Clash (5 page)

Chapter Nine

Dylan

“Damn, Dylan, you look like shit,” Cooper hollered from the couch as I passed by on my way to the kitchen.

It had been a long time since I got as drunk as I did last night. The aftereffects reminded me exactly why I avoided that shit. My fucking head pounded, and my stomach rolled as I entered the kitchen and smelled eggs frying. How in the hell these guys drank and then woke up to eat that greasy shit was a mystery to me.

I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. I needed to get some Tylenol into me and quick. When someone slapped the back of my head I spun around ready to deck the fucker, only to find my sister staring back at me with a glare.

“What the fuck, Case?” I growled as I grabbed the Tylenol from the counter. It was a must around here, and we had bottles stashed in almost every room. “Why the hell did you hit me?”

“Because you are a douchebag,” she retorted without hesitation.

“Okay.” I had no fucking idea to what she was referring, but with my condition last night I was sure I popped off and said something shitty to her. “I’m sorry for whatever it was that I said or did to you.”

“Oh it wasn’t me, you idiot, but since you are too fucking stupid to know when you could have a good thing, someone else stepped in and took your place.” She spun on her heel and walked back in the direction of Seth’s room.

“Do you mind explaining to me what you are talking about?” I hollered after her, only to be ignored.

My sister could be a drama queen. She tended to take the smallest things and turn them into something huge. I brushed off our morning altercation to one of those moments and went back to bed. I needed to sleep off this hangover from hell.

***

I woke a few hours later, and after a long, hot shower I threw on some fresh clothes and finally joined the ranks of the living. As I jogged down the stairs, I made a mental note to go light on the drinking from now on. That shit was not worth it.

Once I reached the bottom, the front door came open and I felt like I got kicked straight in the nuts. Casey and Seth entered first followed closely by Payton and Todd. Todd had his arm slung over Payton’s shoulders and she was laughing at something Todd had said to her.

I heard my heart speed up and start beating inside my ears, and the ache in my chest left me feeling winded.

“Like I said, someone else was willing to fill your spot,” Casey whispered as she walked past me carrying four boxes of pizza.

Payton didn’t even seem to notice me standing there; she was entirely too busy laughing at Todd. That surprised feeling from earlier was now shifting toward anger at how close he was to her.

They settled in the TV room and placed the pizzas on the coffee table. Each one found a comfortable place to sit and dug in. Todd chose the seat right next to Payton, once again entirely too close to her.

“I hate olives,” Todd groaned as he began to pick off the black specs that were buried beneath the cheese.

“Stop being a baby,” she said as she leaned in and started helping him pick off the olives. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he held up his hand and her lips grazed his fingers as she took the one he was holding. I suddenly felt sick.

“Well, the two of you sure became close overnight.” The words flew out of my mouth before I had time to think about them. “Didn’t know you were into being fed, Payton.”

Seth and Todd looked in my direction, and Payton kept her head down. Casey was giving me a look that screamed “get the fuck out,” but I refused to leave. I walked into the room and took the only empty chair. “Mind if I join you?”

Seth smirked and Todd appeared oblivious to my attitude. “Sure man, there’s plenty of pizza. But this one here insisted on everything. There’s one plain, but Seth already claimed that one.”

“No worries. Payton and I seem to enjoy the same things, so everything is fine with me.” I leaned in and grabbed a piece from the box. Then Payton’s gaze connected with mine. “I may need a little help feeding myself. You wanna come over here and help?” I patted a spot on my leg and she blushed. It made me feel good to get a rise out of her.

The tension in the room was so thick I could feel it, but I just kept digging and pushing. “Or I could feed you.”

Then Payton glared at me, and it made my heart race with excitement. It was a reaction; I didn’t care whether it was one of anger or irritation. If I could distract her from Todd, then I was accomplishing my goal.

“So what are we watching?” Seth asked Casey as she loaded the DVD into the player.

“It’s called
Hitch
, with Will Smith. It’s about a guy who thinks he has it all figured out until a certain girl knocks him on his ass, but his stupidity may have ruined his chances at a great thing.” Her gaze locked on mine and I knew what she was doing. It was her way of getting in a dig at me.

“Or you could look at it as he may have made a mistake, but it only makes the bond between him and the girl that much stronger in the end.” I cocked my head to the side, daring her to come back at me and knowing she would.

“That is exactly what any idiot would say when they are too stupid to see what has been in front of them for years. But instead of acting on it, they whore themselves out and act like a dickhead instead.” Casey was challenging me. She had no problem saying what she felt. Not many people knew what to do with her once she got going.

Movement from my left caught my attention and I turned just in time to see Payton standing up from her seat on the couch. “Excuse me,” she said so quietly I almost missed it.

Casey started to get up, but I moved faster than she could and rushed after Payton, catching her just as she reached the bathroom. “What do you want, Dylan?” she asked as she faced me.

“I need to talk to you,” I replied, feeling like a complete jackass for pushing so hard. I nudged her back through the bathroom door and closed it behind us.

“I think you talked enough last night. It was a mistake, I know. You don’t need to worry about things changing between us. I’m fine.” Payton continued to ramble, and I had no idea where she was getting these ideas. “I’ll act like that day in your room didn’t happen, I promise, so you can stop acting like some asshole.”

“It wasn’t a mistake,” I said. She looked back at me like I had just sprouted a second head.

“So now you play head games? I never thought you were that type of guy, Dylan. But I guess I was wrong.” She tried to get past me, but I placed one hand on each side of her, pinning her to the vanity.

“I don’t know to what you or Casey are referring, but I get a feeling I said or did something wrong last night.” Payton looked down, refusing to let me see her face. “Whatever it was, I can assure you I didn’t mean it. At first, I thought what happened in my room was a mistake, but only because I thought Casey would be pissed I acted that way toward you.”

I knelt lower so I could see her face, and she lifted her chin just enough for me to catch a glimpse. Her eyes were red, making me weak in the knees. “Payton,” I whispered as I let go of the cabinet and placed my hand beneath her chin, forcing her to lift her head completely. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She pushed my hand away and I let it fall to my side.

“But you did. I showed up here last night unsure of what to expect. You pulled me off to the side to tell me everything was a mistake, but rejecting me when I attempted to make sure you were okay was not one of them. Now here you are, backpedaling, trying to make it seem like I’m wrong for hanging out with Todd. At least he’s nice to me.” Her nostrils flared; I knew that look well. She was attempting to hold back her anger and her tears.

“You can’t expect me to enjoy being toyed with. I spent entirely too many years of my life being played like some fucking pawn. I refuse to go through that again.”

“I’m not trying to play you,” I assured her, but she wasn’t buying it.

“Just leave it alone, Dylan.”

And just like that she was gone. Payton rushed from the room, leaving me behind to wonder what the fuck just happened. Everything went from bad to worse before I knew what hit me.

Chapter Ten

Payton

Dylan honored my request to just leave it alone. In fact, he left everything alone. He hadn’t been home in three weeks, his only offering a call every few days to check in with Karen. He was obviously avoiding everyone because of me, which only made me feel worse. We had always been friends, but one stupid slip-up and now we didn’t even talk any longer. It made me feel sick.

My phone beeped indicating a text message and I scrambled for it. I had been home alone for hours and I was looking for even the smallest bit of human interaction.

Todd: Are we still on for tonight?

Over the last few weeks, Todd and I had a lot of fun together. I knew he was hoping for more because he mentioned the possibility to Seth, but I just didn’t feel it. I had fun just talking to him and acting silly; nothing struck me as long term with him. But how do you let a guy down easy without ruining a friendship? I had already crushed one, and that had been stronger than the one with Todd. Or at least I thought it was.

Me: What were you planning? I actually thought I would just stay in my pajamas all day and veg out in front of the television.

After I hit send I crawled out of bed and picked up my robe before heading to the bathroom. I was in need of a long, hot shower.

Karen would be at the hospital until around 11 p.m. Casey took off for the weekend with Seth, and Carter—hell, who knew where he was. My plan to lounge in front of the television was exactly what would happen.

I’d find a way to get out of Todd’s hopeful plans. I knew it was time to put the brakes on whatever relationship he hoped for. I just didn’t feel it and knew I never would.

Stepping out of the shower I towel dried my hair and only took the time to wrap myself in my robe before walking back toward my room. I tilted my head to the side, still attempting to dry the dripping ends. I wasn’t looking straight ahead.

Passing the threshold into my room, I shut the door behind me and dropped my robe to the floor. Digging through my drawer for a pair of panties, I picked a pair of my favorite pink silk ones and put one leg in at a time.

When I stood up, I looked in the mirror on my dresser and froze in shock. Letting out a scream, I covered my mouth and my breasts, spinning around to face Dylan. He was sitting on the end of my bed, his head tilted downward but a smirk on his lips. “What the hell are you doing?”

His body shook as he attempted to hold back his laughter. “I guess we’re even.”

“What?” I knelt down and picked up my robe from the floor and quickly covered my exposed body.

“You saw me naked,” he said as he lifted his head and looked up at me. “I’ve seen you naked.” He shrugged and I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment.

“Dylan,” I said, “what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. Thought I had stayed away long enough.” He stood from the bed and walked toward me. “I miss you. I know that I fucked up. I know I said things I shouldn’t have and never would have had I been sober. But I can’t take those things back.”

Taking another step toward me, he reached out and pulled at the string on my robe, smiling when I gripped the hem and held it tightly together.

“It wasn’t a mistake, Payton,” he whispered as he lifted his hand and molded it to my jaw. “I’m jealous, to the point where I’ve planned ways to convince Todd you are some crazy stalker girl and he should run away while he still has a chance.”

I narrowed my eyes at his comment and he chuckled. “Hey, a guy’s gotta do whatever it takes to gain a chance at redemption.”

“You are so confusing,” I stated, only making him chuckle once more.

“You don’t think this entire thing confuses the hell out of me? I mean, you have always been like a sister to me. Yeah, you always have been gorgeous and I’m a guy, so of course I noticed.” His compliment made me smile. “But I always felt like you were kind of off limits. After the morning you came to my room, something shifted, and I don’t think I can stay away like before.”

“So is this only because of Todd?” I asked as he lowered his head, bringing his face closer to mine. He only shook his head in reply. “Because if it is—” He pressed his thumb to my lips to stop me.

“This has nothing to do with Todd or anyone else. This is about me feeling something for you I have never felt before. Something I don’t want to keep pretending doesn’t exist.”

His thumb traced my lips as his eyes followed his movements. The whole moment felt surreal. It was something I had imagined more times than I could count. Something I wished for, but nothing I ever thought would happen.

“I’m gonna kiss you, Payton, and I hope you’re okay with that.” Dylan’s voice had a longing I hadn’t heard before. I arched my neck, hoping to give him a sign that I did want him to kiss me.

The moment his lips touched mine, I moaned quietly. He was so gentle at first, nipping and sucking lightly, small kisses that only left me wanting more.

Those kisses quickly changed as he combed his hand through my wet hair and wrapped the back of my neck with his palm.

I sagged back against the dresser, and he wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me from collapsing further. My body was humming, begging for more. His lips against mine left me needing him to take charge.

As if he heard my silent plea, he licked at my lower lip, begging for more. When I opened for him, he groaned; the sound sent heat through my body, settling in my core. I was so turned on my body trembled.

“You feel amazing, Payton,” he whispered as he parted my robe and I allowed it to fall open. I wanted him to see me and touch me; I wanted it all.

This was Dylan, and I knew I was safe.

“Tell me to stop.” He nipped at my jaw as he ran his tongue along the side of my neck. “Tell me to slow down, Payton.”

“No,” I responded without hesitation. “Don’t stop and don’t slow down.”

“But I—” It was my turn to stop him. I covered his mouth with mine and gave the kiss all I had. I needed him to understand that with him, I would never hesitate.

“Are you sure about this?” he whispered against my lips.

“Yes,” I responded as he kissed me again.

I felt so alive, so needy and needed.

“If this happens, then you’re mine.” Chills ran over my body as he spoke those words. He had to know that was exactly what I wanted. “No more Todd or any other guy. It’s just you and me, Payton. This isn’t just a one-time thing, sweetheart.”

“That’s what I want.” God, more than I wanted air, I wanted him.