Chapter Eleven
Thirteen years old
“Let it go!” I cry, pulling at my backpack for dear life as stupid Liam Shaw tries to steal my lunch money out of the front pocket. If I didn’t keep that money, I wouldn’t be eating at school for the whole week. Daddy only gives me enough lunch money to last four out of the five school days, so I was tight already without this punk trying to rob me.
“C’mon, rich girl, just give me it,” he says, yanking my bag harder and causing friction burns to rub in my hands. I wanted to laugh and scream that just because my dad had money didn’t mean I was rich.
My eyes well with tears, but I won’t cry in front of Liam. I don’t cry in front of anyone anymore, so I won’t give him the satisfaction of telling my whole class that I am a cry baby. He already says such mean things about me and my sister; I won’t give him any more ammunition.
“Liam, stop it,” I plead, but he keeps pulling and pulling, harder and harder.
One more final tug, and I fall to my knees, skinning them on the tarmac that leads up to the school gate. He always tries to take my money just outside the school behind the trees where the teachers won’t see it. I usually manage to run away or get into school before him, but this morning, I was running late.
“Is there a problem?” A boy’s voice calls from behind me. Liam looks up into the face of whoever’s there and drops my bag, his face paling. I’ve never seen anyone scare Liam before.
“I’m sorry, M-Mac, I didn’t realise she was a f-friend of yours,” Liam stutters, stepping away from me, nearly tripping over his big fat feet. Mac slowly walks past me, and another boy bends down in front of me and starts to tear his sleeve off in one clean rip.
I gasp, watching the blatant disregard for his clothing. He must be rich too if he didn’t care about ruining his clothes, but I bet his mom would pay to get him new stuff.
“Run,” Mac growls and stomps one foot down as if he was going to chase after Liam, whose running towards the school gate.
The other boy tucks a strand of my loose hair behind my ear, and I flinch as he pulls my attention back to him. His face darkens briefly, but then he gives me a gentle smile when he presses his shirt sleeve to my bleeding knee. I scrunch my nose at the pain, and he slowly begins to wipe the gravel from my cut.
“Alexander Jones,” he introduces himself, “but you can call me Alex.” He winks as he carefully inspects my knee for more dirt before moving to my other leg and repeating the process.
I’d never met The Jones brothers, but everyone has heard of them. Will, the eldest, is in his twenties and away at college. Mac has just turned sixteen and his party was insane, according to the older girls in my school who attended. And Alex is the baby of the family. Even though he is only a year younger than Mac.
“Stevie Matthews,” I say shyly, watching intently at what he is doing. No one has ever taken care of me the way Alex is.
“I know.” He looks up, his dark eyes staring into my blue ones. I blink, and he chuckles at my confusion, and says, “My father owns this town, and one day it will be ours.” He kicks his head back in the direction of Mac, who has his back to us as if keeping guard. “That’s my brother, and it’s our job to know everyone in this town.”
“No one can own a town,” I reply, knowing there is no way one single family could own a town as big as Carlin Valley. “Well, I’m pretty sure you can’t just own it. Or at least not a town this big,” I say aloud, crossing my arms defiantly.
Alex smirks and leans back on his haunches.
“Oh, darlin’, if you have enough money, you can own anything you desire,” Mac says from my side. I didn’t even realise he had come closer. He walks over to my backpack, gathering up my books, pencil case, and other items that fell out when Liam tugged my bag out of my hands.
He zips it up and places it beside me. “Alex will be here every morning to make sure that asshole doesn’t hurt you again.”
“Why?”
I raise my head to look at Mac properly. He looks like his brother; large almond-shaped eyes lined with thick dark lashes framing a brown gaze like his brother, tall and slim but with arms that have started to fill out, but unlike Alex, his hair is a mass of dirty blond.
“Because we like you,” Alex replies, getting to his feet and holding out a hand. I place mine in his, and he pulls me up, holding me from under my elbow for support as one knee refuses to bend fully. He tugs at my pleated skirt, pulling it down to my knees, and shifts my green cardigan, which had fallen down my arm, back up to my shoulder.
“I’m going to protect you from now on, Stevie baby. I can promise you that. You are one of us now.”
I gulped the second glass of crisp champagne and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth as the bubbles fizzed down my throat.
The courtyard of the hotel was almost empty save for a couple of smokers clustered away from the door. Placing the glass on a green metal table, I pulled out my phone and quickly shot Alex a text to come to pick me up. My concentration was gone and that could be deadly in my line of profession.
The quartet transitioned from what sounded like Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams to something more upbeat whilst standing outside, looking out across the patio. The night sky was clear, but the evening air had dropped in temperature considerably, despite the hot summer sun earlier today. Yet my whole body hummed, sending tiny impulses of heat straight to my core following the encounter with Jacob.
I looked down at the goosebumps that had stretched along my arms, which had very little to do with the evening breeze and everything to do with the large, calloused hands that had guided me around the dance floor. If I’d been trying to kid myself that an attraction to Jacob was all in my head, the physical form of tiny bumps and the raised hair on my arms was enough to make my stomach fall.
This was absurd. I didn’t get attracted to assignments. It was foolish and reckless and downright dangerous. This was meant to be simple; attend the party, introduce myself as Emily, try to get Jacob’s number, and get out.
Wrapping an arm around my chest, I stared at my phone, willing Alex to reply, but he was probably too busy fucking his date from the other night to check his phone.
“Waiting on your boyfriend?” A deep voice came from behind me. Spinning, I was met with the same gorgeous blue eyes that looked up at me on the balcony and held me captive as we danced. Their gaze was so powerful it felt like they were looking into my soul, witnessing every sordid memory from my past, living the awful things I’d done in my present, and sensing the pain to come in my future.
“No,” I replied sharply. My brain might be short-circuiting when I was around him, but I was a fucking professional, damnit. I could fight against the hypnotic state I’d currently found myself in.
Jacob smirked. “I never got a chance to formally introduce myself before you took off,” he said and extended his hand. “Jacob Weston.” He was waiting for me to respond, seemingly amused, as I looked at his hand like it would bite me.
“Everyone knows who you are, Mr. Weston, CEO of Weston Pharmaceuticals,” I said as I placed my hand in his. Jacob smirked.
“But not everyone calls me Jake,” he said, then smoothly brought our clasped hands to his lips to place a feather-light kiss on the back of mine. “I don’t think I have seen you at this type of function before tonight.” He raised his arm, which held a refreshed glass of bourbon, spinning it slowly so the cubes of ice clinked against the sides.
“Do you typically remember everyone who attends fancy parties?” I enquired, reaching to the table to reclaim my glass if just to keep my hands busy.
“I usually remember those who are so captivating that they demand the attention of men and women alike when they walk through a room.”
A rush of heat pooled down low as his eyes unabashedly roamed the length of my body again, moving from my toes upwards.
“These types of charity events typically invite the same people time and time again. Those with deep pockets that use it as tax relief.” His lips curled up ever so slightly at the corner, as if he frowned upon that. “You are someone I know I have never seen before.”
“Perhaps you aren’t as observant as you think you are,” I offered, toying with the now empty glass before returning it to the table. I took my purse from under my arm and held it tight, letting the faint metal outline covered by sequins ease the swirling in my stomach.
“I am extremely observant, Stevie,” he said, his gaze flitting to my hand and causing me to bite the edge of my lip to suppress a moan at the way his gravelly voice said my name. “Plus, I review the guestlist for every event I attend.”
“Because you’re just that special?”
He nodded and gave a broad smile.
Cocky bastard.
A gust of wind whipped around my dress, causing the loose strands of my hair to fly across my face.
“Here,” he said, shucking his suit jacket and wrapping it across my back. The fresh smell from the coffee shop was long gone, replaced by a rich scent of bergamot and blackcurrants, which immediately engulfed me as he helped me slide my arms into the sleeves.
He was standing so close I could practically feel his body heat radiating off him, and I could see a faint outline of black shadowing across his shoulder through the white shirt that was once hidden by the same jacket I had wrapped around my body.
I looked away from what I could only assume was a tattoo hidden beneath the soft cotton to find him staring heatedly back at me, still holding the lapels of his jacket, preventing me from escaping his grasp.
His eyes lowered to my lips, and I wetted them without thinking. His scent was intoxicating, and with every shaky breath, my breasts almost brushed against his chest with how close he held me. I tried to swallow, the whole encounter making my heart do funny little palpitations beneath my ribs. Staring into the depths of Jake’s eyes, I could now see the flecks of grey clearly. I did not doubt in my mind that he could be my biggest disaster and one I wasn’t sure I could even avoid.
His head tilted downward, and I could do nothing as the proximity of his full lips had me paralysed. In my mind, there was a mini-Stevie scoring through my no kissing rule on a large whiteboard, with a sultry grin on her face.
My lips parted in a gasp, and he chuckled. His breath, warm and laced with bourbon, tickled the flesh of my lips, and my eyes fluttered shut just as his soft mouth lightly touched mine.
“Babe! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Exclaimed Alex as he rounded the corner onto the terrace. Jake dropped his hold and stepped back, creating a distance I tried to follow like a magnetic pull. My head snapped to Alex with a sudden rush of shame flooding my veins, as if I’d just been caught doing something I shouldn’t. It was barely even a kiss, but it felt like so much more.
Alex’s steps faltered when he took in my appearance and the fact my fingers were pressed to where Jake’s lips were moments ago. It was a slight misstep and something no one else would notice, but he did. And he was pissed.
“Uh, hey,” I croaked, looking toward my best friend, slightly shell-shocked. Alex approached me and wrapped his arm around the tops of my shoulders, pulling me into his body.
“Hey, man, I’m Matt,” Alex said, a thread of mistrust laced in his tone as he gave his usual fake name whenever he was dragged into the field and was not playing the part of dutiful little brother.
“Matt, this is Jake Weston,” I swiftly said, as the two men stared at each other.
“Well, thanks, Jacob, for taking care of my girl. But I better get her home.” He smirked, narrowing his eyes at the man standing in front of him, and dropped his arm to my waist. “C’mon, baby.”
Jake stepped forward, cutting Alex off from dragging me towards the door that led back to the event. He reached out and possessively placed a hand on my hip, just below where Alex had his, so that his thumb was almost touching the edge of Alex’s hand. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, so close to my lips I could feel his stubble brush against the corner of my mouth.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Stevie,” he whispered, but loud enough that Alex heard and tightened his grip on my waist.
Jake’s gaze flicked to Alex as he straightened, a hint of amusement twinkling behind his eyes. Or jealousy maybe? Annoyance?
With a growl, Alex pulled me away from Jake and linked our hands together, dragging me the way he arrived without saying a word.
I was fucked, definitely, one hundred and ten percent fucked.