Page 13 of Backstroke

Remy comes up from behind me and lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his warm chest. Something close to care flashes in his gaze before it’s replaced with his usual cool indifference.

“Let me down. I need to get ho-“

“Shut up, will you? You’re not going home tonight.” My mouth drops open when I realize what he’s saying.

“I’m not sleeping with you, so if that’s what you’re thinking…”

“You don’t ever stop talking, do you? Shall I fill that mouth back up? It’s pretty useful for other things,” he chuckles darkly, and I can’t help the zing of heat that shoots to my core.

I glare at him, trying to mask the unexpected reaction his words provoke. “You’re insufferable,” I mutter, but my voice lacks the conviction I wish it had.

“That’s what I thought,” he laughs, clearly enjoying my discomfort. I want to argue, to push him away, but the throbbing pain in my head and the exhaustion from the day’s events make it impossible. Instead, I let out a resigned sigh as I rest my head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Remy lays me on the bed and pulls the blanket over my trembling body. I’m so cold and tired and I just want to sleep. I melt into the mattress, and I’m asleep before he slides in beside me.

Remington

What the fuck am I doing? Why did I demand she stay with me?It’s because she hit her head and is ill.That’s all.I just need to keep an eye on her. At least that’s what I keep trying to tell myself, but when I look at her sleeping form, all thoughts fly from my mind. I want to trace the pattern of the light dusting of freckles covering her nose and cheeks. She portrays a hardass,edgy type person with her nose and lip rings and the sprinkling of tattoos that I’ve seen, but there’s an innocence to her as well. And don’t get me started on seeing her in my shirt. That shit short circuited my brain for a minute. Something about Fallon awakens the beast inside me, driving me to crave things darker and more twisted than I ever imagined.

I lean into her space, and through the smell of the chlorine, I can smell her soft lavender and honey shampoo. I brush the hair back from her face to check the bandages I placed after she passed out. Her cut wasn’t as bad as I thought, and she should be fine in a couple of days. What concerns me the most is the deep scar that runs from her left eyebrow up to her hairline. Fallon has secrets, that much I know.But what are they?I can’t help but want to know who I’m dealing with. If my father taught me anything it’s to know your opponent, and I need to know everything about Fallon.

Exhaustion weighs heavy on my body as sleep threatens to pull me under. With one last thought, I vow that I’ll unearth everything Fallon is trying to keep buried, and I know just the man to help me with the job.

Six

Fallon

The throbbing in myhead jolts me awake, and for a moment I panic.Where the hell am I?As the room comes into focus, memories trickle in from the night before.

The party.

The pool.

Remy.

Slowly, I turn my head to see him peacefully sleeping beside me. He looks so different in this light, boyish and less threatening. For a moment I take him in, without his arrogant baby blues to dissuade me. His brown hair is ruffled, as thoughhe spent half the night running his hands through it. He has the face of a Greek god. Hell, his whole body could be a sculpture. His perfectly formed nose sits flawlessly between his chiseled cheekbones. I wish I had the time to sketch him. He’s classically handsome with a roguish charm that adds an irresistible edge to his appearance. His eyes, deep and expressive, seem to hold a thousand untold stories. Every movement he makes is graceful yet powerful, like a panther on the prowl. It’s as if he stepped out of a myth, a living embodiment of timeless beauty and daring spirit.

My eyes wander down to his bare, broad and muscular chest. There doesn’t seem to be a flaw in sight, unless you count his self absorbed entitled personality. Remy is a total dick and he knows it, he actually welcomes it. Even with his less than sparkling demeanor, people cling to him. I scoff when I think about his little band of groupies that seemed to follow him around last night. From the looks of it, every girl wants to be with him, and every guy wants to be him. My aggravation grows the longer I’m in such close proximity to him.

I look around the room for my dress but it’s nowhere in sight, and I don’t dare wake him to ask. Instead, I gently slide from the bed and pad to the bathroom. I wince when the light turns on automatically, spinning around quickly to see if I’ve woken him up. That’s the last thing I need. My plan is to get out as fast as I can, unnoticed if possible. However, with the light streaming in through the drapes, I’m sure there are students up and milling around the campus already.

Thankfully the bathroom door doesn’t squeak as I close it behind me. As I glance at my appearance, I’m thankful that my makeup isn’t smeared like I thought it would be. It must have been washed away in the pool. Fear snakes up my spine as I remember the water filling my lungs. My hands clench the counter as I steady my breathing. I turn the faucet on toa trickle and let it fill my hands, needing to splash my face with the coolness. Using a towel hanging by the counter, I dab my face and flinch when it touches the cut on my forehead. I lean up to the mirror to see that Remy must have cleaned and bandaged the wound after I’d fallen asleep. Something flutters in my stomach at the thoughtfulness, but it’s quickly replaced with annoyance. I’m sure he did it with his own agenda in mind.

Once I’m finished using the restroom, I wash my hands and slip from the bathroom. I sigh in relief that he hasn’t moved a muscle. I quietly and quickly rummage through his drawers for some track pants that I may or may not return to him later. I’m not walking back to my dorm with only a low hanging shirt. All of the pants are so long that I have to roll them at the waist and ankles to keep from tripping. With one last glance, I close his bedroom door behind me. Wanting to get as far away as possible, I sprint down the stairs and through the front doors, ignoring the strange stares from guys that are already awake. Before I can sigh in relief that I escaped, I hear a familiar voice behind me.

“Going already?” Well, look who it is. Mr. Red Flags from last night approaches, coming far too close for comfort.

“Yeah, I need to get back to my dorm.” I motion my thumb over my shoulder in the direction I need to be going in.

“Aw, where’s the fun in that? Don’t you want to stay for breakfast? I make a mean omelet,” he croons into my ear as the hairs rise on the back of my neck. This guy is definitely a date-rape horror story waiting to happen.

“Fallon, come on. I’ll take Remy’s sloppy seconds,” he winks, like he knows exactly what happened.

“First, how the hell do you know my name? Second, do these lines actually work for you? Because let me tell you, you sound pathetic and creepy,” I seethe as my anger rises. His face morphs from the stupid playboy to downright menacing. I wishI knew how to shut up sometimes because this conversation just escalated, and there’s no one around to help me.

“You fat bitch. I was going to do you a favor, but now you better watch your back,” he swears. I recoil at his words, but turn on my heel and run as fast as I can without these stupid pants falling down. I don’t doubt that he will try to do something to me.How the hell have I been here two days and made two enemies?

Once I round the corner, I slow to a walk as the cool air hits me in the face. I feel like I can finally take my first true breath since last night. As I make my way across campus, I realize that my phone and key card are either in the destroyed dress or at the bottom of the pool. Of course, I’ve got more to add to my plate today. I hope Rowyn or Lyndsy are home to let me in, otherwise I’m screwed.

I bypass a crowd of students huddling together, probably gossiping about someone when I hear my name float through the air. Surely I’m hearing things, but when the party is mentioned, I know news has spread. Dread makes my stomach flip, so I pick up my speed, twisting and turning to avoid running into anyone. My bare feet slap against the concrete, but I don’t feel the pain. I have to get someplace safe, and right now that’s my dorm.

---