Ruined 5

Avery -Then

One last summer, that’s all I had. One last summer of freedom before I had to go back home. My father had officially called me back into the fold. It didn’t matter to him that I would have to give up school, but then again nothing really mattered to him unless it was related to The Black Aces. The dodgy as hell motorcycle club he was president of. A club he seemed to think I was the property of.

One year of freedom, that’s all I had been given and that year was now rapidly coming to an end. I would have to say goodbye to my friends, to my classes. Even to my kind of boyfriend. Not that I could ever tell my dad that I had a boyfriend. He was stupidly old fashioned for a man who had cheated on my mum for years with any club girl he could get his sweaty hands on. But that was just the way it had always been. The men could do whatever and whoever they wanted and the women? Well, the women, especially daughters were held on some kind of shiny pedestal. They weren’t to be touched.

At eighteen I was the only virgin in my group of friends, and I was expected to stay that way. I knew what my father had planned, I had known for months. I was his best bargaining tool. A pretty little bride for his enemies, a tedious way for him to keep his stranglehold on the club.

It was the very reason that I would not go back to my hometown with my virginity intact. It didn’t even really matter to me who took it anymore. Or at least I tried to tell myself it didn’t matter. And yet I was dragging my heels.

I could have lost it a hundred times over the way my on-again, off-again boyfriend Dean went on, but something always made me say no to him. It wasn’t even that he wasn’t good looking, he was and I knew how lucky I was to have landed a boyfriend so different to me. There was just something that always made me stop, that made me push him away. I just didn’t know what it was.

Still, I was running out of time. Summer was almost over and I sure as hell wouldn’t get the chance when I went home,

“Tonight.” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud and I definitely hadn’t meant to almost shout it. Every single pair of eyes around the table swivelled in my direction.

“What’s tonight?”Kiera tried and failed to hide her smile. “You have finally decided to lose your virginity tonight?” her voice was loud, much louder than I was comfortable with but then that was Kiera all over. She was loud and brash where I was quieter and reserved. We were complete opposites and yet had been best friends from the very first day we had become roommates. 

“Will you be bloody quiet, at least lower your voice a little.” I hissed it, already I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks. No one was staring at me, I doubted anyone was even really listening in and yet I was mortified.

In answer, she just laughed some more, “So do you have anyone in mind or….”

“At this point, I think anyone would do, it’s not like I…” I trailed off, my train of thought totally broken as a pair of the prettiest blue eyes met mine over her shoulder. And the eyes weren’t even the best bit.  They were attached to a man who looked like he had stepped straight off the cover of a magazine, complete with artfully tousled dark hair and Hollywood white smile as he gazed around the small restaurant.

The smile slipped slightly when he caught me staring but it didn’t disappear completely instead it turned lazy and somehow that was even sexier.

“At this point what?” Kiera pushed and I snapped….my lips shut as I dragged my gaze from the hottie at the bar and back to my friends. 

Had I really been staring at him with my mouth open like some kind of moron? Somehow that was even more embarrassing than him maybe hearing that I was a virgin. “At this point, I don’t think it matters who takes it, just that it’s gone.” I shrugged, trying to act LIKE I DIDNT CARE. 

Kieras eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, “Arent you nervous?”

“Yeah of course” truth was I was shitting myself at the thought but at least doing it this way I had some control over my body. There was no way I was giving that part of myself to whatever biker my dad had picked out for me. I wanted more than that. 

I didn’t want to end up like my mum.

I wanted more. 

“That’s why I think getting blinding drunk tonight is the way forward.” 

A cheer went up, just like I knew it would 

If there was one thing we could always agree on, it was our mutual love of partying hard.

***

“l….” Glancing down at the hand that had wrapped around my hip, I swallowed hard. I should not have had that last shot. It wasn’t like I couldn’t handle my drink that made me feel sick though it was more the man attached to the hand.

What was I even thinking?  Sure I wanted to lose my virginity and I had said anyone would do. But not his kind of anyone… I should at least find them sexually attractive surely? And this guy…. I just didn’t. Not even after he had just bought a round of shots. I doubted there was enough alcohol in the world to make me attracted to him. And the fact he thought buying me one lousy drink meant I was now his for the night, was even more off-putting. 

“Thanks for the drink.” I Hiccuped into my hand, trying to pull myself away from his pawing hands without making a scene. “But I should go back to my friends…” wildly I glanced around. Back to friends who were nowhere to be seen. It was typical. 

“Hey, I thought….” his hand squeezed a little tighter. “I bought you a drink.”

My eyebrows pinched together. “And I said thank you, now..” I didn’t get to finish the sentence. Another set of hands encircled my waist from behind, spinning me around easily. “There you are, baby.” The voice was deep, the accent oddly familiar as strong fingers tilted my chin up. I had maybe a second to wonder who the hell was grabbing at me and then soft lips captured mine. Leaving me powerless to do anything but stand there with my arms hanging loosely at my side like a moron.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Blue eyes stared down at me from beneath his dark lashes and I realised with a start that it was the man from before. The guy I had been staring at like an imbecile. “Did you miss me?” One brawny hand cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth over the corner of my mouth. 

I could do nothing but stare at him. “I….” Why wouldn’t my brain work? I couldn’t seem to get the words out of my mouth. I had no idea what was going on? I didn’t know this guy. I hadn’t even spoken to him before and yet he had kissed me like he had done it a thousand times before. 

“You’re still here?” His deep blue eyes narrowed, and for a second I didn’t have any idea who he was talking to and then it hit me. He wasn’t talking to me, he was talking to the man who had been trying it on with me just minutes before.

“I got her a drink …. she didn’t mention she …”

“She didn’t mention a boyfriend? Really.” The hand that had curves around my waist drifted lower until he was cupping my ass. Squeezing hard enough that I squealed, pulling myself up on to my tiptoes to get away.  “Well I’m mentioning it now… so..” 

“She doesn’t even look like she knows you….”

I made a decision then, he had been nice enough to come to my rescue and pretend to be my boyfriend, the least I could do was play my part. 

Reaching up I wrapped my hands around his neck. My fingers curling into the dark hair I had been admiring a few hours ago. “I’m sorry baby.” I pulled his head down, and this time it was me who kissed him. I kept it light but it didn’t stay that way for long. 

His tongue traced the line of my lips, and mine fell open almost instantly.

“I think he’s gone,” I whispered when we finally came apart. I felt breathless. Dizzy in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol I had drunk. 

“He’s been gone a while.” My pretend boyfriend chuckled. And it was the sexiest thing I had ever heard. Something deep inside of me clenched with need. “A girl like you shouldn’t be with a guy like that..”

“No? Well, thank you for coming to my rescue. But you can let go of me now.” 

His eyes sparkled as he tightened his arm around my waist. “I could but I don’t think I want to just yet. I’m Colton by the way.”