Chapter 31
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
LAINEY
I roll into Drayton, "What are we going to do if your mom comes up here?"
He laughs, "I don't know. I guess we pretend we lost our memory and have no idea how we ended up in bed together."
"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask, remembering how traumatizing last night was.
"You are here, and that makes everything more than okay."
I feel my stomach flip, but the little devil on my shoulder bats the butterflies away. I can't help but feel like it's all too good to be true. It must be evident to everyone else that we don't fit.
It's obvious to me.
I back away, thinking of all the girls at Legacy that would fit better with him. All the blonde cheerleaders who would make more sense.
"Where'd you go?" he asks, pushing my hair behind my shoulder, the tips of his fingers tracing the edge of my tank top strap.
"I'm right here."
Physically, anyway.
My phone dances on the nightstand and Dray hands it to me, messages flooding in from everyone.
Madden
I hope you aren't with Drayton. If you are, you better hide. Nash is on a warpath.
Did you see the video?
Cori
What happened last night?
I lay my phone down. Of course I saw the video.
"What's wrong?" Drayton asks, snuggling his head into my chest.
"Nothing. Madden is worried that Nash is going to come in here and kill me."
"Not on my watch," he laughs. "Why would he think that anyway?"
"Someone uploaded a video of him from last night."
Drayton backs away, concerned, "Someone or you, Lainey?"
I wince, answering his question.
"He's not gonna let that slide. Why would you do that?"
"Because," I huff. "Everyone needs to see him for the monster he is, Dray, especially Cori."
The last few weeks have been filled with this happiness that I’m not used to, and Nash almost took that from me last night. He almost took it before I even got to really experience it.
"I was scared last night," he admits. "I know that makes me sound like a pussy, but I was scared. It was like I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't even get myself out."
I place my palm against his cheek, "Of course, you were scared, Dray. I was scared for you."
He stares at me, "The only thing I could think about was my little sister. How Dottie must've felt with the smoke filling her lungs. I wasn't afraid of dying.. I was scared that I would never see you again."
I slam my lips against his, reveling in the taste. His hands trail down my back to my hips, and he uses them to lift me on top of him. My legs straddle him as the bulge between my legs sets me on fire. It makes my chest feel full and my entire body weak.
It isn’t something I've ever experienced before. He pulls away, his eyes ripping open to stare at me, "Lainey, I want to do things that you might not be okay with. We should slow down because if we don't, I won't be able to stop."
"Touch me," I whisper, my lips brushing his.
He rolls me off of him, my body melting into the mattress. He kisses me again, lifting the hem of my tank top. His hand rests on my stomach, his fingers slipping inside the waistband of my shorts, pulling them down.
"I know you haven't had sex... but has anyone ever?"
I shake my head, "No."
My breath shakes as he rubs his palm over the outside of my panties, the tips of his fingers touching the most sensitive spot between my legs, causing me to whimper.
"God, Lainey, these are soaked," he says, pulling my thong down, leaving me completely exposed. His fingers slide down and then inside me, causing him to groan possessively against my mouth.
He kisses me like he has known me longer than a few weeks, and he touches me like he will die if he doesn’t. He is possessive with my body but gentle. It’s so Drayton and I love it..
His teeth tug against my bottom lip and he pushes his fingers deeper, pulling sounds from me that I didn't even know existed.
"Fuck, Lainey."
Drayton doesn’t really cuss, so that turns me on even more. I don’t know what kind of experience he has because we never really talked about his past relationships, but he touches me like an expert. He does it as well—no, better—than I do myself.
"I'm so close," I pant, feeling the pressure building, and within seconds my body shatters against his hand.
I smile at him through my eyes that I am fighting to keep open, and he just grins back at me.
"That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen."
I jerk awake in a panic, fumbling for my phone. My mom will kill me if I miss school, and I already lied about where I was. The least I can do is make it to school on time.
Seven-forty-five a.m. I’m not late. Yet.
Drayton walks back in with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Hey, sleepyhead."
"Hi," I sigh, pulling the blanket up like a shield, a little embarrassed.
"Stop hiding from me. You don't hide from me, not ever. Okay?"
I pull the blanket down but just enough to peek at him. He drops the towel to pull on some boxers, and I can't help but stare. He's totally ripped and looks like a damn Greek god.
"If you don't stop looking at me like that, we aren't going to make it to school," he laughs.
"Would that be so bad?"
"No," he smiles. "But I need to show up. Nash needs to know I won't cower to him like some abused dog."
He crosses the room, "Go get cleaned up. No one else is up here, and the bathroom is yours."
I do as he says, and we head to school.
We pull into the parking spot next to Madden and Cori, like we do every day. Cori hops out laughing with Madden and gives me a huge hug.
"I'm so sorry about last night. That must've been so scary."
Her caramel hair is braided loosely with the perfect pieces framing her face, and her perfect legs peek out of a white mini skirt.
She is so beautiful, the poster child for popularity, and I want to be jealous, but I can’t.
It is impossible not to like her, even if she is the type of girl I picture Drayton would really want.
She radiates positivity and doesn’t care that I don’t exactly fit in.
I bump her with my waist, "Where were you? You dipped out early yesterday."
"I had a run-in with Nash after lunch, then I went home and threw myself a pity party."
"Sounds thrilling."
She shrugs, "Wasn't anything like your night."
"You have to stay away from him," I beg.
"Oh, trust me, I plan on it."
We push the main doors open, stares falling on our group as we descend the hallway.
"Hey, Cori!"
"Drayton, hi!"
Everyone yells at us like we aren’t invisible, which is strange.
"Morning, ladies!" Crew steps into our path, doing some weird bow. The baseball boys don’t speak to me, so something is definitely up.
"Oh, now you're talking to me?" Cori rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't think Nash is really in a place to tell others what to do." he laughs. "That video kind of has him by the nuts."
"Video or no video, Nash doesn't own me."
Crew smiles, "He doesn't own me either."
"Oh really?" I challenge. "Nash said Cori is off-limits and you were like Yes, daddy.”
“He’s definitely not my daddy.”
Cori and I look at each other and explode into laughter, but Cori says, "Well if you are talking to me now, do you think you could get me your notes from week one?"
"Sure," he smiles, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Uncle Crew has all the goods."
I laugh as he pulls her away, headed in the direction of their class.
A couple of the freshman baseball players come up, patting Drayton on the back. "It was really screwed up, what Nash did."
What was happening?
Was this the downfall of Nash Langdon? Even the freshmen were crossing him.
Jovie stands across the hall with a smug look on her face as more people talk to us. Nash approaches her, leaning himself against the red lockers. His cold, hateful stare hits me, and I freeze.
I need to get out of here, now.
I kiss Drayton's cheek, rushing through the sea of students to my next class.
I manage to make it through the first two blocks without running into Nash, but I know lunch is coming up. It is only a matter of time.
I take the long way to the cafeteria, through the vocational wing. I am not hiding, but I am, however, hoping to avoid an awkward run-in.
My arm is jerked nearly from its socket, and I'm pulled through rows of lockers and pinned against them.
"I thought I told you to stay out of my way."
I jerk my forearm from Nash’s bruising grip. I don’t want his hands on me. "I'm not in your way! No one wants anything to do with you."
"Take the video down. Now."
I grin, mostly just to mess with him, "What makes you think I posted that video."
"Because no one else has the balls to."
I push myself off of the lockers, "Is that a compliment?"
"No," he growls. "Because you're about to find out just how stupid that was."
He pulls his phone from his pocket, swiping left and right, holding it to my face.
"What is he gonna do when everyone finds out there's nothing perfect about Drayton Lewis and his family?"
He pockets his phone before I can really take in what I'm looking at or who I'm looking at.
"What would everyone think if they found out that Drayton's dad was sleeping around? What would Drayton think?"
My heart sinks like it's been tied to a cinderblock and dropped in the ocean. Drayton's dad was having an affair?
Did Dray know? This would devastate him.
No, this would kill him.
I can't believe it, I don't.
"You're bluffing. I don't believe you."
He steps back, a wicked grin covering his smug face.
"What do you want?" I growl, knowing he's about to get his way. Again. "I don't want Drayton to know, so what is it gonna take?"
I stand there staring at him, and I can practically see the evil in his brain take over before he responds. "Break up with him and take that video down."
He wants to break Drayton. Step one, take away his girlfriend.
"Done," I agree.
I am afraid to know what step two will be, and at this point, maybe leaving him alone is the best way to protect him. It hurts, though, because I am falling in love with him. But just like always, Nash is waiting right here, ready to take it away.