Chapter 36
BECKHAM
I lean against the wall in one of the academic hallways, staring at Vinny while he talks about some football shit, pretending I’m listening, when I’m actually daydreaming about putting him on his knees.
“I mean, I know we had a great defense; we just weren’t solid enough to protect ourselves against Douglas.
They are the best team in the state, but I just thought we had a shot this year,” Vinny’s saying, all the while I’m growing hard in my pants while I picture his mouth wide and red lips dripping with a mixture of saliva and cum.
“I’ll never get drafted now. It was a long shot to begin with, and who even knows about someone from Blackmore anyway? The scouts spend all their time in Atlanta if they come to Georgia.”
I wonder if he’d be down to skip class, go to my house, and fuck all day until we both can’t hold ourselves up anymore.
“Becks? Are you listening to me?” he asks, and I realize he’s staring right at me, his green eyes curious.
“What?” I stand up straight. “Of course I am, baby. Football, draft, Atlanta. Go on.”
His eyebrows lower, and he puts the back of his hand against my cheek. “Your face is all flushed. Are you feeling okay?”
I grin, taking this as my opening. “Maybe we should go home.”
“What?” He chuckles. “What’s wrong with you?”
I grab onto his arm, squeezing the soft flesh between my fingers. “I want to nut so bad.”
He chokes on a laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Jesus, B, keep it together.”
“I can’t,” I grit out between my teeth, stepping closer to him.
“I checked Kai’s location this morning around five—he was still at Sage’s.
Do you think that means he’s done playing games and she’s finally ours?
Or do you think he was using her? I can’t get it off my mind, and no matter how I twist it, I get so fucking turned on I want to explode. ”
“Okay,” Vinny says, dropping his voice and looking at me through hooded eyes. “Just try to get through today, and tonight, we can get it all out of your system.”
I sigh softly, closing my eyes and digging my fingers into his arm. “Okay.”
I hear Kai walk up behind us then, so I let go of Vinny and take a step back while making eye contact with him.
“What’re you guys doing?” Kai asks, holding on to the strap of his backpack, dropping a shoulder against the wall.
“Where were you this morning?” Vinny asks him, his eyebrows rising. “Did you see Sage last night?”
“Yeah,” he answers ominously, his dark eyes filled with secrets.
“Well, what happened?” I ask, desperate for dirty details that will turn me on even more, push me even further into the madness that is my libido since Halloween. I chew on my lip. “Did you fuck her?”
“Becks,” Kai grunts. “Get ahold of yourself, please. Your fucking dick is hard in the middle of the hallway.”
I look down at the front of my pants, then a laugh bursts from my chest. My whole body shakes, and my own laughter sets off Vinny’s and Kai’s as well.
When Vinny looks at his watch, making me realize we’re late for class, I sigh.
Kai shakes his head and stands up straighter. “C’mon, let’s find somewhere to skip.”
Vinny looks at me curiously but grabs onto my arm and pulls me after him as he follows Kai down the hall. We make our way through the main academic building, outside and into the arts building, then into the empty theater.
Kai leads us to the back of the stage, through the wings and into a large room they use to store props and sets, then he throws his bag down onto the floor and drops onto his ass.
Slamming the door behind me, I eye my friends. “What’re we doing? This is our class with Sage.”
“I know,” Kai says, pulling a bottle of water from his backpack and taking the cap off. “I want to keep her on her toes a little.”
“What does that mean?” Vinny asks as he tosses his bag down on the floor. “Didn’t you fix shit with her last night?”
“I mean…” Kai drinks some water, replaces the cap, then gives us a shit-eating smile. “We fucked, sure, but that doesn’t mean the bitch is my girlfriend. I want her to remember how unimportant she is.”
My hand curls into a fist. “Are you serious?”
Vinny scoffs, shaking his head and sitting down. “You’re something fucking else, Kaiden.”
“Watch it,” Kai sneers. “Don’t forget who the fuck is in charge here.”
I finally rip my backpack off and throw it to the ground. “Fuck you, Kai! You said you’d fucking get her back into our lives, and you’re still doing this alpha-macho-asshole-douchebag shit when you know deep down you fucking love her just like we do!”
Kai’s eyes narrow, and he bends his knees so he can rest his arm on them. “Love?! Don’t be a fucking idiot, Beckham.”
Frustration barrels through me. “Stop fucking lying! You can feel it too, I know you can. I know you want her in our lives!”
Vinny puts a hand on my shoulder when Kai jumps up and stalks toward me, his face a mask of anger. “Watch. It.”
“No! Stop lying!” I shake Vinny off, stepping into Kai’s face and pushing his chest with both hands. But I don’t have a chance to say anything else, because he moves closer and punches me clean across the face, knocking my head to the side.
Blood drips down the side of my mouth, and I slowly turn to look back at Kaiden, anger simmering in my veins so hot that I can barely breathe. I spit blood onto the floor, then chuckle as I shove his chest with both hands. “Admit it. You want her.”
He punches me again, making me grunt.
“Shut the fuck up, Beckham. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Kai growls, cracking his knuckles.
Laughing, I look at his pretty face across the five feet that separate us, shaking my head and licking my bloody lip. “I know you better than anyone, Kai. You’ve been my brother since we were in fucking Pre-K. I know when someone has gotten under your skin.”
Kai steps up to me again, pulling his arm back to drive another punch into me, but Vinny pulls me back by the shoulders and steps between us, making him freeze.
“Enough,” Vinny breathes. “Please.”
“You two can do whatever you want,” Kaiden says softly. “I’m not talking about this anymore.”
I start to protest, but Vinny turns around and gives me a look, one that says back off for now, and it makes me bite my tongue.
Because maybe I need to, maybe I’m so caught up in craving Sage that I’m ruining the most important relationship in my life—the one with my brother, the person who’s been there for me longer than anyone else.
“Okay,” I concede, meeting Kai’s eyes over Vinny’s shoulder.
Kai steps backwards with a cocky grin because he won, and my chest tightens. Instead of fighting again, though, I just keep my mouth shut and shake off Vinny’s hold, walking across the room and sitting down on the floor.
By the time we’re heading to lunch, I’m still a ball of pent-up sexual tension mixed with anger and resentment.
I skip the line for food and just sit down at our usual table, putting my head on the surface.
Vinny and Kai sit on either side of me in the next few minutes, food in hand, and start up a meaningless conversation while they eat.
“You okay, B?” Vinny asks after a moment, running a hand down my forearm under the table.
Lifting my head, I nod and sigh through my mouth, “Fine.”
“Still angry at me?” Kai asks, his eyebrow lifting in question at the same time his lips curl into a grin.
Before I can answer him, I spot Sage walking into the cafeteria behind his head, and my stomach sours. Vinny sees her too, looking over at the doors, and that makes Kai turn around to see what we’re staring at. He sighs when he sees her, then turns back to look at us.
She’s alone, so it seems that Juliet is out sick again, and I silently hope that she finds the confidence to come over and sit with us. But she doesn’t glance in our direction, just stands in the line for food and gets lost in her phone while she waits.
“Don’t say a goddamn word,” Kai says softly, eyeing me as he puts his food down and stands up.
“What’re you doing?” Vinny asks, but Kai ignores him and starts walking across the cafeteria.
He reaches a crowded table, then leans down into the ear of his previous hook-up and says something. Stephanie laughs, slapping him away, then he grabs her hand as he stands up straight again.
Before I can comprehend what he’s doing, she’s walking across the room with him.
When Kai reaches our table, he sits back down in his vacant seat, then he pulls Stephanie down onto his lap and curls his hands around her waist.
“What are you doing?” I growl, knowing he’s going to push Sage’s buttons.
“Making a point,” Kai answers and dips his head into Stephanie’s neck as he pushes her hair over her shoulder.
Stephanie’s gorgeous, and she’s used to Kai’s shit.
Besides her dark hair and tan skin, she’s the opposite to everything Kai is—she’s bright, shining with positivity from every edge.
But for some reason, she’s tangled herself in Kai’s twisted web, maybe for the thrill of it.
I think maybe she just does it to piss off her boyfriend, who’s always around the corner, watching the king of the Hallows Boys with his hands on his girl.
Whatever gets them going, who am I to judge?
“This isn’t a good fucking idea, Kai.” I lean forward, glaring at him and hoping he stops this shit before Sage notices.
“Don’t,” he bites out, looking at me for a second before he leans back into Stephanie’s neck.
“Oh, boy,” Vinny says from my side, a small laugh catching in his throat. “Here we go.”
I glance up in time to notice Sage looking over at us from the cashier at the end of the line, her face morphed into jealousy and something that looks a lot like humor.
“Jesus Christ.” I shake with a laugh, even though I want to fly across the table and knock Kai out.
Sage strides across the room, and it seems like she’s been switched into slow motion. Her steps are calm and calculated, like a vicious lioness stalking her prey, but instead of pouncing when she reaches Kai, she just drops her food down on the table and sits down next to him.
He doesn’t look up from his spot in Stephanie’s neck; instead, he slides his hands up her thighs and squeezes. Becks and I sit in silence, watching as Sage’s mouth twists into a malicious smile, and she reaches over, tapping Kai on the shoulder.
“Excuse me.” She clears her throat, and Kai looks up at her through hooded eyes. “Did I not make things clear enough last night?”
Kai lifts his face, mock confusion glistening in his eyes. “What?”
Sage grins, and she leans forward to spit her next words in Kai’s face. “You’re mine.”
Laughing, Kai threads his hands through Stephanie’s hair and twists her head to the side, then he kisses her neck.
Vin groans, sliding his hand to mine under the table and squeezing.
Sage stands, steps behind Kai, and places her hand on top of his in Stephanie’s hair. “I’m going to give you three seconds. If you aren’t off his lap by then, I’m ripping this pretty hair from your head.”
Stephanie looks up at Sage, not taking her seriously. “Are you joking? He clearly doesn’t want me to.”
Sage laughs, and Kai shakes with laughter too, like it’s one big joke that they’re in on.
“One,” Sage says, smiling.
Stephanie doesn’t move, and Kai’s hand tightens in her hair.
“Two.”
“Okay, okay!” Stephanie says, shaking her head until Kai lets go of her.
“What?” Kai snaps. “Don’t you dare get up.”
“Dude.” Stephanie laughs, standing up. “The sex was good and all, but I’m not going to get my ass beat over you. It’s not like you’re my boyfriend.”
As Stephanie walks back to her table, Kai shoots up from his seat and spins around, coming face to face with a satisfied Sage.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he breathes, careful not to raise his voice.
Sage steps around him, ignoring his silent rage, sitting down again and opening her salad. I catch her eye across the table, and I smile. She grins at me and Vinny, asking sweetly, “How’s your day going?”
We both laugh, but don’t dare answer.
Kai’s still standing, his chest rising and falling so quickly that he could be having a heart attack. Hands snapping out, he grabs Sage by the arm and yanks her up. “Get up, and let’s go.”