Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 74457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I’ve done a lot to protect her over the years. I like to think we’re almost square.”
I hit him gently on the chest. “You’re not.”
“All right then. A massive apology and more.”
“Good. She’s a decent person, you know.”
“I know that. How’d we end up with her?”
“I’m charming and fun to be around. You’re her cousin.”
He snorted and kissed my neck. I was intensely aware that we were technically in public—anyone could walk back and catch me snuggling up in Jarrod’s lap.
But the rumor mill was already grinding away. Everyone heard about me visiting him at the party. I caught looks in the hallways, laughs and winks on the quad, and I did my best to ignore it all, but being around a Horsemen meant I was a public figure.
I didn’t want that. I liked my old life—quiet and anonymous.
Only I ripped all that to shreds and threw myself with wild abandon into Jarrod’s arms.
“I want to take you somewhere this weekend.”
I tilted my chin up to look him in the eyes. “Take me somewhere?”
“It’s a place I keep.” He frowned a little, hesitating. “It’s my place.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Can you take a few days? Saturday and Sunday? It might be good to lie low.”
“I don’t think Detective Bates will like that.”
“We’re not leaving the state. Hell, we’re not leaving the area.”
“Okay then.” I shrugged a little, pushing myself closer to him. “I’ll go whenever you want.”
“Good. I think you’ll like it. I don’t take many people here. I don’t like to—” He stopped himself and shook his head. “Anyway, you’ll see.” His lips moved closer and brushed against mine, but he didn’t kiss me, even though I opened my mouth for him breathlessly.
His hands held my hips and cupped my ass and he whispered in my ear.
“Remember, freak, the next time I touch you, really touch you, I will fuck you.”
I felt a wild chill down my spine.
Two days with him in an undisclosed location.
And I owed him my virginity.
I knew what this meant. I understood what would happen.
And I wanted to moan with excitement.
I felt him stiffen. His cock was hard and thick against my legs. I moved a little, grinding against it—he was as excited as I felt.
“You know I only owe you a single night, right?”
He tilted his head and shrugged. “If you’re tired of me after you’ve exhausted your end of the bargain, then you can go home. I promise I won’t force you.”
“I know you won’t.” I kissed his cheek and got off him before I went insane. “Pick me up Friday?”
“After practice.”
“What about your football game?”
He laughed and shook his head. “You really are clueless.” He stood up, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. “It’s a bye week, freak. No game this weekend.” He waved as he disappeared into the stacks.
So I had him all to myself.
I chewed on my lip and tried to suppress the heady mix of fright and excitement.
23
Jarrod
Calvin Solar lived in a bungalow tucked down a quiet shady street.
It wasn’t the house he grew up in. Calvin existed on another plane of existence than we did—including Des and Addler.
I was the poor one in the group. I came from nothing and my aunt and uncle barely qualified as wealthy. Addler’s parents were rich—although I had no clue what they actually did for a living—and Des was the scion of a Texas oil baron turned cattle rancher. They didn’t know what it meant to struggle for money, and privilege oozed from their pores like sweat on a sweltering day.
But Calvin put us all to shame.
As I stepped up his porch, I reflected on how little I knew about him. We were supposedly best friends—two of the Four Horsemen, bound together in blood and booze and pussy. Except he rarely talked about his upbringing, and whenever we asked him about it, he only answered with that eerie, intense stare that never failed to shut that shit down instantly.
It bothered me. I’m not above feeling of petty jealousy, though in this case it was more like morbid curiosity. I hated that he kept things from me, though we all had our secrets—perfect little Addler and rebellious Des included. Only Calvin’s secrets seemed deeper, darker, more putrid, filthier, stranger—and I wanted to know them all.
I was aware of the basics. He grew up stupidly rich thanks to his father’s business, SolarBright Technologies. It sounded like a renewable energy installer, except it was founded around the turn of the century as Solar Rifles, and was later rebranded into SolarBright Technologies when the manufacture of weapons fell out of favor.
They were arms dealers, basically. They preferred the term “defense contractors” but they designed, built, and sold weapons to governments all over the globe—mostly to the United States, but probably to a bunch of other nation states and non-nation state actors as well. It was extremely shady and Calvin’s money was literally drenched in blood, but he didn’t talk about it, and I never asked.