Eden High Series 2 Book 1 Read online

  “Ignore them baby, look at me.” He stopped us in the middle of the hallway with most of our peers milling about pretending that they weren’t totally focused on us.

  “I’m with you, I chose you, you came to me yesterday yes, but I chose you long before then, try to remember that.” He took my hand and pulled me gently along behind him while people whispered behind their hands.

  What does he mean he chose me? Whatever it meant it felt really great walking down the halls with my hand in his and all eyes on us.

  I was sure most of them were trying to figure out what was going on with us. Silly me I think I was one of that crowd.

  BELLE

  “So how’s Sian doing? I tried calling her last night but she’s not answering.” This boy makes me jittery; I don’t like being jittery, jittery is for pansy ass cheerleaders with shit for brains.

  Ever since he’s been here I’ve been off my game and I’m thinking it’s about time to take the power back. I just needed to figure some stuff out first.

  He makes me nervous the way he looks at me. He’s the first guy who’s ever really looked at me and saw me, but more than that, he acts as if he likes what he sees.

  “She’s good, she’s with Jace, he’s got her on lockdown; mom and dad were joking this morning that they can barely get by him. She should be back by Monday though so you girls can get back to whatever it is that you do.”

  Does he have to look at me like that, like I’m under a microscope? Like he can read my every thought?

  “Why so antsy Red, do I make you nervous?” Of course he touched me then and I lost what little brains I had left. It was only his hand on my cheek, but it felt like the most intimate of touches.

  “Of course not.” I cleared my throat and tried to hide my red face. I was working on a snappy comeback when a wayward whisper reached us.

  I just heard the words fat, ugly and red. Usually I would’ve handled that mess on my own, but then I would’ve missed Jared Claiborne in action.

  I’ve lived in Hollywood my whole life and I’ve never seen anyone do righteous indignation quite so well.

  His back went straight and his eyes got this really dark look in them, before he turned and looked in the direction it had come from.

  Who wasn’t stuck in their spot as if entranced by his gaze, were scattering. I stood where I was as he walked over to the wall where the group of cheerleaders and their lackeys stood smirking.

  One succubus reached out to his chest with her claws, but he brushed her aside like she wasn’t a gorgeous blonde cheerleader with her drawers already around her ankles, figuratively speaking of course.

  “You wanna repeat that?” Demon girl retracted her tentacle and tried to slink back into the wall behind her. Her friends, those loyal echelons of humanity, were already trying to distance themselves.

  I thought he would leave it there, since nothing else was said as I stood there wondering whether I should make her eat her crocodile purse or let her twiggy ass live.

  But then new guy did something that lifted him just a little bit higher in my estimation. He reached his hand back for me. “Come here Red.” I walked over not quite sure what to expect, but nothing I could’ve come up with would’ve been close.

  “This is my girl.” He squeezed my hand when it went slack and almost fell out of his. Maybe he didn’t see it, but the stick brigade weren’t too pleased with his honesty if the curled lips were anything to go by.

  “Now I’m new around here, so I’m not too up on the way you do things as yet, but where I come from, a man protects what’s his. Anymore of your fucked up remarks just might piss me off and like I said, I’m new around here, I don’t know you, you don’t know me, we clear?”

  He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to. I think they got the picture from the look he gave them before pulling me along behind him.

  I wanted to look over my shoulder, poke my tongue out like a four year old, but I was too busy trying to keep up with his longer stride.

  “Uh, Jared, you wanna slow down a bit? You’re killing me.” It was as if someone pulled a plug. He stopped immediately and looked down at me. “Sorry.”

  “It was just a joke, sort of.” He squeezed my hand again and carried on at a slower pace until we reached the classroom door where we found Shane and Tammy saying goodbye to each other.

  No wonder the twigs were losing their minds this morning. The outcasts had taken all the best jocks. Only in Hollyweird!

  CASSANDRA

  “Mom is that you, where did you go?” I snuck my head out my door as I heard her going by.

  “I should be asking you that young lady, your dad and I were worried sick about you.”

  I’m sure he was. I turned away so that she wouldn’t see the look of bitter distaste that crossed my face at the mention of him.

  He’d made such a mess that I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to forgive him. After tonight though, things should go back to normal. I hope that after this my dad would’ve learned his lesson.

  I’ll just keep my eyes on him from now on and make sure he didn’t do this again. “I’m going to bed now mom.” I turned into my room to escape.

  “Wait, you didn’t tell me where you went.”

  “Oh, nowhere in particular, I just took a little ride over to Sian’s to see how she’s doing.”

  I kept my face turned away still so she couldn’t read my expression just in case she was feeling focused today.

  “Oh how is she dear, better I hope?”

  “Yes mom thanks, she’s doing much better.”

  “You know I suddenly feel like I’ve been very neglectful.

  Why we haven’t had any of your new friends over and I so want to meet them. Why don’t you plan a sleepover or something soon love, or at the very least a pool party?”

  She sounded almost like her old self then, and I couldn’t keep the smile of hope from spreading across my face. “Really mom, you mean it?”

  I could see that my enthusiasm pleased her. “Of course.” I hugged her harder than I had in a long time.

  “Thanks mom. Mom, you seem…different, you feeling better?” She ran her hand down my hair soothingly just as the door opened downstairs.

  “I think dad’s back.” My nerves were shot at just the thought of him and all that had happened. I don’t think I could hold it together if I had to look at him right now so I tried once more to make my escape.

  “Yes I hear him. I think your dad is going to be home a lot more in the future. I’m feeling better so in a day or so I’ll start getting things back to the way they were, and then we’ll both make it up to you.”

  That little pep in her step as she walked away reassured me that I’d done the right thing. I went into my room and closed the door just as I heard her greet dad the way she use to before.

  Chapter 2

  JACE

  Dad called me downstairs early the next morning, and from the tone of his voice over the intercom, I knew it was serious.

  “What’s up dad, where’s mom?”

  “Still asleep, Sian?”

  “The same, so what’s the emergency?”

  “What makes you think there’s one?”

  “Well, you sounded like something was wrong, so what gives?” I grabbed some eggs and the fixings for an omelet while I was there. I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone.

  Marisa wasn’t up and about as yet and besides, I wanted to take care of my girl myself.

  “That business last night, that girl is in the hospital in a coma.” That certainly stopped me in my tracks and I looked over my shoulder at him.

  “You’re shitting me.” I got the biggest fucking grin on my face as I closed the refrigerator door with an armload of shit to make the biggest omelet in creation.

  I was suddenly ravenous myself and it wasn’t because Si had kept me up half the night with her greedy ass. I think one of her medications came with a side effect of horny.

  “I�
�m glad I’m the one who told you, anyone else seeing that reaction might take it the wrong way.”

  “Yeah, or they’ll get it right. If you’re expecting me to lose any sleep over her you’re in for a shock dad. I hope the bitch dies. So that was the gunshot we heard huh?”

  “Looks like, though they’re keeping everything hush-hush. She’s been sequestered at the hospital under heavy guard. No one in or out.”

  “So how did you find out?”

  “I have my ways.”

  I’m sure you do. So someone had shot Mandy, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I just wish I knew who so I could thank them.

  What the hell did Stanley have to do with all of this though? He was at her house last night, but he couldn’t have been the one to shoot her, because I’d seen him leave before the shot rang out.

  ***

  “Just one more I promise, and then we can stop.” I fielded more of her kisses while one of my hands played over the roundness of her ass.

  “Baby, your shoulder, your back.” I tried to be the voice of reason but we both knew my heart wasn’t in it. In the last few days we’ve hardly left each other.

  Her parents had given up trying to get her back when neither of us seemed too happy about that turn of events.

  Her dad and I had had a few heart to hearts and for the first time I realized just how pissed off he was at what had happened to his daughter.

  By now everyone knew that I blamed Mandy and now they also knew that somebody had blown a hole in her ass. Both he and dad tried cautioning me about my glee over her misfortune but I’ve never been an actor.

  My phone beeped with a text and I picked it up from the stand to read it. It was the best news I’d had in a long time, but I couldn’t get back to them right now because she was looking down at me with lust in her eyes.

  “Babe, I’m supposed to be taking care of you remember? Making sure that you’re getting better? If I hurt you your dad will drag you out of here so fast my head would spin.

  “It’s fine I promise.” It’s early in the morning. She’s been home with me for a few days already and I know she’s getting better because she’s giving me trouble.

  Her appetite is also back, only I think she picked up a little extra something while she’s been recuperating, because we’ve already gone two rounds and she’s still begging.

  Not that I’m complaining you understand. I just don’t want her to reopen her wounds or some shit.

  “Fine, but you either ride or I’m taking you from behind.” I didn’t want to put any more pressure on her back, because no matter how I cautioned myself, as soon as I get inside her, everything else goes out the window and it’s hell trying to keep myself in check.

  I knew before she got on her hands and knees and shook her ass at me, which of the two positions she’d choose.

  “Fine, but after this you’re doing your therapy, uh-uh-uh, before you start that arguing shit again, if you don’t do this now, it might interfere with your mobility later. You know what that means, no cheering.

  She wiggled her ass again and threw me a cheeky grin over her shoulder, so I had no choice but to get with it. I decided to tease her a little bit first with my tongue.

  With my hand in her back, keeping her in place for my tongue, I licked her. I could imagine her eyes closing in pleasure the way they always do whenever I take her into my mouth.

  “Ummm.” She twitched around my tongue, which I used to fuck her until she came in my mouth.

  “You ready?” I kissed the middle of her spine while stroking my cock before leading it into her.

  I eased all the way into her heat while she cocked her ass higher and moved back, spreading herself open to take more of me.

  It wasn’t easy tempering my thrusts, especially when she moaned sweetly and squeezed my cock, but I did it.

  I distracted myself by placing soft kisses along her back as I held her hips to stop her from getting too wild.

  If I was going to keep my word and not fuck her harder than she was ready for, then I couldn’t have her moving on my cock the way she usually does.

  I probably shouldn’t have reached around and taken one of her nipples under my palm, or ran the fingers of the other hand over her pussy mound until they found her clit hidden between her folds.

  Doing that only defeated the purpose, because she clamped down on my dick, screamed and bucked back against me wildly, hard enough to drive my cock deeper into her belly.

  Her loud screech was one of pleasure and pain, but she didn’t stop moving, in fact her hips which I’d lost control of, got wilder.

  “Babe you promised.” I tried holding still then, but it was no use. I’d hit her sweet spot on that last hard thrust and her pussy was leaking copious amounts of pussy juice along the length of my cock.

  Her hands left the headboard and grabbed ahold of the sheets as she dipped her back deeper, sending her ass and pussy higher in the air, leaving herself more exposed to my cock which by now had taken on a life of its own.

  It was hot as fuck watching my cock slide in and out of her pinkness, covered in her juices. We both hit our peak together and it was hell waiting for her to get hers before pulling out and spraying her lower back.

  I dropped like a log next to her and pulled her down with me so I could rub my jizz into her skin after feeding some to her.

  “Are you taping this?”

  “I told you I was.”

  “How long do you plan to do that for?”

  “Until I’m no longer afraid that you won’t be here when I wake up.” I didn’t say anymore on the subject, she didn’t need to know that I still had nightmares about her being gone.

  I knew exactly how to get rid of those nightmares, but it was going to take some time. Now that I had spent the last few days looking after her and making sure she was okay, I could now turn my mind to other things.

  ***

  It had been days since I’d got with the guys and we had a whole lot of shit to talk about, a lot that needed doing. I knew they were just waiting for the call, they knew me well enough to know it was coming.

  I figured she’d been cooped up enough as well, and though she was to have no part in whatever we chose to do, I knew just what she needed.

  I called Shane and gave him the task of calling on the others. I figured this little get together could serve two purposes.

  She could see her friends and get some fresh air, and they could keep her occupied while I discussed shit with my boys.

  Just because Mandy was in the hospital all fucked up didn’t mean I was going to stop my search for the truth.

  “Shirts and skins, my place in half an hour, tell the guys.” I rattled off as soon as he picked up. Now that she was safely out of the woods, I couldn’t wait to get the ball rolling.

  “No problem Jace, I’m on top of it. So how is she doing?” I looked back over my shoulder at the bed where she was spread out with a dying glow on her face.

  “She’s superb as usual, I’ll see you in a little bit. Oh one more thing, get Track will you?”

  “He’s back?” There was a grin in his voice, which was usually the norm for anyone discussing my boy.

  “Yeah, he texted me earlier but I was taking care of my girl so I couldn’t get back.” I wiggled my brows at her when she made a choking sound.

  “Sweet, I missed that nut. I wonder what kinda shit he got up to while he was away.”

  “Knowing Track he’ll regale us soon enough and probably has pictures to back that shit up. I’ll call Jared so you don’t have to if he doesn’t show up here before then.”

  “No problem, tell him to pick up his girl, that way I can bring mine and she wouldn’t have to drive her.”

  I only raised my brow at that one, but said nothing. Seems I’d been missing a lot these last few days of being hidden away.

  I hung up with Shane and walked over to the bed. I climbed on and leaned over her.

  “Hey baby, I wasn’t too rough was I?” A s
oft slow smile started to form on her lips and spread. She stretched and opened her eyes, her arms going up and around my neck.

  “You were superb as usual.”

  “Heard that did you?” I hugged her to me, reveling in the fact that I was actually holding her again.

  It was going to take some time I guess, to get back to normal. I knew that for some, the ending was never this good, and I will be eternally grateful that ours was.

  “I invited the guys over to play some b-ball. You want to call your girls? You can hang by the pool and catch some rays.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah well you’re not doing anything but lying in the cabana. No swimming, you can’t get your bandages wet.”

  “Yes doctor, can I read or is that not allowed?”

  “Funny.”

  “Seriously Jace, mom asked me if you were taking care of me and I told her I maybe would’ve stood a better chance in the hospital.

  At least there I could’ve got someone to sneak me stuff, or let me leave my room at least. You’re like the head warden at a maximum security prison.”

  “You’re getting better faster aren’t you? Now up, it’s time for your therapy session then breakfast.”

  “Fine, lead the way.” I had to pick her lazy ass up and take her to the exercise room where the balls and other shit the doctor had recommended for her recovery waited.

  ***

  Over breakfast, which we shared with mom and dad, I told her about my wayward friend Track. Kevin Track is the son of a very wealthy African American prospector of all things.

  The Tracks are what I call one of America’s little feel good stories; one of the only, if not the only family of color to have any kind of foothold in the oil industry.

  His family has as rich a history as any I’d ever seen and sitting around listening to his grandpa tell stories was always a treat.