.”
I pushed to my feet, joined by Casper, Dom, and Auryn. We were all ready to have Rebel’s back. Dominik shoved forward, clearly ready to fight. I didn’t trust him not to lose his head. He was too intense when it came to these guys.
“What are you going to do, Rebel?” Noah raised both hands in invitation. “Kill us like you did to River?”
Dom jumped in before Rebel could respond. He gave Noah an aggressive shove. “If that’s what it takes, motherfucker. Haven’t you learned not to fuck with us by now?”
This was escalating quickly. Engaging in an all-out brawl on campus grounds could get us all kicked out. We preferred not to take things that far. Not here and now. That kind of thing would happen without so many witnesses.
Noah seemed as amped up and ready for a fight as Dominik. He immediately shoved Dom back. “You think you’re pretty fucking tough, huh? Just because you took out River doesn’t mean the rest of us are going anywhere. One day your cocky attitudes will be what brings you all down.”
“Is that a threat?” Dom didn’t wait for a reply before throwing a punch.
Noah took the hit, smiling through the blood that stained his teeth from his split bottom lip. “More like a prediction. Is that the best you’ve got? You hit like a bitch.”
That really did it. Dominik tackled Noah to the ground. The two of them wrestled for control. Fists flew as they struggled. Everyone in the yard began to take notice of the fight that had broken out. It wouldn’t be long before campus security or other staff members came along.
Casper was the first to get in there in an attempt to break it up. He grabbed Dom around the waist, dragging him off Noah. Dominik didn’t make it easy for him. He flailed about, doing his best to break Casper’s hold. I moved in quickly to help.
When Noah got up and came at us, Colt and Damon held him back. They knew just as well as we did that this kind of business shouldn’t be dealt with on campus grounds. Noah and Dom didn’t seem to give a shit about that. They were ready to kill each other.
“Calm the fuck down,” Rebel shouted, helping us push Dom further away. “We’re not doing this shit here.”
“Fuck that,” Dom hissed. “Get off me. Someone needs to fuck that guy up.”
Damon and Colt struggled to drag Noah away. He was putting up a hell of a fight. They seemed to be saying something similar to him, telling him that this wasn’t the time or place.
We all needed to watch our backs. Those guys couldn’t be trusted. If they really were out for revenge, they were capable of almost anything.
Everyone knew that if you wanted someone’s legs broken because they owed you money or you simply wanted to rub them off the map itself, you went to Venom. They were capable of serious violence and brutality.
There was no denying that the conflict with Venom had not died with River Harris.