Stain (Stain #1)(46)

“You haven’t bored me so far.” He reaches out for a tendril of my hair and mindlessly toys with it between his fingers. “So I’m guessing for now you’re worth my time.”

He’s hot and cold. And I shouldn’t find his arrogance so sexy. I shouldn’t find myself doting on his every word. I shouldn’t be so eager to pant at his feet for a morsel of his affection. I shouldn’t want anything to do with him. And yet, here I am reveling in his attention, while silently, fiendishly waiting, wanting for an opportunity to experience a little bit of his sin.

“You should wear your hair down more often. I like it.”

Swallowing hard, I say, “I will, but only if you pose for me.”

His mouth twitches. “I’m a bad influence on you. But all right, I’ll pose for you.”

I can’t help it. I beam at him. “Really? You’ll do it?”

He lances me with silver eyes as a roguish grin draws both corners of his sensual mouth upward. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”





Chapter 18


Aylee


He keeps his word. Monday after school he’s waiting for me. I revel at the sight of him casually leaning against the row of lockers talking to his brother. At my approach, our gazes meet and I’m sure I only imagine the slight glint of pleasure in his eyes at my arrival.

“Sup, Aylee?”

Though I acknowledge Noah with a quiet, “Hey,” I have eyes only for his tattooed brother, who doesn’t seem incline to stop looking at me either.

“Hi,” I greet with a shy smile and heated cheeks.

He grins. “I’m ready for my close-up.”

I hear Noah snort. “I’m still amazed you’ve convinced this idiot to pose for you. Do you have any idea how unreliable he is, Aylee?”

With a shrug, I reply, “I have faith in him.”

Maddox gives a deprecating smile. “I think you’re the only one.”

“That’s all it takes sometimes,” I murmur. Standing in between these two, I’m suddenly confronted with my height deficiency and it’s no more obvious than when I go up on my toes to reach the dial on my locker.

“What’s your combination?” he asks, with an arm up while standing directly behind me now.

“It’s 53-12-9.” I give out the numbers in a whisper but do so without hesitation. He dials it in, left first, and twice to the right, and back again on the last digit. He lifts the latch a second later and my locker door comes open.

“Thank you.”

I grab the necessary books for homework for tonight and leave behind what I don’t need. “I’m ready,” I say, when I’m done closing the door. “Are you coming with us, Noah?”

“No.” Maddox doesn’t give Noah the chance to reply. “He’s got things to do.”

Noah scowls but it quickly turns to a smile at the sight of the guy headed our way. “Actually, you’re right, Max, I do have something better to do,” he says, cheerfully, excitement at the other guy’s arrival written all over his beautiful face.

I know the guy instantly because he’s of the popular set, he plays on Brigham High’s football team and hangs around Mallory’s crowd. Riley Felton. He’s not entirely handsome in the conventional sense, with his aquiline nose, deep-set brown eyes, and wide mouth, but the way he carries himself is enough to make people notice. When he comes to a stop next to Noah, I immediately know that they’re together. They make a striking pair.

I watch Maddox’s expression as he looks between his brother and Riley who’s standing so close to him their arms and the backs of their hands touch. With furrowed brows, he doesn’t look away from Riley when he says, “Don’t you mean someone, little brother?” There’s no emotion in his voice.

A sad, reflective look passes over Noah’s pretty features before he sighs and takes Riley’s hand, interlocking their fingers. “You’re going to understand one day that everything isn’t just about sex, Max. It may have started that way, but we’re worth so much more than that.” His cryptic words immediately sets off a shift in Maddox. The invisible cowl of anger he seems to know so well drapes across his broad shoulders, weighing him down with heavy tension.

“Don’t.” Fists clenched, and with his jaw tight, his handsome face contorts in a mask cruel enough to commit murder. Maddox looks ready to kill his brother.

With another long and heavy sigh, Noah says, “Look at you, he’s been dead all these years and he’s still controlling you. You’re letting him control you, Maddox.”

“Shut up.”

“If you keep holding on to what happened…”

There’s an incredible roar. “Shut the f*ck up!” And then Maddox hurls forward, smashing his fist into Noah’s face.

It happens too fast. But the end result is still devastating. With Noah splayed out on the ground with a bleeding nose and bruised jaw, Maddox hovers over him like an ominous force ready to pummel his brother into the overly-waxed floors.

Noah slowly wipes at his nose. “If even an ounce of you cares about her at all, you’re going to have to get rid of that anger. Because you’re only going to hurt her…just like he hurt Mom. Don’t turn into him.” That last words sound like the lowest blow, and sure enough, it has the desired effect.