Deceit: A Friends to Lovers Standalone Romance Read online

  “You know, the usual,” she began to say when Jacob cut her off.

  “Declan York asked her out,” Jacob blurted, his eyes still on the road. “You know, the Declan York who doesn’t attend church. The Declan York who goes to the Hamshean Academy because his parents couldn’t find a military school to send him to—”

  “I damn well know Declan York, Jacob,” I cut in with a steely glare. Of course I knew Declan. He was a regular of the night scene in Des Moines for years. He screwed just as many, or maybe more, girls than me. If I wasn’t good enough for Grace, then Declan York was worse. At least I wanted the best for her. I was her shoulder to cry on when she felt lonely and missed her mom and life in New York.

  Now in high school, Grace made two girlfriends, Addison and Brooklyn. They both came from Hamshean homes. That meant they were approved by my parents. Despite their affiliation to the church, their parents were not as strict, and so, like most teenagers, Addison and Brooklyn were a little wild and liked to party. Brooklyn more so than Addison. They dated boys, wore lipstick, and when they left the house, they changed their clothes to something more provocative. I knew this because I had a little kissing interlude with Brooklyn only last year. I prayed hard for the first time when I realized she was Grace’s friend and hoped she would never reveal the kiss we shared, though my gut told me she had divulged that tidbit of information.

  Jacob scoffed at my moodiness. “Relax, brother. He’s taking her to the drive-in.”

  Grace elbowed Jacob in his side.

  “Ouch, Grace. Dammit. I’m driving. You don’t hit a driver when he’s driving,” Jacob chided.

  “I’ll damn well hit you if you don’t shut your mouth,” Grace snapped, barely able to look my way. If she was looking to get a rise out of me, it was working. Or had she really moved on?

  “The drive-in, huh?” I finally spoke, but the words felt gritty and stuck in my throat.

  “What of it?” Grace snapped.

  I had no right to put my two cents into this conversation. I lost that right a million sluts ago.

  “Honestly, Grace, I don’t know if I like the idea either,” I finally responded.

  It was then I realized that Grace was sitting between two men who were supposed to be brothers to her but were not even close. The only reason Jacob and I were watching out for her was because we wanted her for ourselves.

  “It’ll be fine. Brooklyn is going with Holt to the same movie. She’ll be in the next car. If something I don’t like happens, I’ll excuse myself to the restroom,” she explained, looking between Jacob and me.

  A quiet tension radiated through the old pickup the rest of the ride home. When we arrived on the dirt drive of the Duncan farm, I was quick to gather my things and leave the truck before I did or said something I would regret. I stalked off toward the forest. My forest.

  Chapter 8

  Grace

  Knox was irate, although I didn’t understand why. He had been having sex with girls left, right, and center while I had no say. I watched him disappear into the brush and remembered our promises to each other. He had promised to be patient, I promised to tell him my story, and of course, he promised to give me a kiss. Over the years there had been more promises, too. He promised to always be in my life. I made him promise that one when he told me he wanted to leave Sade to become a musician. He also promised to always stay my best friend. As I thought of those promises, I realized that not one of them had been kept. My stomach plummeted, and without further thought, I dropped my backpack in the kitchen and stalked off toward the forest. Knox had been my person since I was eleven. Lately, we had been growing apart and there was no way in hell I was going to stand idly by and watch the most important person in my life leave it.

  “Grace, wait,” Jacob caught my arm just as I was stepping out the door.

  I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “What is it, Jacob?” I asked, unable to hide the impatience in my tone. I immediately felt bad.

  “Nothing. You just said you needed my help with math tonight. I’m free now.” He looked at me expectantly.

  I understood what he was really asking: why are you running after my brother when I’m here? I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, especially since he had become a friend over the years, taking me to and from school and helping me with homework, but he was only a friend. Nothing more. How did I make that any clearer?

  “Later, Jacob. I need to go for a walk,” I said softly, feeling remorse for my earlier outburst.

  Deep down, I wished he would have taken a liking to one of the girls at school. Based on the gossip I heard, many of them had a crush on him, but he seemed to have his heart set on me.

  Jacob finally released my arm on a disgruntled sigh. “I’ll be in my room studying when you’re ready.”

  I inhaled a deep breath and went back outside. As I walked toward the forest, I picked up speed with each step, unable to get to Knox fast enough. I approached the pond and noticed his clothes were strewn all over the grass. My hot skin flushed at the thought of him in that pond naked. But when I looked at the water there was no sign of him. I let out an exasperated breath just as he broke through the surface of the water from below. His body shot up with such force, his strong arms and stomach on full display, I jumped, holding onto my chest.

  “Shit, you scared the crap out of me.” I took a step back. Sweat from the brisk walk caused my uniform to stick to me, and I fanned myself with my hand.

  “Not as much as you scared me. I thought I was out here alone,” he said with a dry chuckle.

  My eyes dropped to the clothes strewn on the ground, and I sighed. “Apparently.”

  Knox’s cobalt eyes darkened, then he pulled his gaze away. “Why don’t you come in here for a swim?”

  I pursed my lips together and crossed my arms over my chest. “Seriously? You haven’t invited me in there with you in over a year.”

  “Well, you don’t really require an invitation to my pond anymore, because I saw you swimming in here on your own.” He cocked his right brow, goading me.

  I tilted my head to the side, clearly shocked by his revelation. I had been insulted that he didn’t want to swim with me anymore. It was his pond when I first arrived, but somewhere along the way it had become our pond.

  “You were watching me?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” he answered, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

  I wasn’t sure of what to do or say next. This challenging side of him was nothing new, but now his intentions were of a different nature. Was he flirting? Boys flirted with me at school, but coming from Knox it was a completely different ball game. I loved him before I even understood love, and probably because I knew he was all kinds of trouble. I knew Declan York was a player with the ladies, and he was seriously handsome, but I had waited for Knox too long. Maybe I had an affinity for the bad boys in town.

  As I stood staring at Knox’s wide, hard chest, I was overcome with a bold streak and began unbuttoning my now practically see-through white shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Knox’s eyes went round and fueled my courage.

  I internally giggled as I played him at his own game. “You wanted me to come for a swim,” I replied nonchalantly with a hint of mischief in my own indifferent stare. Knox wanted to goad me? Fine. I hoped he was ready for a dose of his own medicine. He was a wild one, but so was I. I may have been a good girl, but my heart was a soaring, free bird.

  “Can you keep your clothes on?” he asked, holding a hand over his eyes.

  “Come on. I’m sure I don’t have anything you haven’t seen before.” My words were playful but meant as a jab.

  He separated his middle and index finger slightly when he spoke. “I don’t think those girls have anything like what you have, Grace. I think swimming with clothes on is definitely a good idea,” he replied with an insistent and slightly frantic tone. I couldn’t help but cackle inside. Just moments ago, he had seemed so bold.

  “I can’t believe you. You don’t have any clothes on,” I said, looking at the clothes littering the ground.

  “Are you sure about that, Gracie?” he asked, looking down into the water.

  I wasn’t sure. Maybe he had boxers on in the water. His bare chest overwhelmed me so much, I almost stripped naked in front of him.

  “What does it matter? It’s a bra and panties, just like a bathing suit,” I insisted as a wave of courage continued to wash over me. I moved my fingers swiftly over the buttons of my top, allowing it to drop to the grass, followed by the horrid plaid school skirt, which was too warm for this weather anyway.

  Knox’s eyes held a fiery glare as they roamed over my exposed skin. His throat bobbed, and it gave me satisfaction.

  “Green-eyed angel, eyes so bright, don’t take one step further. I promise it will cost you your virtue and you can’t ever get it back. Trust me, angel, I am black. Black to the soul, like I was told, so please, angel, take a step back.”

  As Knox composed another poem, my heart fluttered, as it always had when he recited song lyrics he wrote for me. Only this time his words stung because he was calling himself black and threatening my virtue. Something in his words snapped me back to reality, and I took a few slow steps toward him into the water.

  I waded toward him and touched his cool cheek with my hand. “You were never dark or black. They don’t know you because they won’t take the time to know you, but it’s their loss, Knox. They don’t know what a kind and gentle soul you are,” I said. The water was cool and welcome against my dewy skin. His eyes softened, but it looked like a torrent of emotion washed over him. I wasn’t backing away. Instead, I placed my arms around his neck, feeling his hot breath against my face. “There was a reason I followed you out here,” I began, and he took a big g
ulp.

  “And that w-was?” he asked with a stammer. It was laughable that a guy with his experience around girls was so nervous around me, a virgin.

  “Something hit me, Knox. Our promises… we managed to keep some over the years, but there were some important ones we forgot,” I said through the pain I was feeling. There was no turning back. Our bodies pressed together. Our lips inches apart. I felt his warm exhale on my face.

  He closed his eyes. It seemed like he was trying to brace himself. “I’m patient,” he said, and my heart skipped a beat. “I have not tried to kiss you or take your virtue.” He laughed.

  “Yes, but you’ve taken the virtue of almost every young woman in a twenty-mile radius.” I tilted my head to the side, almost challenging him to say different. He couldn’t argue the truth.

  “I’m embarrassed to say that I had to relieve myself somehow. Sleeping across the hall from you, watching you leave the shower in your robe in the evening, knowing you were wet and naked beneath it. You can’t blame a guy.” He shrugged. His words burned me and gave me confidence in one breath. He was always maddening.

  I clenched my jaw. Then I collected myself. “I can blame you for being a pig, which you are, but you’re also my best friend and you’ve always been there for me,” I replied with a serious tone.

  “I’ve tried, Gracie. I’m still trying,” he admitted with a husky voice.

  “I want to tell you my story,” I said, feeling each word with the utmost conviction. It was time.

  His breathing had picked up, and he looked at me with reverence. “You still want to share your story with me?” he asked with surprise in his tone.

  I understood his real question: you still trust me after being the town’s biggest manwhore? I noted his worried expression and smiled. He was still my friend.

  “I thought I was losing you.” He sighed heavily. “I know I’ve behaved badly, and we’ve been drifting apart. It’s just us… I mean, you and me… we’re complicated.”

  Wasn’t that the truth. “A part of me hates what’s happening, but I get it, I think. I wish you saw in yourself what I see in you. I wish you stopped hating yourself,” I said. But I knew it was more complicated than waving his self-deprecation away. His parents had been verbally and emotionally abusive to him for years. Way before my arrival.

  “I want to hear your story, Gracie. If you’re ready, I want to listen.” Letting out a soft breath, he caressed my head and his hand ran down my cheek.

  His gaze pulled to mine, and there, in the depth of his dark eyes, I felt a spark that had always been present, and I fell even deeper in love. I hoped he felt it too. It was a rare connection to have with another person, feeling so entwined with another’s emotions.

  “It was a regular summer morning. My mom came into my room, woke me up with a kiss on the cheek. As a bookkeeper for the museum, she spent her lunch walking the halls. Apart from me, art and drawings were her life. We had an art studio in our apartment,” I explained, feeling a harsh pain deep in my chest. After all these years, the pain of losing my mother felt like a fresh wound. “I remember her reddish-brown hair was tied in a bun. She placed a dress on my bed and told me to hurry and get dressed, so she wouldn’t be late for work. I didn’t have school, since it was summer, but she had enrolled me in the community center camp. I actually hated the camp, but I knew she needed to work, so I didn’t complain. I went out to the kitchen and ate my usual bowl of cereal. Everything was so normal. Same old. No reason to suspect an inkling of a bad day.” I paused for a moment to take a breath.

  “You’re shivering. Let’s get out of the water. I have a blanket in my bag. We can go to the forest,” Knox suggested.

  I nodded and followed Knox out of the water. He was wearing boxers, so he wasn’t truly naked. A part of me was both relieved and disappointed. He went straight for his bag and pulled out a blanket, then wrapped it around my body, although I noticed him steal a glance of my backside.

  “You’ll be cold,” I said through chattering teeth.

  “Nah, it’s warm. I’m good.” He waved me off, then moved to collect his things off the ground. He also picked up my clothes. I followed him into the forest. He stopped along a log without shade so I could warm up, but instead of sitting on the log, I placed the blanket on the ground and sat on it.

  “You’re asking a lot here, Gracie. You want me to focus on your story when you’re sitting beside me in a see-through bra and a pair of white panties that have also become see-through,” he scoffed, looking at me through a heated gaze. How could I explain that I wanted to drive him crazy with need, but I also wanted to test his patience to see how much he really cared?

  “You promised patience,” I reminded him, cocking my right brow.

  He nodded. “And patience you’ll get, but don’t blame me if you also witness my hard-on.” He looked down to his boxers.

  My cheeks flushed.

  “I’m just joking. You have my patience. Always. Although, your innocence is a real turn-on.” He gave his head a shake as if to clear it. “Please continue.”

  I pulled my legs up to my chest and placed my arms around them, holding myself tight in a ball. It had been so long since I thought about that day. I surprised myself about the details I remembered, and it made me happy, like a piece of my mother had always stayed with me.

  “It was a normal day. Mom packed me a peanut butter and jam sandwich in my lunch box. We walked through the busy streets. We got on a bus to the center. There was a stretch where we had to walk down a quiet street. Mom knew of a shortcut through a back alley to the center.

  As we were walking down the road, Mom was telling me about a painting the museum had recently acquired. I remember looking up to her with a smile, then, out of nowhere, a man came up to us. His hands were shaking, and he was pointing a gun at us. I wanted to scream or run, but I just looked to my mother. She was calm while the man was screaming for her to pass him her purse. She passed it to him, then pleaded with him to not hurt me. That’s when it happened. The frantic look in his eyes.” A cold shiver ran through me. “My mother was holding her cell in her hand. I think she was trying to dial for help. The man noticed and shot her, then he gazed at me with frenzied eyes before taking off. I fell to the ground and cried, praying that my mother would be okay. Some people heard the shot and came running.” I take a breath to calm myself, but it’s no use, my entire body is shaking with grief.

  “You don’t have to continue,” Knox said softly. His dark eyes were rimmed red and he looked like he was about to fall apart.

  “I have to, for you and for me,” I said. I’d never spoken about the most tragic day in my life. It was bottled up and sealed inside me. It wasn’t healthy. “The rest feels like a blur. I was taken to the police station and shown photos in order to identify the man. That’s when I went silent. I was so scared, and I couldn’t stop replaying the shooting in my mind. I needed it to turn off. The sound of the gunshot still rings in my ears all these years later. Then I was put into state foster care. I don’t know how much time passed when a lady came and brought me here to your family. Everything happened so fast, I had no time to register what was happening. I had no time to say goodbye. I don’t know who my father is or if I had other family who would have wanted me. I only know that our mothers were friends in high school. Your mother hasn’t really told me anything over the years,” I explained in despair.

  “What can I do? How can I make it better for you? I’ve tried to ask Mama questions for you in the past, but she’s locked up like a damn safe,” Knox said irately.

  “I know you’ve tried. I think my mother’s parents have passed away. They were either too old to take me or dead. The reason I’m telling you this story now is because I feel you pulling away, and you’re the only one who has ever treated me like I belong here. I’m scared of losing you. It was because of you that I started speaking again. I felt safe around you. I was sure you would never hurt me. You made it your daily duty to make me smile when all I saw was black,” I admitted painfully.

  Knox moved closer and placed an arm around my shoulder. His warm body enveloped me in his heat.

  “Gracie, I’ve felt connected to you from the day you arrived. You could never lose me. Ever. I’m sorry if you felt I was pulling away from you. If we’re being honest, you need to understand that I’ve had a crush on you from the moment I first saw you. Don’t you remember that poem I made up for you? It was the first poem I ever recited to you. I told you that you took my breath away. I wasn’t joking.”