Page 7 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

“Hey Levi,” I feel a pair of hands reach around me and run up my abs. I look down and see a purity ring on the left hand, tipping me off on who is feeling me up.

“Grace,” I turn my body and wrap an arm around her shoulder, “how’s my favorite senior doing tonight?”

Her strawberry blonde hair tickles my arm when she tilts her head back to look at me. “I’m good but hoping to be better later.” She licks her lower lip and peers up at me through her lashes.

Yeah, the girl who has worn a purity ring since she was fourteen is propositioning me for sex. She’s been having sex since then, too. Daddy dearest is a preacher for a megachurch in Virginia.

“Let’s go get a drink, then,” I wink at her, “and you can tell me all the ways your night could get better.”

I walk up next to Con at the bar and see Margaux has suction cupped herself to him already. His patience for that obnoxious, fake Frenchie always astounds me. She offers nothing aside from headaches and drama. Grace might be a walking, talking lesson in irony, but she’s nice to most people. I can’t touch the mean girls that go to Founders Prep with us with a ten-foot pole.

Grace leaves with me after our fourth or fifth round. When the car pulls up in front of my house, I look up to Ivy’s window and see the lights are off. Good, she won’t see us go into my room.

I’m not even up the stairs before Grace has my pants unzipped, and her hand is sliding inside, wrapping around my cock and tugging. She pushes me against the wall right outside Ivy’s room, and I quickly swing her into my room, closing the door quietly behind me. By the time I turn around from locking the door, she’s naked and on her knees ready to suck me off.

* * *

The alarm I set for Grace goes off at five. She groans as she rolls onto her back on the other side of the bed. She’s one of the only girls I let sleep in here because she respects the no cuddling rule I have. I grab her clothes off the floor and toss them across the bed to her.

She mumbles thanks and stands to dress. When she’s finished, she walks to the door and waits for me.

“You know how to get out of here,” I say while I make no move to get up.

“Levi,” she glares. “Walk me to the front door like a gentleman. My car just pulled up.”

She didn’t want me to be a gentleman last night when she was begging me to pull her hair and call her a slut. But fine, I’ll walk her to the door. “Let me grab some pants.” I’m tired and hung over and just want to go back to sleep.

Right as she opens my bedroom door, the door opposite of mine opens. My stomach drops as I take Ivy in. She’s wearing a sporty two-piece swimsuit and has a towel over her arm and goggles in her hand.

Fuck me.

Every single thought and emotion Ivy has shows on her face. First, she’s startled. I’m sure she didn’t expect anyone to be up this early. Second is understanding, not the good kind, the bad kind. When she realizes I’m walking a girl out that I just fucked, there’s another flash of hurt. Then I watch as she erects walls around herself. I’ve seen her do it before, and I know exactly what’s happening.

I feel Grace’s eyes bouncing back and forth between us. She looks up at me for a clue as to whom Ivy is, but I’m not about to introduce them. Grace isn’t important enough.

“Let’s go.” I herd Grace to the front door. “Get you to your ride.”

How the fuck am I going to fix this? Do I even need to fix this? Ivy and I have no hold over each other. It’s been two years. I thought she ghosted me, she thought I ghosted her. I don’t owe her any explanation.

Who the hell do I think I’m kidding here? I need to fix this like I need air to breathe. Being in Ivy’s orbit again feels nothing short of amazing, and I’m going to do anything to keep her in mine. I walk into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water where I watch her through the window swimming laps. Before I think better of it, I’m walking out the back door toward the pool.

3

IVY

I don’t knowwhat was more shocking, the sight of Levi escorting a girl out of his room at five in the morning on a Sunday or how delectable his body looks now. All that golden skin stretched taut over roped and bunched muscle. The way his sweatpants clung to his ass was criminal.

I wonder if the willowy blonde is his girlfriend. Their body language didn’t scream couple to me, and he didn’t touch her. I don’t know what would be worse, for her to be a serious girlfriend or a random fuck.

Either way, it hurts. We were young when we last saw each other, but I had actual feelings for him. I haven’t had a boyfriend, let alone had sex with anyone since that night. It’s safe to say he has.

Their pool is rectangular and illuminated by blue lights from below. I thank the swimming gods that it is not zero entry. The sun is just starting its ascent, turning the sky into the milky gray of dawn.

I busy myself getting my swim cap wet and sliding it over my head. I turn music on my phone, connect it to my waterproof ear buds, and sliding down into the pool. The water is a little warmer than I like, but I guess that’s to be expected after such a warm summer. I press my palms to my goggles to suction them to my face and kick off the wall.

I decide to just swim moderately paced freestyle laps. The pool isn’t long enough to make it worth my trouble to time or race. I love listening to chill indie music while I practice, so I have my Maggie Rogers playlist cued up. When I’ve swum for a solid twenty minutes with no breaks, I stop by the wall to grab my water.

“Remember the night we met?” Levi’s voice comes from a lounge chair to my right.

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