The Fallen Ones (Holloway University #1)

11. Lily

Chapter 11

Lily

“ D amnit,” I muttered, dropping my bag of paintbrushes onto the floor as I tried to balance three large canvas, a bag of new paints, and my backpack. Caleb texted and said he’d be late, but I needed to get moving since I had to be to work in less than an hour. Waitressing paid the bills and Thursdays always seemed a good day to make extra cash for some reason. I figured it was because it was ladies’ night at the bar down the street and people wanted to eat before a night on the town. Or a night after. Both were typically lucrative.

“Need some help?” A deep, familiar voice sounded out.

I froze and straightened, not bothering to grab my brushes from the floor. Standing in front of me was Jace looking as breathtaking as ever. My heart did an awkward flop in my chest. He’d stopped messaging and calling. After our last encounter, I’d done all I could do to avoid him. Despite it all, he was heavily on my mind, even when I tried to shove him out. I missed him, plain and simple.

“No. I’m good. I got it,” I said, wincing as I tried to adjust the canvases again.

He reached out and grabbed my canvases and paint from me. “You were never a good liar.”

“Jace, I don’t need your help. I got it. Go back to whatever co-ed you left behind.” The words were bitter, and I knew they were, but I couldn’t stop them from tumbling from my mouth in a rush.

He smirked and cocked his head at me. “Remember, you let me go. Not the other way around. You’ll need to work on your jealousy.”

I stared back at him for a moment before looking away, frustration ebbing from every pore in my body. He wasn’t wrong. This was on me, but why did it have to suck so much? Why did I still find all these feelings and desires weaving their way around my heart?

I hadn’t realized he’d placed my canvases down, but he had because his warm finger was beneath my jaw and guiding me back to look at him.

“Look at me,” he commanded softly.

“Why?” I whispered. “It won’t work with us.”

“Stop lying.” His eyes bore into mine. “Stop fighting what you want. Stop denying it. Give in, Lily Pad, so you can live a little.”

“And then what?” I swallowed thickly as he leaned in closer, the smell of his rich cologne filling my nose. I loved the way he smelled. Just so… Jace.

He didn’t answer me. He simply brushed his lips against mine. There was no hesitation from me. I parted my lips for him and let him kiss me. I knew I shouldn’t since I was trying to get over him. That he’d been with girls since our recent breakup. That every crying session, every pain in my heart, would have to restart after the kiss ended because I was broken and could never give him what he wanted.

“Stop,” he murmured against my lips. “Stop thinking.” He deepened the kiss until I let my bags fall from my hands and onto the floor with a clatter.

A soft groan left his lips as we devoured one another’s mouth.

“Are I interrupting?” A sharp voice called out.

Immediately, I jerked away from Jace, the embarrassment at being caught heating my face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Jace snarled, glaring at Damien who stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Wondering what the fuck you’re doing.” Damien pushed off the doorframe and came closer.

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling ashamed and angry at the same time. Damien had no right to come in like he owned the place.

But that was typical Damien behavior. He liked to ruin everything.

“I’m helping Lily.” Jace glared at Damien as he approached.

“With what? Breathing? Mouth to mouth? Aren't you two broken up?” Damien raised a dark brow at me.

“It was nothing,” I muttered. Quickly, I reached down to gather my bags, wishing Caleb would have just showed up.

Of course, everything I was feeling would be tripled because I couldn’t shake the desire to know what it was like to have him watch me kiss Jace too. Then Damien…

I shook my head, confused by the intrusive thought.

Damien pissed me off more than anyone in the world ever had.

And Jace was my ex.

“What do you mean it was nothing?” Jace grabbed my arm as I made to leave, deciding to hell with my canvases.

“Don’t fucking touch my sister.” Damien shoved Jace hard in the chest, sending him back a step.

I got between them, knowing their rivalry was out of hand and both had issues with anger toward one another for whatever reason neither ever divulged to me.

“I’m not your sister.” I shoved Damien in the chest, hoping to back him off so Jace wouldn’t attack.

Damien wrapped his hands tightly around my wrists and stared down at me. The way he looked at me made my heart jump in my chest. So much darkness. Pain. Want?

I stared back at him, trying to get myself together.

“Damien, please,” I said softly.

“Please what, baby sister?” His words were silk on my ears.

“Just…don’t.”

“What if I do?” He tugged me against his body. “What will you do about it?”

I had no idea what we were even talking about at this point. The fact Jace hadn’t moved forward made me uneasy and, to be honest, a little turned on if he were watching the exchange.

When I didn’t answer him, he leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “You’ll take it, won’t you, my dirty girl? Anything I give you, you’ll take.”

“Enough.” Caleb stormed into the room and shoved Damien away from me while my pulse pounded hard in my ears. I blinked as Caleb gathered my canvases.

“Lily, go,” he said roughly before turning to Damien and Jace who simply stood watching me scramble to the door. “You two fucks…get your shit sorted. What the fuck?”

We left the room, but not before I cast a final look behind me to see Jace and Damien staring after me like I was prey that had just escaped the jaws of two hungry wolves.

Something about that excited me in a way it definitely shouldn’t and made me realize something was very wrong with me.

Caleb had been quiet all evening. We watched two movies and ate pizza before he finally sat forward on my couch and cleared his throat. Despite the comedies playing on TV all night, I couldn’t stop replaying the scene from earlier with Damien and Jace. I’d squeezed my thighs together more than once in an effort to ease the ache between my legs at all my awkward dirty thoughts.

“Did you and Olivia get tokens for Satan’s Hollow?”

“Uh, no.” I winced. It seemed neither of us were popular enough to make it on the invitation list. I knew it was elite and exclusive, but I thought Olivia would be able to make it happen. Lord knew I couldn’t. If anything, they’d not let me in because of Jace’s affiliation with the elite on campus. “The party is tomorrow. I honestly don’t think we’re going. But it’s fine. I mean, I have a costume. I can come see you at work.”

Caleb was a bartender at one of the seedy places on our side of town. I often stopped in to hang out with him when I wasn’t at work. It wasn’t like I had a lively night life these days anyway.

“Here.” He held his hand out to me.

I stared down at the two Satan’s Hollow tokens in his hand, confused on how he got them.

“How?” I asked, looking from the tokens to his face.

“I talked to Olivia. She told me you were having trouble getting them, so I made some calls to a few guys I know. They got them for me.”

“You’re going too?” Something about knowing he’d be there and take someone back to a room made my stomach twist with sickness. I knew Caleb slept with women, but it wasn’t like it was something we talked about. He tended to keep that side of his life private.

“No. I’m working. These are for you and Olivia. So take them.”

I reached out and grabbed the tokens from his hand.

“Caleb, wow. Are you sure you don’t want to keep them? I mean?—”

“Lil bit, take them. You need this. Go have a good time, OK?” He gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Wow. Thank you. Olivia is going to be so excited.” I threw my arms around his neck and held him tightly. He hesitated for a moment before holding me against him.

“What about you?” he asked as I pulled away from him.

“What about me?”

“Are you excited?”

I bit my bottom lip and contemplated his question.

“Yes and no. I’m always scared of doing new things. You know that. And this is, well, really wild and way outside my comfort zone. I know I need to just leap in and try to get over all of this crap in my head. I’ve thought about what you’ve said, and I think you’re right. I need to do this.”

“I’m glad.” He smiled again and got to his feet. “I need to get going. It’s late.”

I jumped up quickly and blocked him from leaving. He gave me a surprised look.

“You can stay. The night.” I fidgeted nervously with my hands in front of me. “Like when we were kids.”

“You want to have a sleepover?” He chuckled softly.

I nodded. “I do. In case… things change. Will you? Stay?”

His smile faltered. “Yes. I’ll stay, but just so you know, nothing is going to change between us. I’d never allow it.”

I knew he meant well, but something about our friendship status never changing really stung me. Instead of being upset over it, I forced another smile onto my face and pushed him back onto the couch before crawling next to him.

He chuckled softly again as I rest my head against his chest and grabbed a throw blanket and covered me before surfing my streaming app for more movies to watch.

The tokens for the party dug into my palm, but I held them tightly, vowing things would change.

No matter what.