Tough Shit (Rejects Paradise 1)

“Don’t worry, Jade,” Jude spits, using Colton’s name for me and somehow making it sound like degrading trash in the process, but judging by the scowl on Colton’s face, he doesn’t appreciate it. “We don’t like you either.”

“Speak for yourself,” Charlie mutters, getting up and meeting me with a towel in hand.

I take it from him without so much as a thank you and quickly wrap it around my freezing body. Desperately needing to warm up and not wanting to wake mom, I huddle around the boys’ fire. Soon enough, I find myself being pulled down beside Charlie, who doesn’t seem too put out by the fact that my sex dream wasn’t about him.

It’s not as though I’ll be able to get back to sleep after that, even if I did have a bed to sleep in. I swear, Colton better have it replaced by tonight otherwise I’ll be taking his bed and he can sleep on the mattress at the bottom of the pool.

The boys talk among themselves almost as if I’m not here and a strange comfort takes over me. It’s kind of like being back home and chilling out with my crew. For the first time I don’t want to hate these guys, though every time a drop of water falls from my hair and splashes against my knee, the anger rises back up.

I hate that I feel so comfortable here. I should be tearing my hair out, desperate to get as far as possible, but the thought of getting up and leaving doesn’t sit well with me. There are a million other options I could have taken to dry up and get warm. I could have gone inside and stood under a hot shower, I could have cranked up the heating, yet here I am, sitting out in the cool early morning with a bunch of dudes who have all declared their mutual dislike for me.

What the fuck is wrong with me? Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. I can’t deny the way Colton has me all pent up after every time he tries to humiliate me. Every time his harsh words hit my chest, I’m left in a puddle of desire. Every time his sharp glare turns my way, I need to touch him. Whenever he looks down at me, I’m desperate to show him what he’s missing. There’s got to be something wrong with me because that shit isn’t normal.

That dream though … that felt so damn real. I wonder what the real thing is like?

Charlie knocks his knee against mine, distracting me from my torturous thoughts and making me realize that I’ve been subconsciously staring at the guy sitting across from me. “You okay?”

I raise a brow and look up at him. “You actually care?”

“Of course I do,” he murmurs, keeping our conversation private. “I may be a flirt and enjoy watching you get your ass handed to you, but I’m not a complete dick. I have a heart buried inside here somewhere.”

“Could have fooled me,” I laugh.

“Ah huh,” he grins. “So my plan is working.”

I roll my eyes and nudge him with my shoulder. “You’re such an idiot,” I tell him before pausing a moment. “Why are you so nice to me? These other guys are pricks and go out of their way to make life hell, but you … I don’t know. You’re different.”

Charlie considers my question for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “What can I say? I like to be unpredictable.” I give him a blank stare, not pleased with his bullshit response. He lets out a sigh and starts over. “I don’t get off on hurting beautiful women like they do. It’s as simple as that. I’m all about love, not war and right now, the bullshit between you and the boys is creeping dangerously close to war.”

“I think it’s already there.”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s not,” he says, glancing up and looking at Colton who hasn’t taken his eyes off us since I first sat down. “Things are … changing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know,” he murmurs, deep in thought. “Colton isn’t hurting you for the sake of being a dick. There’s something there and it’s thrown him off his game, and when Colton is off, the whole of Bellevue Springs is off.”

“What kind of bullshit explanation is that? I’m more confused now than before you said anything.” Charlie grins wide and his smile blows me away so I move along before I do something stupid. “What about the other two? Why do they need to be pricks? Are they that far up Colton’s ass that they need to impress him with their douchey skills?”

Charlie barks out a sharp laugh that has Jude and Spencer looking our way, but they’re a little too far away to hear what’s being said. “No,” he says. “That’s just them. Jude is just a fucking prick. I would have warned you to stay away from him but he tried his usual bullshit on you before I got the chance. Unfortunately, I think you learned that lesson the hard way and Spencer … Spence is just your usual brand of arrogance. He likes getting the upper hand and the fact that you shut him down so epicly during the party is a big part of why you’re still sitting here and not being burned at a stake. I don’t know how but what you said has somehow earned his respect.”