Scornfully Hers (9 page)

It was almost eight at night and the long drive should have exhausted me, but I was more energized because Emma was around me.

Looking around, I saw Lindsey walking towards Amber’s SUV, but I called her out, stopping her midway. “Hey, Lindsey! I need to talk to you for a minute.”

“Sure, what’s up?” She walked back towards me before I pulled her to the side, making sure no one was around to eavesdrop on our conversation.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Cooper trying to help Emma with her stuff. “We don’t have any available room for Emma,” I voiced out my thoughts, trying to read Lindsey’s reaction, hoping that she wouldn’t freak out with where I was going here.

“Hold up, why didn’t you tell me this before I asked her to begin with?”

For this very reason, of course.
“She could sleep in mine, that is… well… if you’re okay with her rooming with Russo and Jacobson.” Over my dead body. I wasn’t going to let that happen, but I needed my sister to see where this conversation was going.

“Hell no! You can always give her your room, you know? Or, you could give her the bed and you could sleep on the couch. That makes sense.”

Not happening in this lifetime, either. “I’ll figure it out.” I acted all stressed out about Emma’s sleeping arrangement, but I already knew where she was sleeping, next to me.

Like it was going to happen any other way. I wanted that blonde beauty back and I planned to make her mine before this trip was over.

Bass Cole and the Hollywood glamour and trappings can all go back to hell. He’s fucking with the wrong guy here. His stupid fame, nor his arrogance, sure as hell didn’t intimidate me.

~CM~

The crisp autumn air and the smell of fall were floating in the air. The guys from the team were all busy fucking around with girls while I watched in amusement, drinking my beer, counting down the time until Emma wants to go to bed,
my bed
to be precise.

“Who’s up for some hot tub?” Brody asked everyone.

A few girls hollered at him before Amber came out of nowhere, dressed in some slinky, super tiny black and white polka-dot bikini. “Back off bitches!” she hissed at the trio. I heard them muttering some colorful names before they headed towards the lake and got distracted by the bonfire and found other men to entertain them.

“What the hell? Do you have to be so rude, Amber?” Brody glared at her before turning to me, asking me to join them.

“Sure, give me a sec.” I was pulling my shirt off when I heard a woman whistle from somewhere.

Spinning around, I found Amanda and Cece gawking at my exposed upper body. “Take more off, please! We’re loving the show,” Amanda purred, licking her lips.

Amber snorted in disgust. “Stop being such a desperate hussy, Amanda. If your vagina is itchy, go find another jock out there.” She pointed towards the lake where some of the guys we knew that played in other sports were partying with overblown speakers. “Make sure to tell them Amber sent you and you’re highly recommended,” she continued, scathingly, before Amanda threw her a disgusted look, huffing and pulling Cece’s hand with her as they darted towards the lake.

Brody frowned, glancing at Amber like she was another person. “Jesus, Amber, will you calm your ass down?”

“What? That bitch needs to be set in her place. I’m not deaf. I know she’s after Carter. Since you both already nailed Cece, Amanda needed to be warned off.”

“Hey! I had her without Brody there, to clear the air.” There were rumors that we sandwiched Cece. It didn’t bother me, but hell; I’d rather just get it out there. All of the threesomes I had were with women—sisters, cousins, best friends, teachers, my aunt’s friends and identical twins. “It was Cooper and Brody that did it, not me.”

Brody threw me a look like I really should shut my mouth before -I got hurt. Amber looked perplexed. She was looking at Brody in a strange manner, almost hurt even, but why? Brody sure as hell wasn’t an angel, but he was good man. Even good men get tempted too, especially when you grow up with raging hormones and Cece all out there with her body. It was understandable to men, but women were a different matter.

Amber stood up, glaring at Brody then at me. “You guys are such
manwhores! Good thing Emma’s not with you and Lindsey should just dump Cooper and find another man like Bass Cole,” she muttered, leaving the tub and heading inside the cabin.

“The fuck’s up with her? That was harsh and Amber didn’t do harsh unless she was pissed off. What the hell did you do?” I questioned Brody. He was just as shocked, like he didn’t know how to respond to my question.

“I—I didn’t do anything,” he wondered out loud.

We grew up with Amber so I knew she had a little crush on Brody, even though I didn’t say
that
out loud. Now that I think about it, was it possible that something happened between them? Most of the girls are closer to Brody since he was much more approachable and more friendly, compared to me. Okay, I was a dick most of the time… all right, maybe all the time. Now I’m more curious if my sidekick did something about that little crush of hers.

“You didn’t do it, right, Thompson?”

Brody cleared his throat, head shaking, ears reddening. “Shit,” he muttered.

Fuck, my sister was going to burn them alive if she found out. Her friendship with Amber, I hoped, wouldn’t suffer if that day came. “She’s almost like our sister, man. What the fuck!”

“You’re saying that because you have a sister and they grew up with her, but I
don’t
have one. And I sure as hell didn’t see your sister like that!” he groaned, looking around just to make sure no one was around before he started talking again. “We were both drunk and Amber was hella clingy. I knew she always liked me, man, but she was telling me that she was suicidal and needed me to help her feel better. She was cutting—”

“Shit, Thompson. Lindsey’s going to flip, man. You’d do well to back the hell off this second because she won’t ever forgive your ass now—not even when you tell her that you did it because you were feeling obligated—or was it more than that?”

“It was only that one time. Fuuuuck!” he hissed, getting out of the tub while I leaned against the outside of it, still in my jeans, wondering how the hell he was going to come out of this shithole he’d dug without hurting someone, my sister especially.

“Where you going?”

Brody ran his hand over his wet hair, muttering some cuss words. “To talk to your sister. I better try to explain myself before she starts thinking I’m just messing with her.”

Lindsey wasn’t a forgiving person. Everyone who knew
her, knew that. I didn’t know why Brody was still willing to try. “She’s going to bite your head off.”

“I know,” he murmured before stomping inside, head down.

I See You Watching Me

It’s been three hours since we arrived and everyone seemed to have the same goal–to get plastered, get laid and pass out.

I was on my way to the kitchen when I heard Emma’s voice coming out of the hall, screeching. “What do you mean? You dragged me here! Now, who do I have to room with?”

“You have to ask Carter and the boys. They’re the ones that arranged it,” Lindsey responded in a laid back manner, supposedly trying to calm Emma down.

Acting all normal and not at all devious, I strolled into the kitchen with nothing but a pair of jeans on. The second Emma noticed I walked in, I knew she was checking me out. I felt her hungry gaze on me and, I wasn’t going to lie, her heated stare was turning me on.

“Oh, great, man! Emma wants to turn in. Can you show her to her room?” Brody asked, slightly on the edge.

Guess he was still planning to tell my sister after all. I gave him a nod of understanding. Brody needed my help and I was more than willing to take Emma away and tuck her into bed. “You’re ready to sleep? It’s still early.” My dark gaze landed on the blonde bombshell
,  my eyes burning holes right inside her, making her hyperaware that I wanted her.

Emma looked perturbed. “No. I want to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

It was a good thing really. I didn’t want her around drunk men. I’d rather have her upstairs, sleeping soundly and safely. “Okay, then. Let me show you to your room.”

We exited the kitchen and I climbed up the wooden stairs while Emma followed silently behind me. The cabin was huge and Emma could’ve easily gotten lost by the time we got to the second floor. There were three wide carpeted hallways that were adorned with black and white abstract paintings
; a striking contrast amongst the woodsy theme.

I turned to my right before making another turn and straight through the long hallway towards my bedroom. Stopping at the two large, dark-wooden doors, I faced her. My eyes slowly dropped to her lips before looking straight into her eyes. “Here you are, Emma,” I said, opening the doors and ushering her into a massive room with a fireplace, a king-sized bed, and a large lounge area with a bay window that overlooked the lake.

Emma strode in, taking in the room around her. Awe glassed her eyes before she spun around to face me, frowning when she saw me standing in the middle of the room, observing her.

“Can I have my phone back?” she carefully asked.

Not tonight, not until you’re mine again
, I silently vowed, looking at her, loving her from here. Did she know that I was in love with her? Probably not, but tonight wasn’t the time to tell her either.

Pulling out her phone from my front pocket, I dangled it before me. “You mean this?”

She licked her lips, coveting the sight of her phone, a mere reach away. “Yes. Can you hand it to me now?”

“No. I’ll give this back to you once you set foot back in Santa Barbara. For the time being, though, you’re phone free.” There, that was a decently fucked-up deal, but that’s all I could offer. If being a dick for a little bit longer was going to help me gain her back, then I was going to do it.

The feisty Emma emerged and she launched her anger at me. “What the hell is your problem, Carter? I don’t get why you’re acting like a petulant kid!” She made a furious growl before her finger poked my hard, muscled chest. “You. Are. Being. Ridiculous.” She emphasized each word with more finger pokes on my skin.

Hot and sexy
, I thought with lust as I watched the fire in her eyes and cheeks, which were reddening from getting riled up. She was about to withdraw that demanding finger of hers when I took hold of it. “You ask what my problem is?” I leaned forward, closing the gap between us, using my body to my advantage. “You. You’re my problem,” I huskily uttered. The feel of her almost against me was messing with my groin again.

Emma nervously swallowed, looking sexually affected as well. “You have to let this go, Carter.”

Wish away, Emma. Fucking. Wish. Me. Away. “It’s not over until I say it is.”

Anger sparked within her. Almost spitting at me, she yelled, “Well, fuck you! We broke up already. You kicked me out of your house!”

Did she not remember spewing that lie about getting back with Lewis? Did she not remember how terrible she was when she was telling she didn’t want to be with me, but was moaning my name over and over again to fuck her harder? She fucked with my head, real good. “You wanted out. I didn’t. It was my ego talking.”

We stared at each other, eyes sparring, each of us daring the other to lash out first. When her lip quivered, I unknowingly reached out and caressed her soft cheek with the back of my finger. “You’re beautiful, Emma. You don’t know how lonely I’ve been without you,” I wretchedly admitted, sadness filled my heart as I recalled the events of the past weeks without her.

My eyes immediately darted to her cherry red lips when her tongue snaked out and wetted it, giving it some luscious moisture.

“I think you should go. I want to rest,” Emma said, breaking my line of thought.

I hesitantly dragged my eyes away from her lips and brought my darkened gaze to her vibrant blue one. “If you want to, go ahead. You can use the right cabinet to unpack, mine’s on the left.”

I saw the look of horror in her eyes when she realized what I just told her. If she knew me at all, she should’ve known I was going to play dirty to get her back. I didn’t want out then and I sure as hell didn’t want out now.

“You’re sleeping on the couch. I’m not sharing a bed with you!” she muttered darkly, almost hissing at me.

I may not know her mind well. I may not be that much acquainted with her heart either. One thing I did know about Emma, though, was how her body reacted when I was around. I had to choose my weapon well and I was going to exploit it until I broke through to her. It was bad, but she was playing dirty and I had to do what was best for us.

“Too bad, I’m sleeping in the bed. Don’t worry; I’m not going to touch you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I shot out, shrugging before I strode towards the bathroom for a shower.

While in there, I was tempted to a jackoff session, but held off, knowing I wanted the next one to be with her. I hadn’t been laid since Emma broke up with me and I was tight with blue balls, in frustration, and needed a release as soon as possible, but I knew I needed to wait because Emma wasn’t ready yet.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t had the offers to get a good hand-job, head or over-enthused pussies. Hell, I’d had naked women offering themselves to me, but I wasn’t even interested in a quick nut. It was bizarre. Carter Mason, not interested in messing around with twins? What the fuck, right?