I wonder why he hasn’t yet brought up his goddamn trophies. But I’m not about to give him an opening to do just that, so I continue before he can fill the space between us with more of his poisonous words.
“Seeing as you insist on cranking the bass high enough to wake the dead, and seeing as you thought it would be a good idea to plaster my walls with pictures of tits and ass, hiding away in my room isn’t much of an option right now.”
He flashes that infuriatingly arrogant smile then.
“I thought you’d be used to seeing tits and ass everywhere. Does it remind you of home?”
Bastard.
I bite down on the responding insult working its way up my throat because he’s just not worth it.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” I ask coolly, quirking an eyebrow.
I can see from the heat in his expression, that it has the desired effect.
“Because if that’s the case, then I think I’ll just sit down and pour myself another drink. I’d ask you to join me, but I don’t drink with assholes, so if you don’t mind …” I add, sounding much braver than I feel. Because right now, I feel intimidated as hell. But there’s no way I’m about to let him see that.
The heat in his gaze blazes to an almighty inferno and I was right to feel intimidated. I’m suddenly all too aware that I’m feeding a fire that will most likely burn me alive.
“I do mind, actually,” Raph replies, his eyes darkening.
I open my mouth to retort, but we’re suddenly interrupted.
“What do we have here?” Baron’s voice travels from behind Raph.
I look up to see those striking aquamarine eyes peering at me from over Raph’s shoulder. He flashes me that panty dropping smile. But with the two of them towering over me like a pair of line backers, it’s impossible to feel anything other than intimidated.
Across the natatorium, I can see Lance looking over at us from the pool edge. The flash of alarm in his expression tells me that if I’m not already worried, then I sure as hell should be.
Raph’s eyes me coolly, and the ruthless glint in those impossibly blue eyes is impossible to miss.
“No one important,” he replies casually, but his eyes never leave mine and clearly those words are directed at me.
“Just someone who needs to be taught a lesson.”
Baron’s smile widens in response. But before I can tell both these assholes to go to hell, I feel the ground falling away beneath me. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m being carried over someone’s shoulder. Raph’s very broad and powerfully muscled shoulder.
I start thrashing against the iron grip, although I’m still too disoriented to truly understand what’s happening.
Raph lets out a low growl in response.
“You think you’re funny throwing my stuff into the sea—my trophies?” he says, finally alluding to my earlier act of revenge.
“Let me go!” I scream, although it’s lost in the pounding music. Put me down, you fucker!”
Before I can say anything else, I feel myself flying through the air and the shock of wetness as I plunge into water. Acting on instinct, I kick my way up to the surface, spewing out chlorine water as I break through. Laughter echoes through the glass walled natatorium.
Any residual disorientation fades when I realize that the asshole has thrown me into the swimming pool.
I smooth my hair back with shaking hands. I’m so furious, I can’t even see straight. But through the haze of rage, my eyes lock onto Raph, who is standing over the pool, his arms crossed over his perfectly tanned chest and looking all too pleased with himself. I want to wipe that smile off his face.
I can hear the distinct sound of Layla and Ivy cackling in the background.
“Damn girl, you look sexy as hell all soaked through like that.” Baron is standing closest to the pool edge with Lance and both of them are smirking down at me.
My face is burning now, because I can feel that everyone is staring. What looks like the entire soccer team is gathered around, pissing themselves with laughter, at the sight.
My temper explodes and I grab the two closest people to the pool edge—Baron and Lance, pulling them into the water by their legs.
Baron glides through the water effortlessly, like a shark, and surfaces quickly, laughing as he breaks through. Heir of the sea, indeed. I can feel his arms wrap around me as he tries to help me out of the pool.
“Chill, sweetheart, it was just a joke,” he says, still laughing. His arm wraps tighter around my waist as he leads me up to the pool steps. I make to push him away, but Raph is already speaking.
“Get your fucking hands off her, B,” Raph growls. He suddenly looks furious as he glares at Baron, and I have no clue why. It only makes me angrier.
I climb the pool steps and march over to where Raph is standing, painfully aware that my white sleeping shorts and vest are soaked through, leaving little to the imagination. I hate myself for not wearing a bra to bed tonight.
Raph’s eyes are like blue flames as they rake over my body and it only adds fuel to the anger boiling inside me.
Something inside me snaps then and I feel the sharp sting of flesh against my palm as I slap Raph across that smug face of his.
The room falls into silence and I can hear audible gasps coming from the soccer team. Raph looks stunned, but recovers quickly. He’s beyond furious. Good. So am I.
“Are you crazy?” Raph seethes.
I force my breathing to calm, and I step closer as I bring my face up to his.
“Yeah, I am—and if you keep messing with me, you’ll see just what a crazy bitch I am. You think this was funny? Well laugh it up, because you won’t be laughing when I return the favor.”
Feeling brazen then, or just feeling like I have nothing left to lose, I bring my lips up to his ear.
“And I always return the favor.”
I think I’m imagining it, but I swear that I feel a shudder go through that powerfully muscled body. Either way, he seems at a loss for words, as I turn on my heel and walk away into the stunned crowd.
I can feel his eyes burning a hole into the back of me. It isn’t until I get back upstairs and see my reflection in the full length mirror that I realize my soaked white sleeping shorts are so see-through, that I may as well have been walking away bare assed.
10
I wake up the next morning, totally regretting the promise of pay back. Who am I kidding? I may not take shit from anyone, but that doesn’t mean I have any experience in revenge tactics, or any other form of high school terrorization. The trophies in the ocean stunt was purely a onetime thing.