“Good,” he says. “Because dating a Darling is like opening a Pandora’s Box filled with generations’ worth of family drama and trauma. Trust me, not worth it.”
“Says the guy dating a Darling,” I remind him, rolling my eyes.
“Exactly,” he says, laughing. “So, you know I’m not full of shit. Not all the Darlings are like the ones who go to Willow Heights, but those three…” He breaks off and shakes his head.
“How many Darlings live in Faulkner, anyway?” I ask. “Every time I turn around there’s another one.”
“Oh, yeah, there’s a lot,” he says with an easy chuckle. “There’s Grampa Darling, who basically runs the show behind the scenes. I think they pretty much have to check in with him every time they wipe their asses. He’s got some secret society shit going on over at Willow Heights, too, so he’s still controlling even his grandkids. It was probably worse for his own kids.”
“And there’s… How many grandkids?”
“Well, he has seven sons, and they all have kids… Basically, you can’t throw a stick without hitting a Darling in this town. And if you hit a Darling, well, you better hope it’s not the wrong one.”
Damn, I need this boy in my life. He’s told me more in one breath than everyone else has told me in over a month of living here. Of course that’s when he turns onto the long street that runs past Willow Heights, and I know I only have a minute left.
“He has favorites?” I ask, immediately picturing our neighbor blocking him from entering, and the three cousins at Willow Heights who must be in this secret society that’s been mentioned twice now, and the preppy girl who was on his front steps of Grampa Darling’s childhood home acting all shady.
“For sure,” Chase says, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I guess back in the day he disowned, like, half the kids because they wouldn’t do his bidding. Took them out of his will and everything. I think some of them are back in his good graces, but I don’t keep up with the adult drama around here. I got enough drama of my own.”
He flashes me that smile again as he palms the steering wheel and turns into the parking lot of Willow Heights, where I spot Devlin’s car in the primo parking spot, the three boys sitting on it like it’s their throne. I wonder if losing his car hurt Devlin more than he showed. Did he even care? He showed up with a new convertible just days later like nothing happened. It certainly didn’t make him lose the esteem of the other students. He still reigns supreme.
For now.
fourteen
Crystal
“What about you?” Chase asks, his gaze following mine before he whips into a parking spot. “You come with any drama?”
I laugh at that one, a real laugh for the first time in what feels like days. “Sweetheart, you couldn’t handle me,” I say. “Every damn day of my life is like a soap opera.”
I swing the door open and climb out, and just like I hoped, he climbs out, too. I know I’m doing something shitty to a boy who’s been nothing but sweet to me, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Using him to get a little attention isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done by a long shot. And I don’t think they’ll hurt him. He may not have Darling blood, but he’s one of them by association.
“Wait,” Chase says. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Crystal,” I say, meeting him at the back of his car, where I’m sure the Darlings can see us. I haven’t looked their way, but I know they’re watching. I can feel Devlin’s gaze crackling across my skin, making the hairs stand up on the nape of my neck. My belly flips, and a delicious shiver of anticipation works its way through me, sinking into a well of want between my thighs.
God, I’m so fucked up.
I step between Chase and the Darlings’ line of sight, turning my back on them so Chase has to turn his back to his car. He rests his hands back on the trunk and smiles down at me. “Hey, Crystal,” he says, his voice dropping an octave when he sees how close I am. I step even closer, so close that I’d have to straddle his thigh to be any more obvious.
“Hey, Chase.” I smile up at him, slowly sliding my arms from his jacket, as if anyone might not have noticed the navy and white jacket in a sea of black and gold.
“I don’t guess you’d want to keep that,” he says, accepting the jacket from me. “I mean, you could probably use it, but I guess that wouldn’t go over too well here.”
His eyes flick to something behind me, and I know the Darlings are on the move. Triumph swells in my chest. This wasn’t just about proving something to the school. It’s about proving something to myself.
“No,” I say, reaching out to toy with the buttons on his jacket before glancing up at him shyly. “Thanks for the ride, though.”
He clears his throat. “Always happy to rescue a damsel in distress.”
I stand on tiptoes, resting my palms on his thighs to steady myself, and let my lips brush over his cheek. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”
Chase tenses, and I’m yanked backwards so hard I would lose my footing if I wasn’t being held flush against a rock hard set of abs. “What the fuck are you doing with our girl?” Devlin asks, not releasing me even when I squirm against his hold.
“Whoa, there,” Chase says. “Is that any way to treat a lady?”
Devlin’s hand spreads open across my belly, his long fingers splayed, pinning me tighter to him. “Now you’re telling me how to treat my girl?” he asks, his voice low and deadly. “After you had your hands on her?”