Battling the Enemy Read online

  I smiled for the first time since lunch at school. “Nope,” I answered. “I’m at home working out in the gym.” I grabbed the bottle of water and took a swig before asking, “How is she?”

  “Traumatized, I think,” he huffed out. “Seriously, though, she seemed…quiet.”

  “Christ, Lee, she was already a quiet wallflower,” I pointed out. “How much more quiet could she have been?”

  He let out a deep sigh. “She looked sad, man,” he finally admitted.

  I ignored the pang in my chest and told him, “Simon called to scold me about the fight.”

  Liam laughed. “Are you serious?” I went on to recite the conversation, and by the time I was finished, Liam was cracking up. “What a fucking fool.”

  “I should get Delaney pregnant,” I said seriously. “It’d solve all my problems if I did.”

  Liam’s laugh dwindled to a chuckle. “I wish my moral compass was pure enough to tell you that getting Delaney pregnant at eighteen-years-old is a bad idea, but it’s not, and I can’t. If Roz told me tomorrow she was pregnant, I’d be ecstatic as hell.”

  “Linnie would be an awesome mom,” I laughed, encouraging Liam’s madness.

  “So, if I knock her up, I can blame you?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

  “Sure,” I quipped. “Just let me and Ram know, so we can get to work. There’s no way our children aren’t going to grow up together.”

  Liam’s laugh was cut short with a real solid thought. “Christ, Deke,” he breathed. “Ramsey’s already out of his mind when it comes to Emerson. Could you imagine his level of insanity if he got her pregnant?”

  I laughed. “I got a hundred that she’d kill him before the second trimester.”

  Liam laughed. “I got a grand that says before the first month is up.”

  Chapter 12

  Delaney~

  It was Wednesday afternoon and Deke was absent again. He hadn’t shown up for school yesterday and I hadn’t seen him this morning, either. I hadn’t seen him in second period, and when he was still missing during third period, I knew he wasn’t at school again. Winston was a no show also, but that was to be expected.

  I also couldn’t deny the pang in my chest at Deke’s sudden silence. In addition to him not being at school, he hasn’t called or texted or anything. When third period started without him, I had finally been forced to accept the effect he now had on my life. It was strange to know that it’s only been a few days since that party, but in these few short days, Deke’s impacted my life in a way I never thought anyone could.

  Instead of doing homework last night, I had spent the entire evening reevaluating my current state in life. When mine and Winston’s parents had arranged our marriage at the age of ten, I hadn’t a clue what it had meant. Winston had been my friend, and at ten-years-old, the idea of spending forever with my friend sounded just fine to me.

  As the years passed, I had begun to realize my personality was more solitary than outgoing, and I used our arrangement as a crutch to not have to get to know anyone beyond superficial acknowledgement. Ava had come into my life when we were both thirteen, and she hadn’t let me be shy with her. She had fascinated me with her loud personality and ballsy attitude. I’d never been anyone’s pushover, but I wasn’t sparkly like Ava. I cared what people thought of me. I cared if I did well in school. I cared if I was kind to people. I cared, period.

  Earlier this year, when Ramsey had gone balls-out and had tried to humiliate Emerson in front of the entire school, I remember feeling sick for her. But then I remembered how everyone had been struck speechless when she had walked out of Windsor without a backward glance with her head held high. I remember feeling envy at that kind of strength. Because, let me tell you, there was an impenetrable strength in not giving a shit what other people thought of you. It set you free in a way that nothing else could.

  Even when she had returned and Ramsey had dropped to his knees for her in front of everyone, he hadn’t given a shit what anyone had thought. His only thought had been that of Emerson and her forgiveness. And I had been one of the girly-girls who had cried and clapped when she had forgiven him.

  I had seen it again when Liam had lost his mind over Roselyn. He had fallen in love with her and he hadn’t cared who knew or what his pursuit of her made him look like. When the rumors had started flying about Roselyn dating both Liam and Deke, he had shut that shit down like a tsunami taking out a small village. No one really knew if she really dated both of them or not, but, even if she had, no one would say a word. Besides, if anyone did, it would be because they were jealous. I might be a virgin, but even I knew being bedded by both Liam and Deke at the same time would be an experience most girls would kill for.

  The other reason no one could pinpoint if the rumors were true or not was because if you look at all of them, Deke and Roselyn showed no signs of anything other than friendship. And Liam and Deke were as close as they ever were. There wasn’t a hint of jealousy or awkwardness anywhere amongst them.

  “I feel like it’s the calm before the storm,” Ava mumbled as she leaned against the locker next to mine. We had just left fourth period and were putting our stuff away before heading to lunch.

  I opened my locker and stuffed my backpack inside. “I know,” I agreed. “It’s like…I feel like I’m trapped waiting for…something. I don’t know…”

  Ava hugged her books to her chest. “You do know that you’re going to have to make a decision about Winston when Deke does finally come back to school, right?”

  I knew she was right. I let this arrangement go on for so long because I had been fine with it. I had been fine with marrying a man I got along with because I’ve never been a passionate person. I didn’t need a love of a lifetime. I was used to my parents’ marriage, and that marriage lacked love like ninety percent of Sands Cove’s marriages. But Deke inspired that passion, and I wasn’t going to pretend like he didn’t any longer.

  “I think-”

  “Delaney?” I whipped around at the sound of my name, and I saw Emerson Andrews and Roselyn Bell walking towards me.

  What. The. Hell?

  I shut my locker closed and glanced at Ava. She looked wary but that could be for any number of reasons. It wasn’t a secret that she’s slept with both Liam and Ramsey at one point in her life. I could see how Emerson and Roselyn approaching us might make things awkward.

  I waited until both girls were standing in front of us before saying, “Hey, Emerson. Roselyn.” They were both such pretty girls, it was hard not to be intimidated a bit. Emerson had gorgeous brown hair with hypnotic grey eyes and a body built like a woman’s. Whereas, Roselyn was dainty with rainbow-colored hair, big blue eyes, and a tiny nose ring.

  Roselyn smiled, while Emerson’s eyes darted towards Ava, and I was immediately flooded with anxiety. Ava wasn’t weak, and she wasn’t the type to back down, but even after all these months, Emerson was still an unknown. She came to Sands Cove because her father had killed her mother and her aunt had taken her in because, at the time, she had still been a minor. But nowadays, she lived with Ramsey. The thing was, any girl brave, strong, or crazy enough to go up against Ramsey Reed had to be packing a powerful punch.

  Emerson Andrews was a goddamn legend.

  Emerson’s eyes bounced back and forth between me and Ava before finally settling on Ava. “Can I be frank about something?” Ava and I just nodded silently. “I don’t care that you’ve slept with Ramsey, Ava,” she said, shocking the shit out of both of us. “If I worried about every girl Ramsey’s ever slept with, I wouldn’t be able to live in this town, much less go to this school. I don’t care what he did before I came along. I really don’t.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Besides, it’d be an insult to Ramsey if I let the girls he’s slept with bother me. It would mean I didn’t believe the things he tells me, and that’s just not the case. I know Ramsey loves me. I know he’d give his life for me. And I definitely know he’d never cheat on me. It doesn’t bother me, Ava, if it does
n’t bother you.”

  I glanced over at Roselyn and she threw her hands up in a surrender motion. “Don’t look at me,” she laughed. “I’m the last person to judge anyone on their past and the shit they’ve done.” She put her hands down and smiled. “I’m with Emer on this. The last thing I’m worried about is Liam’s past.”

  I looked over at Ava since this wasn’t my conversation and she looked…humbled. “I…I know I…I know what my reputation is,” she stated. “And I’ve earned most of what anyone has ever said about me. But whatever anyone has ever heard of me, they’ve never heard that I sleep with guys who are taken, because I don’t.” It was hard for me not to get teary-eyed at Ava owning her shit. She was such an awesome person underneath her actions, and I hated how so many people would never know that. “Ramsey and Liam were so long ago, I honestly haven’t given them so much as a thought in years.”

  Emerson smiled, and it felt like a stamp of approval. “Well, I felt like we needed to clear that up since you’re Delaney’s best friend and she belongs to Deke now.”

  She said it so casually factual, it took a second for the words to register. “Whoa, what?”

  Roselyn’s smile joined with Emerson’s. “Look, Delaney, I know Deke can be rather…much, but you’re a smart girl. After what happened Monday, you have to know that Deke’s claim on you is solid.”

  “Why, though?” I asked. “In all the years that I’ve known who Deke’s been, he’s never paid me any mind. Now, all of a sudden, he’s interested, and I’m just supposed to accept that? Rearrange my life with no explanation, whatsoever?”

  “I don’t think you have a choice, Delaney,” Emerson answered. “Deke’s not going to let you go.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand any of this,” I admitted.

  Roselyn snorted. “Who does? This is Deke Marlow we’re talking about. Hell, trying to figure him, Liam, or Ramsey out is like trying to understand what makes the Bermuda Triangle tick. Give up the ghost, girl, and just go with it. Trust me. You’ll have fewer headaches that way.”

  I ignored their advice and asked the one question I’d been dying to. “Why’s he not in school?”

  Emerson’s eyes darted towards Roselyn’s before returning those grey eyes back on me. “The truth?” she asked.

  “Yes, please.” Roselyn started gnawing on her lower lip, and she gave me the same sad look Ava had when I had told her I was attracted to Deke. She looked like she felt sorry for me.

  Emerson cleared her throat and told me the truth. “He’s staying away because he’s in such a bad headspace, he’s afraid for your safety.”

  All the air left my lungs at her statement. “What…what do you mean?”

  Roselyn let out a deep sigh. “The boys are really hush, hush when it comes to…their man-bonding, but whatever it is you did to get on Deke’s radar…well, it’s serious for him. That’s all I know.”

  I looked over at Emerson and asked, “What has Ramsey told you?” I knew she’d never breach his confidence, but I still had to ask.

  She looked sad for me too. “Nothing. Roselyn’s right about their bond. But I can tell you that there’s no outrunning Deke Marlow, Delaney. You’re pretty much fucked, chick.”

  Chapter 13

  Deke~

  I still wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to come back to school, but I couldn’t stay away any longer. For years, I hadn’t paid any attention to Delaney Martin, and in a matter of one Friday night, she was all I could think about now.

  I knew from the gang’s reports that Delaney was keeping to herself, but that didn’t surprise me; she always did. While she chitchatted with people here and there, Ava was her only real friend. What had surprised me was the phone call I had gotten from Emerson, telling me all about the talk she and Linnie had had with Delaney and Ava, and it made me fall in love with my two girls that much more. The fact that Emerson and Roselyn would clear the air with Ava, just to make her and Delaney more comfortable about my pursuit, showed me what real class acts those two girls were. While Ramsey and Liam knew the extent of my obsession with Delaney, I hadn’t shared the details with the girls, and they had still gone to bat for me.

  As per usual, I was hanging out in front of school waiting for the bell to ring and for Delaney to pass by. I wasn’t exactly sure how all this was going to go down, but during my self-imposed hiatus, I realized I needed to get the full story on her and Reynolds. I also needed to know if she’s slept with him. Now, with my past, I was the last person to judge, but I wanted to know because I needed to know if he had a hold on her or not. Most girls were funny about the guy they give their virginity to, and I needed to find out exactly what all Reynolds meant to Delaney. I already knew their families were close if they had arranged a goddamn marriage at the age of fucking ten, so I already had that working against me. I needed to know how Delaney felt about the asshole. I had no doubt I’d have Delaney in the end, but I wanted to know what I was up against.

  I felt the charge in the air a split second before I saw Delaney and Ava walking together towards the front doors of the school. I didn’t bother with goodbyes as I knew the crew already knew where I was with this. I hustled my way over to the girls, ignored Ava, grabbed Delaney by the arm, and dragged her around the back of the building, and the most important fact in all this?

  She let me.

  I pinned her up against the building and caged her in with my palms flat on either side of her. She adjusted her backpack over her shoulder as she looked up at me putting on a brave face. My eyes darted over to her scar, and just like that, my dick was hard.

  “You’re here,” she muttered quietly, and my entire body stilled with the implication of her words. Delany fucking missed me. Or, at the very least, she wondered about me.

  My hand came off the building, landed on her shoulder, and slid across her collarbone, down over her left tit, and kept going until it stopped at her hip. Delaney’s breath hitched as I slid my hand upwards underneath her uniform shirt and wrapped it around the flank of her waist.

  Nothing ever felt so good as my hand on Delaney Martin’s bare flesh.

  I leaned down until my lips grazed her ear. “Did you miss me?”

  “Deke…” she moaned, and I lost all common sense.

  I pushed up against her, so she was completely blocked off by my body, and not waiting for permission, I slid my hand down the front of her uniform pants causing the button to pop off and the zipper to bust open. Delaney’s backpack slid off her shoulder, and her hands fisted in my shirt, as her head dropped to rest on my chest. She wasn’t stopping me and that shamed her to the point where she couldn’t look at me. But I was okay with that. We’d work on that later.

  I slid my hand in between her legs, and the second my fingers touched her wet flesh, I knew whatever she had with Reynolds didn’t matter. Her grip threatened to tear the fabric of my shirt as I slid my fingers back and forth between her pussy lips. It sounded like she might be crying, but I wasn’t sure, and I wasn’t going to stop to find out. As long as she wasn’t telling me to stop, or pushing me away, nothing was going to stop me from making Delaney cum like this.

  When I felt my fingers were lubed up enough from her wetness, I slid one into her pussy, and it was so tight, there’s no way she wasn’t a virgin. Delaney threw her head back hard enough I could hear its impact against the building. Her eyes were screwed shut, but I could see the wetness decorating her lashes.

  Yep, she’d been crying.

  I leaned in and did the one thing I’ve been wanting to do since I cornered her at that party last Friday. I had my fingers buried deep in her pussy, going in and out, as I licked that fucking scar on her face. Delaney whimpered, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this without fucking her right here in front of whoever might happen by.

  I pulled back to look at her. “Have you fucked Reynolds?” I growled. “Has he ever touched you, Lamb?” Her eyes shot open, and she looked breathtaking in tears. “Or are my fingers the
first fingers to ever touch this pussy?” Delaney nodded, and because she looked positively torn up about her admission, I knew she had nodded to my fingers being the first to ever touch her. “You’re going to explain about Reynolds, but I need you to know that, no matter what, you’re mine, Delaney. You. Are. Mine.”

  Her eyes shut again when I started upping the tempo of my fingers. I was finger fucking Delaney hard and deep, and I didn’t care that we were out in the open at school. I was doing my best to shield her with my body, but it wouldn’t be too difficult to deduce what we were doing.

  My name was a heartbreaking sob on her lips, “Deke…”

  “It’s okay, Delaney,” I breathed against her face, against her scar. “Cum on my fingers, baby. I got you. I promise I got you.” Her nails dug into my skin through the fabric of my shirt and she let out the throatiest moan as she came all over my hand.

  We stood there in complete silence as Delaney started coming off her high. My hand was still down her pants, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before the reality of what she just let me do set in and she lost her shit. I wasn’t confused. Delaney wanted me, but she didn’t want to want me.

  When her eyes opened and latched onto mine, I pulled my fingers out of her pants, stuck them in my mouth, and licked them clean. Her eyes widened and I could actually see the panic start to take hold in those beautiful eyes of hers. Delaney had lost herself to me and it was written all over her face, plain as day, how humiliated she was over the fact.

  “De…Deke…oh, God…” she muttered as her hand flew to her pants and her face rushed red when she realized the zipper and button of her pants were useless. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit,” she rambled on.

  “Delaney-”

  Her hands pushed at my chest and I knew our moment was over. She was going to go back to not wanting to want me. “I can’t believe I let you do that,” she hissed. “I can’t believe…I…what the hell was I thinking letting you…oh, Christ.”