“Fuckingyes,” I moan, and I swear I see stars that aren’t just the ones above me as my body tightens around him, the hot rush of his cum filling me as he thrusts into me once more, hard, and holds himself there as his cock throbs with the powerful force of his release.
He slumps forward, his chest pressed against my back and his breath warm against my ear as I feel him shudder again, his cock twitching inside of me as he starts to soften. “Fuck,” Dean breathes out, staying there for just a moment. And then he pulls back, shaking himself as if to bring himself back to the present moment, and slips out of me.
“Hurry up,” he murmurs, glancing nervously towards the burning country club. “We gotta go, Athena. Someone is going to be here soon.” He pushes the button to unlock the car, stuffing himself back into his sweatpants and hurrying around to the driver’s side as he looks nervously down the driveway.
There’s no one coming right now, but I don’t doubt there will be soon. Dean doesn’t get back on the highway, opting for the surface roads to cut down on the chance of anyone seeing us leaving the scene of the crime, and no sooner are we less than a half a mile away on the back road leading away from the country club when we hear sirens in the distance, heading in that direction.
“Too fucking late!” Dean crows, and I burst into laughter, feeling half-insane after what we just did. We pass the turnoff for the clearing where we fucked that day in the car, after that horrid lunch at the club that’s currently turning to ash, and for a brief second I think he’s going to pull in and fuck me again.
We need to get away though, and Dean knows that as well as I do. He speeds down the dark back roads, taking the turns tightly as my heart races in my chest, and for the first time in a very long time, I feel almost free.
I feel like myself again—strong, brave, unstoppable. Like I can do anything. Like I can put an end to all of this, somehow, simply because I’m determined to.
As we approach the manor house, Dean swears under his breath, and it takes me a second to figure out why. There’s a bunch of cars in the driveway, and people spilling out onto the lawn, music coming from inside the house.
“What’s going on?” For a brief second I thought we’d been found out and that the cars were someone waiting for us, but it’s clear that there’s something else happening.
“I forgot Cayde had a rugby team party here tonight. A bunch of the other frats and sports teams will be here too. Not what I wanted to come back to.”
My stomach clenches. There hasn’t been a party at the house since the one where I fucked Cayde, and then was abducted out in the maze. I can feel a tremor of anxiety starting to run through me, the hazy memories of that night coming back in waves that push back the euphoria of my earlier arson with Dean.
“It’s alright,” Dean says quietly, breaking through the fearful fog that’s started to wrap around me. He reaches over to touch my hands where they’re clenched together in my lap, and I jump, startled both by his touch and the fact that he’s realized what’s wrong at all.
“It’s just the rugby guys and the other sports teams,” he says reassuringly. “There’s no reason to think that anyone who wants to hurt you will be here. It’s just jocks and bros, that’s all.”
Something about hearing that phrase coming out of Dean’s mouth makes me laugh, breaking up a little of the anxiety. “I know,” I say quietly. “And I know the Halloween party is coming up too. So maybe this can ease me back into it a little. It’s just hard not to remember what happened and feel scared, you know?”
It’s the most emotionally honest thing I might have ever said to him, and it startles me to hear myself say it. But Dean just tightens his hand over mine.
“You’ll be alright,” he tells me gently. “Things are different now, Athena. I know you haven’t been able to trust us in the past, and I know you can take care of yourself, too. But Cayde and I have your back. We’ll look out for you.”
“I know,” I say softly, and as I say it I realize that I really am starting to believe it. The shift has been gradual, but this morning especially, seeing him and Cayde bruised from the fight with Jaxon. I’ve never been a “defend my honor” kind of girl, but there was something about the fact that they stood up for me against their own friend that made me see things differently.
Dean parks the car, getting out and coming around to open my door, and I take a deep breath as I step out. “I hope we don’t smell like smoke,” I say with a short laugh as we walk towards the door.
Cayde catches sight of us almost as soon as we walk in, but it’s not any lingering smoke smell that sets off alarm bells for him. His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline as he catches sight of Dean, and it looks as if he nearly chokes on his drink.
“Dean, what thefuckare you wearing?”
I glance over at Dean, who shrugs nonchalantly. I’ve definitely never seen Dean in sweatpants before, and the expression on Cayde’s face is similar to what I think it would be if Dean had suddenly grown three heads.
“Well you wear this shit all the time,” Dean says with a smirk. “Figured I’d give it a try.”
“Not the best look on you bro,” Cayde snorts. “Did you forget there was a party tonight?”
“Nope,” Dean says smoothly, although hedefinitelyhad. “Thought I’d try to fit in.”
“You couldn’t be a jock if your life depended on it.” Cayde jerks his head towards the kitchen. “Drinks are in there.” He glances at me, and I notice the bruises starting to deepen on his face “Are you alright, Athena?”
“I’m fine,” I tell him bravely, although I’m not entirely sure. The music feels too loud, the chatter filtering through the rooms overwhelming, and I have the sudden urge to go and lie down somewhere, rather than socialize. I’m not entirely sure that that’s not an option, and I’m on the verge of telling Dean and Cayde to just enjoy the party when there’s a sudden shout from the kitchen, and two bodies come barreling out through the doorway.
“Hey, fuck you!” Jaxon’s voice rings out, and I flinch, glancing over at Cayde with surprise. I hadn’t expected to see Jaxon here—a frat and rugby party isn’t exactly his speed. But I see him being shoved backwards through a doorway, a guy twice his size with a square jaw and shoulders almost as wide as the doorway swinging at him.
“What the fuck?” I gasp, and Cayde shakes his head, his own jaw clenching. Dean takes a step back, and I can see the crowd parting, a murmur rippling through as they watch the fight that’s happening for some fucking reason.
“Don’t fucking talk about Athena like that,” Jaxon snarls, his voice rising above the collective din of the crowd and music, and my eyes go wide.
“Oh fuck no.”He’s going to fucking defend me from something, after what he did?Jaxon and I haven’t squared what he did to me, far from it, and the thought that he might be fighting someone over a stray comment when there’s still so much unresolved between us pisses me off more than I’d realized it would. “I’m going to fucking handle this myself.”