Deceit (Gallows Hill #1)

21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Liam

I flatten out my shirt despite it just being a plain black t-shirt, before knocking on her door. She’s always so polished and pressed to perfection, I wouldn’t blame her for looking down her nose at me. Everyone else seems to.

I don’t know what possessed me to push her to go out with me tonight. She’s off-limits, obviously. If I hadn’t ran out of my dorm room tonight, Asher would have beat my ass. He tried to when I offhandedly mentioned I was taking out his fiancée.

It’s not like he likes her or anything. Honestly, he can’t stand her. So, why does it matter if I spend some time with her? She’s fucking hot and she has a little bit of fire in her that I’m just itching to set ablaze.

When the door opens, I put on my most charming smile. As soon as I fully see her though, I feel my smile drop and my stomach tighten. Fuck.

She’s gorgeous. Her long toned legs go on for miles in those black heels, before a black dress that hugs her curves like a second skin begins at her thighs. Her hair is in loose curls, and she has a little bit of sparkly eyeshadow in the inner corners of her eyes that make them pop more than they usually do.

“What? Do I not look okay?” she asks, dropping the hand clutched around her phone to her side.

“No,” I say, snapping out of the temporary daze she had me in for a minute. “You’re beautiful, but I’m sorry to say, you’re definitely going to have to change.”

Her brows furrow at that as I gesture towards her room.

“May I?”

I watch as those beautiful green eyes narrow just a fraction, before she steps to the side. I stride across her room smoothly, my eyes taking note of every personal detail about the room as I do. I’ll be honest, there isn’t much. The room looks hardly lived in. Just a few pictures of her and a blonde woman. Then a blue and white bottle of perfume, a thing of lotion and a candy bar. She doesn’t seem like the candy eating type, mainly because I’ve been watching her for weeks and all she ever eats is a salad or chicken and rice. Maybe it’s a guilty pleasure of hers.

Turning my attention to her walk in closet, I step inside making myself right at home, as my fingers begin skimming through the different materials hanging on either side.

“Uhm, excuse me. What do you think you’re doing?” Skyla scoffs as she comes to stand behind me.

I don’t answer, instead grabbing a red shirt that seems to be the closest thing this girl owns to a casual shirt, before reaching for a black pair of jeans. I hand them both to her as I smile.

“Probably going to want more comfortable shoes too.”

She blinks at me slowly, before continuing to stare at me like I’ve lost my mind. I just grin at her as I slip out of the closet and plop down onto one of her plush couches. I pull my phone out, pretending to scroll on it as I speak.

“Go ahead, act like I’m not even here.”

She scoffs, before stomping off towards her bathroom but not before I hear her mutter.

“Entitled prick. Why the hell did I even agree to this stupid date?”

I can’t help but smirk at her irritation. God, I love to wind her up. That’s not why I told her to change, though. She will thank me later when she sees where we’re going.

To my surprise, she actually gets changed quickly. If I thought she looked beautiful in a little black dress, seeing her in a tight pair of jeans and a casual shirt with her curls shook out does me in. There is something so fucking sexy about a woman who doesn’t have to try. A woman that is just effortlessly beautiful. It’s obvious Skyla has that, but she’s always dressed up like a barbie doll– like she’s dressing for someone else, not herself.

I clap my hands together, doing my best to swallow away this dry feeling in my throat that has suddenly set in.

“Much better,” I say as I jump to my feet. “This way, milady.” Offering my arm for her to take.

Her eyes look me up and down before she shakes her head. She throws her phone into a clutch, slipping her feet into a pair of socks and white tennis shoes before walking out the door. Again, I can’t help but grin. That little fire in her is already smoldering, let’s see if I can get her to let loose enough to burn Salem to the fucking ground tonight.

I slip out of her door and make it into the elevator just before the doors close. She looks at me unimpressed as she leans against the wall of the elevator. The doors open as we hit the first floor and I allow her to sashay her way out first. Mainly so I can admire her from back here, because goddamn she has a delicious ass.

She turns to look over her shoulder, catching me in the act and rolls her eyes before facing forward again. I’m not really sure where she’s going, but I don’t mind letting her take the driver’s seat for a little while. I leisurely follow behind her, casually whistling to myself as she leads us out of her dorm, into the courtyard, and out to the parking lot before she pauses.

Spinning on her heel, she turns back to look at me with furrowed brows.

“Where are we going?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, babygirl. You seemed so confident of your path I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Okay, forget this. I’m already sick of your shit,” she says, as she moves to walk past me.

I catch her hand before she can get too far, though. She jolts to a stop, attempting to free herself from my grip, but I only tighten my hold smiling down at her as I shake my head.

“Don’t fight me, babygirl. I think it’s cute. I love a woman who takes what she wants. You were right anyways, I parked just up here,” I say, allowing my breath to fan across her cheek as I speak.

For a moment, I don’t think I affect her in the slightest, which is more than aggravating for me. That is, until I see her pulse practically thundering from her neck. My mouth pulls up into a wicked grin as I inch myself closer to her, softening my words as I do.

“One night, give me one night and I guarantee you’ll have the most fun you’ve ever had.”

Her eyes are wide and hazy like a million thoughts are playing out in her head, all warring to be one to make it to the surface. I wait for her witty retort or smartass insult but neither come. Instead, she swallows once, righting her posture and agrees with a nod.

Nodding in delight, I take a step towards the parking lot forcing her to follow me, mainly because I still haven’t let go of her hand. She wiggles her fingers before huffing an irritated sigh.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all, your hands are buttery smooth.” I smile, tossing her a quick wink before practically dragging her to my car. When we come up to it, I hit my key and unlock the door before holding hers open for her. Her brows furrow before she shakes her head.

“I’m not getting into that thing.”

“Why not?”

“Look at the tires! They look like they are about to fall off!”

A laugh escapes me as I glance at my Nissan 350Z. With the stance tires I have on, they are definitely for performance instead of a comfy casual drive. She’ll see why we need them soon, though.

“They’re fine, actually just got these put on last week,” I say, as I gesture to the tires with their shiny new rims to compliment the fresh rubber.

She still looks hesitant before a figure is moving across the parking lot. It takes me a moment to recognize Ronan. I give him a wave but he isn’t looking at me, he’s looking at her. My head swings to see Skyla staring at him like a deer caught in headlights.

Gone is her hesitation, she all but dives into the car headfirst before ripping the door out of my hand and slamming it closed. I contemplate on staying where I am as I watch Ronan pick up into a jog towards us, but then consider that this could be way more fun.

So, I slide across the hood, Dukes of Hazzard style of course, before jumping into the driver’s seat. Skyla struggles with the harness until I lean over and quickly fasten her in before doing the same for myself.

“Can this thing go fast?” she asks, a hurried rasp to her usually silky voice.

I can’t help but laugh as I fire up the engine, that Rb26dett swap coming to life with a throaty roar, before I dump the clutch and peel out of there. Smoke billows from my rear tires as we burn rubber all the way to the street. Glancing in my rear view mirror I see Ronan standing there, hands on his hips, surrounded in a cloud of smoke, looking absolutely fucking livid.

I drop a gear before sending us into the corner in front of us, a scream erupting from Skyla as I do. Cranking the wheel, our ass-end gives way, allowing us to seamlessly drift around the corner before I right the car. I let off the throttle, allowing us to blend in with traffic as we drive into downtown.

Skyla’s screams slowly dissolve into a fit of laughter. Her smile is wide, eyes squinted and chest heaving as she giggles and squeals. It’s an infectious sound, so light and carefree. It does something to me, forcing laughter to escape me as well.

I don’t know how long we spend laughing like fucking fools while I maneuver us through the streets until we finally get far enough out of town.

“Okay, okay. God, I can’t breathe,” Skyla says softly, as her laughter dies down before she clears her throat. “Alright, where are you taking us, Mr. Walcott?” she teases.

I wince before I can help it, the sound of my father’s name on her lips is like nails on a chalkboard for me.

“Just Liam, babygirl, or daddy. Whatever you’re in the mood for,” I say with a wink.

She doesn’t seem to sense my discomfort, which I’m grateful for, as we drive up the county road before stopping at the start line.

Her mouth drops open as her eyes begin to scan the heavily crowded road.

“Welcome to the drifts, Skyla.”

Before she can respond, I’m parking while undoing my harness and getting out. A crowd quickly forms around me, and I greet several people before pushing past them to reach Skyla’s door. She seems to have gotten the harness off herself as she slides out the door in the next second. She has a curious smile on her face as the crowd surrounding us gets larger.

Anthony walks up to us, pulling me in for a quick bro-hug before holding out his hand. I drop the wad of cash from my pocket into his hand, and he nods his thanks before disappearing to collect the other racers buy-in for the night.

“How much was that?” Skyla asks.

More people join us, blasting music from their cars and talking amongst themselves. I wrap my arm around Skyla, dragging her against my chest to keep her away from the crowd as I speak into her ear.

“Ten k.”

“Ten thousand dollars?” She asks, as she turns to face me. “For what?”

“A chance to race.”

“And lose!” A heckler calls out from the side.

I roll my eyes at them before looking back at Skyla, who now has her ass pressed against me and is relaxed beneath my touch. I’m not sure if she realizes it or not, but who am I to stop her? In fact, I push things a little further to see how brave she’s feeling tonight.

My hand that was resting against my car moves to her jean clad hip, gripping it in a way that she could pull away from me if she wanted, but shows that I hope she doesn’t. To my pleasure, she doesn’t pull away. In fact, I could swear she sinks into my touch just a little more before giving me a shy smile over her shoulder. Goddamnit, she has a beautiful smile.

The intoxicating scent of her perfume and something that is undeniably her swirls between us, forcing everything else to slowly slip away until all I see is her. Her head is still turned, eyes on me, as she moves forward first. Her eyes are practically begging with me to talk her out of what comes next. Absolutely fuck that shit, though.

When she’s only half an inch from my mouth, an engine rumbles beside us until the exhaust cracks, forcing her to startle and me to curse. She pulls away from me, like she doesn’t realize how she got that close to me in the first place before crossing her arms over her chest. Something like disappointment hits me in the chest, and I stand up to my full height as I open her door before gesturing inside.

She steps in without a word, and I shut it a little harder than necessary. I make eye contact with Anthony giving him a ‘lets go’ gesture. He gives me a thumbs up before I slip inside, doing my harness as Skyla does hers.

“You ready?” I ask.

“Should I be scared?” she laughs nervously.

I give her half of a grin as I shake my head.

“Not with me, babygirl. Never with me.”

She rolls her lips together before nodding once. I gesture to the interior roll cage before pointing to the oh shit handle.

“We’re about as safe as you can get. Grab onto that if you need it,” I say before firing up the car.

My baby roars to life once again, and I put her into gear before creeping through the quickly dispersing crowds as all of the cars line up for the night. Usually I know everyone here, but a blacked out WRX pulls up beside me too tinted to see inside. I know I’ve never seen them before, though. They rap their engine, edging the starting line as Anthony comes to stand at the front. There are five of us tonight. It’s only a three mile loop, but it’s full of sharp S turns and even a dirt path for a quarter mile. Normally, I’d say my odds were more than fair, but tonight? I have no choice but to win. I have a hot date to impress.

When Anthony drops his arm, we all take off. I’m smashing through gears, that twin-turbo treating me real nice as we come into the first corner. Everyone is clean, keeping their distance from one another as me and the WRX maintain the lead.

On the third S turn, I glance over to check on Skyla only to find her grinning. She has an excited gleam in her eyes as her right hand holds onto the oh shit handle.

“Want to help?” I ask.

“Help?” she balks.

I grin at her, grabbing her left hand and resting it on the shifter, before dumping the clutch and laying my hand over hers. Together we grab fifth before whipping out of the turn and heading down the straight stretch. The speedometer is practically maxed as we push my baby for all she’s worth.

We lose two of the cars on the dirt. Both of them spin out one after another followed by the Supra in the final stretch, effectively taking out the WRX.

“C’mon! Hurry!” Skyla squeals, as we approach the makeshift finish line.

I grin at her as I force us to shift into sixth and give us the extra push to finish. I don’t bring up the fact that everyone else is miles behind us. She is too into it, why spoil the fun?

When we cross over that line the crowd erupts, bouncing and shouting wildly as bets are quickly paid. We come to a stop as Anthony jogs over to me, tossing a brown paper bag through my rolled down window. I nod my thanks before we take off again and this time, Skyla doesn’t even try to take her hand out from under mine. Instead, I feel her hand grip the top of the stick shift tighter like she wants to do it all herself, and it’s fucking adorable.

Before I know it, I’m pulling up to my favorite look-out point. I’ve actually never brought anyone here before. It’s just been my place, to come and escape from the world for a little while. Something told me she’d be able to appreciate it just as much, though.

I shut the car down and before I can say anything, Skyla is out of the car and jumping up and down shouting in celebration.

“Oh my god! I can’t believe that. The rush. My god, that has to be one of the most exhilarating things that I’ve ever done in my life!”

“It’s an adrenaline high like no other, right?” I smile as I get out of the car.

She nods quickly as she spins in a circle, her arms outstretched by her sides in a carefree way that has something stirring inside me. I gotta be honest, I did not think she was going to have this much fun. I’ve taken a few girls drifting before, most of them are so scared shitless they never come again. Which is fine since double-dipping isn’t really my thing, anyways. I wasn’t expecting her to enjoy it so much, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy tonight so much.

A huge piece of why I wanted to go out with her was for the challenge of it. She seems so uncrackable, and she was a challenge I happily accepted. It was a bonus that me taking her out would drive Asher crazy. He’s been more of an asshole than usual lately, and one of my favorite pastimes is to fuck with him.

Though, all ulterior motives dropped, I’m having a really good time with her.

Probably too good.

Pushing away from the car, I decide to say fuck it and get out of my head. I wrap my arm around her waist and put my other hand into hers as I lead her through a very dramatic slow dance, spinning and dipping her as I do.

“How does it feel to be on a date with a winner?” I ask, as she spins in my arms.

“I’m a Parris, I wouldn’t be out with you if I thought you were anything less than.”

“Well, thank god I won,” I laugh.

She nods her agreement, tilting her head to the side as she speaks.

“Can I ask you something?”

I nod.

“So, are you bi? Or do you label yourself? Obviously, you’ve been with plenty of women but I hear plenty about you being with men, and then there was that day that I walked in on you.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I didn’t expect her to ask that. I must take too long to answer though because she quickly scrambles to speak again.

“I’m sorry. That was really rude and invasive. Ignore me. Can we blame my lack of manners on the adrenaline rush? Lets,” she cringes, as she shakes her head.

I can’t help but chuckle at her panic as I shake my head.

“Don’t be. I’m not exactly shy about my…proclivities,” I say with a wink. “I’m not crazy about labels, but I guess I closely identify with a bisexual heteroromantic.”

She gives me a confused look and I smile as I elaborate.

“I’m only interested in women romantically, but I’m sexually attracted to both men and women.”

“Oh, so you wouldn’t be interested in dating a man?” she hedges.

I shrug. “Sexuality is fluid and always changing so, never say never I suppose. Though, I can’t see myself forming that kind of connection with a man at this time in my life, no.”

Skyla nods, looking up at me shyly through her lashes.

“But you would with a woman….date that is.”

I can’t help but smirk at the underlying meaning in her words.

“I don’t typically date, but there is always the exception,” I say, allowing my eyes to roam over her, extremely purposeful in my intent.

She blushes from my gaze, nodding her head. I slowly back her up, allowing her ass to hit the hood of my car before I close in on her. She tilts her head to look up at me, but she doesn’t have to for long before I’m lifting her onto the hood and stepping between her legs. Her eyes dart back and forth between my own then down to my lips, and a heavy feeling settles in the air between us as she does.

My eyes drop to her mouth, her lips so fucking full and red. They look so soft, so sweet, like a piece of goddamn fruit. I’ve wanted to know what she tasted like from the moment I laid eyes on her, but she needs to come to me for this. She needs to want it as bad as I do.

I do reach out, resting my hands on her hips, digging my fingers into her as I do my best to maintain my composure. Easier said than done when I have this stunner of a woman staring up at me like she’s never wanted anything or anyone more.

Her neck arches up just enough and when her lips touch mine, my control snaps. I planned to be slow and gentle, let her take the lead, but I can’t. One brush of her lips against mine and a zap runs through my body all the way down to my toes. It practically jolts me to life, before I’m cupping the back of her neck, decimating any distance left between us.

My tongue traces against the seam of her lips before forcing its way in. She greets me happily, tangling hers around mine as she arches into me. I press my hardening cock against her pussy and relish in the needy moan that escapes her.

Having a mind of their own, my hands begin running down her body, cupping her breasts momentarily before making their way between her thighs. I grind the heel of my palm against her, giving her just a taste of the friction I know she craves. She moans again, her mouth falling open as I rub against her faster and faster.

“Feel good, babygirl?” I murmur against her lips, as I begin peppering her neck with kisses.

“Yes,” she gasps. “More.”

No need to tell me twice.

Flicking the button of her jeans open I push on her chest, forcing her to sprawl out across my hood before I begin peeling her jeans down her legs. Her black silk panties stick to the material, coming off right along with them. I snatch those up quickly, pocketing them before she can argue with me.

Fucking hell.

My head drops forward for a moment before I shake it because holy fuck. I’ve never seen a prettier pussy in my entire life. Looking up at her through my hair, I smirk before spreading her open and revealing her perfect clit. Brushing my thumb against it, she physically shutters before letting out a breathy moan.

“Liam,” she gasps.

“Fuck,” I groan. “You can’t say my name like that, babygirl.”

“Why not?” she asks, her head lifted slightly to meet my eyes.

“Because, it makes me want to fuck you raw, right here on the hood of my car.”

Hesitation flickers in her eyes, as the color nearly drains from her face. I chuckle softly as my hand taps against her thigh.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise if I deflowered the Parris Princess.”

She lets out a slow breath like she’s relieved, but I don’t miss the flash of disappointment that passes across her features. It’s gone almost instantly, but it was there. I saw it, memorized it and will never forget it.

“But,” I continue. “That doesn’t mean I can’t give you an orgasm or two.”

Before she can speak, I slip a finger inside her. I know I shouldn’t, penetration of any kind really should be off the table with her but goddamnit, I’m only human.

She’s so fucking tight, if I didn’t already know she was a virgin, it’s guaran-fucking-teed now. Despite being tighter than a nun’s pussy, she’s absolutely drenched, allowing me to push a little deeper before withdrawing and repeating the motion.

I hear her breathe slowly and I look up curiously.

“You okay, babygirl?”

She nods. “It’s just tight. Your fingers, they’re so big. I didn’t think it could hurt.”

Frowning at that, I slow my motions.

“Skyla, you’ve been finger fucked before, right?”

Surely she has, obviously she’s a virgin but it’s not like all the London douchebags didn’t shoot their shot with her. She’s too much of a bombshell not to have a line out the door, of men desperate for her.

A slight tinge of red touches her cheeks as she shrugs softly.

“I’ve done it myself but—”

“Never anyone else?” I ask, way too much pleasure bleeding into my voice knowing that I’m the first person to touch her here.

She shakes her head and I feel my cock leak pre-cum in my pants at that.

“Fuck me, guess I have a high bar to set for you. Sit back and relax, babygirl. I’m gonna finger fuck you until you soak the hood of this car.”

Curling my finger upwards, I go slow, rubbing her g-spot nice and easy to start. I allow her more time to adjust to the feeling as my other hand begins playing with her clit. She shutters out a satisfied moan as I continue working her over. She opens up to me surprisingly easily. Within a minute or so, I’m slipping another finger inside her, stretching her virgin pussy as wide as it’s ever been. Which is so fucking hot to think about.

Her hands ball up at her sides as her breathing becomes choppy.

“Oh god. Oh god, Liam! Liam!” she shouts out, shattering apart in my arms.

Her cum begins leaking down my hand and I waste no time in removing my fingers to chase down the taste. I suck both of my fingers into my mouth, licking them clean before releasing them with a pop. The taste of her has me groaning with equal amounts of desire and frustration.

Goddamnit.

It is taking everything in me not to drop to my knees and eat her pussy until she comes down my chin before fucking her until her guts are nice and rearranged.

Unfortunately for both of us, self-preservation is in the forefront of my mind. I wasn’t joking when I said that I’d probably be dead before morning if I fucked her. It would be one of four people for sure– Christopher Putnam, Henry Parris, Asher or Ronan. And all four of them would make sure it would be bloody as fuck.

She’s beautiful, delicious, and honestly, pretty fucking perfect, but I’d prefer to live to see twenty-two. So I restrain myself, rearranging my cock in my pants to tuck it away, though he is definitely not on board with this plan.

“How’d I do?” I ask, with a crooked smile and a wink.

A nervous blush hits Skyla, as she covers her face with her hands for a moment before blowing out a breath and sitting up.

“Good, yeah, um. You’re good. No surprise, really, I’ve heard you’ve had a lot of practice,” she laughs hollowly.

I laugh at that, though I can’t deny that her words hit me in the chest in an achy way that I’m not crazy about.

“Let’s get you back to campus before your fiancé makes a necklace out of my balls.”

She wrinkles up her nose at that.

“What an ugly necklace that would be,” she says as she slides off the hood, pulling up her pants, sans panties, as she does.

I drop my mouth open in mock offense as I scoff.

“Excuse me, I’ll have you know I have very pretty balls. Want me to prove it?” I tease.

She finishes buttoning her jeans as she gives me a dubious look and shakes her head.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

I grin as I follow her to her side of the car, opening the door before she can. She nods in thanks as I dramatically give her a bow, as if she were the Queen of England, before shutting the door behind her. I mean, I’m not far off. She’s the Princess of Salem, soon to be the Queen. I just don’t think she fully grasps that yet.