“I’m flattered you think I can go all night, but…”
“No. Guests. In. The. House.” Her stance is fierce, her body boiling. “Got it?”
I take a step closer, feeling the warmth of her skin radiate near mine.
I’ve put up with enough of her shit for one night. “Wedidn’t agree on anything,” I hiss, my voice dropping low. My eyes glance down and watch her breasts rise and fall with each breath she takes, her pulse rapidly beating in her neck. She’s seriously worked up.
“Being here with you is fucking torture.” She groans.
“Yeah, well, you’re no picnic either, Princess,” I tell her, not letting her win this round.
“God, I can’t believe I have to survive two weeks here. I’d rather sleep in my car than breathe the same air as you.”
“Don’t let the door hit your perky little ass on the way out then.” I cross my arms over my chest and run my tongue along my bottom lip. She watches me intently. Her eyes dart from my eyes to my mouth, daring me to cross that line. I move in closer to her, testing her. She doesn’t budge—my lips are so close to hers that if I moved another inch, they’d touch.
The warmness of her breath brushes against my cheek, and for a moment, I almost pull her to my chest and give in to what her body’s begging for. It’d be so easy to run my fingers through her hair and pull her lips close to mine. I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about it. She’s my best friend’s little sister, of course I have. She’s always been the forbidden fruit, the girl I’m not supposed to want. Over the course of pissing her off and pushing her away, she’s grown to hate me more than I believed possible. I hear her breath catch as our bodies inch closer, almost as if she’s anticipating it. I have her under my spell, whether or not she’ll ever admit it, but I won’t give Viola anything until shebegsfor it.
I take a step back, flashing a wide, knowing grin. She releases a deep groan, narrows her eyes at me, and storms off back to Drew’s room. She doesn’t slam the door this time, and I’m relieved to finally have some space from her, even if I’ll be thinking about her lips, her perky tits, and the way she shimmied her bare ass in front of me for a long, long time.
VIOLA
I must have a brain tumor or something because it felt like Travis was almost,maybeabout to kiss me.
Ha! That's insane.
The last time I fell for his smooth ways, he broke my young, fragile heart. No way am I letting myself go down that path again. I might've only been twelve at the time, but it's not exactly something you just get over. I wasn’t just a girl crushing on her older brother’s best friend. He didn’t treat me like a little kid. He actually made me feel special.
I’ll never forget the time Drew called me stupid in front of his friends. It made me so mad I ran to the backyard and cried my eyes out. Travis left them and sat next to me as I ripped flowers from the ground. He made everything seem simple, easy even, as he wiped my tears away. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to the ground with him, and we looked up at the clouds. I was more important than his friends and video games. That’s when Travis King wasn’t full of himself and preoccupied with banging every hot girl he met. He was a boy with manners, who always seemed to say the right things to me.
I was a naïve little girl. I know that now. But when you watch your Prince Charming tap every other girl around you—including your best friend since second grade—it's easy to believe something must be wrong withyouwhen he never looks your way.
I thought, maybe if I was smarter. Or skinnier. Or had bigger boobs and longer legs. If I was just something more, he’d see me as more than just his friend’s kid sister.
So basically, I hated myself all through middle school and hated him even more through high school. He toyed with my self-esteem, and I grew to hate him for that, too.
I knew all of that stuff was petty. It was immature and lame, but now after all the years of feeling rejected, I can’t stand being around him. He’s a constant reminder that I’ll never be good enough. He goes out of his way to get under my skin, and I refuse to tolerate it—even if he still affects me in ways I wished he didn't.
Having to spend the next two weeks alone in a house with Travis King is going to be pure torture. Even though I’d been able to avoid him once he and Drew moved off to college, I only had to tolerate him when I drove up to visit Drew. Then everything changed again when I got a full-ride scholarship offer from the same college. Being close to Drew was important to me. Neither of my parents’ houses felt like a home since they got divorced, my roommate threw weekend keggers, and I just needed somewhere to hide out and study. Aside from sleeping at the school library, Drew and Travis’s house was my only option. On the weekends Travis was gone, it became my sanctuary. But of course, he'd return and ruin it all.
After heading back to Drew’s room, I fold down the blankets on the bed and slide under the covers. I chuckle when I feel the smooth fabric because I know Drew really did change the sheets for me.
I can’t concentrateat all. My book is flagged with important chapters for my test tomorrow, and I’ve already been through the study guide three times. I have it memorized verbatim. I try to read the words, but they seem to bleed off the pages. I rest my book on my chest and replay every moment from the bathroom to the living room.
Heat rushes to my cheeks as I realize Travis saw my bare ass.Oh my God.I can’t help but shake my head at my bravery because I’m not really sure where it came from. I hope the image of my best assets have been burned into his retinas. Take that, King Douche.
The doorbell rings, and my heart drops. It’s Travis’s victim for the night, and as much as I hate to admit, a pang of jealousy rushes through me. She laughs at something and sounds like a dying hyena. I roll my eyes, thinking about how she must believe she has a chance at changing him. He’s obviously into it just for the sex—just like every other girl he hooks up with—and she’s probably stupid enough to think it’ll lead to something more.
Travis doesn’t do relationships, lady. Run for the hills.I roll my eyes, the sound of her high-pitched giggle grating on my nerves. The low rumble of his voice rings in my ear, but I can’t quite make out what he’s saying. It’s followed by the click of his bedroom door, which is next to Drew’s.
I seriously cannot lay here as he fucks some skank next door. The walls are so thin, I can hear everything. After another minute, her muffled moans become audible, and it makes me physically ill.
Fuck this.
And fuck Travis King.
I throw the blankets off my body and immediately start pacing the room. I shake my head and try to think of something. Travis started this little game, and I'm not backing down. He wants to play, so it's on.
I step out of Drew’s room and knock on Travis’s door. I hear the bimbo still giggling and Travis speaking, so I bang my fist even harder.