Page 4 of Sinful as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #1)

HOLLy

“So, you’re happy to be reporting all the school’s sports events?” I clasped my hands together and stared up at Brodie with big eyes. I just wanted to make sure – because he didn’t seem to be the type that was into sports. “It’ll mostly be football if that’s okay.”

“I mean, I’m more of a hockey guy. But I can handle some football.” Brodie nodded.

I sighed happily. “Brodie, you’re a lifesaver. Our old sports writer left for college this year, so we really needed someone to fill her boots.”

“I gotcha. When’s the first game?”

“This Friday. I should see you there. Carter’s playing, which is super exciting. It’ll be a fun night. You’ll get to see a good game of football and talk to all the guys after the game. You know, get in the locker room and go behind the scenes.”

“That sounds like a nightmare, actually.” He grinned. “But I’ll do it. I really need this on my resume. Your boy needs to get outta here.”

“You know, you and Sawyer are so different.” I shook my head. “You seem… determined. Smart. You’re funny. And Sawyer is so… What’s the word?”

“He’s an asshole.”

I laughed softly. “I was gonna say vulgar and rude and consistently impolite. But yeah. That word too. ”

“Sawyer’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

Clearing my throat, I gave him a look. “I’ve known him long enough to know that he likes to use all of his spare time coming up with new ways to annoy me.”

“He just… He’s got his issues.”

“You mean me?”

There was a glint in Brodie’s eyes as he smiled. “Take it as a compliment.”

I shook my head, placing all of the papers spread out in front me into a pink folder.

Brodie and the other writers had come up with a lot of good ideas.

Really good ideas. I was excited for the paper this year, especially since I was running it.

Brodie seemed into it too – even if it was only for his college applications.

I wasn’t about to hold that against him. He deserved to get into a good school.

“Are you heading home now?” I asked Brodie.

“Yeah. Sawyer’s picking me up. He’s not working this afternoon.”

“Well, I’d offer to walk you to your car or something, but he might run me over.”

“He’d probably take me out just to get to you.” Brodie snorted. “All good. I can get there myself. You leaving too?”

“Yup. Carter should be finished up with practice anytime now.” I looked at my phone. I wanted to hang out with Carter before I went home. Maybe an early dinner at Fran’s like we sometimes did. “Let’s go.”

I locked up the room, just about to tell Brodie goodbye, when I heard his voice. Sawyer .

“What the hell has been taking you so long?” Sawyer snapped. He was talking to Brodie, but he was looking at me as he spoke. “You said four-thirty. It’s nearly five. I’ve been out there waiting like a dumb ass. What the fuck?”

God, did he have to be so loud all the time? “Sawyer, do you have to yell?”

“Sorry, man.” Brodie held his hands up. “We got carried away. My bad.”

“You’re supposed to be some organized little know-it-all, right?” Sawyer gave me a death stare.

“I am organized,” I insisted. “Sorry we ran a little over our schedule. That happens when you’re brainstorming and working hard. Something you know nothing about.”

“You sitting at your little laptop and typing away isn’t hard work. No offense, Brodie.”

“I mean, I don’t have a laptop or anything, but thanks,” Brodie deadpanned.

“Look, I’m sorry,” I sighed. “Next time, I’ll make sure we finish on time so you don’t throw a hissy fit.”

“I’m not throwing a hissy fit ,” he said, teeth gritted. “I just don’t wanna be waiting around because you don’t have your shit together.”

“Maybe you should stop finding a problem with literally every single thing that I do,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice low. Sawyer was too good at getting me riled up.

“Maybe you should realize that not everything revolves around you. Next time, be on time so I don’t have to wait around for your dumb newspaper shit to finish.”

I scowled at him. “Okay, first of all, don’t tell me what to do. Second of all, the newspaper is not dumb.”

“No, it is. And I don’t know how Brodie managed to survive spending two hours stuck in a room with you,” Sawyer barked at me before staring at his cousin. “You okay over there, Brodie?”

“Brodie seemed to survive,” I answered before Brodie could. “In fact, he seemed to enjoy spending time with me. Seems like you’re the problem. Again. But what else is new?”

Sawyer’s eyes suddenly flickered down to my chest. “Those tits, apparently. Did Daddy pay for them over the summer?”

I gasped and resisted the urge to cover up my breasts with my hands. Sawyer was trying to imply that I had implants? I didn’t. Not that there was anything wrong with getting them, but God, Sawyer was just being crude to infuriate me.

“I do not have—”

“Uh, what the hell is going on here?” a familiar voice said from behind me, cutting me off .

I let out a loud sigh of relief and turned around, coming face to face with Carter. His blond hair was wet. He must have just showered. Watching him closely, I saw how his blue eyes darkened before he looked past me and over at Sawyer and Brodie. “These assholes giving you trouble, babe?”

“Just one,” I sighed, resting my hands on Carter’s chest. I leaned in and gave his cheek a slow kiss. “Let’s go. Are you ready?”

Carter didn’t answer. “This your dumb ass cousin, Westbrook?”

“Hey,” Brodie laughed awkwardly. “That’s me.”

“You’re lucky my girl is giving you a chance to even work on the paper with her,” Carter said, his voice booming. “Honestly, I don’t even know why she’s bothering in the first place.”

“Maybe you should ask her that,” Sawyer said, his eyes landing on me for a second.

“Shouldn’t you be in juvie or something?” Carter’s voice was laced with disgust. “They let out early?”

“You think I’m scared to go back? ‘Cause I don’t mind taking your fucking head off, Henderson,” Sawyer said, his teeth gritted. “Will you tell your daddy if I punch you so hard I send you to the ER again?”

“Oh, please, you got lucky that time.”

Sawyer grinned. “And what about all the other times I kicked your ass?”

“Carter.” I tugged at his shirt. “Can we just go?”

“Listen to her,” Sawyer muttered. “Before I do it again.”

Carter sneered. “I’d like to see you try. No, really. ‘Cause I know you don’t have it in you.”

Sawyer took a confident step forward. Too confident, actually, because I knew he was ready to pounce. I was quick to stand in front of Carter, my hands pressed up against his chest a little firmer. Carter getting into a fight meant Carter getting into trouble. And that meant no football.

“It’s not worth it,” I whispered. “You don’t wanna get in trouble with Coach. He won’t let you play if he finds out about a fight.”

That was partly true. Mostly, I didn’t want a repeat of last year, because Carter and Sawyer got into a fight that literally resulted in a trip to the emergency room.

Sawyer came out relatively unscathed before he was sent off to juvie for a little while.

But Carter? Carter had a serious concussion.

And if Coach Ford found out about another altercation, there was a good chance Carter would get suspended.

That often led to guys getting kicked off the team – and Carter needed football.

He had plans on making it far, and he didn’t need anything holding him back. Especially someone like Sawyer.

My hand was stuck on the hem of Carter’s blue shirt. I kept pulling at it, hoping it would somehow yank him back and we could just go to his car. I didn’t want to see a fight. And I certainly didn’t want to get involved in one.

“You’re right.” Carter huffed. His eyes were on Sawyer. “These assholes aren’t worth it.”

With that, Carter grabbed my hand. He moved forward, guiding me closer and closer towards the two dark-haired boys so we could make it out the main exit. Carter made sure to give Sawyer a shove with his shoulder.

“See ya, Trailer Park Trash,” Carter said lowly.

I didn’t see it. But I heard the commotion behind me. Feet were moving fast on the floor. Clothes were being tugged at. Words were being muttered into someone’s ear.

I could picture it in my head. Brodie was holding Sawyer back.

Ugh. I hated it when Carter called Sawyer that awful nickname.

They both hated each other. A lot. But making fun of Sawyer’s…

economic situation was so unnecessary. There were so many awful things about Sawyer to bring up: how rude he was, how he always pestered me in class, how he seemed to pick on me more than anyone else.

There was no need to talk about his living circumstances.

But Carter always thought I was sticking up for Sawyer when I brought that up. Carter used to say that because my family were wealthy that it was the kind of mentality I should have been having. But I never wanted to be that person.

“Just keep walking,” Carter directed.

I didn’t want to turn around as me and Carter moved.

Sawyer once again did not deserve my attention.

Not when I had my man right next to me. Carter was walking fast and hard – something he always did when he was mad.

It sometimes made things difficult. Like when we got into a fight and he stormed off, his long legs getting him where he needed to go so much quicker than I could keep up with. It was one of the cons of being short.

But with him next to me, with his hand on mine as he pulled me forward, I could keep up. His scent lingered on me. I could smell his expensive cologne. It would have been alluring if we weren’t moving so fast.

Carter didn’t say a word until we got into his Porsche. He slammed the door so hard that I jumped, and then he looked at me with a sharp eye.

“I told you to kick him off the paper.” Carter finally broke the silence.

“Brodie’s not like Sawyer. He’s helpful. He wants to write and he’s good with all the sports games,” I told him with big eyes. “Don’t be mad. I’m sorry. Sawyer wasn’t supposed to be there. I didn’t know Sawyer was picking Brodie up until we were about to leave.”

“You know I don’t trust that asshole. Trailer Park Trash is to be ignored, Holly. What the hell does he think he’s doing getting close to you? I shouldn’t even have to deal with him. God, why the hell does my dad have to send me to this dump?”

I shut my eyes at the cruel nickname. Carter liked using it way too much.

Carter and his family were fairly well-off people, but a private school was way out of the budget, and his dad had always talked about private schools not really preparing students for the real world.

He wanted his son to grow and learn. It made sense to me. But Carter hated it.

“He was just picking Brodie up,” I explained.

“Just get rid of him. Seriously. That guy can’t be any good if he’s related to Sawyer Westbrook .”

“Brodie’s not that bad...” I thought about how excited Brodie had been to be working on the paper. He was a good guy. Not like Sawyer at all.

“I don’t want you hanging around him,” Carter said lowly. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “I don’t like it. Not one little bit.”

I sighed and leaned over in my seat. Carter had a bit of a temper when it came to Sawyer.

They had always clashed, and I knew it wasn’t easy for Carter to see me hang out with Brodie of all people considering who his cousin was.

I wrapped my arms around Carter, pressing my lips to his cheek.

I gave him a kiss. Then another one. Before he finally turned his head and moved his lips to mine.

He kissed at me eagerly and I hummed against him.

“I’m sorry.” I pouted. “I just needed another writer. I should have talked to you more about it. There’s no one else to do all the sports articles and Brodie seemed right for the role.”

“Those pricks can’t be trusted, Holly,” he told me lowly. “I don’t care how right for the role that little long-haired freak is.”

I just nodded, giving him a soft kiss. I didn’t know how else to calm him down.

“Next time: tell me what you’re doing.” His eyes had grown a little darker as he stared, not blinking as he spoke. “ Don’t go behind my back.”

“Okay. I promise.”

Carter sighed loudly, turning on the engine. He looked ahead of him, shifting the car into drive as we moved out of the parking lot. He didn’t say anything again. Just kept his eyes on the road. Sometimes he’d put a hand on me and grip my thigh tight. But his hands were nowhere near me.

“Ya know…” He finally ended the silence.

I looked over at him with big eyes and a bright smile. Maybe we’d go to the diner after all? Maybe we’d forget all about Sawyer and just spend the afternoon together sharing a milkshake before he drove me home as the sun set and the sky turned all pretty and pink?

“I should have just let you walk home.” He finally finished his sentence.

I felt myself slump in my seat. Carter did that sometimes – made me walk places when he was mad at me.

He didn’t do it that often. I could count on one hand how many times it had happened – but still.

I hated being punished. Especially when it was for something I had no control over.

But Carter was my world and his smile was sometimes the only thing getting me through my busy days.

His bright eyes and deep voice and comforting hugs were what I thought of late at night, so excited to see him the next day .

There was only one thing to do.

Apologize.

“I’m sorry,” I said ashamedly. “It won’t happen again.”

“It better not.”

More silence. That time: so much more uncomfortable. No, it was painful . And Sawyer was the one responsible for it. Sawyer and his stupid, big mouth. God, I hated him. Always had. Always would. Nothing good came from that boy. Not a thing.