HARDPRESSED (Ocean Falls Trilogy Book 1) Page 4

  Garbage. The rhythm was haunting and seductive. Greyson pulled me flush against his hard body, and I was more than willing to oblige. He never had a wandering eye. He always made me feel as though I was the only girl in the room. He worshipped me and made it a point to showcase that I worshipped him as well. Thinking back, if I had to use one word to describe my relationship with Greyson, it would be ‘anything.’ Gut instinct, that little voice in the back of your head? Yeah, not so much.

  His massive frame towered over mine as his fingers dug deep into my hip to pull me even closer. His other hand wound into my hair to cradle the back of my head as his forehead rested against mine. It was just a dance, but that was Greyson…that was us. His hold always felt desperate. It was as if he feared that at any moment, I could slip away.

  He dipped his head lower to nip at the shell of my ear. I could feel him smile against my skin when my body reacted and my breath hitched. When he looked back at me, his eyelids were heavy, his smile lazy, and I could see that he was struggling to focus clearly. I had lost count of how many cups, cans, and shot glasses he had drained, but in those glazed-over eyes, I also saw love, lust, and pride. He loved me, wanted only me, and was proud to have me in his arms. For just a moment, our moment, the noise, the crowd slipped away. Until Chip came into view, that is. I could feel Greyson’s entire body tense, and just like that, our moment was lost.

  “Another drink, ma’am?” he asked, without any acknowledgment of Greyson whatsoever. I gave him a strained, yet polite smile and tried to lead Greyson away but to no avail. To this day, how we got there is still a bit of a blur. Chip had asked if he could ‘cut in’ and with Greyson never being one to back down, much less cower away, curiosity had gotten the best of him, and of me for that matter.

  Greyson took my face in his hands and kissed the tip of my nose. I always loved it when he did that. ‘It’s just you and me, baby, yeah? Always?’

  I could only nod in agreement as he passed me off to Chip. Fucking penis envy. Looking back, I should have castrated both of them. That girl though, back then, only wanted to keep the peace and her boyfriend out of trouble. It was just a dance, right? No harm, no foul. The average song lasts what…three and a half minutes? Four tops.

  Belle’s eyes were wide with wonder, and I could see she was starting to realize my story didn’t have a happy ending.

  Chapter 6

  Presley

  Carter didn’t make a grand show of things, which surprised me. I expected him to ensure all eyes landed on him with Greyson ‘Tack’ Thomas’ girl in his arms. Instead, he gave me a kind, reassuring smile. It was as though he knew that through my alcohol-fueled daze, I didn’t quite trust what was developing. He’d wanted me to know he wasn’t the Big Bad Wolf after all.

  Had I been able to actually settle in and let it go, I would have appreciated the way his body moved. He had an easy rhythm, natural. Greyson, on the other hand…okay, so he had gotten better. Coach had even encouraged me to work with him during the off-season. He wanted his beast to be even lighter on his feet.

  As the song played on, I tried to shift our position so that I could see Greyson. I could feel his eyes behind me, but that wasn’t enough. I had only been able to glimpse him tossing back yet another shot before Chip turned us, leaving my back to Greyson once again and my mind racing.

  Greyson wasn’t the only one watching. I could feel endless pairs of eyes from onlookers who were all too eager, hoping something big would happen. Just when I thought the whole thing was innocent, no big deal and just about over, Chip pulled me closer and touched his lips to mine. Before I could even register what had just happened, Greyson pounced. I can still recall the wave of nausea as Greyson spun me around behind his back to plant himself between Chip and I.

  “The fuck is your problem, son?” he seethed, and Chip only responded with a sly smirk. I pulled at the back of Greyson’s shirt. I wasn’t above pleading, begging even, if that would get him to just walk away. He didn’t budge, and Chip decided to push him even further.

  “You just don’t know, do ya, Tack? I let you have her. Now don’t get me wrong, wasn’t shit to do with you. When she comes to me, and she will, it’ll be because she realized she made the wrong choice the first time around. I never touched her, never held her in my arms. Had I, this picture would look very different, my friend.”

  I pulled tighter at Greyson’s shirt. I never told him how I had agreed to go out with Chip just days before he and I had met. Knowing Greyson like I did, I knew he would somehow see it as some type of betrayal. The last thing I needed was to fuel his drive, his need to prove himself, to best Chip. I dropped my head in shame even though I was at his back.

  The alcohol running through his veins caused his massive frame to sway slightly, but even more so, I could feel the tension building, and I couldn’t manage to pull him away. All hell was going to break loose. Greyson was predictable, and yet…not. There were days that I could finish his every sentence, know what he would want for lunch, or even which of his lucky t-shirts he would wear on any given day of the week. That night, though, it was one surprise after another.

  He didn’t level Chip like I was sure he would. Nor did he insist we leave the party when he led me away from the scene Chip tried to create. Had I known then what I know now, I would have seen it for what it truly was: the calm before the storm.

  I paused to give Belle a tick to catch up, her eyes drawn with concern.

  He gripped my hand tight and led me deeper into the house. As many times as we had partied there, I had never really seen the whole thing. I only knew that it was huge; two of mine and dad’s simple two-bedroom would fit inside, with room to spare. We made our way down a long hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. We passed a couple of closed doors, and it didn’t take much to guess what was happening on the other side. The music followed us, but there were giggles and moans, and behind what I hoped was a bathroom door, the ragged sounds of dry heaving and whimpering. At the end, there was yet another staircase that wound upward into a small room that looked to have been converted into a guest room.

  The subtle hint of fresh paint still lingered in the air, and I took note of a couple shopping bags from the local hardware store in the corner. Mrs. Perez had chosen soft greys and blues. The bay window overlooking the river in the distance had been painted a startling white. It was a full moon that night, and Greyson led me to the bare window to take it all in. If only we could have stayed like that, just the two of us, always.

  He turned against the window and sat back on the ledge as he pulled me closer to stand between his legs. He’d yet to speak a single word, and so I would wait. Greyson was, in a word, intense, even in his silence. There were times when he would break himself wide open and spill his soul to me. Other times, it was a simple gesture that would tell me of his turmoil inside. A gesture that was mine and mine alone. When his words failed him, he would touch his forehead to mine and reach for my heart with his wrist resting between the peak of my breasts, his large hand fanning across my chest.

  His eyes drifted closed when I gripped his forearm and attempted to soothe him by making small circles just inside the crease of his elbow with my thumb. His warm breath tickled my skin when he shivered slightly beneath my touch. At that moment, for whatever reason, I let go. I only let go because I knew he would catch me.

  Only he didn’t.

  “Presley...” Belle’s voice was heavy with uncertainty, interrupting my tale but not keeping me from being lost in the memory. “You sure about this?” Belle was my best friend. It was time she knew everything.

  No one would ever question if Greyson and I were a couple. Not only were we always together, but we were also always touching, connected in some sort of way. If our fingers weren’t linked, then we were arm in arm, or he would wrap my waist and keep a firm grip on my hip. I was no prude by any means, but some things were meant for us and us alone. I
just wasn’t that girl, and Greyson not only loved that about me, but he also respected it. ‘Mine alone,’ he would say. Maybe it was the alcohol or even the pills we dropped that night or just my misplaced guilt over what Chip had revealed that had pushed my inhibitions aside. It was as though I knew. I knew that our time, our window was closing.

  I took his face in my hands and lightly pressed my lips to his. When his eyes flashed open and collided with mine, I could see that a storm was brewing. I gave a half-grin to test his state of mind. I wondered if he needed another moment or two. When he returned my grin, however, I melted into him, total abandonment. He held me steady when our mouths crashed against one another. He kissed me with such love, lust, and need. We were just kids back then; what did we know?

  I was no virgin when I met Greyson, but he was the first boy that I gave my heart, mind, body, and soul. I would all but trip over myself in an effort to prove my love and dedication. After he left, I spent years trying to figure out where to place the blame. Had it been my own doing, his…both? If asked the same question ten years from now, I wouldn’t expect to be any closer to a clear conclusion.

  My bare skin tingled when Greyson reached around to lift a fistful of my skirt. He gripped tight and pressed hard into the small of my back to pull me flush against the rigid contours of his athletic frame. I countered his every advance, his every touch. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t think twice when he briefly brought his hand to his mouth and downed yet another pill, dry. His moans grew louder, more urgent when I pressed the heel of my palm against the crotch of his jeans before setting him free and taking him into my mouth. I was bent at the waist as Greyson leaned back further against the windowpane. As his breathing grew more ragged, he pulled my skirt higher and higher, leaving my bare ass fully exposed. Little did I know we had company.

  “Christ.” I knew his voice instantly.

  Back then, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I had no idea how long Chip had been standing there in the shadows of the doorway, and at first, I thought maybe, hopefully, my mind had started playing tricks on me or that it was an acid trip gone bad.

  “Presley! You fell victim to underage drinking, recreational drug use, and…public sex?!” Belle. She just couldn’t help herself.

  “Fuck you and your after school special. Are you going to let me finish? And more importantly, are there any more beers left?”

  Belle hung on my every word, but even with a fresh beer in hand, my nerve was beginning to fade. I had the words in my head, but to say them out loud was a struggle. She was my best friend, someone I would trust with my life, Paisley’s life even, and yet the shame and embarrassment that I thought had been long buried came crawling back to the surface.

  I braced for her judgment, the disappointment in her eyes when she discovered that I wasn’t who she thought I was, and that her admiration of me had been misplaced. I hadn’t always been the woman I claimed to be now. I pride myself on being strong, independent, and a good mother to Paisley. Had that too been a lie, an illusion just as Grey’s love for me had been?

  I hated that girl, and I would never, ever be her again. That silent vow echoed in the back of my mind as I told the rest of the story as though it belonged to someone else. All emotion was removed as though I was simply summarizing a half-priced paperback I picked up to pass the time during a short flight or a made for cable B-movie I watched during a sleepless night.

  Greyson was so lit up he didn’t have a clue that we had company. It wasn’t until he spoke that Greyson snapped out of it.

  “Not surprised you’re a selfish fuck there, Tack.”

  Grey pulled me tight against his chest, which kept me from being able to turn and face Chip myself. They continued to exchange a few more petty jabs, all the while Greyson didn’t even have the presence of mind to adjust my skirt, my own arms were pinned at my side, and so I remained exposed. I can’t say for sure if I attempted to free myself or not. I only recall that odd sensation of when your body feels to be moving in slow motion.

  “You are a lucky son of a bitch, though. I’ll give you that,” Chip continued. He always knew the right words to say, and winning by default was never an option for Greyson. I had never known him to fully back down, but considering they hadn’t come to blows earlier, I had hope.

  That hope soon vanished. Chip was a master at taunting him, basically daring him to prove him wrong, that yeah, it was ‘luck.’

  I thought, for a brief moment, that Greyson had caught himself. That he had realized the weight of what he had just asked of me. I exhaled a sigh of relief when he brought our foreheads together again. He couldn’t keep his eyes open, but there was something stirring.

  “Forever you and me,” he whispered before he captured my mouth and eased my body back against Chip’s. I became a whore that night. A pawn used to stroke my boyfriend’s ego, to prove I would always choose him. Forever you and me.

  To be clear, I wasn’t forced into anything. I loved Greyson and was willing to pay any price in order to prove it. At some point, Chip had closed and locked the door. He stepped back behind me but held a small space between us while Greyson slipped in and out of consciousness. There were moments I wasn’t sure he even knew where he was. His kisses were urgent, his touch anxious. Again as though he were holding on for dear life. He was broken and I wondered if what they say is true, that misery loves company. Did he need me to be broken too? Was that how he saw our forever?

  At that moment, I decided I would not break. My hair hung loose, it curtained the shame on my face as I grasped at Greyson’s chest with both hands. He was long gone, I could never look at him the same way again and so the tears began to fall. I tried with all that I had to blink them away but soon, my shoulders shook, causing Carter to spin me around to face him.

  A mixture of emotions danced across his perfect face. First horror followed by shame and then lastly, the worst of all, pity. I tried slipping away into the dark corner of the room, out from under the high moon’s knowing gaze but Chip felt like he needed to try to make it right. He was soft, gentle, and attempted to swipe the tears away with the pad of his thumbs. He felt sorry for me. I began to dance along that fine line between total and complete humiliation and being pissed the fuck off. I peered over my shoulder once more in hopes that Greyson would be on his knees begging for forgiveness. Instead, he was still sprawled out across the bed and with heavy lids, he stroked himself, his slurred voice barely above a whisper,

  “Why’d you stop baby?”

  It was then that I allowed but one last tear to fall. I grieved what was then over and done. I was lost to him, gone. He had tried, tried with all his might to break me. I didn’t break, instead, I got angry. I got angry and vowed that no one would ever have that kind of emotional control over me ever again. I decided to regain that control and so I reached out and I took what that beautiful boy offered me.

  Chip was hesitant at first but right or wrong, I knew he wouldn’t resist me for long. I was no master seductress by any means but when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him against me, he didn’t resist. He moaned against my mouth and opened himself to me. Maybe I’d been selfish, maybe not, but a shit storm was sure to follow.

  This is probably the part of the story where I’m supposed to sob about my regrets and how that night was the biggest mistake of my life. Only that’s not going to happen. I do realize that some may see things differently than I do, and that’s OK. Chip had been exactly what I needed him to be that night. Soft and gentle when I sought comfort, but also passionate and dominant when I started to get lost inside my own head.

  When dawn began to break, reality broke with it. Even then, it wasn’t shame that I felt. I had so many questions. Where did we all go from there? Could Greyson ever forgive me? Could I ever forgive Greyson? And what about Chip, what would all of this mean to him? I didn’t have to wait long to get my answers as
all hell broke loose in the following weeks, changing all of our lives forever.

  I chanced a glance at Belle. For as long as I had known her, I couldn’t recall her ever being rendered speechless. I could tell that her wheels were turning as she tried to find the words, as she tried to process all I had just confessed to her.

  “How do you want your eggs? And please tell me you have bacon. Like, real bacon. No turkey, ninety-nine percent fat-free type of abomination either. I mean the real shit.”

  “Yeah,” I answered simply. I was shocked but all too willing to follow her lead. I didn’t miss the pained look in her eyes or how she suddenly had a great interest in stacking the magazines on the coffee table just so. I knew she had questions, but I also knew she wouldn’t press. Sure, she was a little bat shit crazy even on a good day, but she was more than a best friend; she was family.

  I took a deep breath and stood. Helping her out in the kitchen would be a good distraction. Though frying bacon in the middle of the night may not be a good idea. I didn’t need Peanut waking up to this. I did need something in my stomach, though, and I would figure out what to do with Greyson later…or not.

  “But that’s just the beginning of the story, wouldn’t you say, Pres?”

  Chapter 7

  Presley

  I hadn’t heard him coming, didn’t know how long he’d been listening. His eyes squinted, and he swayed on his feet. So much for sleeping it off. He held onto the back of the couch as he stumbled his way towards me. He addressed Belle but kept his eyes fixed on me. He still had trouble focusing, and his gaze grew darker. It was a mix of bitterness and sadness.