Kyle (Scandalous Boys Book 3) Page 12

  “Well … I wanted to see if you want to go shopping.”

  Maddy bites her lower lip and then looks back at the rest of the group, then returns her stare to me. Squinting up at me with her right arm shielding her forehead, she says, “Sure. Do you want Sarah to come with us?”

  “She can come. Are you going to shower?”

  She looks down at herself and then shrugs. “Yeah, I’m a mess.”

  “Getting hot and heavy in the sand with Bryce?” I tease. It’s been a while since I’ve joked with her.

  She laughs. “Yeah, no.”

  “Well, go get Sarah, shower up, and we’ll have a girls’ day. I’m currently sick of men and I need to go have some fun.”

  Maddy gives me the awkward half smile that basically says she’s happy but she’s also concerned. I don’t blame her. Lately I’ve been a total wreck. With Kyle gone and all my thoughts circling back to him, I’m scared for me too.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kyle

  The guys and I hit the beach for the day.

  We start off by playing a few rounds of beach volleyball. Once we start ripping our shirts off, bikini-clad women seem to flock over to us like seagulls. I’m not even in front of a mirror, but I know what they’re all seeing: rippled six-pack, little chest hair ‘because I man-scape that shit. It doesn’t hurt that my face is cute.

  Even though there are a lot of women here checking us all out, I know none of them are what I want. So they can look all they want. I’m not taking home the merchandise.

  A ball sails over the net and right toward me. I bump it, but it’s a shitty hit. Granger who’s my partner almost dives right into me trying to save it. I scramble out of his way, but I trip and hit the sand face first. A.J., our point guard, starts laughing at me. “Smooth move, dipshit!”

  “Fuck off,” I snap as I wipe sand off my face, chest, and legs.

  “What’s up with you lately?” Granger asks. He apparently missed the ball and is now tossing it back over to A.J. and Marcus.

  I shake my head at Granger. “Nothing. Why?”

  “Man. You’re acting like you’re pussy whipped. Are you?”

  I laugh. “Kyle Issac doesn’t get pussy whipped!” But those words feel false. All I keep thinking about is Em and how sweet she tastes. Then I think about all the things I should have done to her before I left. Instead we got into a screwed-up fight, she pushed me away, and I’ll probably never get to have her ever again.

  Wanting someone this bad totally sucks. No wonder why I’ve made a rule to never let a girl have much hold over me. I know that trying to be with Emily makes me want to do other things I never wanted before. Like a relationship. I never wanted one, but I also wouldn’t want Emily for one night. I don’t want her with any other fucking guys either.

  Shit. What if her pushing me away was her letting me know she wants to fool around with other dudes? She’s not looking for a relationship like she said earlier on this trip.

  I’m stuck in my tormenting thoughts I totally miss not only the next few volleys back. I also miss Granger tossing me a beer. He shakes his head and says, “Wow. Yeah, you’re certainly pussy whipped. Just go inside and give her a call, bro.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not? Surely she’d be up by now. It’s gotta be three on the East Coast.”

  “That’s not it.” I brush my hand through my hair. There is one thing guys don’t do, and that’s discuss feelings. That’s what chicks do. I don’t need these guys ragging on me all year calling me a tampon for wanting Emily.

  Granger elbows me. “She’s got a dude, huh?”

  “Nope. Nothing like that. She’s just not into me.”

  “Wait. What? Bullshit! I need to meet this chick.”

  I scowl. “She’s not some chick. Her name’s Emily.” I don’t know why the hell I’m getting so mad at him. He didn’t do anything wrong.

  He throws up his hands in defense. “Dude. Chill. All right, so you and her are like, what, friends and she’s not giving the benefits?”

  “Something like that. She’s known me most of my life.”

  He spews his beer all over the sandy surface in front of his feet. “Nope! You can’t go there. Girls that know you are off limits. Didn’t you learn anything from Simon last year? Homeboy was with that one chick who was his next-door neighbor for years. Then he comes home to surprise her, and she was creeping with some other fool. I’m not saying your girl is a cheater. But you can’t be with someone that close. Cause when shit goes wrong, you will have nothing but awkward as fuck moments with them for life. Like a damn death row sentence.”

  “Man, don’t listen to this fool,” Marcus says. “He’s an idiot. Friends make the best girlfriends. You don’t gotta play pretend with them for months. They already seen most sides of you. If they have been in your life for a while, then it’s likely they’ve seen you at your absolute worse.”

  A.J. stands around chatting up some of the females surrounding the volleyball net. He’s obviously either not wanting to jump into this conversation or he’s not paying attention. Either way I’m kind of grateful he’s not throwing advice around.

  “Call her,” Granger says. “Just go.”

  “Yeah, man. Your mood is a total buzzkill for our trip,” Marcus adds.

  I raise a brow. “I’m not going to call her. I am though, going into the ocean to cool off.” I set off down to the water.

  A.J. perks up. “Oh, you going in?”

  I nod.

  “Cool. Wait up.”

  He catches up, and he sighs. “Is this Emily girl coming to Tennessee this year?”

  “You caught all that?” I ask. He doesn’t answer. I shake my head. “I’m not sure, man. I like her a lot, but shit’s complicated. Really complicated. I mean, she’s my sister’s best friend.”

  He cringes. “Oh. No. Bro, you have to lay off that. You go down that territory, you’re asking for nothing but trouble. Not talking about her knowing every little thing about you already either. If shit goes sideways, which it sounds like it already is, you gotta deal with the aftermath. There is going to be a big rift between you and your sister as well as one with her and your sister. It’s just bad mojo, man.”

  I nod. “I know.”

  We reach the water, and I start to head in. A.J. continues to talk. “How deep are you in? Did you sleep with her yet?”

  “Nope. Want to, but we haven’t.”

  He bobs his head. “Well, then you should be fine. If you step away now, and don’t fuck, you might be able to fix it without screwing yourself.”

  We’re about waist high in the water now. It’s not as cool as I thought it would, but it’s still freshening all the same. Maybe A.J. is right. I need to step back before shit gets more damaged. Isn’t that the whole purpose of me being here anyway? Give her space or whatever the hell she needs.

  So why can’t I let her go?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Emily

  “You’re not actually staring at the sidewalk today,” Sarah points out with a smile as we walk into a small boutique.

  I nod. It’s strange, but I feel a little bit better. My hallucinations of Vince haven’t made an appearance lately. I’m out with my friends not worrying about someone stalking me. Yes, I feel really good. It could also be the results from the drugs I’m currently on.

  Sarah holds up a top. “What do you girls think?”

  The top I think is hideous. It’s bright purple with huge pink flowers on it with a slogan: Never know what you’ll find if you don’t stop and smell the roses.

  I wrinkle my nose. “I like the phrase but everything else is …”

  “Ugly,” Madison finishes. “Have you two started seeing a theme here though?”

  I look around the small store. “Really ugly,” I whisper, then giggle. It feels good to laugh again even if it’s something as silly as making fun of terrible clothes.

  “Uh yeah, like granny panties ugly.” Sarah snickers. “Or Gra
ham’s mom’s terrible ass Christmas collection ugly. Look at this,” Maddy says holding up a frosted pinecones and holly berries with a huge reindeer in the middle with a red nose.

  “That is awesome!” Sarah squeals. “I’m getting it and giving it to Graham’s mom for her birthday. She might actually start liking me again.”

  “She’d definitely think you were as happy about Christmas as she is,” Madison jokes as she hands over the shirt.

  I pick through some other things and then give up. This store is awful. Once Sarah pays for her god-awful shirt, we walk out and to the next store with the window display decorated in seashells.

  “Ooo, let’s look in this one,” Maddy says.

  We all enter the shop. It looks much better than the last shop. I could at least pick up some trinkets for my parents and maybe Marco, possibly something for me to remember my brief time with Kyle.

  Maddy skips toward the back of the store. I hover in the front near the glass objects. Some were vases, some animals, some sea life like shells and sailboats. All very pretty and in different colors from blues, oranges, and pinks. I pick up a multicolored seashell.

  “I thought I saw you here,” a deep voice sounds from behind me.

  The glass object slips from my grip and falls to the floor. As soon as it hits shards of glass splatter. My body instantly trembles and my scream for help is lodged in my throat. This can’t be happening. He’s not supposed to be here. My illusions never talk.

  I’m spun around and come face to face with my biggest fear.

  “Emily, Emily, Emily. I told you I’d find you,” Vince says.

  I start to shake my head. Hoping to rid the illusion that somehow manifested itself into the store I’m shopping in. It’s not working because he’s still here. His grip on my shoulders is tighter.

  “Hey, Em, what do you think of this necklace?” Sarah asks holding up a roped necklace laced with seashells that look like teeth.

  Her face immediately changes as she studies me. Her expression was curious happy to concern and frowning. “Emily, are you okay? Who’s this guy?”

  Oh my God! She can see Vince? That means. Oh shit! I need to leave now! We all do!

  I tremble harder. “I’m Vince,” he says extending a hand out to Sarah.

  She stares at his tanned hand, then looks back up at me. I shake my head a little.

  “Right. Okay, well, Vince. Emily has been under the weather and possibly has the flu. So you might not want to touch her. She’s extremely contagious in all areas.” She grabs me and pulls me to her. He lets her with an amused smile on his face.

  “Um I assume you don’t mind catching whatever she has?” he asks.

  “Oh, I already have it. The flu, scabies, and possible shingles—we’re all good,” Sarah says in a nonchalant tone.

  If I weren’t freaking the hell out, I would be in stitches laughing at her ultimate brushoff. She steers me away from him and whispers harshly, “Do not tell me now. Wait until we get home.”

  She tosses her necklace in a random pile for shark teeth and grabs Madison. “We need to leave right now.”

  “Why?” Maddy asks looking as confused as a lost kitten.

  “We just have to. Talk later. Drop it. We’ll come back another time.”

  Sarah guides us out of the store. Vince is standing outside leaning against a parking meter. Maddy whispers, “Why is that creep staring at us like that?”

  “Not now. Give me the keys, Madison, I’m driving.”

  “Bryce will …” She trails off.

  “I don’t care. I can deal with that.”

  I turn to Maddy as we stand by Bryce’s car. “Please, Mads.”

  “You two are freaking me out. Here.” She hands the keys over to Sarah, and then we’re all piling into Bryce’s charger.

  Sarah is crazy!

  Correction. She drives batshit crazy. I thought about ten times if Vince wasn’t going to kill me, Sarah’s nutty ass driving would. She whipped around corners like we were in a Fast and Furious movie. She zipped and switched lanes like she was a NASCAR driver and I think I might have wet my pants a bit as she parked us into the driveway.

  Madison screamed the entire time as if we were on a very scary roller coaster.

  She gets out of the car and glares at Sarah, then me. Her hair is frizzed out. Her breathing is erratic. She points a finger at Sarah and screams, “What the hell was that all about? We almost died FIVE TIMES!”

  Sarah looks as calm as a cucumber and hands over Bryce’s keys and says, “Everyone inside.”

  Sarah heads to the door, but Madison hops in front of her. “Oh hell no! Someone is telling me something right now!”

  Sarah shoves her to the door. “Maddy, I love you. But right now, you need to get inside. I don’t think I ditched him all the way. We need to get the boys and talk about this inside.”

  Maddy’s face falls, and she enters the house. Sarah jerks me in front of her and pushes me inside. “I backed the car up like that so it would be harder for him to make out the car. Hopefully it works for a bit,” she says to me. “Go call Kyle.”

  “I’m not calling him,” I say.

  “Fine. Maddy will.”

  We enter the house, and Graham and Bryce are on the couch arguing over something happening on the video game they’re playing. Maddy walks over to them, and instead of staying out here in the open for them to discuss my shitty mistake to them, I bolt to Kyle’s room and lock myself in.

  I won’t call him. I can’t. I need comfort though, and this room with his scent is the only thing that will work.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kyle

  My stomach is in knots. Has been all day and I’m not sure why. I don’t have a weird hangover. Hell, if I’m being honest, I hardly drank since I arrived.

  The guys have been giving me shit about it too. Calling me pussy whipped Issac.

  Granger, A.J., and Marcus are all around a table playing Texas Hold’em. Marcus bellows to me, “Yo, Issac. Hand me another beer, will you?”

  I shuffle off my bed and get him a beer. My cell rings right as I hand over the cold can to him.

  Madison’s name lights up, and I’m half tempted to ignore it because talking to her will only remind me of Emily. After the second ring, A.J. asks, “Dude, you going to get your phone?”

  “Yeah.” I pick it up and answer. “What?”

  “Oh my God! I’m really glad you answered.” Worry laces her words, and my heart immediately clenches.

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “It’s, uh … I’m not sure.”

  I scrunch my brows together. “Maddy, what the hell does that even mean?”

  “Don’t freak out.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” I growl. I notice the guys have all turned in my direction.

  “It’s Emily, okay. She’s, uh … I don’t know what the hell is wrong with her, okay. We were in a store. And, um …”

  “Spit it out, Madison! What’s wrong with her? Is she hurt? Where is she?”

  I hear the shakiness in her breathing. “We were in a store. We were having fun. Then out of nowhere Sarah is dragging Em and I out of the store. There was this shady guy staring at us when we left the shop. He was very creepy, Kyle. If I had had my mace on me, I would have used the entire container on him.”

  “Okay, get to the part about Emily,” I say trying to restrain my anger as my grip on the phone tightens and my left hand clenches into a tight fist. If she so much as breathes a word about some jackass laying a hand on Em, my sister, or my cousin, I will find the fucker and end his life. The consequences be damned!

  She lets out a slow breath. “I don’t know what’s going on. I mean, Sarah grabbed Bryce’s keys from me, drove us like a maniac through town. I swear, Kyle, I almost threw up six times they way she had us tossing about in the car going around turns. My life literally flashed before my eyes. Bryce is super pissed off at her. Anyway, we got here to the beach house, she basically shoved u
s all inside the house and said some bullshit like she thinks she ditched the creep standing outside the store. Em locked herself in your room and hasn’t come out since we got home.”

  “Is anyone hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. It happened quickly. Sarah is shaking her head, but she said Emily dropped a glass figurine in the store.”

  “Put her on?”

  “Who? Sarah?”

  “No, damn it! Put Emily on the phone.”

  “She hasn’t come out of your room, Kyle. How do you expect me to get her to talk to you?”

  I pace the hotel room. The guys behind me are super quiet. My frustration is growing. This wouldn’t be happening if I hadn’t given her space. I wouldn’t have my fucking stomach tied in knots if I stayed there. I want to slam my fist into something. Preferable the dick’s face who scared Emily!

  “Maddy, put your phone on speaker and slide it under the door.”

  “I can’t. My case makes it impossible to fit under there.”

  “Then remove the casing! I need to hear her fucking voice!”

  “All right! Don’t yell at me, you bloody jackass!”

  “Don’t start your terrible English swearing! We’re not around Grandma!” Our grandma is British, and sometimes she has a thick accent. She cusses like a sailor though. First time I heard her ask my dad if he was bloody pissed, I thought she meant mad. She meant totally shitfaced drunk. When I discovered this at the rip age of nine, I also assumed that pissed was no longer a swear word. Needless to say, I got my ass whooped by my dad when I used the word in school and got sent to the principal’s office. After that, I swore never to repeat anything our grandma said.

  I hear Maddy’s muffled voice, then some crackling, and then I hear deep sobs.