Page 26 of Boys Who Taint (Spine Ridge University #5)

Aspen

Levi revs the engine again, still looking right at me as though it’s some kind of warning. A threat that one of these days he might just drive right into our door and come drag Grey out himself.

He wants me to suffer. It wasn’t enough that he made my half sister jump. He now wants me to feel the pain. Why?

“Haven’t you caused enough pain?!” I scream without thinking about the repercussions.

Grey loudly snores behind me.

Levi revs the engine again and spins the motorcycle, leaving circles on the ground like he enjoys watching me get all riled up.

As if he’s waiting for me to come out and face him.

I clutch the curtain tightly, afraid that if I don’t hold on, I might just do exactly that.

But facing Levi means coming to terms with my own murderous intentions … and just how badly I’ve failed at following through on them.

I want him dead, but could I really be the one to pull the trigger?

Could I really kill the one I once considered—

I bite my own lip to stop the thought from invading my mind.

I can’t. I can’t fucking do it, and he knows. He’s throwing it in my face that I can’t kill him, and that he can just kill Grey whenever he wants.

Silas is the only one who wants him dead as much as I do, but he’s been warned by his dad, Felix, not to overstep it, or we risk an all-out war with the Torres family. Silas knows better than to go against his own family, so he’s not going to help me. At least for now.

And my Ghost is nowhere to be seen.

Where is my stalker when I need him the most?

The engine revs again, and Levi races off on his motorcycle, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. I turn to look at Grey, still blissfully unaware of what’s going on.

A part of me feels guilty for involving him in my messy life, but another part of me wants to use Grey as a big “fuck you” to Levi, just to show him I can go on without him.

But the longer this continues, the more of a threat this all becomes.

Someone has to do something about Levi, and if it’s not going to be me or my flaking Ghost, then maybe I can find someone else to at least keep Grey out of Levi’s grasp.

Someone he’d least expect to go up against.

Guess it’s time for another visit to the gym.

Apollo

The next day

I’m just chilling in the gym, minding my own business, when a certain red-haired freckled hothead storms right at me during my air-walking while I’m lifting, and even though she seems impressed, that frown on her forehead really makes me wonder what kind of feat I have to perform to make her jaw drop.

“Freckles, how nice of you to join me in the gym.”

I finish my steps in the air and stay horizontal, but her eyes are anything but focused on the good stuff.

“Do you have time?”

“For you? Always,” I reply, still looking at her upside down, and man, those titties sure look squishy in this position.

“I meant to talk,” she says.

I smirk, still staring at her ample curves. “I’m listening.”

“My eyes are up here.”

“I know,” I reply.

I’m not ashamed of admitting what I like.

She rolls her eyes and walks off to the dressing room. “In private, please.”

“Private, in public, anywhere, anytime, Freckles.” I lower myself to the floor again. “I aim to please.”

“Get in,” she growls, angry as hell. Just the way I like it.

“The men’s dressing room?” I snort as I approach. “That’s bold of you.”

“I don’t trust you in the women’s dressing room,” she says.

I follow her inside. “So you are jealous.”

“What? No, I just know you’re going to be a pervert about it.”

“I can’t help the ladies think I’m well-endowed and want a peek.”

“Oh my God …”

She buries her face in her hands while I close the door behind me and head to my locker.

“What can I do for you, Freckles?” I muse. “More training? Or do you want to ransack my room again?”

“I need you to talk to Levi for me. Tell him to back off.”

Levi? What has he been doing?

“And why would I do that?”

“Because he threatened to kill my boyfriend.”

I snort. “That does sound like something Levi would say. I’m surprised he said it to your face, though. That takes balls.”

“I don’t think it’s a joke,” she adds. “He already killed Mavis. What’s to say he won’t kill Grey too?”

I tap my chin. “Well, now that you put it like that …”

“You have to tell him to let it go. Make him stop.”

“Interesting that you think I have control over him,” I reply.

“You’re family. He trusts you. He’ll listen to you.”

I laugh. Loudly. “That’s rich.”

“Please, you gotta at least try.”

The way she says please nearly makes a man like me drop to his knees.

“What did he do?” I ask, all the smiles gone from my face.

“He came into my sorority the other day, said he saw Grey going into a Bonesmen Club.”

I narrow my eyes. Now that’s interesting.

Her boyfriend is affiliated with the Bonesmen Brotherhood?

No one just casually steps into their territory unless they have business. And that can’t ever be good.

“I know he’s lying to get under my skin,” she adds.

“Maybe. Or maybe not.” I shrug as I grab a towel and wipe off the sweat from my training. Her eyes oddly fixate on the back of my neck where one of the droplets escapes. “Maybe Levi is lying. Maybe Grey is lying. Did you ask?”

My fist balls at the thought. “No.”

“Then you don’t know either,” Apollo says.

She shakes her head. “Grey wouldn’t do that. He’s the sweetest, kindest soul I know.”

I raise a brow. “People can surprise you.”

“I doubt it. And when Levi came to my sorority to convince me, I told him to get out, so he threatened Grey with murder.”

“Sounds like you got a lot of trouble on your hands,” I reply.

She folds her arms and leans back against the lockers. “You’re the only one he listens to.”

“Doubt that,” I say, snorting.

“He doesn’t listen to me anymore, you know that,” she adds. Her freckles move in a cute way when she’s all upset about him. “We don’t talk. We just threaten each other. That’s it.”

I raise a brow. “Have you tried?”

“I don’t want to talk to him.”

“But you want to use me instead.”

She rubs her lips together while she grinds her teeth, and I have to admit, it’s adorable when she’s mad.

“I’m okay with that.” I shrug.

Her brows flinch. “Wait, you are?”

“I’m willing to help you.” I grin as I hook my fingers underneath my shirt. “If you’re willing to help me.”

Aspen

Before I can say another word, he pulls his sticky shirt over his head, revealing the ample tattooed muscles underneath, but it’s the newly added nipple piercings that make my eyes nearly bulge out.

Oh my God.

Since when did he get those?

“Like my new barbells?” He grins, flexing his chest.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect manly specimen up close like this. He’s ripped in all the right places, but the worst part is that he’s so goddamn aware of it that it drives me nuts that I’m not able to look away as he chucks his shirt to the floor.

“What do you want?” I ask.

He rubs his wet body with the towel, smiling at me from the corner of the locker room like a dangerous predator set loose on his prey. “You know what I want.”

I gulp at the thought. I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind. He’s been ogling me for some time now, but I never took it seriously because he doesn’t take anything seriously. Somehow, in my mind, I’d already decided he wasn’t serious about me either.

But what if he is?

And what if I was actually thinking about it?

“My body isn’t for sale,” I say quickly, trying to persuade myself not to ever take him up on the offer.

“I’m not interested in buying your body, Freckles,” he says, slowly walking over to me while I remain grounded to the lockers, touching the cold metal to cool off while that hot body of his closes in on me.

But when he plants a hand beside my face and leans in, that self-control nearly jumps out the only existing window.

“I want you to offer it to me willingly.”

He leans in so close I can feel his breath on my skin as his hand rolls over my body without actually touching me as if the air between us is enough to hold him back. But my God, it still spreads goose bumps all over my skin.

I shouldn’t even be thinking about this. I have a boyfriend. This isn’t right.

“Will you stop Levi?” I ask.

I don’t even know why I’m considering it.

“I’m not going to kill my own cousin,” he says, tilting his head while sporting a devious grin. “But I’m willing to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” I reply. “But Grey does. Will you protect him?”

“I admire your tenacity in keeping your boyfriend safe, Freckles.” He lifts his hand and curls his finger around my red hair. “But if I’m going to stop Levi’s murderous intentions with him, you’ll need to give me something in return.”

I shiver when his finger slides down my neck and clavicles, his eyes fixating on my chest like he’s been waiting to devour me whole.

Could I do this? Could I betray Grey just to keep him safe?

“Tell me exactly what you’re expecting of me,” I say.

He leans in to whisper, “Your pretty little mouth, wrapped around my cock, swallowing me down like a good girl.”

I swallow away the lump in my throat, along with the thump between my legs.

“Of course, if you don’t think you can do it, you could always just walk out of here without a lick and without the guarantee that your boyfriend will stay alive.”

His tongue dips out to lick my skin, and I shudder in place.

“But I will make it worth your while.”

He presses a kiss so volatile beneath my ear that I nearly melt.

“So what’s it gonna be, Freckles?” He grabs my hand and guides it to his pants, which are tight as fuck and completely tented from the hard-on beneath.

“Will you be a good girl and get down on your knees for me?” He looks at me from underneath his eyelashes, his gaze darkening for a second. “Or would you like me to make you?”