The Peer and the Puppet (When Rivals Play, #1) (97)

“Don’t do this to me.” I shook my head wildly, displaying my desperation.

“I’m not, princess. I’m doing this to us.”

“Why?” I whimpered while hating myself. Effortlessly, he often made me forget myself. I feared that one day, I’d wake up an entirely different person. Someone who was soft and easy to bend.

“Because I’m tired of the pretense. I’ve never denied myself, puppet, and I don’t intend to start now.”

“So what? I’m just supposed to drop my towel and spread my legs for you because it’s what you want?”

“Yes.”

I shouldn’t have been shocked by his gall and arrogance, but even more, I shouldn’t have been turned on by it. Thinking of a way to stall him until I could get my head back on straight, I planted a hand on his chest and stood on my tip toes. He instinctively bent until my lips reached his ear. “Then I dare you.”

Straightening, he stared down at me with a perplexed expression. “Excuse me?”

“I. Dare. You.” My hand had trailed from his chest down to the waistband of his jeans where my fingers toyed with the bronze button.

“To?” In his eyes, I could see his determination to own me and the knowledge that I was already his.

“Make me want that, too.” I sounded eager and hopeful as if I weren’t wishing he’d fail.

“You already do,” he accused with narrowed eyes. I could tell he wanted so badly to prove it. The ache between my thighs begged me to let him.

“And yet, I’m saying no.”





I WAS AWAKENED THE NEXT morning when Tyra fell onto the bed with a troubled sigh. “Everything okay?” I questioned while trying to shake the grogginess.

She rolled onto her side so that we were facing each other.

“Help me, Four. I had no idea how far I’d fallen.”

That woke me up. “Did you—”

“No, but man, did he make me regret it.”

My eyebrows rose when she shivered a little.

“I assume that’s good?”

“Oh, it’s very good,” she confirmed with a satisfied nod.

“So what happened?”

“Nothing…and everything.”

“How enlightening.”

She picked up on my sarcasm and smiled. “He…um…he used his fingers”—she bit her lip as her eyes widened—“and then his mouth, and it was very good but then…” A deep frown appeared.

“What?”

“Nothing, and that’s exactly where it went wrong. I told him I was ready, and he told me he disagreed.”

“Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say, but Tyra looked like she had plenty, so I waited.

“He said he wouldn’t fuck me until he was sure I understood that this couldn’t go further than sex.” When Tyra burst into tears, I was forced to admit that Ever had been right that night in Coach Bradley’s kitchen. It just seemed so odd since Vaughn’s behavior this past month was not of someone just looking to get laid. He seemed to genuinely like her. “That asshole said I was his friend, and he didn’t want to hurt me.”

And what a fine job he was doing.

Tyra wiped at her tears before sinking inside her head. I also retreated inside my head and began to wonder when life stopped being so simple. In Cherry, I went to school, worked at the shop, and made sure Rosalyn kept taking her pills after a break-up. Now I had drama, friends, and boy problems. I admit my life before Blackwood Keep had been lonely, but that was just one emotion. I was now juggling six on a good day.

“I know what we should dare them to do,” Tyra announced. Almost twenty minutes had passed since either of us had spoken.

The wicked gleam in her eyes made me grateful I wasn’t the guys. “This should be good.”

Tyra told me the dare before hopping in the shower. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as sinister as they deserved, but it would do. I definitely couldn’t wait to see Ever’s face when we told them.

A hungover Jamie had been the last to come to breakfast. I caught him sneaking me an apologetic look or two, both of which I ignored. I was used to his cattiness now, which incidentally, was one of the many problems I’d inherited since moving to Blackwood Keep. Moments like last night were when I missed home the most.

Ever pretty much ignored me while Tyra pointedly ignored Vaughn. He seemed genuinely confused as to the reason, and unfortunately for him, even if Tyra would have wanted it, I wasn’t feeling charitable enough to enlighten him.

While we ate whatever breakfast we could drum up since Mr. Hunt had the weekends off, Tyra and I delivered the news. Ever and Vaughn would be getting piercings, to each of their horrors, and Jamie, the emotionally unstable ass, would write a letter from the heart and read it to an audience of his choosing before graduation. Since he already had a piercing in his nose and God knows where else—I was pretty sure I glimpsed a nipple ring at some point—Tyra and I decided it wouldn’t be much of a challenge for him to get another one.

Before leaving to complete their dare, Ever surprised me by pilfering the keys to my bike. He made sure I saw the promise in his eyes just before he walked out the door with Vaughn and Jamie. I was pretty sure the keys came with a catch, but I’d worry about that later.