Muse - Fighting Fate #1 Read online

  I stepped back a little, putting some space between us. “Yeah. Wild night huh? Can’t believe there was a fucking avalanche.”

  Voices floated in from the living room, so I took the opportunity to get away from Kacey and headed in that direction. I saw Aiden first, throwing himself down on the lounge, feet over the armrest. “Hey, sunshine.”

  Aiden flipped me the bird. “Fuck you, Wallace. Where’s my sister?”

  The smile froze on my face. I tried to cover up my discomfort by taking another sip of coffee. “Don’t you know? I thought you had some twintuition thing or something.”

  He lifted his head to glare at me. “It’s not a fucking GPS, man.”

  I forced my legs to move over to one of the other lounges and sat down, resting my mug on the armrest. Kacey obviously took it as an open invitation because next thing I knew, she was sliding on in beside me and snuggling into my side. I tensed, wondering how I could push her away without causing a scene – or looking completely out of character.

  “You get the twintuition thing too?” Ryan said looking at Aiden. “It’s fucking weird, huh? It can be damn annoying sometimes too…”

  I looked at him with confusion before I remembered. Fuck, I kept forgetting he was a twin, and an identical one at that. His brother, Daniel, lived on the east coast with their dad.

  Aiden narrowed his eyes at Ryan then nodded. “I still think it’s fucking weird your parents split you guys up like fucking dinner plates.”

  Ryan scowled. “Yeah, they’re real treasures.”

  “Why hasn’t your brother ever been over to visit?” Aiden asked, obviously curious.

  His frown deepened and he shook his head a little. “Daniel was pretty angry with our parents after the divorce. He started acting out a lot at school, getting into trouble for stupid shit - I think he just wanted to piss Dad off, but Dad decided to one up him and sent him off to military school.”

  “Fuck,” Aiden breathed. “That’s harsh.”

  Ryan nodded, clearly not happy with his brother’s punishment. “Yeah, he definitely got the bad end of the deal.”

  I eyed him skeptically. Daniel might have gotten a raw deal with their dad being so harsh, but I wasn’t sure their mom had done Ryan much of a favor either. She was too easy on him. He’d grown up getting everything he asked for, and from where I stood, he didn’t seem to have much of an appreciation for anything.

  The girls started filing into the living room, drawing all our attention with their moans and yawns. They all looked less than happy. Lila climbed onto Dean’s lap, shooting Jessica a foul look as she passed. Jesus, bitch much? I glanced at Dean but he didn’t seem to have noticed. Then again, he never fucking did.

  Amy went to sit by Ryan’s feet, leaning against his legs. Huh. Looked like someone else got it on last night as well. It didn’t really surprise me though. Ryan had been bragging he was going to get her for the last week.

  “It’s a fucking pity Josh couldn’t make it,” Ryan said, yawning.

  I nodded in agreement. Josh had been part of our group of friends since first grade, leaving halfway through our freshman year to go live in LA when he landed a starring role in a Disney movie. Since then, he’d grown massively in popularity and was now one of the most sort after actors in his age bracket. The transition from child actor to respected adult actor hadn’t been without its struggles, but he’d finally done it. He was now a big household name.

  But fame hadn’t turned him like we thought it would. He’d never forgotten his roots. Every chance he got, he came back to hang out with his friends. It meant a lot.

  “Yeah. He was hoping he’d get a break from the junkets so he could make it, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way,” I said.

  “It’s probably a good thing he didn’t make it,” Matt said dryly. “None of us would’ve even remotely had a chance with the girls otherwise.”

  Corey laughed. “Yeah, you missed the best fucking night, dude,” he said, eyeing me smugly.

  I looked at him, trying to place a disappointed expression on my face while inside, I knew damned well my night was way fucking better than his. “Shut the fuck up.”

  Dean laughed. “At least Mark’s truck is safe. I was shitting my pants that it got crushed by the avalanche.”

  “Good to know you were more worried about the truck than me,” I said with a mock scowl.

  Dean shook his head, but he was still laughing. I laughed too. I knew that’s not what he meant. As band mates, we cared about one another more than we’d ever admit. We were like brothers. All of us. Aiden was the only one who hadn’t grown up with us, but when he arrived at the beginning of our freshman year, we knew he belonged.

  We decided within a few months of Aiden’s arrival to start a band, each choosing an instrument and begging our parents to get us lessons. None of us argued when Matt called dibs on the drums. He was always banging away on some shit. The rest of us took guitar.

  Everyone wanted it, but I was the only one who needed it, and I took to my lessons like my life depended on it. I guess in a way, it did. At that stage of my life, I was a very angry fourteen year old, pissed off at the world, and wanted everyone to know it. It took my now stepdad, Mark, to convince me that the best revenge was success, and I was happy to say I was almost there.

  “Oh my god. I’m so tired,” Amy groaned, bringing me back to the present.

  I looked over at her and watched her press her cheek against Ryan’s leg. My shit stirring meter sprang to life.

  “Really? Why’s that? I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

  Amy lifted her face to glare at me. “Shut it, Wallace.”

  “Yeah, Jace,” Amber said, sliding down in front of the fire. “You seriously don’t want to go there with seven sleep deprived girls around you.”

  “Make that six. I slept like a baby.”

  My head snapped up at the sound of Mia’s voice. She was walking out from the bathroom, carrying a box in her arms. When I heard it jingle, I realized it must’ve been all the pieces of broken mirror.

  “Don’t make me kill you, Mia,” Aiden threatened from his prone position. He lifted his head enough to look at her then seeing her struggling with the box, he frowned. “What’s that?”

  She looked down at the box. “The mirror fell off the wall while I was in the bathroom last night.”

  “Holy shit. Really? Did you get hurt?” he said, immediately concerned.

  I leaned over to put my coffee cup on the table and nudged Kacey to move off me. “I’ve just got to give Mia a hand,” I mumbled.

  “I’ve got it, Jace,” Mia said lightly.

  I looked up and met her gaze. She smiled at me like it was just another day. What the fuck?

  She shrugged. “It’s not heavy, besides Kacey looks quite comfortable there. Judging by the look on her face, I’d say she might have missed you last night.” She grinned wider at Kacey and shot her a little wink before striding out to the kitchen.

  I sat frozen, trying to work out what the fuck just happened. Did she seriously just smile and wink at Kacey? What the fuck did that mean? My heart was beating a mile a minute. Most girls I knew would’ve been right there, trying to stake their claim. Her behavior made me nervous. Was she planning something else? Fuck. I really needed to talk to her. We needed to come to some kind of agreement about where we stood with each other.

  “So, who’s going to put on their big boy pants and come ski with me today?” Amber said, interrupting my panic.

  Aiden groaned. “Amber, no one’s an adrenalin junkie like you are.”

  “I’m not an adrenalin junkie,” she said, pouting.

  “So you just ski the steepest runs and bungee jump off scary assed bridges just for the fun of it?” he retorted like a smartass.

  “Actually, yes. And the reason I can do it, is because I’m not frightened of death anymore, Aiden. That kind of happens when you’ve faced it twice before.”

  Aiden lifted his
head and stared at her apologetically. “Shit. Sorry. I’m a dick.”

  “Yes, you are. Lucky for you, I love you.”

  I shook my head at them and tried to smile, but my brain was still obsessing about Mia. Standing up, I decided to follow her out to the kitchen to get this shit sorted.

  Chapter 5

  Mia

  After dumping the box of broken mirror outside, I wandered back to the kitchen, hoping that was the end of it. I was actually relieved when I walked out of the bathroom and saw Kacey snuggled up to Jace. Even though it hurt my heart in a way, I knew it was for the best. I couldn’t commit to a relationship with someone of Jace’s stature. He was too popular. Too often surrounded by people. Lots of people.

  I shook my head. What the hell was I thinking? Like Jace would even consider having a relationship with me. He didn’t even do relationships. He was probably inside right now, wondering how he was going to get out of the sticky situation he’d got himself into.

  The whole time I was in the shower, I thought about what I was going to say to him. I’d run through a dozen different scenarios inside my head where we both agreed it was fun and went our separate ways. Funnily enough, the scenario I’d encountered wasn’t anything like any of the ones I’d entertained inside my head. But I was all for it if it meant we didn’t have to go through an awkward discussion.

  Walking back into the kitchen, I found Jess pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Oh my god. Yes, please.”

  She smiled up at me and grabbed another cup from the cupboard. I watched her pour it and add the milk and sugar before passing it on to me.

  We both sank down at the small dining table off to the side and sipped. I studied her tired face intently. “So was it total crap?” I asked with sympathy.

  Her eyes widened. “No. Not at all. It was actually a lot of fun. It was only when we were all ready for bed that it started to suck.”

  I hummed my agreement. I was a cranky assed bitch if I didn’t get a comfy bed.

  “Where did you sleep?”

  She sighed and her shoulders slumped a little more. “In one of the arm chairs in the foyer.”

  “Yuk.”

  “Tell me about it…”

  We both looked up when the door to the lounge swung open and Jace walked in. He stopped when he saw us sitting at the table. His gaze lingered on me for a while before he strode to the sink and rinsed his cup. When he was done, he turned and leaned against the bench, crossing his arms over his chest. My heart instantly started overreacting. Shit. What was he going to do? Please don’t say anything, I begged with my eyes.

  I knew he must’ve been confused about my behavior. I wanted to tell him it was all good – not to stress, but how did I do that with eleven other people constantly around us?

  “Did you have a good time last night, Jess?” he asked.

  She smiled and nodded. “It was different, but yeah, it was fun. I can’t see myself turning into a party animal though. The whole lack of sleep thing is killing me.”

  Jace chuckled softly. “Yeah, it takes some getting used to.” His gaze flickered up to meet mine and I held it carefully, trying to convey to him that we were all good.

  The door flung open and Kacey sashayed her way into the room. Her eyes flashed when she saw me and Jess. God, she was such a cow.

  “There you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long.” Jace just looked at her without saying a word, but that didn’t deter her. “I was just going to lie down. Why don’t you come with me?” She rubbed her hand up his arm suggestively as she spoke. Oh wow. She was actually making me nauseas.

  Jace’s jaw tightened. “Nah, I’m good. I had a fantastic sleep last night.”

  I had to control myself not to let the smirk that was trying to break free come out. I could see he was really trying to keep her at a distance for my sake. Unfortunately for me, that only made me like him more.

  Kacey’s mouth cocked up on one side as she smirked. “Who said I was talking about sleep…”

  Okay, and here comes the puke.

  He pushed away from the bench, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys. “The guys want me to go get some supplies.” He looked over at me, worry in his eyes. “You girls need anything?”

  I held his gaze and spoke softly. “No, I don’t need anything.”

  Jace’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the double meaning in my words then he nodded and walked out the back door.

  Jess pushed her chair back and took both our cups to the sink, walking around Kacey who was still staring after Jace. “Now I’ve stupidly had coffee, I’m going to go lie down,” she said with a slight shake of her head.

  I laughed lightly and nodded, my mind still on Jace. “Good luck.”

  Knowing I full well didn’t want to hang around in the kitchen with Kacey, I followed Jess towards the bedrooms, slipping into mine and closing the door behind me.

  Without another thought, I picked up my phone and dialed the only person who would be able to help me make any sense of this. My best friend, Kaeli.

  Kaeli and I met in sixth grade. We were both quiet and withdrawn and morbidly drawn together by the fact that we both had dads that were in Heaven. Yes, I had my issues and my self-applied shyness, but there was always something a little sad about Kaeli’s demeanor. Something more than the weight of a father’s death. She’s always tried to hide it, but I knew it was there. Always lurking under the surface.

  She picked up on the second ring. “I told you I didn’t want to hear anything about anybody having fun,” she said bluntly.

  I laughed. “What if I have news?” I asked hesitantly.

  I sat down on the bed, biting my lip. I wasn’t sure what Kaeli’s response would be when I told her what I’d done. Kaeli wasn’t a virgin like I had been, but she wasn’t miss promiscuous either. Her only experience had been with a guy she’d dated in our junior year, and it wasn’t a pretty one. All you need to know is, it was in the back seat of a car, it was quick, and the pleasure was all his.

  I thought about my initiation into womanhood, the way Jace had been so reverent with my body, worshiping it, playing it, making it sing for him. I didn’t know how it could get any better than that.

  “Okay, you really need to spill it,” Kaeli demanded in her best no nonsense tone.

  I still wasn’t sure what to say. The look on Jace’s face in the kitchen was bothering me. He’d almost looked upset. Was it because he thought I was avoiding him, or was it just because he was worried I was going to tell Aiden?

  Kaeli gave an exaggerated clearing of her throat, so I laughed. “Spill what?”

  “Something’s going on. I can feel it. It’s big isn’t it?”

  Jesus. I sighed. I really wanted to tell her. It was a big moment after all – and it was pretty darned good too. “I slept with Jace,” I said before I could chicken out.

  The line was silent for a whole three seconds before I got any response from her. “Slept,” she said cautiously. “As in…had sex…?”

  I bit my lip then slowly nodded, forgetting she couldn’t even see me. “Yeah.”

  “You gave him your V card?”

  Kaeli’s tone of voice was almost comical. I could almost envision her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. When I didn’t say anything, she exhaled heavily into the phone. “Holy shit.”

  I nodded again. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “How the hell did you end up having sex?”

  I blushed. Kaeli and I never had these kinds of conversations. Mainly because neither of us ever really dated, but still…

  “I have no idea really. He carried me out of the bathroom so I wouldn’t hurt myself on the broken glass, and it kind of just went from there…”

  Her silence told me she was all kinds of shocked. “Wait. What? What broken glass?”

  Oh yeah, that’s right. Kaeli didn’t know about the avalanche. “Oh, there was kind of an avalanche here last night. Everyone was out, but Jace had to come ba
ck to drop Mark’s car off. I was in the bathroom when a tremor hit and the mirror fell off the wall and smashed.”

  “Holy shit. And Jace had to carry you out?”

  “Yeah. I think I was in shock. It was kind of scary.”

  “And you were naked?”

  I could hear the incredulousness in her voice. “One normally is after a shower, Kaeli, but I had a towel on.”

  “And he just carried you out and then you had sex?”

  I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. She was such a stirring bitch. “Well, you could probably add in some heated gazes, frantic kisses, and urgent touches, along with a hurried trip down the hall to a bedroom, but yeah, it all led to sex.”

  “Jesus. Please tell me it didn’t suck as bad as my introduction to sex. Surely it couldn’t have. I mean Jace looks like he’d be way better than Simon.”

  I laughed at that. He definitely did. “It was really nice. He was…I want to say sweet, but he was just…hot.”

  I heard movement on the other end of the line and knew Kaeli was sinking down on her bed. “Did it hurt? Was he good to you?”

  I almost laughed at her bluntness, but that was just Kaeli. If she wanted to know something, she always just asked. “At first it did, but it kind of went away quickly. He sort of just did it fast. I think that helped.”

  “Did you…you know…have an orgasm?”

  I smiled. “Twice.” I felt my cheeks heat with a blush. “He…you know…gave me oral first…”

  A tiny gasp came through the phone. “Oh my god. Was that weird?”

  Memories of his tongue on me sent shivers through my insides. “It was so, so good. Amazing. I always thought that would be gross, but holy god…”

  Silence met my ears again. I knew she’d be puzzling over it all, wondering what it meant for me. “I’m speechless. I can’t believe that happened last night. So what now? Are you going to see each other again? Are you going out? What?”

  I bit my lip and forced out a laugh. “This is Jace we’re talking about here, so no, we’re not going out. Besides, you know that would be a nightmare for me even if he wanted to. He’s too popular.”