The Wicked Trilogy: Caleb & Margo (Fallen Royals #1-3), page 17
But instead of stopping… he keeps going. His finger pushes in and out, a steady, quick rhythm.
“Stop,” I moan. My arms are jelly. I let myself fall back on the counter.
“No,” he says, hauling me upright.
He undoes the button of his pants, and we both look down at his erection. There’s a bead of liquid glistening on the head of his cock.
He rolls on a condom and kisses me at the same time that he thrusts into me.
The pain of it is… shocking. Eye-opening.
I gasp into his mouth, and he only pauses for a fraction of a second.
Virgin, I’m sure he thinks.
Shame bubbles through the euphoria.
“You’ve always been mine,” he says against my lips. “This just fucking confirms it.”
I wrap my legs around his hips. We’re at the perfect angle. The perfect height.
And the fact that he didn’t just freak out on me lifts a weight off my chest. I didn’t realize I had been worried until now.
After a few seconds of discomfort—an alien feeling—he moves.
“I don’t want gentle,” I say, holding on to his biceps.
“Good thing, because my self-control is about to go out the window.” He slams into me, filling me completely.
In the back of my mind, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do easy. Just like we wouldn’t be able to do slow.
We’re fast and reckless and wild.
I dig my nails into his skin. He relentlessly hammers into me. A tingling feeling picks up in my lower abdomen and my teeth tear his lower lip. My heart is beating so fast, it might take flight.
“Scream,” he orders. He flicks my clit.
This orgasm is violent, a tsunami force. Better—or worse—than the first one. I open my mouth, but no sound comes out.
He presses on my clit again, still thrusting into me.
I let my head fall back and I do. I scream.
I yell his name, my thighs tensing around him, until my voice disappears.
He quickens then stills, spilling inside me. We stay like that for a long moment, wrapped around each other.
His pulse hammers through our connection.
He pulls out slowly. There’s blood on the condom, on my thighs, on the counter.
He touches my cheek, smiling sadly. His finger swipes under my eye. “You’re beautiful.”
I slide off the counter. My muscles quake. “I need a minute,” I say in a low voice.
He inclines his head, and I slink away to the bathroom. It takes longer than I would expect to put my pieces back together. My resolve goes here, my dignity goes there. Inch by inch, I rebuild who I was.
Who knew sex would destroy me?
I clean myself. When I come out of the bathroom, Caleb holds out my bra and shirt.
I stare at the kitchen island.
“I’m going to fuck you on that counter,” he had promised. “You’re going to enjoy it, even knowing what happened here. Because all you’ll be able to think about is my dick in your pussy, spreading you wide. Hitting every. Fucking. Nerve.”
Horror washes through me.
He spoke the truth. I did forget. I let myself fall into his madness, and now…
“Caleb,” I choke out, grabbing my shirt and hugging it to my chest. “How—”
“How could I?” His eyes are dark. Glittering. He leans down until we’re face to face. “Have you learned nothing?”
I close my eyes. Tears fall hard and fast down my face.
He yanks my shirt out of my grip and puts it on me. Forces my arms through the sleeves and buttons the front. He takes my bra, my panties from where he dropped them, and slides both into his pocket.
“Let’s go.” He puts his hand between my shoulder blades and guides me out.
“You got what you wanted,” I say once we’re in the car. There’s a chill in the air, and my nipples harden under my shirt. I want to dive out of the car and walk home rather than let him see.
“Yeah, well, it’s not all sunshine and fucking roses up here.” He taps his temple.
We ride back to the Jenkins’ house in silence. I get out and jog to the front door without looking back, my backpack thumping against my shoulder blade. Lenora’s car isn’t in the driveway, and I manage to slip up to my room undetected.
I go to my window in time to watch Caleb’s car pull back out into traffic, slipping away like he was never there.
The haunted feeling I got when I walked into his house is still surrounding me, thicker than smog. He wanted to banish a few ghosts.
I guess that includes me.
23
Margo
I loop my arm through Riley’s as we walk toward the library. “I need a favor.”
She tilts her head. “Like bury a body type of favor, or want to stop and get coffee before school type thing?”
I snort. She unlocks the door, and we slip inside.
It’s been an exhausting week, but the good news is: it’s Friday.
Once Caleb returned to school, he made a show of being extra nice to me. He glared at anyone he saw making rude comments. That alone seemed to quell most of the bullying. It was a weird turn of events, considering how we left things Monday afternoon. Half of me expected him to pretend I didn’t exist and throw me to the wolves, as cliché as that sounds.
“Like a… drive me to the mall type of favor.”
She drops into her chair. “Easy enough.”
I don’t sit.
“Wait… do you mean now?”
“Just… miss lunch and maybe the next class.”
She squints at me. “Why do you need to go to the mall?”
I give in and sink down into the chair next to her. “My foster sister, Claire, asked to meet me. She knows I’m grounded…”
“Of course,” Riley groans. “And I’m the friend with a car.”
I reach over and grab her arm. “Please, Riley,” I beg. “I miss her. I haven’t seen her or Hanna—her sister—since we were taken out of the home…”
I don’t have to fake the tears that spring into my eyes. “I should’ve asked you yesterday, or—”
“You didn’t even mention her.” Riley looks up at the ceiling, blinking quite a lot. “God, stop crying. You’re going to make me ruin my makeup.”
I sniff.
She finally stands. “Okay, fine. One hour. I meet your foster sister. And then we come back so Mr. Jenkins doesn’t fry my ass.”
I nod. “Yes. Perfect. Thank you.”
I throw my arms around her shoulders, and she stiffens. She pats my back awkwardly until I release her, then she lets out a small laugh.
“Okay, follow my lead.”
We walk over to her cousin’s office. Riley taps on the door, and Amy jumps.
“Amy,” Riley says. “Margo is feeling super sick. Can you write us a pass to the nurse?”
Amy squints at me. “You’re sick?”
I put my hand over my stomach. “Yeah.”
“Are you pregnant?”
I pale.
She snorts. “Just kidding, of course. Humor. I can write you a pass…”
“Both of us? Amy, come on,” Riley pleads. “And…”
“Oh my god, what are you going to do? You look… devious.”
I bite my lip to hold back a frown. This isn’t going to work.
“Can you write us a pass back from the nurse, too? I’ll bring you Mom’s cookies on Monday.”
Amy’s eyes light up. “Her homemade chocolate chip?”
“Yes,” Riley agrees, nodding emphatically. “So…”
Amy sighs. “Okay, fine. One second.”
“Leave the time blank,” I cut in.
Amy glances at me, rolling her eyes. She hands us the slips, and Riley hugs her.
We sneak out a side door and crouch-run to her car. It’s probably more suspicious that way, but this is the first real time we’ve skipped a class. As soon as we’re on the road, we burst into giggles.
“Tell me about Claire,” Riley orders.
I smile. “She’s sixteen. Smarter than me, for sure. Her sister, Hanna, is twelve. They both came to my foster family a few months after I got there. We became thick as thieves.”
She glances at me. “Sounds nice.”
“Claire’s a wild child,” I say. “Always coming up with harebrained ideas. Hanna and I were more similar. Quiet… grounded.”
Riley snorts. “Shy.”
“Yeah, that.”
We get to the mall in record time. At the food court, I look around eagerly for Claire while Riley breaks away to get lunch. I finally spot her on the escalator.
I wave frantically, catching her attention, and rush toward her. We crash into each other, hugging and laughing.
I pull away first. “It’s been, what, a month? You’re grown up.”
Her blonde hair, long when I first saw it, is short and curled. She has cat-eye sunglasses perched on her head, light eye makeup, and dark-red lipstick.
She manages to seem more adult than I feel.
“I missed you, Wolfe.” She hugs me again. She’s small enough that she can tuck her head under my chin. “We have so much to catch up on!”
“How’s Hanna?” I ask.
“Brilliant,” Claire says. “Foster family loves her, of course. There’s a brother in this one. I’m thinking they might be keepers.”
My eyes widen. “That’s amazing.”
She shrugs. “If they keep me is a whole other issue. They’re infatuated with Hanna—not her adventurous older sister.”
“You two are a package deal.”
“I’d rather her secure a home that loves her. I’ll be fine.”
Riley approaches with a tray of food, and Claire’s head shoots up.
“Who’s this?”
“Claire, this is my friend, Riley. Riley, Claire.”
They shake hands, and we lapse into silence. Riley passes me a carton of food.
“So, how’s things been back at Emery-Rose?” Claire asks. “Run into Caleb?”
I blush. I’ve managed to keep our sex a secret from everyone—Riley, even. But it’s no secret that we’re… different. I don’t even know how to classify us. Are we dating? His possessiveness has ramped up ten degrees. He literally growls at anyone who so much as glances in my direction. Yet, I haven’t seen him outside of school since Monday afternoon.
A stolen kiss or two before class, his hand on my thigh at lunch… other than that, nothing.
“Ooh, Riley, she’s turning red. What is happening?” Claire leans forward.
“They’re dating,” Riley tells her. “After a tumultuous start.”
Claire grabs my wrist. “Really? Margo, that’s great!” She squeezes hard enough to bruise. “After all, you never shut up about him. It’s like you willed this to happen against the odds.”
I smile, pulling my wrist away. I put my hands under the table. She knows about my history with him, but her reaction isn’t quite what I thought.
“What about you?” I ask. “Any new boys at your new school?”
“Where do you go?” Riley asks.
“Lion’s Head.” She grins. “There’s some cute guys there, Wolfe. They’re deliciously rich.”
“Is that all you care about?” I laugh.
“No, the size of their—”
“Claire!” I squeal.
Riley snorts. “I suppose that’s an important factor.”
“Our girl wouldn’t know,” Claire confides, leaning across the table toward Riley. “She’s never had sex.”
Riley shrugs. “That’s not a bad thing.”
“It is if the guy you want is the hottest piece of ass in school…” Claire raises her eyebrows. “Isn’t that right, Margo?”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“Just that… you know, I’d expect to be his girlfriend, he’d be quite demanding in bed and all. And I know you aren’t really comfortable…” Claire pops a piece of gum in her mouth.
“We should go.” Riley flashes me the time on her phone.
“Ah, shoot.” We both stand, and Claire rises a beat later. “It was good to see you, Claire.” I shake off the last bit of our conversation. “They mentioned I would be ungrounded soon. Hopefully that means we can get together on a weekend with Hanna.”
Claire grimaces. “My weekends are pretty packed. But Hanna would love to meet up! I’m sure you two can arrange something.” She darts around the table and wraps her arms around my waist. “Good to see you, sis.”
Riley and I walk back to the car, and she elbows me.
She says, “You didn’t tell her about any of the bad stuff.”
I shrug. “Why worry her?”
“The girl didn’t seem worried about you.”
“Because I didn’t tell her that Caleb was an epic bully and got everyone to call me Sheep…” I roll my eyes. “Some stuff is better left unsaid.”
“Sure.”
We park and hurry back to the side door that we had left propped open, slipping back into the women’s locker room. It was a weird way out, I’ll admit. But it’s one of the only doors that isn’t monitored, since the gym classes usually go in and out through the gymnasium entrance.
I grab our bags from my gym locker and pass Riley’s back to her. We walk out, and I grind to a halt when I register who’s waiting for us.
Caleb.
“Skipping class, love?” He pouts. It’s dangerous. “Without me?”
Riley edges around us, shooting me an apologetic look. “Talk to you later.”
Leaving me alone with the devil.
“I had somewhere to be.” I dig my pass out of my pocket. “It’s fine anyway.”
“Ooh, a pass. Riley’s librarian cousin, no doubt.”
I blink at him. He appears relaxed, but I feel the tension between us.
He’s pissed, but he’s hiding it well.
“How do you know Amy is her—”
“Cousin?” He lifts one shoulder. “It’s no secret.”
We walk down the hall.
“Where’d you go?”
I shake my head. “You really want to know?”
“Well, I’m not asking just to hear my own voice.”
At the door to the academic wing, he holds me back. “Are you still getting picked on?”
“Are you asking because you’re concerned?”
He slides his hand through my hair. “I’ve decided that the only person who can be cruel to you is me.”
“It’s better,” I manage.
I am absolutely livid that he can be callous and turn me on at the same time. My body reacts to him like a tightly wound wire. One touch and I come alive.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he says, releasing me. “And maybe you’ll answer my questions.”
“What’s tonight?” I follow him up the stairs, toward my next class. “Caleb.”
He winks. “You don’t want to tell me where you went? Two can play that game, love.”
I suffer the anticipation through the last two classes—including the art class, with Caleb sitting stiller than a statue beside me. Getting answers from him is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Pointless and impossible.
He goes up to Robert near the end of class, whispering something.
Robert nods slowly. “I suppose. I’ll need to speak with my wife.”
Caleb returns to his seat. He smirks at me.
“What was that about?” I whisper.
“Nothing to worry about,” he says. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
The bell cuts off any further interrogation. Caleb slides off his stool and strides out the door, leaving me behind. No backward glance, no hovering like the last few days. He’s just… poof. Gone.
Robert clears his throat. “Ready?”
“What did Caleb ask you?”
He shakes his head. “Just had a personal question.”
He’s not going to tell me. I try not to let that sting too much.
Once we’re home, I retreat to my room. My phone has been unusually silent. No Caleb, no Riley… no Unknown.
I do have a text from Claire, though.
Claire: So great to see you, Margo!! Really missed you. Hanna sends a kissy face. Want to meet up next weekend??
I grin at my phone.
Me: I’ll double-check, but it should be fine! Yay!
I set my phone down to change out of my uniform. It chimes again, and I grab it, already smiling. The smile slides off my face when I see who this new text is from.
Unknown: Do you ever get tired of being fake?
My good mood plummets like a stone in the ocean. Down, down, down.
Unknown: How does it feel to lose your virginity to a monster?
I choke on my gasp. How do they know?
I certainly didn’t tell anyone…
Which means Caleb did.
24
Margo
Lenora knocks on my door. “Hey, honey. We’re going out. Will you be okay on your own?”
I sit up and look at her. I’ve been struggling through homework for the last hour. Math used to be my favorite subject, but I haven’t been able to concentrate this semester.
Too many other things pulling my attention, I guess.
“Where are you going?”
She grins. “Robert got a reservation to a nice restaurant. He surprised me, and since it’s a Friday…”
I mirror her smile. “That’s awesome! Date night?”
“Exactly. And as of tomorrow, we’re lifting your grounding.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’ve been good, and we didn’t want to make this a drawn-out thing. Besides, it’s your senior year. You should be able to have fun with your friends.”
“Thank you.”
She ventures deeper into my room and sits beside me. “We need to talk tomorrow. Robert and I wanted to check in with you after Angela’s visit, but things just got a little crazy…”
“It’s okay.” I fiddle with the blanket on my lap.
Between Lenora working late and my inability to do anything except for homework, I’ve had a few movie nights with Robert and a few nights of crashing early. In reality, I’ve barely seen Lenora this week.
