Chapter 63
The Enemies’ Territory
Harper
After my last class ends, I walk to Caden’s locker. When my eyes meet Luke’s, I blush, remembering making out during our history class. It surprised me that’s all we did. But he cut it short and made me head back to class. Even more aroused than before.
Apparently Sidney took up too much of my time. Yet another reason to dislike her.
Nico pushes me against his locker and brings his mouth down close to my ear. His rain scent washes over me as he presses against me. “I could smell you on me all afternoon, sunshine. I need another taste.”
I relax against the locker, putting my hands on his waist, and meet his dark eyes. Sparks ignite everywhere he touches me. He lowers his head and my insides tighten, ready for his kiss.
“We need to head to practice.” Caden hits Nico on the shoulder, but Nico just continues to smile at me like we have all day.
“Who’s driving me home?” I wet my lips, drawing Nico’s attention to them. He could totally have kissed me during all this time. But I think he likes the anticipation, the craving.
“I’ve got you, princess.” Luke’s voice draws my attention his way.
My brow furrows. He’s the captain of the football team. I thought that’s why he didn’t give me rides home after school. The others can be a little late no problem, but not the captain.
Especially today. I have to meet with Sidney before leaving, meaning Luke will be later than normal.
He doesn’t glance my way as he grabs his stuff. When he closes the locker, his gaze falls on Nico.
When I turn back to Nico, he kisses me. It’s quick and leaves my lips buzzing and aching for more.
“See you at dinner, sunshine.” He heads off with the others, leaving me alone with Luke.
“Is this because of Sidney?” I step closer to Luke, and he takes my hand.
“If she’s going to pull something, I want to be there.” Luke doesn’t meet my eyes as we head toward the girls’ locker room. Nerves begin to get to me, especially if Luke is worried this is a trap.
Edging closer to him, I try to keep from panicking. This is school. Coaches will be there. Kenz and the girls will be there. I’ll be safe.
The Cheermonsters aren’t like the horsemen. They’ll get in trouble if they do anything. Even the guys know to keep fighting to a minimum at school.
Kenz, Penny, Nat, Izzy, and Vicky wait by the door of the locker room. A burst of relief floods through me. I knew Kenz wouldn’t let me down, but the other girls could have ditched. They want my guys, but that doesn’t mean they want to declare war on the Cheermonsters.
Luke turns me to face him. One hand grasps my arm, and the other the back of my neck. My heart pounds so hard I’m surprised he can’t hear it as I lift my gaze.
“If anything goes wrong, yell.” Luke’s eyes search mine. I swallow. What does he think will happen?
“We’ve got this.” Kenz steps forward and wraps her arm around my shoulders.
Releasing me, Luke ignores the others, leans against the lockers, and looks down at his phone.
I draw in a breath and take off Nico’s jersey, straightening my t-shirt. With a last glance at Luke, I lead my group into the locker room.
Honestly the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a trap. Why not exchange jerseys in the hallway? Then the guys could have come with me. Maybe that’s the point.
“We’re going to be fine, H,” Kenz whispers as we make our way down the banks of lockers to where we can hear the Cheermonsters talking.
I nod because I’m not sure what could happen down here. And even if I yell, I’m not sure Luke could hear me. Besides, what could he really do if a bunch of girls were in a fight? Sell tickets?
Tamping down my nerves, I round the corner.
When we step into sight, the Cheermonsters quiet and take in my posse. Fuck, I have a posse. This is too weird. Sidney and the others have on shorts and t-shirts with their sneakers, ready for their practice. At least I don’t have to see them in my guys’ jerseys again.
Sidney gives me a knowing smile. Ashley rolls her eyes at Kenz beside me. The other two finish tying their laces, but they’re aware of our presence.
I hold out Nico’s jersey to Ashley. She takes it out of my hand and thrusts Eli’s into mine.
“You know you’re temporary, right?” Ashley leans back against the locker with her arms crossed.
“So you keep telling me.” I’m ready to leave. This is the same song and dance.
Ashley smirks. “You couldn’t possibly take it the way he likes. He’ll get bored and come begging for the good stuff.”
“Okay.” I shrug. I’m not sure what she wants from me, but I’m not about to tell her Eli and I do just fine. What happens between me and the guys is not up for discussion.
“You might want to reconsider who you let get close to you.” Sidney smiles at the girls behind me. “There’s a reason we don’t have many friends outside our group and why we each have a guy we get with. It helps maintain order.”
I turn to Penny. She gives me a reassuring smile. Do I think they might try something with a horseman? Possibly, but I’m confident the guys won’t let that stand. And I’m willing to take whatever punishment Eli throws my way because of it. At least I’m not down here alone.
“Noted.” I turn back to Sidney. “Same time tomorrow?”
Her green eyes assess me. So far, I’ve agreed with everything she’s thrown my way. I only popped off one time at her party and I was buzzing hard when I did. But Sidney wasn’t there. If she wants to believe the guys will come back to them, I won’t be the one putting up a fight.
Luke says they’re mine, so I’m going to believe they’re mine. Do I think it will last as long as they claim? I have no clue. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but right now, I’m confident in who they want.
“Same time tomorrow.” Sidney nods and glances at Emma. “You’ll get Jack’s for the day, then Friday you and I can switch before the game. Luke’s orders. You know how he likes to order you around.”
I cock my head to the side. “Of course. I wouldn’t be in this situation if I didn’t.”
Words I can handle. I’ve never been in a girl fight and really don’t want to be, but I’ll hold my own if they come at me. I won’t go crying to the guys to fight this battle unless the girls try to outnumber me.
“Good. Now be a good little pet and go tell your owner I was pleasant to you.” Sidney turns, dismissing me.
Ashley watches me like she’s trying to figure out my game. I guess they don’t believe I’m not playing one. I’m doing what I need to survive this year. Being with the horsemen is my current lot in life. I’ve accepted it.
It doesn’t entirely suck, but it’s also not what I would have chosen. These girls chose to be with the horsemen. Maybe they don’t believe a girl would want to resist them.
Kenz pulls my arm, and we walk away.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Nat mutters, clearly disappointed.
“I prefer it that way.” When I glance behind us, just in case, the Cheermonsters aren’t watching. I release my breath. “Thank you guys for coming. Can you do the same tomorrow and Friday?”
Because otherwise Luke might punish me. We can’t let our guard down just because it went fine this first time. That may be exactly what they expect, and Friday the guys will be occupied.
“Sure,” Izzy says with a grin. “I can’t wait until the party Friday night.”
The others nod and smile at each other.
Eli’s in my head now, because I can’t help but wonder what else they’ll want. I knew when Penny first approached me that they wanted to use me. I don’t know if they’re being honest about what they want now.
We step out of the locker room, and the girls part ways with me, saying they’ll text tonight. It’s kind of nice being in a group chat with them. It’s different from hanging with Kenz. But Kenz is my ride or die.
Kenz hangs back when the others leave.
Luke doesn’t move from his position with his phone, giving me a moment with Kenz.
“I don’t know if you can trust those girls, H.” She blows out a breath. “I don’t think they’re doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. These girls didn’t give two shits about you until Luke claimed you. And I’m not confident they’ll stand up to the Cheermonsters if they try something.”
I nod. I’m not naive enough to think the girls just want to hang out and be friends. “If those girls try something with the guys, they’ll fail or I’ll be free.”
“They’ll fail.” Luke’s hand wraps around my neck and draws me back into his heat. Holy hell, I want to sink into him. It’s like being cold and then someone throws a warm blanket over you.
“On that note, I should head out. Text me, H.” Kenz smiles and takes off down the hallway.
We’re alone when Luke begins to massage my hip. “How did it go?”
My pulse thrums in my ears as my body responds to his presence. I try to shake it off, but there’s just too much of whatever binds us together swimming through my veins. I close my eyes and lean into Luke.
“Princess.” His lips caress the edge of my ear as his voice weaves through me. His words are almost a growl as he says, “Answer me.”
Desire pulses through me, and I whimper, needing more. Always needing so much more of all of them.
“Now.”
I open my eyes to the empty hallway and try to orient myself. “They made more remarks about how you guys won’t stay with me, but the tradeoff went flawlessly. We have two more trades. Tomorrow and Friday.”
“Good.” He turns me in his arms, and I lift my gaze to drown in the heated pools of his eyes. His thumb caresses my bottom lip. “We need to get you home.”
For a second, we stand there. I want him to kiss me. This aching need for him clings to my bones.
Instead, he takes my hand and leads me out to his car. I try to calm my rioting hormones on the way to my house. Not sure I achieve much control.
“I’ll pick you up for Nico’s.” Luke pulls into my driveway, jarring me back to reality.
My car sits next to my mom’s. We drove here this morning so I could leave my car at home. I’m sure he needs to get back to practice, but part of me wants to linger in his presence just a while longer.
“Harper, if I stay any longer, I’ll fuck you, and we’ll both be in trouble.” He leans his head back against the seat. “I’ll see you in a few hours, princess.”
I blow out a frustrated breath, knowing he’s right. My mother is right inside. He has to get to practice. And I want nothing more than to straddle his lap and let him make me come alive.
I open the door and get out. Our eyes meet through the windshield as he backs out of my driveway. I don’t understand what’s going on with me and Luke. Maybe the chemicals are just too strong, but I’m drawn to him. It doesn’t matter that he’s an asshole most of the time.
Shaking off the feeling, I head inside and let my backpack thud on the ground.
“Mom! I’m home!” I take Eli’s jersey into the laundry room and put it on the cold cycle to wash away Ashley’s perfume. It’s light, but I don’t want to smell her on me.
When I come back into the kitchen, Mom sits at the island waiting for me.
“How was Penny’s last night?” Her eyes track my movements as I pick up my backpack and set it on the table.
“Good.” Keep it short and to the point so she doesn’t get suspicious.
“Any issues?”
“Nope. Her house is nice, and her mom was friendly. I slept well.” I give her a smile. “Much better than staying alone in the house.”
“And hanging out with the guys went well?”
I sit at the table. “Yes, they were all gentlemen. We played a high stakes game of Chutes and Ladders.”
Mom shakes her head. “As long as it’s not hide the salami—”
“Ew, Mom.” I laugh, but my heart races a little harder. How long can I really expect to keep this a secret from my mom? The dating thing is going to come up. What happens at Homecoming? Are we even going together? As a group?
“You okay, Harper?” Mom’s tone dips into concern.
I blow out a breath and tuck my hair behind my ear. My gaze blurs on the book in front of me. “A lot is going on with the guys and some girls at school. I’m not used to the attention, I guess.”
“Make sure you take care of yourself first, before all the drama.” Mom clasps her hands in front of her. “It’s fun to have that kind of attention and distraction, but if you lose yourself in it, what’s the point?”
It’s all new and exciting right now. The guys and I are just getting warmed up. But what happens in a month? Three months? What about when I have my period? Is this all our relationship (if you can call it that) will be? Sex?
When the guys told me their numbers of sexual partners, they said how long it had been. A week and a half, two weeks, a month. Right? So we don’t have to have sex every night of the week. Maybe they’re taking advantage of the fact they have access this week. Or maybe it’s new and shiny.
I’m too damn curious not to take advantage.
“Hey?” Mom sounds concerned. “You faded out there for a bit.”
“Just thinking.” I set my backpack on the chair beside me. “I’m going to do some homework before going to Nico’s for dinner tonight.”
“You’re having dinner at Nico’s?” Mom perks up.
“Yeah, his mom wants the guys and me to come over for dinner.” I open my book. Nico said he told his mother I’m his girlfriend. It’s not really a lie. But it’s not all of the truth.
I’m not sure what we’re doing could be considered boyfriend and girlfriend. While I kind of had a choice in the matter, I also didn’t. We’re not exactly going out on dates and spending time getting to know each other.
No, we’re rushing off to have a quickie at lunch. Which may be normal teenage dating. How would I know?
“I don’t know what to think about this, Harper. I’ve heard of group dating, where it’s a bunch of guys and girls going out together to hang out, but just you and a group of guys seems a little progressive?” She says progressive like she’s not sure it’s the word she’s looking for.
“We’re not dating.” I shrug, though it feels like we are, but we aren’t. We’re definitely fucking now, but no one is trying to get to know me better. Caden talks about our future. That’s about as close as we come.
We’ve gone to parties together. We’ve slept together. We’re exclusive. But we’re not dating.
“I honestly don’t know what I’m doing,” I admit and turn in my chair to meet Mom’s eyes. “I like them all.” Mostly. “But I don’t want to date just one of them. We’re all going to college next year, and everything will change.”
“Then have fun this year.” Mom stands and brushes off her pajama pants. “You don’t have to settle on one guy. They seem to all want to hang out together. So maybe friendship is all you guys have this year. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I’d laugh if I didn’t think it would raise more questions. Sure, friends. “Friends would be nice.”