Chapter Twenty-Six - Payback

Chapter Twenty-Six - Payback
Orson

Everly seems to be getting along with my friends. A little too well. They are all very similar to me, yet she hates me, but she doesn’t hate them. What is that all about? She is being overly friendly with Sebastian. She is flirting with him, and it is pissing me off. How are we going to convince everyone we are together if she is flirting with my friends? 

I can’t help but wonder if her reason for flirting is solely to piss me off. I wouldn’t put it past Everly. I stand from the table and walk away without another word. They watch after me, confused. I need a minute and some air. I head outside for a cig, finding a spot away from the people outside. I am not in the mood to deal with anyone, especially drunken strangers trying to talk to me. I sigh, resting against one of the walls and light up. I take a long drag to help calm me down. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment of sanity. 

“What is wrong with you tonight?” 

The sound of Everly’s voice makes me open my eyes. 

“Nothing. I came out for a smoke.” 

“You have been sulking for the last hour.” 

My jaw clenches. “I do not sulk. Why are you out here? Did you get bored of flirting with one of my best friends?” I hiss.

Everly smirks, stepping closer to me, too close. The fruity scent of her perfume tickles my nose, along with the slight scent of vodka in her breath. “I see what is wrong. Your jealous streak has come out to play again.” 

“I am not jealous! How the fuck do you expect people to believe we are together when you are flirting with my friends?” I protest. 

“What a pathetic excuse. Everyone we are with tonight knows the truth. They know nothing is real. How about you man up and be honest?” she says, prodding at my chest. 

Why does she insist on getting under my skin? Does she lie in bed at night and think, hmm, how can I annoy Orson next?

I grab her wrist to stop her. “Don’t push me, Everly. I am not playing this game with you anymore.” 

“Don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy when I push you.” She whispers and presses her body to mine. 

I draw in a breath, not wanting to lose my patience with her because it is what she wants.

“Everly, stop,” I warn, staring her straight in the eye. 

A smirk curls on her lips once more. She shakes her head. “Make me.” 

In that second, all my patience and control drains from me. I grasp her hips, turn her around and press her back to the wall. 

“Do you even listen? Why do you insist on pushing my buttons?” I hiss through my heavy breathing, my body tightly against hers. 

A smug look takes over her face. She places her hand on my chest and brings her hips slightly from the wall, brushing herself against me. In return, a deep groan rumbles in my throat. 

“Because I can. You make it easy for me to do.” 

Her tongue darts along her lower lip. What does she want from me? One second, she is telling me to fuck off. The next, it seems like she is trying to seduce me.

“What do you want from me?” I ask, stroking the hair from her eyes. 

“Nothing. I don’t want anything from you.” 

I go from stroking her face to grabbing it. Everly moans, her eyes widen and darken. “Lair. You want me again, but your stubborn ass won’t allow you to admit it. What is scaring you? You seem like the type to go after what she wants. What is stopping you?” I breathe out. 

“I don’t even like you.” 

Her brief answer doesn’t sound convincing. 

“Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean you don’t want to fuck me.” 

You don’t need to like someone to want to have sex with them. It sometimes makes the sex hotter, which I think we proved the night we did have together. Everly rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny it. We fall silent, and the same tension that had been between us earlier reemerges. 

Screw it! 

I cover her lips with mine. The same urge of arousal from earlier surges through me. She doesn’t fight against it. Her lips move in perfect sync with mine. She tries to entangle her fingers in my hair, but I stop her. I take her wrists in my hands and pin them above her head against the wall. Her nails dig into my hands, and the kiss intensifies. I force my tongue against her lips. She doesn’t have an issue with it because hers is soon fighting mine for dominance. 

I part from the kiss and trace my lips down her jawline and onto her neck. She moans, tearing her hands from my hold and finally wraps them in my hair, tugging it roughly. Her back arches from the wall as the kiss deepens. 

I suck on her neck, leaving a small yet dark and noticeable hickey on her skin. She brings my lips back to hers. I am waiting for the moment when she will push me away and laugh, just as she did earlier. But she isn’t going to be the one to do it, not this time. I stop and take a few steps back.

“We should get back inside,” I smirk. 

“Are you serious?” she whines, glaring at me. 

“Payback.” I laugh and walk away without another word. 

God, that was hard, but it had to be done. She needs a taste of her own medicine. I rejoin my friends. I take a sip of my scotch, chuckling against the glass. I notice Everly coming back in, and she does not look happy. 

You would think by now she would know I can play the game as well as she can, probably better. I certainly am not going to let her get away with it. She can’t do as she pleases without expecting any consequences. Everly rolls her eyes in my direction before she retakes her seat next to Seb. Oh, I'm sure she will happily go back to flirting with him to try to get to me. It may work, but I won’t show her that. I refuse to let her regain control.