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One

Hailey

16 years old

“Stop fidgeting around. And do you think you could put on a less repulsed expression? Jesus, you’d think we were trying to torture you instead of offering you new opportunities.”

New opportunities. So that’s what we were calling it now. I would prefer being thrown to the pretentious, preppy wolves . But who asked me? No one.

How desperately I longed for the days when we were a normal middle-class family. When we lived in the ordinary, two-story single-family house I grew up in, with a tranquil garden. When my best friend lived two streets down, not two states away from me. When everything wasn’t about opportunities or new doors opening but about normal, trivial things. Who left the toilet seat up? Whose turn was it to do the dishes? Would my parents make it to the next game I cheered at? Those days were a thing of the past.

Now we were unflatteringly referred to as the new rich . My dad had a groundbreaking idea, put it into action, and sold the whole thing off for millions. Yay .

I probably sounded incredibly ungrateful, but our life hadn’t been bad by any means before all this happened, and now everything had changed. My parents had changed. Mom bounced from brunch to brunch blowing tons of money on shopping trips, and all of a sudden had a — mostly — pretentious huge group of friends of women who somehow all looked the same. Creepy.

Dad was even worse. With him, it was all about what or who could benefit us and how. Everything had turned into assets — even Mom and me. Gone was the caring father who used to tuck me into bed every night and show up at as many of my performances as possible. In his place was a calculating, shrewd businessman who seemed to be gradually losing all scruples. Which apparently included pushing me toward every appropriate — by his definition — guy with a trust fund and preferably the right contacts. Whether I wanted to or not.

It didn’t seem like it mattered those guys were the biggest scumbags in the world, or that I wasn’t interested in being set up with anyone by my dad. I’d choose who I dated myself, thank you very much. My type and the ones he thought were acceptable were worlds apart. It was all about the right image, which meant every guy he threw at me looked more or less the same — clean cut, not a hair out of place, and about as much individuality as a guy named Kyle at a Monster Energy convention. He’d probably have a heart attack if he knew my type didn’t fall in the pretty-boy department. No, my kind of guy was more in the Mr. Big, Rugged, and Out of the Ordinary category.

And yet, here we were. Me in the back of a gigantic luxurious SUV, nervously tugging at the dress Dad’s hired stylist, Kinsley, had laid out for me, and my parents in the front, with my father’s stern, unrelenting eyes mercilessly fixed on me through the rearview mirror, pinning me in place. Eyes so dark and unforgiving that I seriously wondered if there was anything left of the father I’d grown up with. Given the fact that he cared more about how I looked and would represent him at an event I didn’t even want to attend, I actually doubted it.

My chest constricted as I mourned for the umpteenth time everything I had lost. No money in the world was worth seeing your parents change like that.

“Hailey, are you even listening to me?” My father’s sharp tone snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, clasping my hands on my lap to stop them from fiddling with the dress, which was just too tight. God, how I loathed Kinsley at that moment. Fuck her and her stupid dress.

“As I was saying …” He glared at me with slightly narrowed eyes, his slender fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “There will be plenty of opportunities at the event today to socialize and possibly set your future on the right track. I’ve been told that some of your new peers will be in attendance. So I advise you to play your cards right and make the most of it. Have I made myself clear?”

Classy, Dad. In other words, find the richest dude with the best image and biggest influence and throw yourself at him. Seemed like we were just one step away from prostitution here. Not that I would ever say that out loud.

I suppressed an eye roll. “Crystal clear.” Was my eyelid twitching?

“Sweetheart, you’ll see, it’s going to be wonderful. The hostess is an absolutely lovely lady, I met her at brunch the other day.” Brunch . Of fucking course it was at brunch. “Anyway, I think she said she has a son? I’m not quite sure how old he is, but maybe you can befriend him.”

I wanted to groan. How could Mom be so blind to Dad’s intentions?! He didn’t care if I made friends with anyone, as long as it was useful. His eyes flashed calculatingly when my mom mentioned a son.

“Maybe.” What else could I say?

My parents filled the rest of the ride with conversations of rumors about all these people I didn’t know. We’d moved from a small town in Nebraska to Houston at the beginning of the summer, leaving everything and everyone I knew behind. Supposedly, better and bigger things awaited us. I felt like a fish plucked straight from a small pond in the country who was being tossed out to sea.

I had successfully holed up in our new house for most of the summer, but that was coming to an end. In a few days, I would start at my fancy new private school and be surrounded by people who had probably spent their entire lives running in these circles. On top of that, I was one of the oldest in my class since my public school education apparently didn’t meet their requirements, so I literally would have to repeat my sophomore year. Funsies .

We finally turned into a way-too-long driveway and pulled up in front of a huge mansion with a fucking valet waiting outside. I rolled my eyes and climbed out of the car to follow my parents into the house that might as well accommodate three families.

My high heels clacked across the marble floor, the cold radiating straight to my chest through the red soles of my shoes. Suppressing a shiver, I wrapped my arms around my middle. Using the noise as a guide, we entered a large modern room, and I stopped in my tracks.

Although the decor practically oozed wealth, it felt warm and almost … cozy . After the long hallway with marble flooring and sophisticated paintings on the walls, I hadn’t expected this.

The light tones in which the room was decorated, with its high ceiling and exposed wooden beams, created a pleasant atmosphere, and I no longer felt quite so anxious.

What did fit right into this house, however, were the people who filled the room. Although this was supposed to be a lunch event, which had sounded informal in my head, the motto of these people was apparently to dress to impress. Even the ones around my age looked like they had stepped straight out of a magazine. I wrapped my arms around myself a little tighter, only to drop them to my sides as my father cast a sharp glance at me over his shoulder.

A pretty woman about Mom’s age, with long caramel-colored hair, approached us, and the expression on my father’s face instantly changed to a pleasant, amicable one. What had happened to my dad? Had he always been like this and just hid it incredibly well?

“Alicia!” My mom squealed enthusiastically and shuffled toward the approaching woman with little tippy-toe steps, then wrapped her in a hug, air kisses and all. After the expected exchange of compliments about the house, the décor, and their dresses, they turned to us.

“Meet my husband, Daniel, and our daughter, Hailey. Darlings, this is Alicia, the lovely hostess.”

Dad approached her with a broad, brilliant smile to shake her hand. When did his teeth get that white? He looked like he could guide ships through a foggy night.

“Thank you so much for inviting us to your magnificent home, we are so happy to be here.” He planted a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward. “We were thrilled to hear Hailey was going to meet some of her future peers.”

I gave her a tentative smile. “Thank you for inviting us.” Dad’s grip on my shoulder tightened imperceptibly. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His hand fell away as Alicia unexpectedly pulled me into a hug. Although I was wearing high heels, I was half a head shorter than her, and her pleasant, floral scent hit me as she squeezed me briefly but tightly. “Hailey, your mom has already told me so much about you. We’ll make sure you get connected today. There’s nothing like a few friendly faces on the first day of school, right?”

Mom cast me an enthusiastic look that clearly said See, I told you she’s delightful . I could feel Dad’s eyes on me too, but I refused to look in his direction. “That’s so sweet of you, Mrs. Michaels.” Of course, my parents had briefed me on the ride and drilled the names into my head that I absolutely wasn’t allowed to forget.

“Please, call me Alicia. How about I introduce you to my son. I’m sure he’ll be happy to take you around to meet the other kids.” She gave me a conspiratorial smile and turned to my parents. “After that, I’d like you to meet my husband.”

Dad clapped once enthusiastically. “Wonderful. ”

Alicia motioned for us to follow her, and we trailed after her slender frame. We turned a corner, into a part of the room we hadn’t been able to see before, and I spotted more people my age. As a cheerleader, I was used to being watched by many eyes, so I was rarely self-conscious, but this was a different world.

I was out of my depth, and something told me these people were like sharks and I’d better find my footing quickly. If they sensed blood in the water, they would pounce. And I had no intention of being eaten any time soon.

Alicia made a beeline for a seating area that included a pair of giant easy chairs with their backs turned to us. The L-shaped cream-colored sectional sofa a little farther back was filled with girls and boys around my age. The chairs were a bit out of the way but not so far away that they were no longer part of the group. Instead of heading for the couch, we approached the recliners, and I swallowed hard when we finally caught sight of their occupants.

I thought I’d seen some pretty big guys, considering I regularly stood on the sidelines of the football field, but both of these guys — or were we already talking about men here? — were in a completely different league to anything I’d ever seen before. Trying not to stare too hard, my eyes quickly darted from one to the other.

Jesus Christ, their forearms were as thick as my calves . Apart from their obvious size, however, they couldn’t have been more different.

While one was lean, the hard muscles somehow visible even under the shirt, the other was solid, broad, and just massive. I knew which I preferred. They also had completely different vibes. The chiseled one seemed disinterested, almost aloof, while the one who could pass for a tank seemed rather timid and borderline … shy? A complete juxtaposition to his physique.

We came to a stop in front of them, both of them staring at us, and my parents turned to the leaner one of the pair as Alicia said, “Daniel, Virginia, Hailey, this is my son Colt and his best friend Hunter. They both attend Ashford Hills Prep as well and are on the football team. Boys, these are the Brentwoods, they just moved to the area. Hailey, I understand you’re a cheerleader?”

I nodded with a smile and waved to the boys with a soft “Hey.”

“So, Colt, football, huh? What position?” my dad asked as he looked at the blond leaner guy.

His eyebrows shot up before he cast a sideways glance over at his companion.

Alicia laughed. “That’s Hunter, Daniel. Sorry, I should have done a better job with the introductions. Hunter may be like a second son to us, but this is Colt.” She gestured toward the bulkier guy, who hunched his shoulders a little, perhaps to appear less hulking, and his bright-blue eyes darted to me before he nodded at my parents, wearing a small smile. A scar ran through his left eyebrow, a stark white in contrast to his tan skin.

“Nice to meet you.” Oh. my. God. That voice . So incredibly deep it almost vibrated through me and had a slightly husky edge to it that had everything inside me clenching. Heat gathered deep in my belly, coiled up like a tight spiral, and moisture seeped into my thong. I wanted to hear that gravelly voice say my name, wanted to hear him moan and whisper dirty words in my ear .

Mom offered him a friendly smile, while Dad reared back, his eyebrows raised. Admittedly, looking at Alicia, there were few similarities between the two, especially considering Colt’s build. It seemed almost impossible that such a slender woman could have given birth to such a gigantic human being.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding, I shouldn’t have made assumptions.” My dad’s words were the right ones, but his patronizing tone reflected his actual feelings.

Alicia’s answering smile was a little icier than before, as if she’d seen my dad’s reaction — which she probably had. Her eyes narrowed, like a lioness on the prowl. Then she smoothed her expression and carried on as if nothing had happened. I liked her. I liked her a whole fucking lot.

“Colt, I trust you’ll take care of Hailey and introduce her to the others.” Yes, Colt. Please take care of me . He nodded, something intriguing passing over his face. It was only visible for a split second, dark and ominous, and a tingling sensation shot like a pulse of energy straight between my legs.

Good god, I am fucked.