I glance around and all thoughts of getting home vanished with the sight of Ramsey Reed Jr. standing in SC High’s parking lot. Students were slowing their gait or milling around, pretending to be busy on their phones. Or, hell, they probably were busy on their phones, hash tagging the shit out of Ramsey being here. And some students were just flat-out staring, not trying to hide their curiosity one bit.
There was no way to avoid a scene, but maybe I could work it to minimal damage by just walking over to see what the hell the guy wanted.
“Follow me, but don’t say anything, okay?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. I started walking towards Ramsey, and I knew-I just knew-all eyes were on me.
It also sucked that he was so damn good-looking. The guy was beautiful like I imagined Satan was. His beauty was blinding, but the aura around it shimmered with evil. Angels brought hope. Demons brought despair. And Ramsey Reed Jr. was a demon, if I ever saw one.
I stopped only a couple of feet away from him. “Are you lost?” I asked, remembering those same words he’d spoken to me on Sunday night.
The corner of his lip curled. “No,” he replied. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
I hiked my backpack up higher over my right shoulder. “Doubtful,” I retorted. “Or else you’d be strolling through the golden hallways of Windsor right about now.” Eden choked on a bit of horror behind me. No doubt she must be thinking I had to be insane to be talking to Ramsey like this.
He chose to ignore my bullshit and said, “Get in the car.”
“Don’t think so, Reed,” I scoffed.
His stance still looked casual, but the tick in his jaw told a different story. “Call me Reed one more time and see what happens,” he threatened.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, wanting to get this-whatever this was-over with as soon as possible.
And in a voice that almost shook me to my toes, he said, “I’m here for you.”
I shook my head. “That’s also doubtful,” I replied. “And even if that were true, I’m not interested.”
Before he could say anything, I could feel Eden step closer. I knew she thought she was whispering, but the silence all around us made it possible for Ramsey to hear her clearly. “Uh, Curt’s watching.”
My eyes still on the lion in front of me, poised to attacked, I whispered back, “I don’t care.” Which was true, but I could see that Ramsey cared.
With those whiskey-colored eyes regarding me, studying me, taunting me in front of everyone who had stayed back to be nosey, Ramsey reached out, grabbed me by my shirt, and yanked me forward. I collided with his chest, and when my hands slapped his chest for support, his left arm came around me and anchored me to his body.
I wanted to kill him.
“What are you doing?” I hissed between my very clenched teeth.
He released my shirt, but it wasn’t to do me any favors. His free hand slid upward until it was cradling the back of my neck, and I knew he’d done it on purpose to make it look like there was something between us.
“You should have just gotten in the car like I told you to, Lake,” he chuckled darkly.
“Get your hands off me, Ramsey.”
He leaned forward and his breath was warm against my ear when he said, “Good girl.” His thumb started rubbing back and forth behind my ear. “I like the way my name sounds on your lips.”
“Stop it,” I growled. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it stops now.”
Ramsey leaned back, so we were face-to-face again. “You’re out of your fucking mind, baby, if you think you’re calling the shots here.”
“Lake? We’re going to be late for the bus.”
I took a deep breath at Eden’s voice and that was a big mistake. Ramsey was holding me tight enough that my chest rubbed against his body when I inhaled.
And I hated that his body felt good up against mine.
I turned my head back to face Eden, and my heart sank because she truly looked worried. But I also didn’t miss how Curt was standing behind her, a few yards away. I also didn’t miss how Erica Chambers was also standing around, though she was a few cars over and nowhere near Curt.
“It’s fine, Eden,” I lied. “You go ahead. I’ll be right there.”
Just as she was about to say something more, her eyes widened at the same moment I felt a pair warm lips dance up and down my stretched neck. My entire body broke out in shivers, but I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or lust.
I wanted to push Ramsey off me. I wanted to make it clear he didn’t have permission to touch me. He was trouble I didn’t need or want. But with both Curt and Eric watching, I couldn’t do it. While I no longer had feelings for Curt, I couldn’t deny that a part of me hoped it bothered him to see me in another guy’s arms. I also felt slightly vindicated in front of Erica. She might be able to get any guy she wanted at SC High, but I was the one wrapped up in Ramsey Reed’s arms right now.
Unfortunately, I also knew the price for my pride was going to be high.
I turned back towards Ramsey, but before I could say anything about him taking liberties, he looked over at Eden and said, “Get in the car. I’ll drive you both home.” And what did Eden do?
She got in the fucking car.
Chapter 7
Ramsey~
Lake was beyond pissed, and even her friend it the back seat knew it, therefore, making the drive uncomfortable as hell.
Mom and Dad had stayed through dinner last night, but the moment they had taken off for Port Lucia, Maddox and delivered all the goods on Lake Warren to my room. He’d handed me four folders, one labeled, Lake Warren, one labeled Randal/Bethany Warren, one labeled Eden Rudolph, and the final one labeled Curt Metcalf. Maddox had gotten everything on Lake, her parents, her best friend, and her ex-boyfriend.
After spending all evening pouring through everything Mad had gotten me, I found out that Lake lived a relatively normal life with photography being her only real passion. Her parents were normal, and they worked normal jobs, and their lives were blessedly normal.
Going through Eden Rudolph’s file, she lived pretty much the same existence as Lake. Only Eden’s passion was entertainment as in music, movies, plays, etc. Her parents were just as normal as the Warrens, and Eden was between boyfriends at the moment. I also found out Lake and Eden have been best friends for most of their lives. They were a tight duet.
As for what Maddox had dug up on Curt Metcalf, other than being a cheating asshole, he led a pretty normal life, as well. He was a Sands Cove High soccer star, and up until his lapse in judgement where Erica Chambers was concerned, it appeared as if he’d really been committed to Lake. However, that didn’t win him any points with me. If I’ve learned anything from my family, it was that cheating was a cardinal sin. It was one of The Ten Commandments for a reason.
There were many things a woman might forgive, but choosing another woman over them, wasn’t one of them. Nothing damaged the fairer sex like another woman in the picture. Cheating was one of the most humiliating things you could do to a female because, unlike men, we weren’t raised with the same social pressures as women were. Men reach the age of fifty, with greying hair and potbellies, and the world doesn’t blink an eye. Women reach the age of fifty with greying hair and weight from childbearing, stress, or just life in general, and that’s unacceptable. Her husband ends up trading her in for a younger model, and no one says shit. It was a crappy deal, if you asked me.