Twisted (14 page)

“Fourteen.”

“Was she older or younger?”

“Older.”

Not surprising. “By how
much?”

“Two years. My turn. Are you
close to your brother?” he asks as he flicks a gnat off my arm.

“Define close,” I say wryly.

“I don't know. Do you guys
spend time together and shit?”

“No, not really.”

He studies me. “Does that
bother you?”

“I don't know. I take it you
and Ethan aren't close?”

“No.”

Around five that evening, I
head back home after Cole drops me off at school to pick up my car. We'd
eventually fallen asleep at the river for almost three hours before we woke.
Cole has business to take care of tonight and I am on my own. Not that I mind.
After spending the whole day with him, I don't mind being on my own this
evening.

The garage door is up when I
pull my car in front of the house and I see that Noah's home. He would be
somewhere in the house. My stomach grumbles and as soon as I am inside, I head
for the kitchen. The house is silent and I wonder where Noah has disappeared
to. I had yet to see his bedroom since he never left the door open, and I
wonder what he does in there when he's not lounging around the house.

I quickly make myself a cold
cut sandwich with lunch meat and pour myself some lemonade. There always seemed
to be a fresh pitcher in the fridge and I greedily take full advantage of it
every time.

As I walk past the window, I
catch sight of someone in the pool and I pause. Noah's swimming laps. I watch
his toned body slice through the water effortlessly and I find myself feeling
envious. The water looks so inviting and I can't help but wish I was out there
with him. This was one of those times when I hate what I do to myself. I would
never bare my scars to anyone and that means never wearing a swimsuit.

With a soft sigh of regret, I
pick up my plate and glass to head up to my room.

That night I can't sleep.

I glance at the clock for what
feels like the millionth time. It's one in the morning. Noah had come home from
his job around eleven-thirty and I'd heard Tate come home around twelve-twenty.
The house is completely silent and I find myself regretting that nap I'd taken
earlier with Cole.

With a soft sigh, I turn on
my side and stare at nothing for another half hour. My thoughts drift to Cole
and I smile slightly as I recall how nice the day had been. For the first time
since we started dating, we are doing something more meaningful than partying.
I am also beginning to understand why Cole is the way he is. It has to be tough
living with Ethan. I also haven't forgotten what Paige had told me about his
family. Cole had a lousy childhood.

We have a lot in common.

There is also the fact that
he's finally making an effort towards me and that has me feeling pleased. I am
hoping that after today, the games will stop. I've caught a glimpse of how Cole
can be when he isn't high strung or dealing, and it's nice. Of course, I enjoy
the partying as well, it's a fun distraction, but I like the calm and relaxed
side of Cole as well.

When my mind begins to shift
to much darker thoughts—things better left forgotten, I find myself climbing
out of bed. I pace my room;
needing
to do something. I walk over to my
window and peer outside. The night is calm and serene, the moon large and full.
My eyes drop to the pool and excitement shoots through me. Why haven't I
thought of this before? If I swim at night, no one will see me.

With a grin, I quickly go to
my lingerie drawer and slip on a pair of black panties and a black bra. After
grabbing a towel from the bathroom, I head downstairs, my bare feet silent on
the carpet and linoleum as I enter the kitchen. The house is completely dark,
letting me know that Tate has indeed gone to bed.

The lock on the sliding glass
door clicks softly as I unlock it and pull the door open, stepping outside. The
night has cooled down but not enough to deter me from my swim. As I walk across
the patio, I inhale the sweet scent of chlorine and flowers. I love living here
and I especially enjoy the backyard.

After tossing the towel on
the lounger, I dive into the deep end without hesitation. The cool water
enveloping my body feels good tonight. Once I rise to the surface, I turn on my
back and gaze up at the stars as I swim lazily. I have no idea how long I float
in the pool, enjoying the water and the beautiful night. It's so calming and I
can feel a bit of peace flowing through me—which is rare.

When I finally feel like I've
had my fill of the pool, I swim towards the nearest ledge and gracefully haul
myself up and out of the pool. As the water sluices down my body, I squeeze
water out of my hair, not wanting to leave water puddles throughout the house
when I go inside. After I feel I've wrung out my hair, I walk towards my towel
before starting slightly as I notice for the first time the shadow relaxing on
the other lounger, a cigarette glowing in the moonlight.

Noah.

How long has he been watching
me?

It's pointless to try to
carry on a conversation with him in the darkness, so I walk over and pick up
the towel, wrapping it around my body and tucking the corner between my
breasts. I can feel his eyes on me and I give a little wave in greeting before
I turn and head back into the house.

Much to my surprise, he
follows me and shuts the sliding glass door behind us, locking it securely. I'm
not sure if he wants to talk or not, so I move to flip on the light above the
kitchen sink, squinting slightly. Once my eyes adjust, I turn to speak to him
but pause.

He's shirtless and wearing
just a pair of jeans. I try hard not to stare at him but it's a losing battle.
I've seen him once without his shirt on before, but I hadn't had a good view
until tonight. He is
freakin
'
ripped.
There's
also a tattoo around his left bicep I've never noticed before and it looks like
some sort of tribal design. I also note that he's wearing a necklace. It's on a
thin gold chain and a tiny cross dangles from it.

And
I am still standing here, staring at him like a child
looking at a piece of candy. My eyes lift to his and I expect to find him
amused or teasing, but instead he's studying me back. “Everything all right?”

Well, I wasn't expecting
that. “Why do you ask?” I try to pull myself together and concentrate on the
conversation and not his body.

His eyebrows rise. “It's
almost two in the morning. You're never up this late. At least not that I am
aware of.”

“You aren't, either.”

“Some nights I am,” he
admits. “I have a hard time falling asleep sometimes.”

“Oh. Well, I'm fine. I just
couldn't sleep.”

He nods. “Just checking. Good
night,
Blayre
,” he says lightly.

“Night.”

I turn and switch off the
light as Noah leaves the kitchen, heading upstairs. By the time I make my way
up as well, his bedroom door is shut and I feel an odd sense of disappointment
sweep through me as I walk past.

The next morning as I eat
breakfast in the kitchen by myself, I find that I am actually looking forward
to the upcoming day. It would be interesting to see if anything has actually
changed between Cole and me. I really like him.

“Hey.”

I hadn't heard Tate enter the
kitchen and I jump slightly. “Hi,” I say tentatively. We hadn't spoken since
he'd tried to quiz me about Cole the other day.

He walks to the refrigerator
and grabs a can of soda before turning to look at me. “You have plans yet for
Thursday evening?”

“No. Why?”

He meets my questioning gaze.
“I traded shifts with someone, so I'll be home by four. I thought maybe we
could have dinner together.” His admission has me falling silent. Is he doing
this because he
wants
to spend time with me or because he thinks this
was what I want? Tate frowns. “Silence is not the reaction I was expecting.”

“You don't have to switch shifts
for me, Tate,” I finally say.

“I thought you wanted to
spend time with me.”

“I do.”

“Then what's the problem?”

“Nothing. I just don't want
you to feel like you have to.”

“That's what you think? That
I feel
obligated?
” he asks, his expression turning offended.

Shit. “Well...I mean, you
haven't suggested this before until we got into it the other day.”

“Bullshit,
Blayre
. I've tried inviting you with on the weekends when
I'm with my friends. You're the one who turns my invitations down.”

I rise to my feet abruptly.
This conversation is obviously going nowhere fast and I just can't seem to find
the right thing to say, so I walk over to the garbage and toss my carton of
yogurt.

“That's it? You don't want to
get into it, so you just walk away?”

“That sums it up.” I walk out
of the kitchen and head for the front door.

“Be ready by five on
Thursday! I am not taking 'no' for an answer!” My brother yells after me.

I slam the front door shut and
climb in my car, driving to school as my mind stays on the conversation I'd
just had with Tate. I don't want him to feel obligated to spend time with me
and I should have just kept my mouth shut the other day. I want to spend time
with him, I really do...but something keeps holding me back. There's a part
inside me that just can't understand why he would want me around, much less
spend time with me. That's what I am still trying to figure out. Was everything
simply out of obligation? A sick feeling begins to develop in the pit of my
stomach and I try to ignore it. I'm almost to school and I have other things to
think about.

When I get to school and head
for my locker, I find Cole waiting for me. I walk over and he immediately pulls
me into his arms and kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck and sink into
him. At least one thing is going right today.

Cole's hands rest
possessively on my hips as he pulls back slightly to look down at me. “We're
having a party tonight. Will you come?”

“What time?”

“I'll pick you up at nine.”

“Okay.” I move out of his
arms to spin the dial on my locker.

“
Blayre
,
can you do me a favor tonight?”

Cole rarely asks for favors
and I pause, glancing at him curiously. “Sure.”

His expression is unreadable.
“Dress a bit more conservatively. And try not to draw attention to yourself.”

“What's different about this
party than the other ones?” I ask immediately.

“Ethan will be there.”

I know they don't get along
and evidently Cole is concerned about me being there. But why? I didn't want to
cause any unnecessary trouble. Obviously it wouldn't be intentional but I had
no idea what Cole was worried about. “Are you sure I should come?” I ask as
casually as I can.

Cole's eyes immediately
darken and narrow dangerously. “I am not afraid of my brother,
Blayre
,” he says flatly.

My eyes widen. “I didn't
mean-”

“Whatever,” he says and walks
away, disappearing into the crowd.

I stare after him with
frustration. Damn it. I can't seem to say anything right today.

Lucky for me, Cole's not in
the mood to hold a grudge. When he picks me up that evening, he smiles and nods
approvingly at my khaki shorts and pale blue tank blouse. I hold onto him
tightly on the way to his place, a feeling of relief sweeping through me now
that Cole's mood is back to where it should be.

When we reach the street he
lives on, I see that it is lined with cars. The party is in full swing already.
Cole eases the motorcycle up the driveway and parks near the garage. When he
cuts the engine, I can hear the loud music and the sound of voices coming from
inside.

“Will Paige and Blake be
here?”

“They're probably already
inside.”

We make our way inside and I
wonder what Cole's plan is for the night. Would tonight be about business or
would he stick close to me instead?

Cole's arm settles around my
waist in a way that I am familiar with. He's staking his claim, letting all the
guys at the party know that I am taken and tonight it doesn't bother me. We
find Blake and Paige in the crowded living room. All the seating is taken, so
they are standing near a corner, talking and drinking.

Paige's eyes light up when
she sees me. “Hey!”

I flash a smile in greeting.

Blake nods at me before he
turns his attention to Cole, where they duck their heads together and begin to
talk.

I turn to Paige. “Where were
you today? Did you guys ditch?”

She grins widely. “Yeah.”

Since she doesn't elaborate,
I decide to let it go. Knowing those two, they'd spent the day together in bed.
“It's really dry in here,” I say, grimacing at the overwhelming scent of
cigarettes and drugs.

Paige is already drunk as she
clumsily loops her arm through mine and pulls me away from Cole. “Let's go get
something to drink!” 

I glance back at Cole as I am
led through the crowd but he's busy talking to Blake, so I willingly follow
Paige. We make our way into the kitchen and it is even more crowded than the
other room. Through the packed bodies, I can see that a poker game is in full
swing and someone is laughing while someone else is swearing. Paige snags a
bottle of scotch and some plastic cups before she literally elbows her way back
out of the crowd and into the hall toward the living room. I quickly follow in
her wake and we find that Cole and Blake have disappeared.

Paige scowls, her blue eyes
scanning the room. “I hate it when he ditches me.”

“Well, at least this time I'm
with someone I know. Normally when I'm ditched, I'm around a bunch of
strangers.”

Paige shakes her head and
shoves the two cups in my hands. Then she pours a generous amount of scotch in
each cup before setting the bottle on the floor at our feet. She straightens
up, plucks one cup out of my hand, and holds it up in the air. “To dumbass
boyfriends.”

A laugh escapes me. “I'll
drink to that.” The scotch burns my throat and I watch as Paige drinks hers as
if it's water. “Why do you always go for the hard stuff instead of the mixed?”
I ask. Hard liquor was nasty.

“If you do mixed, you end up
peeing all night. One trip to the bathroom is all I allow myself at these kinds
of parties. Usually there is puke all over and pee from some drunk who couldn't
bother to aim properly,” she says, her nose wrinkling with distaste.

“Why do you come to these if
you don't enjoy them?”

“I like the frat parties,”
Paige says before she takes another long drink. “These aren't much fun. I never
know what Cole is going to get Blake into, so I come to keep an eye on him.”

“What kind of trouble does
Cole usually get him into?”

“Just stupid shit,” she
mutters. Then her eyes brighten and she smiles briefly. “You know what? I say one
evening we should ditch them instead and we go do our own thing. We need to
find ourselves a party they don't know about and go have our own fun. You in?”

“Definitely.” It wasn't very
often that Paige and I hung out together outside of the bakery. All her free
time was taken up with Blake.

Paige sighs. “I need to find
him. Coming?”

“Sure.”

We make our way through the
crowd and eventually end up in the kitchen again. We find Cole and Blake at the
table playing poker with three other guys. Paige does not look happy at all.
Her lips tighten and I can see she's pissed.

I touch her arm and ask in
her ear, “Everything okay?”

Her eyes jerk from the table
to meet mine and they are dark with apprehension. “Ask me in an hour and I'll
let you know,” she says flatly before she goes to stand by Blake.

What is that supposed to
mean?
I walk over to watch the game
and Cole barely glances at me. My eyes skim over the guys and they all look
tough. Except for the lanky one. He just looks downright evil. His dark blond hair
is pulled back in a ponytail and his light green eyes have a calculating gleam
to them. He reminds me of Cole, so I am assuming this is Ethan.

After a bit, I quit watching
the game and let my thoughts wander. I'm brought back abruptly to the present when
I hear Blake let out a heart-felt expletive. I find that everyone at the table
is looking at Blake expectantly, who is white as a sheet.

Ethan looks amused now as he
stares Blake down. “Pay up, man.”

Blake takes a deep breath,
his eyes shifting uneasily to Ethan. “I can get it to you tomorrow. I swear.”

Everyone at the table falls
silent.

Ethan's green eyes narrow
dangerously and I recognize that look. “Haven't we been over this before?”

“I was on a roll there. I was
good until that last round,” Blake says defensively.

“You know the rules.”

Blake swallows hard. “I swear
I am good for it, Ethan.”

My eyes quickly shift to
Cole. Why isn't he helping Blake or standing up for him? Cole's jaw is tense but
he's not speaking up, instead he looks completely detached from the unraveling
situation. I'm startled when I see Ethan pull out a switch blade. He opens it
and then idly starts cleaning his fingernails with it. I'd be grossed out more
if it weren't for the fact that I am fearing the repercussions that Blake faces
for not being able to pay his debt.

Ethan studies his nails,
looking eerily calm. “You have two choices,” he says simply. “I see that pretty
little girlfriend of yours is with you tonight. She can pay your debt.” His
eyes lift to meet Blake's. “Or, you can lose a finger.”

Holy shit. He can't possibly
be
serious.
My eyes jerk back
to Paige and I see she is deathly pale, letting me know that Ethan isn't toying
with them. Why wasn't Cole
doing
something? He's still just sitting
there, his posture relaxed as he watches things unfold.

“Well?” Ethan asks as he
studies Blake.

“I'll pay his debt,” Paige
cuts in, her tone flat.

I wait for Blake to protest
but he doesn't. Instead, his eyes drop to the table top and his fists visibly
clench. Ethan looks at Paige and his eyes run over her body with anticipation
as he flips the knife shut and rises to his feet, the knife slipping back in
his pocket.

“How much does he owe?” The
words are out of my mouth before I can think better of it. All eyes are
suddenly directed on me but I look at Ethan steadily. He doesn't scare me. At
least not too badly.

Cole's brother seems to
notice me for the first time and his eyes sweep over my body, making me feel
slimy and gross. “He owes a grand. Do you have the cash to spot him?”

Damn. “Not on me, but I can
get it.” My eyes shift to Cole, waiting for some help but his green eyes are
blazing furiously at me from where he sits.

“That's against the rules,”
Ethan muses. “However, if you'd like to take Paige's place, I'm down with
that,” he says, his eyes fastening on my breasts.

“She won't be,” Cole says
tightly as he finally takes action and grabs my arm before literally yanking me
out of the kitchen. His grip is firm as he leads me up to his room where he
slams the door shut with force and shoves me away from him in a fit of fury.

Thanks to all the scotch I
drank earlier, I can't get my feet working in time to stop from crashing into
the dresser near the wall. My ribs burst with pain as the corner edge jabs at
them before I fall sideways, right on my ass. I look up at Cole, stunned that
he'd hurt me again and furious over what had just happened downstairs.

“Are you out of your fucking
mind?” he yells at me as a vein pulses in his temple.

With a grimace, I rise to my
feet and glare at him, refusing to back down. “I wanted to help. That's what
friends do when friends get into trouble!”