“She’s not like other girls,” he says.
“I’m aware. If she was, she’d be over here kissing my boots instead of playing around with Henderson all goddamn day. What do you want from me?”
Emilio shoves himself between the two of us and flicks his gaze back and forth. “He wants you to lay out your intentions, Rome. We both do.” And for once the dude has a serious expression on his face.
I glower. “Why the hell are you two so goddamn interested in who I fuck all of a sudden?”
Dom grunts. “Because Emilio is right. We like her. Neither of us wants you to fuck things up for us.”
My mouth drops open. “Forus?”
Emilio nods and smacks me in the chest light-heartedly. “Yeah, fucker. For us. Like I said, we like her. She fits in with our crew. She doesn’t see dollar signs when she looks at any of us like every other chick in this town. We could use a feminine touch up in here. Too much testosterone with you two jackasses all the time if you ask me, and your dick is going to fuck that up so this is us telling you not to do that. Lo entiendes?”Do you understand?Was he fucking with me right now? “Say whatever you need to say to her. You fucked something up this morning or she wouldn’t be hanging with that ass wipe and you wouldn’t be over here brooding.”
My jaw clenches. “This isn’t how things roll with us.” There’s a bite in my tone I usually reserve for everyone but the two people beside me. Dominique and Emilio are like my brothers. They’re family. But I don’t take orders from anyone and I don’t have to explain myself to them.
Emilio meets my stare and his eyes narrow, sparking with something I’m not used to seeing in his gaze. “She’s the relationship type.”
I work my jaw harder. “And this matters to you because…”
“You’re not.”
“Never tried to claim I was,” I remind him. And then I add in for good measure, “She laid her cards out first. She wants fun. No strings. Don’t jump down my throat for giving the girl exactly what she asked for.”
Both their expressions consider me for a moment, searching for any deception. Then Dom asks, “She really said that?” He doesn’t sound convinced.
“Yeah, fucker. She did. So calm down.”
“Fine, let’s assume we buy that. What’d you do to piss her off?”
My shoulders sag and I grit my teeth.
“Come on, fucker. Spill.” Emilio says, all but bouncing beside me. The guy is wired this morning. I need to remember to hide the coffee from him.
“I fucked her.”
“And…?”
I huff out a breath. “And I withheld her orgasm when she refused to beg for it.”
Dominique whistles and Emilio whoops, then says, “I always knew you were a shady asshole with control issues but fuck, man, that’s cold. And let me guess, you still got yours?”
I nod.
Emilio cackles, covering his mouth as he folds over at the waist before he straightens. There are tears of laughter shining in his eyes. “Damn. If you want inside that pussy anytime soon, expect to do some groveling.”
Not. Fucking. Happening.
SEVENTEEN
Allie
The hallway is teeming with activity as I walk toward my first class Monday morning. I ignore the looks directed my way as I have been since I transferred here, but something about a few of them make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge.
There’s more hostility in them now. Not just the usual indifference I’d grown used to last week.
I’m not winning any popularity contests this year, not that I expected to being the new girl, but I have a feeling the camping trip is why I’ve suddenly earned the extra attention, in particular from the girls of this school. If looks could kill, let me tell you, it’s like I just walked onto the set ofMean Girlsand every girl walking past is another Regina George with their eyes locked on me, marking me as prey.
I shiver and cast a quick glance over my shoulder as I head to my English class. Spotting Silvia and a group of her friends, I step to the side, hugging close to the lockers to avoid her, but of course she sees me, and before I can slip into my first period, she’s shoving her way through the crowded halls right toward me.
