Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
BETH
S hanti switches on the electricity to the carnival in the manager’s office. Only God knows how she knew where it was or which switches to flip. It’s a small box of an office with a wall of switches and a kid-sized desk in the middle.
“Let’s have some fun!” Shanti announces, but Judy is just panicking.
“Do you really think no one is going to notice the lights? You’re going to get us arrested!”
“Take a chill pill, babe. Trust me. We’ll be fine. It’s not going to be the cops that find us.”
Shanti always says weird things that are impossible to interpret so I mostly ignore it. She talks like she knows things that haven’t occurred yet with such certainty one would think she’s talking about something she experienced.
Judy doesn’t have the ability to ignore it. “Not going to be the cops? That’s worse! At least the cops would just take us to jail.”
As long as I’m not being arrested for trespassing, I’m fine. I don’t exactly have anyone who would bail me out outside of my present company. Nigel is M.I.A. My mom is in rehab. The only other person I could think of…well, I’m not sure if he would post my bail.
Sure, Ollie would fuck me within an inch of my life and hold me in his arms through the night, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to him being my emergency contact. We haven’t talked about the extent of our relationship or where the boundaries lie. Everything is just open for interpretation so, no, he’s not someone I presently know I can depend on in times of distress.
I want to be able to lean on him when I need to and anytime I have gone to him, he has been there, but…I don’t know. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.
Yeah, that’s probably it.
“We’ll be fine. Even if the cops are called, it’s a big carnival. We could just hide until they leave. Problem solved. Plus, even if you are arrested, do you really think Ro would let you rot in a jail cell?”
“Beth is right. His head is shoved so far up your ass that he would still look at you like you hung the moon even if you made him raise a kid that wasn’t his.”
See what I mean? She says things that make no sense at all, but she’s good people.
“Let’s just go look around,” I say when I notice Judy start to open her mouth with an offended look on her face.
We all know Judy was virgin territory when she started dating Ro and those two have been stuck on each other since years before I moved to town–Shanti gave me that bit of gossip. I highly doubt their relationship is going anywhere. They’ve been stable since she kissed him at that party and, clearly, she would never cheat on Ro.
Ronan and Judy are the epic love everyone strives to have at some point in their life. Those two were made for each other. They have the kind of childhood friends to lovers type of relationship that would influence writers like Lisa Kleypas and Julie Garwood.
I would be jealous if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a little too sweet for my taste.
I pinch Judy’s arm as my warning not to start something. We both know how Shanti is. She doesn’t mean anything by the things she says. She’s never trying to offend people. She’s just…different.
We went to her house a few days ago and I met her mother. She was nothing like Shanti and when Shanti started saying strange things, her mother pulled me to the side and told me to ignore her daughter’s strange statements, that it was nothing for me to worry about.
Whatever the hell that meant.
“Ow,” Judy mutters as she grabs the spot I pinched.
“Come on!” Shanti cheers as she practically runs out of the office and leaves me and Judy behind.
“What was that for?” Judy slaps my arm and I roll my eyes.
“Calm down. You can’t just go off on Shanti. You know she doesn’t mean anything by it. Everyone knows how crazy you are about Ronan Walsh, alright? We just have to let it roll,” I say as I squeeze her hand with sympathy.
“Are you saying you would let it go if she insinuated you were cheating on Nigel?” She crosses her arms at me.
Well, I am, but only me, Nigel, and Ollie know how much he deserves it. I’m sure Charlie, Ro, and Oisin would find it understandable, except that I’m screwing around on Nigel with his best friend. That part might be a little below the belt for them.
“Yes, I would. She has, but I’ve ignored it.”
That’s not completely true. She said something about how Nigel was going to flip out when he finds out my heart isn’t with him anymore.
I don’t know how she knows about the affair, but to some extent, she does. She hasn’t said anything to anyone else though. It would be clear if she had. I could just imagine the uproar.
How does she know though? Ollie and I have been careful every step of the way. We only have sex or even talk to each other when no one else is at the house or we go to my mom’s house, which is still vacant.
For right now, I’m just enjoying being with him in whatever capacity I can. Maybe Nigel won’t ever come back and just becomes a distant memory for everyone. Maybe he will try his best to pretend that nothing happened.
But then…what about me and Ollie? Where does that leave us?
“Fine, fine,” Judy grumbles before crossing her arms over her chest, pouting. She’s freaking adorable.
“Now, let’s have some fun.”
* * *
I left Judy with Shanti and snuck off because I wanted to explore on my own for a bit. Shanti turned on all the lights and the different attractions, so I should be able to do pretty much anything here, even investigate the house of mirrors. I’ve heard people say it can be a brilliant mix of fun and scary and I like being scared. I love the adrenaline associated with fear.
I listen to the circus music as I walk into the dark entrance to the hall of mirrors. Red lights glow down on me as I stroll, but then I hear something not associated with the music. It sounded like a cough.
“Hello?” I ask as I step inside the lines of mirrors distorting my figure. “Is anyone in here?” I call out again, but then the music scratches to a stop and the lights switch off, bathing me in darkness. I could hear a pin drop in the silence from how quiet it is, but then I make out the sound of footsteps. Snapping my head around, I feel the anxiety settle in my belly as I make out the distinct shape of a mask in the darkness. Half glows in the dark while the other fades into the blackness.
My heart stops as I realize every mirror picks up the mask.
“Who are you?” I demand, but I don’t know where the person wearing the mask is.
Then, out of nowhere, a psychotic, feminine laugh comes through the speakers and the lights flicker on in a rainbow of colors. The mask disappears the second the lights come on, but with every flash, I see it.
What the fuck? Where are they?
I spin in a circle, trying to find them, but…there’s no one here.
Fuck this shit.
I dash off through the rows of mirrors, figuring if I can make it out of here, I’ll be fine. I keep seeing the mask in every mirror, but then I pick up the sound of the heavy foot falls coming up behind me.
Goddamn it. Why did my ancestors have to grace me with the curse of being turned on by the chase?
I run harder, my feet pounding into the ground, and the exit comes into view. I’m almost there. I’m almost out of this hell.
My heart pounds against my chest as I grab the door knob to escape, but then my body is slammed against the door, one hand on the back of my neck and another covers my hand.
I scream out a war-cry, ready to fight, but then the masked figure leans into my ear and chuckles. “ Relax , princess. You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”
That. Fucking. Bastard.
He spins me around as he pulls off the mask and reveals his devilishly handsome face. I glare up at him.
“You asshole! Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
He chuckles. “The opportunity was too good to pass up.”
He is not remorseful at all and I’m not surprised, either. Is that a part of being a psychopath?
And, he’s a psychopath I have grown an attachment to. More than I ever was to Nigel or Shawn.
If I had to make a choice today and I actually had a choice in it, I’d choose Ollie, hands down. I’d pick him.
I…I don’t remember the last time I felt as content as I do with him, even if he’s just in the same room as me and we aren’t speaking. It’s like he sees me for me and not for who I am to his best friend.
“What are you even doing here?” I ask, my air coming out in ragged pants.
Then, he leans into me, bending down to my level. He presses his face flush to mine without letting me feel his lips on mine. I gasp from his closeness, waiting for him to close that gap.
“Whatever the fuck I want and that includes you.”
Oh, please do, crazy man.
“I could always say no,” I rasp as his fingers trail up my bare thigh, sneaking between my slightly spread legs.
“True, but you won’t.”
“So much confidence in yourself.”
“Call it what you want, princess, but we both know you’d be on your knees begging for my cock if I stopped giving it to you. You’d be so desperate for me.”
A small moan escapes my lips from the thought of getting on my hands and knees, possibly crawling to him, begging for him to give it to me. “I’m already desperate for it,” I admit and he smirks down at me.
“But, exactly how desperate are you? That’s the real question.”
* * *
Ollie escorted me from the hall of mirrors to the enclosed magic show tent where there are lines of seats set away from the stage. He drops my hand as we pass the chairs and I stop, looking around the space. It’s very basic, but I bet the shows put on are amazing. I’m going to have to come when they’re open.
I turn my head to look at Ollie and he is leaning back against the stage, his ankles crossed like he has all the time in the world.
“What?” I ask, waiting for him to say or do something. Instead, he’s just staring at me.
“Take off your panties,” he demands, his gaze dropping to my skirt. And, he waits.
My heart races as I reach under my skirt and tug down my underwear. The tiny fabric pools at my feet and I carefully step out of it. My thighs are slick as I wait for whatever he is going to do or what he will make me do.
“Take off your shirt and your bra,” he commands, his voice taking on a darker edge, and I do as he instructs. The chill in the air makes my nipples harden along with the intensity of this moment and what it will no doubt lead to.
He tilts his head before he points to the pebble covered ground. “On your knees and show me how desperate you are for me,” he orders, his eyes turning nearly black. My heart races as I contemplate my options.
Those rocks will surely scratch up my knees and might even make me bleed, but also I like the pain and I doubt he will fuck me if I defy him. He’ll consider it a punishment for disobeying.
Fucking caveman.
I slowly move to my knees and my cunt weeps from the sting of the rocks digging into my flesh. My hands and knees ache as I stay in my spot before looking up at him. His face is vacant of emotion, but his eyes tell me everything I need to know. He’s barely hanging on by a thread. He’s just as desperate for me as I am for him.
“Please,” I beg, my desperation leaking from my tone and between my thighs. “I need you.”
“Not good enough, princess,” he mutters with disappointment.
Ouch.
If he wants desperation, I’ll give it to him. I’ll leave my morals at the door and be the needy little slut he craves.
I crawl toward him, letting the rocks dig and cut into my skin, as he monitors my movements. “Please, please, give it to me. I need it so bad. I need your cock, Ollie baby.” I reach him and stand on my knees, running my hands up his pant legs until I reach his zipper. His hard cock throbs against my hand through his pants and I squeeze him. “I’m so wet. I can’t take it. I don’t care how you fuck me, but please, fuck me like you hate me and make it hurt. Make me bleed for you.”
I pull down his zipper as I beg over and over until I have his cock in my hand. Then, I wrap my lips around the head, sucking him in even as my lips stretch painfully around him.
He doesn’t make a sound as I gag myself on him, taking him down my throat. That’s until he grips my hair tight at the back of my head and thrusts all the way in, grunting with the move.
“Such a good fucking girl. Suck my cock just like that,” he demands and I follow his directions. I take him all the way in with every thrust, even though it makes my throat ache.
I haven’t sucked him off since the first time he fucked me. The main reason was how hard it would be to hide what we’re doing if I went back to the house on Mason Road with my face split open with how big he is.
I wanted to do it, but this time, I’m not worried. Maybe I should be, but I just want to enjoy this and give him what both of us want.
This.
Us.
His fingers dig into my scalp as he pulls my head back until my lips release him. Ollie tilts my head back until I look up at him, seeing how dark his eyes have gotten–something I have yet to bear witness to until this night.
He pulls me to my feet and walks me over to the closest chair with one on each side of it. He takes a seat and I waste no time in straddling his waist. It’s a good thing he made me take off my panties beforehand because I don’t think I would have the patience to now.
“Please, Ollie,” I beg as a bead of sweat runs down the side of my neck and he runs the tip of his cock against my slit. “Make me yours.” His eyes meet mine and I’m snagged in his web as he presses inside me. My jaw slacks as a mixture of a gasp and a moan falls from my lips.
“Do you really want that, baby?” He runs his knuckles over my cheek, the touch unbelievably affectionate, something that is rare for Oliver Doyle. I think there has only been one other time when he has been like this with me and that was when I was emotionally raw. I lean into his touch, not knowing it was something I was craving until now.
“Yes,” I admit. “I want to be yours.” Then, I steal a kiss from him to show him how serious I am. If he refuses me, I’ll accept that and I’ll know where we stand, but we’d stay stuck in the gray area if I didn’t say anything. I need to know where he stands to move forward in either direction.
He’s so impossible to read most of the time and I don’t know if he’s guarded or if that’s just how he is.
I expect him to push me away, but what I didn’t expect was for him to pull me in closer and for the passion I receive from him to rival anything I’ve ever received from anyone before. My fingers dig through his hair as I accept every shred of his heart that he sends to me.
My heart breaks into a million little pieces, scattering around the tent, but with every touch, every kiss he acts like a magnet, collecting every broken shard. He molds the pieces back together in a pattern that only he knows.
What I’m experiencing is one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through, but I’m not fighting it or running from him. No, I’m accepting the fear, the heartache, the turmoil, and the affinity. I’m accepting all of it and letting it take hold of me as I grind my way up and down his length.
He trails kisses from my mouth to my neck as he grips my hips tight, taking control of the rhythm. I moan his name on repeat like a prayer as he growls in my ear.
“If you want to be mine, you better prove it, princess,” he presses as he thrusts hard inside me. It vibrates off my hips as he bottoms out and I cry out from the mix of pleasure and pain I’ve become addicted to.
Pressing my hand against his thigh, I put every ounce of effort into making this just as good for him as it is for me.
I moan over and over as I get closer to my climax. I’m held over the edge as Ollie digs his teeth into my shoulder, groaning with every move I make.
Then…
“Oh, my god! What the hell are you doing?!”
Judy’s voice vibrates through the tent and I snap my head around to see her standing at the entrance, practically clutching her pearls from seeing me and Ollie fucking.
“I swear, I’m going to fucking kill her,” Ollie growls in my ear and I roll my eyes.
“No, you’re not. Not only would Ro kill you, but I would, too. She’s my best friend, so be nice.”
He groans. “Fine, but if she ever interrupts us having sex again, all bets are off.”
Honestly, I’m not happy that she interrupted us either. Good sex should never be postponed, but this time, it needs to be or Judy will probably be scarred for life.
It’s no secret that Judy doesn’t like Ollie. Hell, she’s petrified of him on a good day. Not to mention, she just walked in on me cheating on my boyfriend with his best friend. Her pearls are thoroughly clutched.
It’s a struggle, but I manage to get off Ollie without flashing Judy my naughty bits. Ollie stands, facing away from Judy and tucks his cock back into his pants, looking mighty pissed.
“Um, hi?” What else am I supposed to say? She just discovered one of the only secrets I have from her and it’s one that might just haunt her dreams. “Pardon my tits,” I joke to try to ease some of the tension as I cover them before grabbing my bra off the ground. I slip it on as I make my way over to her.
“Hi? What are you doing in here with him ?”
Judy rushes over and grabs my arm, trying to pull me away from Ollie’s vicinity…like that would do any good.
“Clearly, I was fucking her, Gunderson,” Ollie snaps and I glare at him.
“I can handle this. Your comments aren’t necessary.” I turn back to Judy as Ollie sits back down in a chair. “Just calm down. There’s no need to get all worked up.”
“Worked up?!” she explodes, her eyes wide with horror. “You’re cheating on Nigel with him ! How could you do this? You and Nigel were good. Why would you screw it up? I don’t fucking get it!”
“Nigel and I have never been good–”
“Bullshit! You guys were happy before he–”
I can’t take it anymore. “He’s fucking screwing around on me, okay!” The words come out louder than I intended, but the message is clear, practically written across her face.
“He…what?”
“Everyone fucking knows it. Ro knows it. Charlie knows it. Hell, even Oisin does. There’s no friend out of town he’s helping out. Nigel doesn’t have any fucking friends outside of Grove Hill. He’s off fucking someone else and thinks if he says he’s helping out a friend, that will keep suspicion off of him, but that’s the truth. He screwed around on me before Ollie and I started hooking up, but that’s not even the worst thing he has done to me. Nigel is an absolute prick and I’m only with him because he won’t fucking let me go. You think we’re happy because I pretend everything is okay when it’s far from it. It’s fucked up and toxic and I don’t want to be with him…I never really did. He’s obsessed with me, not the other way around.”
Judy’s expression shifts throughout my entire tangent, taking in everything I said, until she looks like she might cry.
Okay, so maybe it all wasn’t completely true. Nigel hasn’t been a prick since the night he hurt me, but I have the voice in the back of my head just waiting for him to do it again. I told him I wouldn’t say anything as long as he behaved and he has. Until he decided to run off to screw other women.
I don’t care that he’s cheating because I have Ollie.
“I’m sorry,” Judy mutters. “I didn’t know.” She wraps her arms around me, sadness permeating her aura like poison.
“You’re fine. Just…go explore the carnival, okay?” I may have come here with Shanti and Judy, but I’d rather do whatever Ollie has planned. I don’t know what it is, but I bet it will be magnificent. Plus, I think Judy needs time to collect herself.
Something about the information I just dumped on her has her emotionally raw. I don’t know why and I doubt she’ll ever tell me.
* * *
Ollie pulls me behind him as we leave the tent together. My fingers squeeze his own, hoping I don’t lose him with how fast he is moving. Maybe he’s not moving fast and it’s just that my legs are way shorter than his. I’m not short, but he is a freaking beast.
He pulls me around a few attractions and I start to wonder. “Where are we going?” I ask, but he doesn’t give me an answer.
Rude.
We move around another structure until I see the ferris wheel. First, the house of mirrors, then the magic show tent, and now the ferris wheel. What else could he have on his list of things to do before the cops come to break this up?
We walk over and Shanti steps out of the shadows. Oh, just great. Am I going to have to go through another fit with her about Ollie and like I did with Judy?
“Evening, Oliver,” she mutters before flashing him a grin.
My gaze jumps between Shanti and Ollie and I have to wonder if they were in cahoots. Did Ollie set this entire trip up? If he did, he should’ve excluded Judy completely. We could’ve avoided the stress of her freak out.
She lifts up the controller for the ferris wheel and clicks a button. Then, the gate to the ferris wheel opens and Ollie leads me in before he fist bumps Shanti.
Definitely in cahoots.
“Let me know when you want to come back down.” Shanti does a little finger wave before she closes the door.
The bench is open with only a bar separating us from falling to our deaths.
Would this be the right time to mention that I’m scared of heights?
The bench moves slowly until we’re up in the air and I am clutching the seat below me. Yup, this was a bad idea.
Out of nowhere, Ollie unlatches the fucking bar and pushes it over our heads before the psycho grabs me, dragging me over his lap to straddle him.
Sure, the seat tilts back from our combined weight, but this is crazy dangerous.
In fear, I cling to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I swear, if I fall to my death, I will come back as a ghost and make your life a living hell.”
His hand smoothes up my back before cupping the back of my neck in his fingers. “Then, haunt me, baby.” He yanks me to him and steals a passionate kiss from me, growling into my mouth with every swipe of his lips. I dig my fingers through his hair as he drags my body against his, feeling his still hard cock digging through his clothes to reach me.
He trails his lips down my throat, biting into my flesh. I know he’ll leave marks and I don’t fucking care. I don’t care who sees the marks he leaves on my body or what anyone would think about it. I’ve never felt the way I do with Ollie and, even if it ends with Nigel killing me for cheating on him, I’ll be fine with that. At least, I’d get some time with Ollie before I leave this plane of existence. It’s not love–I’d be insane to call it that–but it’s more than I’ve ever had.
Every minute with Oliver Doyle is a blessing, one I was never supposed to be granted.
“I want to hear you say it,” he growls against my ear as he slips his hand between my thighs, circling my clit with the rough pad of his finger.
I moan loudly. “I’m yours.”
The bench starts to tilt slightly and I cling tighter to him from the fear. That fear, the one that has held onto me tightly since we got onto this ride, sends me tumbling over the edge. I ride out the high on his finger, feeling my essence leak down to his pants from how hard I came.
“Fuuuck. You come so good for me. I’m not even inside you and you soaked me, princess.” He drags his teeth along the skin behind my ear.
I whimper as I dig my nails into his scalp. “Fuck me now, Ollie,” I beg, feeling so wound up even though he just got me off. It’s never enough. I always want more of him.
“So needy,” he chides as he dips his fingers down, running them along my opening. He gathers my wetness and spreads it over my clit before pinching the abused bud. “Sadly, we will fall to our deaths if we try that here. These seats aren’t built to withstand sex.”
He tugs down the front of my shirt until my breast pops out and he claims that, too.
The last thing I want is for us to fall to our deaths so I guess I can wait a little bit. I rake my fingers through his hair. “Then, take me somewhere that can.”