A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd #1)(41)

“It’s not a normal thing people go through or tell anyone about.” He tipped my head up and peered down at me. His eyes were fierce. “I’m only telling you because I know Jace Lanser. He showed up at our house when they thought my dad was going to flip on them. I know what he’s capable of.”
So did I. A wave of sadness crashed down on me. “Jace has never said he was a good guy. I know he’s dangerous.”
“You’ll stay away from him?”
I nodded. I felt that he was asking more with that question. It wasn’t only about Jace and me; it was about Tray and me. He was claiming me again with this request. Jace had been family, but I couldn’t go back to there. He didn’t even want me back there anyway. I whispered, “I’ll stay away from him.”
He chuckled. “They’re expecting me to put you in your place.” One of his hands began caressing my leg.
I was confused, then remembered Amber and Mandy. “I can’t back down to Amber. I won’t. I hate girls like her.”
“I know, but it’s going to make things a lot more tense with the group.”
“Why? It’s not like I’m exactly friends with you guys.” I turned to face him, and his hands moved to my waist. “I just don’t like how Amber and Jennica treat people.”
He nodded, his thumb coming to my bottom lip. He rested it there, then pulled it down. My eyes held his. I was melting, just looking at him, feeling him against me. Tray grinned, running his hands up my arms and back down to my waist. He pulled me closer to him and leaned forward, nuzzling my neck.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. The conversation was officially over.
Tray kissed his way up my neck, along my chin, and found my lips.
I lifted my legs and turned to straddle him. He slid a hand down my back, slipping it inside my jeans, then up my back, moving to softly caress my breast, underneath my bra.
“—this place is usually—whoa.”
The door opened. Tray clipped out, “Out.” The door slammed shut and then I started laughing, hiding my face in his neck. We were always getting interrupted.
“Sorry, guys,” Samuel said through the door.
“Get lost.” Tray nuzzled my neck again.
“Yep. On it.” His voice sounded farther away and another door shut a moment later.
I didn’t want it to end so I found his lips again, and we started kissing as if nothing had happened. When the bell rang, I pulled away and stood. My knees were unsteady. Tray held onto my elbow for a little bit.
“I’m good.”
“This isn’t just for you.” He flashed me a grin, breathing heavy.
I chuckled, feeling relieved that he was affected just as much as I was. A moment later we left the equipment closet, and once we were in the hallway, I started in the opposite direction. Tray’s locker was in the senior hallway. My locker was in a separate hallway, but he stopped me.
I glanced back. “What?”
He flashed me a grin, his eyes were still a darkened amber color. “Come on,” he said, pulling me behind him as he walked us back through the hallways. “We’re going to my house for the rest of the day.” He pulled out his keys when we approached his SUV.
Nothing else sounded better.



CHAPTER FOURTEEN

We spent the afternoon and evening at his house. His phone was turned off because people didn’t stop calling him. My phone never went off so I never thought to check it. When I was thinking about heading home, I looked at it. I regretted it.
Tray looked over. The movie had ended, but neither of us had gotten up from the couch. He asked, “What is it?”
I showed him my phone. “Mandy called and she never calls much. She called three times.”
“So call her back,” he suggested, “and then once she starts in, hang up.”
“Oh and it’s so easy,” I mocked him.
Tray laughed and wrapped his arms around me. He scooted down and pulled me on top. As I straddled him, I called her back. Tray started tickling me under my shirt and I laughed as I tried to twist away from him.
“Taryn!” Mandy yelled into the phone.
I frowned. There was loud music in the background. “Where are you?”
“Oh my God, Taryn. We did something really stupid,” she scrambled.
Hearing the panic from her, I froze. Everything stopped. The laughing stopped. My hand fell from Tray’s tickling ones. I sat completely still. “What did you do?”
Tray stopped, hearing my tone.
“Amber went off about you and Tray. How you’re just screwing him and that’s why you get away with everything you do…and so,” she paused for some air, “Amber remembered your ex and she wanted to get even with you…”
A knot of dread forming in my stomach.
“She knew that his brother owns the Seven8 in Pedlam so we…” She stopped.
I groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t go there. Please, Mandy. That place is dangerous.”
Her voice got so small. “We did.”
My heart stopped. “The Seven8 is dangerous, Mandy. People go there in masses for safety reasons. Girls don’t go there unless they’re connected. You are not connected.”
“Yeah, well…we kinda figured that out for ourselves.”
Fuck, f*ck, f*ck. “This is bad. You need to leave. I don’t care if you’re alone or where you are. Leave that place. Now.”
An unspoken decision was made between Tray and I. He had undone my pants earlier, and fastened them now. I didn’t ask. He understood. My shirt was straightened, and he sat up. He reached around me and fastened my bra. Then he pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, “Let’s go get them.”