Page 28 of Treacherous

Teagan Connolly was getting under my skin like a goddamn itch that needed to be scratched and no amount of alcohol seemed to be able to force the image of her face from my mind.

Dammit…

Our house was crammed with people from school, courtesy of Ellie and her impulsive nature, and my brain was like a broken record, replaying this morning's events until I was thrumming with pent-up frustration.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," Ellie mused as she sidled up against me. "What's up?"

"Did you slash Teagan's tires?" I straight-out asked her.

Ellie's face was a mask of innocence for a moment before a sly smile crept over her lips. "Has someone been telling tales?"

Teagan was right – she'd been dead on the fucking money.

Folding my arms across my chest, I glared down at her, feeling furious. "Why the hell would you do that to her?"

"Why the hell wouldyoucare what I do to her?" Ellie shot back, her glare mutinous, as she copied my movements and folded her arms over her chest. "In case you've forgotten she wrecked your car, Noah."

"I haven’t forgotten," I snapped. "And I care, Ellie, because she's under the illusion that I'm somehow responsible."

"Well maybe that's for the best," Ellie sniped before disappearing into the crowd of people, leaving me fuming.

The sooner this school year was over the better. I didn’t think I could stand much more of this bullshit…

"Dance with me, Noah," Reese Tanner, Ellie's cousin and bff slurred as she rubbed herself against my body.

Her red hair was loose and flowing freely over her barely concealed breasts – nice breasts I remembered – and that sparkly black little number she was wearing hugged her curves enough to rouse my interest.

"I don’t dance, Reese," I told her as I stood in front of the bay window looking out onto street.

I was not in the mood to deal with clingers. And I knew Reese was a clinger. She was a nice girl, unbelievable with her tongue, but had been like permanent marker to get rid of the last time.

"Walk away, sweetheart," I told her. The fact that Reese worked part-time in reception at Low's dad's hotel made it especially hard to avoid her since I used the gym at least four times a week.

"I'm sure you can make an exception," she purred, dropping her hand to my belt buckle. Her fingers slipped under the waistband of my jeans and she tugged me closer. "For me."

I gazed down at the stunning redhead and found myself weighing up my options.

Stand around brooding over the girl-next-door who hated my guts and treated me like I was the fucking pariah of Colorado, or get my dick sucked.

Dropping my mouth to hers, I pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "My room," I murmured, pushing everything else to the back of my mind. "Now."

I led Reese up to my room and after locking my door I walked over to the shelf that held my stereo and switched it on – anything to drown out Ellie's shitty taste in music.

Good Charlotte'sLittle Thingsbellowed through my ears and I felt some of the tension zap away.

Tugging my shirt off I dropped it on my bedroom before turning around – pleased to see Reese already naked and spread eagle on my bed.

"This is a one-time thing, Reese," I told her as I climbed onto my bed and leaned over her. "No strings."

She nodded enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around my neck. "No strings, Noah," she agreed with a breathy moan, "I know the rules," before pulling my face to hers.

****

Chapter 7

Teagan

"So you've made it through almost two whole months of high-school," Hope teased Monday evening after school as she sat on my kitchen counter, swinging her legs back and forth and helping herself to my Ben and Jerry's. "How do you feel?"

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