Текст книги "Charade"

Автор книги: Nyrae Dawn

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~CHAPTER SEVEN~

Cheyenne

              Kick his ass again? Okay, so obviously Colt and Gregory have gotten into it, which as the ex-girlfriend of two years, I should probably know. He never even told me he’d gotten into a fight. Though I guess in the grand scheme of things that went on behind my back, this one is minor compared to the other.

              Still… I hate fighting. Hate it, so I step between them, willing my anxiety to stay locked away. I stumble a little, the alcohol starting to affect me. “Okay, that’s enough of the testosterone fest, boys.” I look at Gregory. “Yes, I’m with him, though I’m not sure that’s your business.” For added effect I grab onto Colt’s arm. Or maybe it’s because I’m suddenly feeling a little woozy.

              And, damn, are his arms firm. Does this boy live in a gym or something?

              “G—honey, maybe we should go.” Red has her cocky smile. The one that says she thinks I’m out here pining for her boyfriend. That he’s being a gentleman by worrying about his poor, little ex-girlfriend.

Gregory’s face is pale. Jaw stiff. He definitely doesn’t like the idea of me being with Colt.

              Colt doesn’t touch me back. It feels as though someone injected cement into him as tense as he is. The only thing moving is his chest, up and down from heavy breathing. Wow. He’s taking this much more seriously than I thought he would. Or he hates Gregory more than I thought he did.

              “Gregory…let’s go. They’re not worth it.” Red pulls him back as Colt steps forward.

              “Are we not worth it or are you too scared?”

              Gregory gives his cocky grin and I start to feel a little nervous. Gregory has a friend with him and Colt doesn’t. I have no doubt who would win one on one, but the odds aren’t in Colt’s favor.

              “What do we have here? Why didn’t you tell me we moved the party outside, Colt?” A guy steps up beside us. He’s got nearly as many tattoos as Colt does, but he has dark hair. Short and spikey, and he’s tall. Taller than Colt or Gregory.

              “Party hasn’t started yet,” Colt replies simply.

              I’m willing to admit this might be getting out of hand. Starting a brawl is not something I’m into. All I want to do is show Gregory I don’t need him. That I’m better off without him.

              “Gregory… take me home. I can think of something much better we can do,” Red says. Yep, I’m going to puke. Definitely going to vomit.

              Gregory eyes Colt and then his friend before shaking his head. “You can have her. She’s not worth all the trouble. I’m not the first one to think so either.” He backs up before looping his arm through Red’s. He used to do that with me. Dizziness hits me again, but I try to fight it down. I’m not the first one to think so either…

              He might not have known everything about me, but he knew Mom left me. He was supposed to be safe, but he’s throwing that back at me.

Relax, relax, relax.

              When Gregory, Red and his friend walk around the corner, Colt jerks away from me, almost making me lose my balance. Somehow I keep the panic at bay, but he’s obviously not doing as well.

              “Fuck!” Colt yells. His face is red and I’m pretty sure he might explode at any second.

              “Simmer down,” I tell him though I feel like doing the same thing. At least I don’t show it like he does.

              “Hey, baby. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Adrian,” his friend steps up to me.

              I roll my eyes, but Colt answers before I can. “Back off, Adrian.”

              “Sorry, man. Didn’t know she was your girl.”

              I open my mouth to say I’m not, but then remember I am. Well, that I’m supposed to be. I think.

              “Sexist, much?” is what I decide on.

              Adrian grins and Colt steps up to us again. “Not now.” He shakes his head and his blond hair falls in front of his eyes. Colt pushes it back and talks to his friend. “I gotta get the hell out of here. You cool? You leaving? I need to have a talk with the princess.”

              He’s going to drive me up the freaking wall. I turn to him. “Stop calling me that!” When I try to take a step, my heel catches on the sidewalk and I fly forward. Colt catches me, that stupid tattooed arm holding me tight. I jerk away.

              “Fine,” he says. “The drunk princess and I need to have a talk.”

              Adrian starts to laugh and I’m getting seriously pissed off here. “It’s rude to laugh at people.” To Colt. “Are you always an asshole?”

              “No. There’s just something about you that brings it out in me.”

              I cock my brow at him.

              “You’re right. I lied. I’m always an asshole.”

              Adrian jumps in. “I hate to break up the foreplay you guys have going on, but I’m out. I’d much rather party at my own house with my own shit. You coming home?” He looks at me. “Alone? Deena texted, but if you want I’ll tell her you’re spoken for now.”

              I can tell Adrian’s giving Colt a hard time, and Colt isn’t happy about it. Still… “Who’s Deena? You said you didn’t have a girlfriend!”

              Colt rolls his eyes.

That’s it. I’m over this. I don’t need him. I can find someone else. I head toward the front of the house. Colt is right behind me, but I’m trying to ignore him when I realize. “Shit. I don’t have my car. I need to find my…” I’m not really sure I can call Andy my friend yet.

              “Come with me. I’m driving you back.”

              “I’m pretty sure you just ordered me to do something. You’ll get a whole lot further if you ask.”

              Colt shakes his head. He’s got a dimple I notice. It makes him look young… sweet. Too bad I know the truth. But he is a contradiction, this guy—all tattoos, clothes that says he doesn’t give a shit and bad mouth with the boy-next-door face.

              “If you want a ride, you need to come with me. If you want to talk about this stupid game you want to play with your ex, you need to come with me. If you don’t, I’m gone. It’s been a bad day, Princess.”

              Bad day. Yeah, I can understand that. Not like I plan on sharing that with him though. Another wave of dizziness hits me. “Fine, I’ll go, but it’s because I need a ride back to my dorm. Not that I want to go anywhere with you.”

              “Huh. That’s funny. Seems to me you want in my pants—” I cut him a dirty look, but he continues, “Or at least you want people to think you do.”

              “No, I want them to think I’m already there. Actually, I want them to think you’re in mine, because there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. Don’t think you’ll actually get a peek at the goods, because it’s not happening. Now…which way to your car?”

              I’m all talk. Inside I’m shrinking, hearing Gregory’s words, but if anyone knows how to play the game, it’s me.

***

              It’s never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach. Add in the excitement of a near fight with your ex, only to have your fake boyfriend save the day, and then the quite bumpy ride in his car and your stomach will be done for.

              Nausea spreads throughout me. Colt’s silent beside me. It’s so crazy. I’ve never gotten why girls go for those closed off, angry, bad boys. Not that I’m going for him, but I’ve tied myself to him and he’s not my kind of guy. I’ve seen what happens when women let men like Colt into their lives and it doesn’t end well. Good thing I hate him.

              Colt hits a hole in the road, head on. I swear it makes something shoot up my stomach and almost come out of my mouth. “Are you doing that on purpose?”

              “No,” is all he says.

              I’d already given him directions to my dorm, so he pulls up out front and parks. “How’s this going to work, Princess?”

              “I can tell you right now it’s not going to work if you don’t stop calling me that. My name is Cheyenne. Use it. Gregory would know I’d hate a name like that.” He ruined my shot at the fairytale. At pretending the girl who lived with Mom wasn’t me.

              Colt groans. “Let’s just get this figured out. I need to know what you expect and how much I’m going to get for it.”

              I offer him a few hundred dollars, which he agrees to. I’m surprised he didn’t ask for more. We decide how often he needs to be seen with me and the kind of things I expect him to do (public displays of affection only, and some flowers and stuff).

              “We don’t want this relationship to go on too long, because I’ll probably go crazy. I’m thinking three weeks and I get to dump you.” I smirk at him.

              “You care what people think too much. I couldn’t give a shit who dumps who, and two weeks, tops.”

              “Fine,” I grit out. I’m starting to wonder if this is going to be worth it. “And it’s not that I care what people think it’s that…”

              “That what? Can’t handle having a smudge on your reputation? Used to be on top of the world in high school and now you realize none of that matters? Can’t handle not having a perfect life? Think you’re too good—”

              His words are suddenly too much. I don’t know if it’s how upside down my life feels, the alcohol or what, but I can’t keep my mouth shut. “You don’t know anything about me so stop pretending you do! I’m not perfect and I never have been! I was the typical little girl with the absentee mom who would rather party than take care of me. Then she dropped me off at my aunt and uncle’s one day and never came back. Think what you want about me, but know right now that everything hasn’t been perfect for me. It’s all a big lie!”

              My chest starts to tighten. It’s hard to breathe. My head pounds and the dizziness hits again except it’s more than drunk-spins. My fingers do their fisting thing that I can’t stop. Holy shit. I can’t have a panic attack in front of him. Can’t be that weak. Not after what I just verbally vomited at him. Why did I say that?

              I push out of the car and slam the door behind me. I hear another door slam, but it’s almost like an echo. Please don’t let him follow me. Please don’t let anyone else come out.

              Why can’t I get it together?

              “Cheyenne,” he calls after me, but I keep walking. I’m heading toward the street, no clue where I’m going, but I have to get out of here before I lose it.

              “Cheyenne. Slow down.”

              “Leave me alone,” I manage to say, but keep going. I won’t let him see me like this.

              “Fine, I’ll say this while we’re walking then… So what? So what if your mom left you?”

              This makes me freeze in my tracks. Suddenly, I don’t care if I can breathe anymore. I whip around to face him. “So what? You really are a prick!” I put my hands against his chest and shove. Hard. “I changed my mind. I’m not doing this with you.”

              I hear him mumble a “fuck”, but I don’t care. I’m done playing this game with him. I get two steps away when he speaks again. “My mom’s dying. I see it every fucking day. I watch her wither away more and more knowing pretty soon she’ll be gone.”

              I want to move…to keep walking away, but I can’t. It’s like he’s stripped. All the anger and cockiness is gone from his voice replaced by pain.

              I can’t make myself turn around to face him, but I still say, “And you deal with it by being an asshole. I deal my way. One isn’t better than the other.”

              “Is that what you’re doing? Dealing with it by trying to prove that no one can leave you? That you’ll always move on and that you’re better than them?”

              Part of me wants to shut down. To deny what he says because that quickly, he sees me for exactly who I am. I don’t know how to feel about that.

Finally I make myself turn around. We’re close to the street, at the far end of the parking lot. There’s a light above us, but the night is black. It’s like all the alcohol has left my system. The anxiety too. I don’t have it in me to feel much right now. “Just like you try and show no emotions. You don’t feel anything. Like you hate the world.”

              It’s strange, having this conversation about appearances with him. This guy I don’t know…and don’t really like, yet I’m letting him see me naked—those dark hidden places inside me that I’ve never shown before. “Are you going to tell anyone?” I try to look him in the eyes.

              “No. Your business. Not mine.” Colt sighs. “I’m not easy to get along with. You’re asking for a long ass two weeks, Princess.”

              “I’m not easy to get along with either and I told you I’m not your princess.”

              “I need the money.”

              “I need…this.” Need to save face. Need to show I can move forward.

              He shakes his head and rubs his left hand up and down his opposite arm. The tattooed one.

              Then, he does the strangest thing. Colt grins. I’m sure it’s fake and it’s probably the one he uses to get girls into bed, but it’s so out of place here that I can’t help but study it.

              “Then come on, sweetheart. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make sure my girl got to her room okay?”

~CHAPTER EIGHT~

Colt

              I feel like such a prick, which isn’t usually something I let myself worry about. There’s way more important things to think about than hurting someone’s delicate sensibilities, but when this girl admitted what she did about her mom—and I reacted like I always do—I felt like shit.

              Still feel like shit.

              But I still can’t believe I’m doing this. It pisses me off I have to do this. That after Mom’s spent her life trying to take care of everyone, she has to die and still worry about how she’ll pay the rent.

              And here I am practically selling myself by calling a truce with this girl and pretending to be her guy. I let out a small laugh.

              “What?” she asks.

              “I was just thinking this is one fucked up game of charades we’re playing.”

              She ignores that, but says, “Who’s Deena? I can’t do this if you’re with someone.”

              “I’m not. In case you didn’t notice, I’m not really the boyfriend type. We’ve hooked up. We hook up when we want to, but neither of us wants anything serious. There are no attachments.”

              “Is she going to be a problem?”

              I shake my head even though she’s not looking at me. “No, but I’ll tell her what’s up—”

              “No! You can’t tell anyone—”

              “That I’m selling myself to you?”

              “Ugh. You’re not. It’s not real. It’s not like anything is really going to happen between us.” She says it with a sneer.

              “Believe me. I don’t want you either. You’re too damn high maintenance.”

              “I am not!”

              “And I’m not going there with you. I’m tired, pissed off and done fighting. Let’s just get you inside so I can go.” It’s going to be a long ass two weeks.

              “Fine. Whatever.”

              We get up to her building and I open the door for her. She cocks her head at me, but then shakes it off. “What? Think I’m a fucking Neanderthal who doesn’t know how to treat a girl?”

              “No. Neanderthal’s have better mouths than you do.”

              A laugh jumps out of my mouth, surprising me. I can’t even remember the last time I laughed and it puts me on edge. I suddenly want to do the same thing to her. Let her see how it feels to teeter on that cliff.

              I turn and face her, taking steps toward Cheyenne instead of the door. She backs up and I move forward. When she hits the wall, I keep going. Each of my hands are on the wall, one on each side of her head. She sucks in a quick breath and I falter a little, before catching myself. Closer…I lean closer until my lips are right next to her ear. She smells a little like alcohol, but also like some kind of perfume too.

              “I think you’d like my mouth, Princess. I’ve never had any complaints. I promise, it’ll make you feel good.”

              She gasps and I suddenly want to make good on my threat. I want to suck the lobe of her ear into my mouth. Kiss the spot behind it to see if it drives her wild.

              “Colt…”

              “Yeah,” I inhale. Damn, she’s kind of sexy. I feel her body against mine and I want more.

              “If you don’t step away from me right now, your mouth will be the only thing left you have to make girls feel good with.”

              Her words snap me out of whatever trance I was in. No, I’m not going to go there with this girl, but I am going to have fun with her. “Why? Are you scared you won’t be able to keep your hands off me? Might want this to be a little more than a game?”

              I feel her breath against my face. My dick reacts to how close she is, but I’m still not moving away.

              “Does this usually work on girls?” Her voice is raspier than it was earlier.

              “It’s working now.”

              She makes almost a squealing noise and I know I’ve got her. She wants me—Cheyenne pushes me out of the way, catching me off guard. Turning she pukes all over the floor.

“Fuck.” I run a hand through my hair. How the hell is it a girl can seem fine one minute and she’s puking the next. “Can you walk?”

              Cheyenne looks at me from her bent over position, rolls her eyes and says, “Of course I can walk.” She stands and straightens her clothes. I have to give it to her for trying, but she makes it two steps before she’s grabbing the wall.

              I should walk out. I don’t have time for this and more importantly I don’t want to deal with it, but instead I step up to her. “Put your arms around my neck and don’t argue or I’m gone.”

              She does as I say and I lift her in my arms. We walk inside and don’t make it very far before a girl shrieks.

              “You’re going to get in trouble for being here. You’re lucky they’re not at the desk.”

              Sure enough there’s a big ass desk sitting there. Fuck. I forgot about all the dorm rules.

              “There’s no way I can help her upstairs? She likes me to help her get undressed,” I tease.

              “Asshole,” Princess mumbles.

              The other girl giggles.

              “There’s nothing I can do?”

              “I’m okay, I can make it,” Princess says.

              The girl standing there jumps in, “I’ll help her,” but she’s looking at me the whole time.

              I nod at her and wink. Seeing a pad of paper on the desk I grab a piece and a pen.

              I start to write her name, but scratch it out. If I’m going to play this game, I’m going to do it right.

              Babe,

              Call me.

              Colt.

              I leave my number below my name. I shove the paper in her hand. I stand there watching while the girl helps Cheyenne down the hall. I watch till they’re gone.

              What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

***

The house is packed when I get home. I think about partying, but I’m beat. I find Deena, peel her off me and tell her I’m with someone now. She laughs because she knows I don’t do the dating thing, but I leave it at that. I did my part.

I’m in bed about an hour when my cell rings. I don’t know the number, but I pick it up anyway. “Yeah?”

“Hey…”

It’s Cheyenne.

“Is getting phone calls all through the night part of this gig?”

She sounds half asleep and again I feel like a dick for being an ass.

“Thanks…I just wanted to say thanks. For everything. And for making sure someone helped me get inside.”

Her words shock the hell out of me. Does this pseudo-princess really feel like she’s always going to get ditched? That she has to cling to this image to make herself worth something? It’s screwed up.

But I don’t care, either. I don’t even like the girl. I have this stupid, fucking promise I made bearing down on me and a mom who’s dying. That’s what’s important.

“It’s gonna cost you extra.”

I don’t even know if she heard me because the line is dead.