Make Your Move (Hannaford Prep, #2)

by J. Bree

Beaumont Jr. is standing, doing lines of cocaine off of the dirty barrels that are a makeshift bar. He’s here alone. He paid a lower level Club member a whole wad of hundred-dollar bills to get in and now he’s in my fucking town, getting high and groping unimpressed Mounty girls.

over the other guy’s shoulder. What a funny choice of words Luca had chosen. Joey would be pissed to hear my Hannaford nickname being thrown at him. “I called in for a collection of this one. Can you let DeMarco know to expect a car?”

guys. I want a mobster’s son with the face of an angel and the rap sheet of a street kid. I want the singer with a soft heart wrapped in barbs and trip wires of devastating wit to keep it safe. I want the billionaire’s unwanted son with eyes of ice and an endless love for his sister. I can’t tell Avery that truth.

“How do you know I have good taste?” Blaise grins at me and then sucks on his bottom lip, rolling it between his teeth. I force myself not to watch the action because I may drool. “Well, you like Vanth. I'm assuming your taste must be decent.”

Then he leaves. I stare at the cushions he was sitting on, stunned, and then with a smile I put the headphones on and listen to the little piece of his soul he’s gifted me.

I smile. Avery tucks her arm into mine and gives me her trademark smug smile. Something eases in my chest and I can breathe again. Rory never returns to Hannaford Prep.

“A charity ball, how exciting!” I say with so much sarcasm that Avery groans and walks over to put the coffee machine on. She grabs me a cup without asking and fusses with my coffee until it’s perfect. Again, I adore this girl so fiercely I wish I were a lesbian and I could lock this shit down. Alas, I like dick.

The box is sitting on my bed. Avery can see it's unopened and she's baiting me. I arch an eyebrow at her. “I don't accept bribes from rich playboys. Only favors.” She grins at me, savage and beautiful.

Avery grins down at her phone. “She hasn’t even opened it, Morrison.” The smirk falls off of his face. “Why not?” I sigh and push my plate away. “I don’t want to have things bought for me.” Blaise frowns and hurt flashes in his eyes. “It was a thank you, Mounty. Jesus, I wasn’t bribing you.” I shrug and take a bite of my apple. “Most people say thank you with words. I don’t want your money.”

“Tell me what the fuck is wrong with you. Now.” I roll my eyes at his bossy, entitled words but I answer him anyway, “I need to be in Haven at midnight. I need to figure out how to get there and I don’t want to tell Avery about it before I go. She’ll either insist on coming with me or she’ll try to talk me out of it.” He frowns and shifts his focus back to the teacher, dismissing me the same way he always has. My chest tightens. I wasn’t expecting his help but I thought he’d take a little more interest than that.

turn away from him, focusing my eyes back onto the assignment in front of me and trying not to vomit in shame. I'm fucking pathetic. Blaise doesn’t speak again. I mark everything he’s finished and we put together a page of notes for an upcoming test. I manage to calm down and focus on the work enough that I almost forget about how humiliating my reaction to him was.

Lance the Mounty, because I can’t remember the little fuck’s last name to save my damn life, is becoming a problem. He gets to our tutoring sessions before me without fail so I don’t even get a minute to myself to set up. When Ash realizes this, he starts coming earlier as well so when I arrive ten minutes before the start time they’re both already there and being openly hostile toward each other.

I swallow roughly at the emotion in his voice and then whisper, “I’m not going to look at the site. He didn’t look at my naked photos and I’m not looking at… whatever this is. Is there anything I need to know? To keep him safe?” Harley hesitates before answering and Avery stomps out of the bathroom. When she spots Blaise on the phone she moves toward us instead.

“I’ll have to give you a private concert then, Mounty. I’ve been working on some songs, tell me what you think.” Be still my fucking heart.

“I can’t,” I croak at him and he nods, his eyes still shut. Neither of us move. I just stare up at his heartbreakingly handsome face until he finally lets out a shuddering breath and rolls off of me.

It's only in the black light that you can see the ink that covers me. The skeletal structure I've had tattooed to my skin, the jaw opening wide etched in my cheeks with vicious teeth. Every inch of my body is covered in the whorls and arches that imitate the pelt. The black light shows that underneath the human facade I wear the truth of who I am. The Wolf.

“Lips, you should head to class. I’ll meet you there, I need to have a chat with the guys.” I nod and stoop down to grab my bag. I can hear them start to bicker and pointedly don’t look back as I hobble out of the dining hall.

I was so close to having something I really want and once again my past has ruined it for me.