Battling the Enemy Read online

  I had Delaney in my grip, her body backed up against someone’s car, while my body blocked her from the party’s view, and you know what? My dick started getting hard even though I had just shot my load only a few moments earlier.

  Staring down at Delaney, I would never have guessed this girl would be the girl that would change everything. Things were changing, and I knew they were changing because it wasn’t the feel of her body up against mine that was making me hard. It wasn’t my bruising hold on her arms that had me rock hard.

  Nope.

  It was that motherfucking scar on her face that kept drawing my attention.

  My eyes kept flicking towards it, and I could feel this quiet hum in my blood warning me of danger. I was so focused on that crude marking on her face, I hadn’t heard anyone approach. It wasn’t until I heard Ramsey’s voice did reality finally breach the trance she had me under. “Deke, everything cool?” he asked.

  No.

  No, everything wasn’t cool. Quiet, invisible, solitary Delaney Martin was fucking me up, and I hadn’t even had enough beers to blame it on the alcohol.

  My mind couldn’t rid itself of the image of Delaney burrowed behind the trees watching me; watching Melissa get me off. And I couldn’t ignore that it was my connection to Delaney, in that moment, that had made me shoot off like a rocket in Melissa’s mouth. Melissa had become a nonfactor the second my eyes landed on Delaney.

  My words were for Ramsey, but everyone invested in our little scene could hear me. “Everything’s perfect, Ram,” I assured him. “Me and Delaney are just having ourselves a conversation, is all.”

  Because Ramsey and Liam knew me so well, I heard Liam snort behind me, and Ramsey let out a deep sigh. Again-no questions asked. Ramsey and Liam were already on board with whatever I was doing without even asking what it was I was doing. Ramsey just asked if I was cool because that’s all he cared about. He didn’t care what I was doing; he just cared that I was okay while doing it. And Liam was pretty much of the same mind.

  Emerson and Roselyn wisely kept quiet because, while we might all be friends, those girls knew better than to push past where they belonged. I loved them both to pieces, but Emerson’s control didn’t extend beyond Ramsey and Roselyn’s control, no matter how close we were, didn’t extend beyond Liam.

  But what they did do?

  They joined Ramsey and Liam in standing at my back, so that Delaney and I were closed off from prying eyes as much as possible. However, turns out I hadn’t needed to worry about shielding Delaney from the crowd.

  Her quiet, demur, wallflower persona was shed the second she pushed at my chest and yelled, “No, we’re not, Deke. Now get the hell off me!”

  Chapter 2

  Delaney~

  I was embarrassed-no, humiliated.

  I had never even wanted to come to this stupid party. I didn’t go to teenage parties because that wasn’t me.

  Ava had guilt tripped me with ramblings of this being our senior year and our times together were coming to an end, yadda, yadda, yadda. And so, I caved because, for all of Ava’s wild ways, she’s been my best, and often, only friend for years.

  It wasn’t that I had anything against normal teenage life, but nothing about the kids from Sands Cove was normal, and that included me.

  My life was already carved out for me, so I didn’t see the point in dating or partying. I was destined to be a socialite wife, whose job would be to help make her husband flourish. I was to be the arm candy that, that in itself, was a joke because I wasn’t even that pretty. I had brown hair, brown eyes, and my body could do with a bit of dieting. But none of that didn’t matter. My parents had already set my life on a particular path, and that was that.

  The only reason I worked my ass off in school was because, even if I was destined to just be someone’s wife, I didn’t want to be a stupid one. I wanted to be able to talk finance, politics, etc. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life discussing the latest nail trends or shoe collection.

  So, I spent my teenage years in the library or classroom, instead of at parties or with a boyfriend. I was a virgin with an uncomplicated life. Or it had been uncomplicated before Deke Marlow caught me watching him getting a blowjob from Melissa Randall.

  As soon as we had arrived, Ava had immediately had a beer in her hand and powder on the tip of her nose. I never judged her for being wild because she’s never judged me for being a weird nerd, but her partying always worried me a bit. But it wasn’t until she had landed on Marcos Sergio’s lap that I knew I needed to make myself scarce. While I’ve gotten used to Ava’s drugs and alcohol party ways, I wasn’t too keen on watching Marcos finger fuck her in front of everyone. I had taken a stroll to avoid the sexual scenes often played out at these parties only to catch Deke Marlow getting his dick sucked.

  Oh, the irony.

  I hadn’t meant to watch, either. That’s the bad thing about all this. Never having been to one of these parties before, I had gotten lost in the thicket of trees. When I heard some noises, I had really believed I had found someone to save me.

  Nope.

  That wasn’t the case at all.

  When I had peeked around that cursed oak tree, my feet had frozen at the sight of Melissa Randall on her knees in front of Deke Marlow. Now, while I was a virgin, I wasn’t a sheltered one. I knew exactly what was going on, and curiosity had gotten the better of me. I’ve never given a blowjob before, and I was enthralled at what Melissa had been doing. I was pathetically taking pointers.

  It wasn’t until I saw Deke’s hands tighten in her hair that I felt a sudden pulse between my legs. He had been anchoring himself as he began really driving into her mouth. My eyes had shot up, and when they had met Deke’s eerie green gaze, sparks of heat had curled deep in the pit of my stomach, and I knew I was in trouble. And, Sweet Baby Jesus, when he kept looking at me as he fucked Melissa mouth, I knew in that moment what it had felt like to be turned on.

  His question pissed me off because his snide accusation had been spot on. For a split second, I had wished I were Melissa on my knees before Deke. I had wanted to be the one to feel those rough hands tighten in my hair. So, when he finally closed his eyes and threw his head back as he came, I ran.

  I fucking ran.

  I ran so blindly, I miraculously found myself back at the party. I saw Ava, and I hadn’t cared that she was drunk, high, or getting fingered in front of everyone. I wanted to leave before Deke came out of the trees, because once the lust had died down, I had been embarrassed as hell.

  I still was.

  And now, Deke was standing in front of me, holding me captive, ready to embarrass me some more. And what’s worse? He had Liam McCellan, Roselyn Bell, Ramsey Reed, and Emerson Andrews at his back, protecting him. They were his cover for whatever it was he wanted to do or say to me, and everyone knew not to mess with this crew. Ramsey Reed was a psychopath, and Liam McCellan was as unstable as they came. And Liam was the nice one, for Christ’s sake.

  My little push to Deke’s chest hadn’t moved him a bit, and he stepped closer-if that were possible-and leaned down before saying, “Now, why would I want to do that?”

  “I’m sorry, okay?” I mumbled. Maybe that’s all he was looking for. “I won’t tell any-”

  Deke threw his head back in a sinister laugh. He looked back down at me and said, “You think I give a fuck if these people know that I just got my dick sucked?” Evidently, not. “Do you think Melissa Randall’s virtue is so pristine that we need to protect her reputation?”

  Oh, my God. What a jerk.

  “Then what do you want,” I asked through gritted teeth. I may be a nerd, but I wasn’t a pushover.

  “Delaney, what’s going on?”

  I side-stepped Deke to look beyond his tall body to see Ave standing behind Deke’s little band of lunatics. She was standing behind, but in between, Liam and Roselyn. Good choice. The entire town knew Ramsey lost his mind anytime anyone came too close to Emerson. “Noth…nothing, Av-”
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br />   Deke tilted his head back and addressed Ava in a voice loud enough for everyone who was nearby to hear. The party around us had already quieted down when they had taken notice of Deke grabbing me and pushing me up against the car, so he didn’t have to raise his voice all that much for Ava to hear him. “Mind your own business, Ava. This is between me and Delaney,” he warned her.

  My eyes left Ava’s, and when I looked back at Deke, his head was still tilted back and I could see the muscle and veins corded in his neck, and I swear to God, I wanted to latch onto him like a vampire. The realization made me tremble.

  I was scared.

  I’d never felt this way before, and I didn’t need to feel this way about Deke Marlow. My arranged future husband, Winston Reynolds, was the only boy who should evoke these feelings in me.

  NOT Deke Marlow.

  “Leave me alone, Deke,” I whispered, terrified of these new urges. So terrified, his head came down and his green eyes snapped to mine, because he could hear the fright in my voice.

  And if I thought I was terrified before, that was nothing compared to the cold feeling in my bones when Deke leaned so close, his breath tickled my lips. “Not on your fucking life am I going to leave you alone now,” he growled so low, that only I could hear him.

  I don’t know how I did it, but I could see through his green gaze that I had awoken something in him that should never be awake.

  I think I just became Deke Marlow’s newest prey.

  “Deke, leave her alone,” Ava called out, and I had to give her credit. I didn’t doubt her friendship, but no one-and I mean no one-went up against Deke, Liam, or Ramsey.

  “Ava, this isn’t your business, so just turn right back around and go on about whatever you were doing,” Liam’s voice snapped through the night.

  I already had Deke’s spotlight on me, I didn’t need anyone going after Ava. Without taking my eyes off Deke, I called out to her. “It’s okay, Ava. Everything’s fine. You can, uhm, go back to Marcos.”

  “But-”

  “Ramsey.” Emerson’s voice carried loud and clear.

  I couldn’t see it because Deke’s large frame was blocking everything out, but I could hear Ramsey just as clearly as everyone else could. “Back off, Ava. Now.”

  You could feel the shift in the air, the panic in the winds, the danger from the crackling bonfire. Emerson Andrews had just invoked her power over Ramsey Reed, and that was all she wrote, folks.

  Ramsey had just handed me over to Deke Marlow without even knowing what he wanted me for. Actually, I suppose it was Emerson who handed me over to Deke. She’s the one who called on Ramsey, after all.

  I searched Deke’s eyes, looking for any signs of compassion, but there was nothing. “Don’t do this, Deke,” I begged. “Just…let me be. I’m sorry I watched yo-” His hand shot out, wrapping around my neck, and I did the worst thing I could have possibly done.

  I moaned.

  Darkness surfaced in his emerald eyes, and that pulsing between my legs throbbed painfully. Deke squeezed his fingers around my neck, and it was everything I could do not to close my eyes and just bask in the force of his touch and the heat radiating off his body.

  But I didn’t.

  “I’m going to let you go this time, Lamb,” he whispered. “But I will be coming for you.”

  Chapter 3

  Deke~

  “So, you going to finally tell us what’s going on between you and Delaney Martin?” Liam asked as he and Ramsey walked into my game room. I didn’t bother looking away from the 98” plasma screen television, where I was currently battling the forces of darkness for all of mankind.

  Last night after I had let Delaney escape, Liam and Ramsey had kept mum because, while they loved the shit out of Emerson and Roselyn, they still respected my privacy. That’s why they had formed a shield behind me when they saw something was up. It was that same sense of loyalty that had the girls standing next to them. They were loyal to Liam and Ramsey, hence, making them loyal to me.

  Ramsey sat in his game chair positioned near the center table, while Liam dropped his body next to me on the black leather couch. I elbowed him because I knew it was a dick move to try to jam my game up. He scooted over as he laughed.

  I shook my head, but grinned. Liam, Ramsey, and I have been friends all our lives, and I knew these two twisted fuck like I knew the back of my hand. And while they might be twisted, they were loyal as fuck and, except for the girls, neither had a weak bone in their bodies.

  Ramsey’s father was a financier with Mob ties, so Ramsey’s family was super wealthy, and that was saying something, considering. His father was also shady as fuck and expected Ramsey to follow in his footsteps. Little did he know Ramsey already became his own man at the tender age of fifteen. Ramsey’s life plans did not include his father or being anyone’s little bitch, and that included the Mafia. And where Ramsey’s father was a dick, his mother was just absent. She ran around doing who knows what, and no one ever asked.

  Liam’s parents were no better. His father managed a hedge fun for legitimate purposes but was just as shady with side-dealings as Ramsey’s father. He was also an absolute asshole. Whereas Ramsey’s father knew Ramsey was psychotic, and my father was nonexistent, Liam’s father contacted him often just to be a dick to him. And Liam’s mother did what most the wives of Sands Cove did-nothing. She was a vapid, self-absorbed idiot with too much money at her disposal.

  I supposed that’s why Ramsey was so fascinated with Emerson, and Liam was so wrapped up in Roselyn. These girls were the complete opposite of the kind of women they grew up despising.

  As for me, my father worked in oil and energy solutions, but he was as crooked as a boxer’s nose. There wasn’t a bribe he ever refused and there wasn’t a tramp he hadn’t bedded. Simon Marlow was a jackass of a peacock, always on stage and performing to impress. He was arrogant, vain, and just plain ridiculous. But he had the sleazy charm of a used car salesman and people ate it up.

  My mother was another despicable human who paired with my father beautifully. She played the ignorant wife role to perfection, but she was anything but. The woman was worthless and would sell someone’s baby if it meant another diamond on her finger.

  Fucking people were horrible.

  Too bad for us, their neglect and lack of basic human decency affected us growing up.

  We were fucking horrible people, too.

  At least, we had been until Ramsey fell in love with Emerson, and Liam finally claimed Roselyn for himself. They were still heartless, fearless assholes, but softer, and I couldn’t be happier for them. They had found their Holy Grails. They were horrible and ruthless, but they managed to find the two females on the planet that could rein all that in. They were more human now that they had the girls.

  Me?

  I had the ability to care, as evident by my relationships with Ramsey, Liam, Roselyn, and Emerson, but the rest of the world? The rest of the world could suck my dick.

  Well…the rest of the world except Delaney Martin, apparently.

  Ramsey and Liam had picked up their remote controls and joined in on the game as I answered Liam. “She caught me getting my dick sucked by Melissa Randall behind the trees last night.”

  “Caught?” Ramsey said, asking for clarification.

  “Well, not caught,” I corrected. “I’m not sure what she was doing because I hadn’t asked, but all I know is that, in the middle of Melissa blowing me, I had heard a noise, and when I looked over, Delaney was standing behind a tree watching.”

  “What was she even doing at the party?” Liam asked, not really expecting an answer. “That girl never parties. Fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her outside of school or a goddamn library. Even as fucked up as Ava is, she’s never dragged Delaney’s along with her to a party.”

  “Speaking of Ava, what was all that about with Emerson, Ram?” I asked.

  Ramsey laughed. “Emerson said she’s never seen you react to a girl that way before, and she wanted
to see how things were going to play out. She hadn’t wanted Ava ending the show before it got started. She’s rooting for Delaney.”

  Liam laughed, and I joined in. Most people would believe that Emerson might have been being a jealous girl because Ramsey’s fucked Ava before, but there was one thing Emerson Andrews was not, and that was jealous over other girls. Not only did Emerson have no reservations about kicking someone’s ass, she didn’t have an ounce of insecurity regarding Ramsey intentions towards her.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Liam asked, as Ramsey added, “Yeah, what do you need from us?”

  And that said it all.

  They had no idea what I wanted with Delaney Martin, but that didn’t matter. They were on my side no matter what I wanted with the girl. “I’m…intrigued,” I answered truthfully.

  “I bet,” Ramsey laughed.

  “Just like Liam pointed out,” I went on, “the girl has never been to a party. Even as wild as her best friend is, Delaney’s never been to a party or run amok. The first time she attends one of Sands Cove’s teenage parties, she wanders off and has no qualms about watching me get my dick sucked? She’s quiet, demure, and timid, but she was comfortable enough to leave Ava and wander off at her first party, and brave enough to watch me get head?” I shook my head. “There’s more to that girl than I ever thought, and now, I’m curious.”

  Liam chuckled. “Good luck, man. I think you’re going to need it.”

  His words resonated in my head, but I knew I wasn’t going to need it. I wanted Delaney, and I’d have her; simple as that. “I don’t need luck,” I countered. “Who at Windsor is going to stop me?”

  “So, it’s like that?” Ramsey asked.

  Fuck it.

  We weren’t big on secrets, and they deserved the truth if they were going to back me, which I knew they would. “When I had her up against the car, I wrapped my hand around her neck, and when I squeeze, she moaned,” I divulged.