CHAPTER TWO
As I headed to my car on Friday, I felt someone fall in line beside me. I knew who it was before I looked. Tray Evans. Since I hung out that evening with the group, he hadn’t been around that much. He hadn’t cared about pushing his agenda on me. In fact, he hadn’t cared much about me at all. This was the first time since that day that he had even sought me out, but I had gotten used to his presence. There was a pull from him. If he was in a room, people knew it. They were aware of him and everyone migrated towards him. I couldn’t deny that I didn’t feel the same pull.
It was annoying.
I didn’t have time to ask what he wanted. He grabbed my arm and pulled me from the sidewalk. We went into a group of trees, and with foliage surrounding us, we were cut off from everyone else. No one would know we were in there.
“Hey!” I pulled my arm from his hold.
He crowded me. “You lied.”
“What?”
“I’ve been watching you, and I know you lied to me.” He stood so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. “You said you don’t want to steal anymore, but you lied. You get an adrenalin rush every time you take something. You’re addicted to it. I’ve seen it in your eyes over the week. You miss it, and you were lying to me when you said you wouldn’t do it anymore.” He moved even closer. “You want to do it. I can tell.”
He was right, but I pushed him back. “So what? I won’t live that life anymore.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Right.”
“I’m asking you to do one thing. One thing, Taryn.”
He said my name. It was the second time this week and it had the same effect on my body. I gritted my teeth. I was starting to hate the power he already had over me. “What is it? What’s going to screw Pedlam so much?”
He smirked, then hid it when he saw my anger. “We need to get in their school. They’ve got all this new security, some serious stuff, and we need you to get us inside. That’s it. We just want to get in and do some damage. It won’t be anything that will get us in trouble or you sent to juvie again.” He softened his tone. “I promise.”
And I was pure and innocent.
I snorted in disbelief. “I’m not stupid and there’s a difference between helping you break in somewhere and lifting something for you. There’s a big difference.”
He flashed me a smile. Oh, whoa. I was suddenly burning up, and, judging from the look in his eyes, he noticed my reaction because the amber was back in his eyes.
“I know you’re not stupid.” He moved closer to wrap a hand around my neck. He bent forward slightly, his mouth just to the side of mine. He was almost kissing me. Without thinking, I closed my eyes and leaned into him, bringing our bodies in contact. His other hand slid from my arm and down my back, ending just on the small of my back. He applied enough pressure, tipping my hips against his.
This was how Brian held me.
At that thought, I softened. My arm slipped around his shoulder, curving around his neck, and I moved my head towards his. Our lips touched, just slightly. There was no pressure. Just a small graze. I hadn’t been kissed like in months. My body wanted it. There was a promise of safety and security. That old feeling I would get from Brian was there.
Brian…
I missed this, even if it wasn’t real, even if it wasn’t with the right guy. I could feel it again, for a small moment. I could slip away from the newness of my world, the fear from being out of my comfort zone and away from my real family. I was tempted. I was so tempted. Neither of us moved, we were at a standstill. Both of us were breathing deeply now and I slipped a finger inside the waistband of his pants and pulled. Tray’s mouth opened over mine. His kiss was rough, taking command.
