I had no clue how she would seek revenge on me and try to get the doll back. It was chilling to think about, because Neala could be creative – very creative – with her methods of revenge. Each and every single one of her revenge plans over the years had left me wallowing in the shreds of my crumbled pride. I was well aware that she could bring a grown man to his knees . . . I was living proof of it. But as apprehensive as I was, I would be lying if I said the thrill of it didn’t excite me, because it did.
Neala was an adrenaline rush for me; she was something I craved and feared at the same time.
I’d never admit that out loud, though; it killed me just admitting it to myself. I shouldn’t want anything to do with her; she had left me high and dry when we were kids. When I’d needed her as we got older, she hadn’t had the time of day for me.
She’d cut me out of her life because I didn’t agree with her hitting a girl when we were ten. It was stupid, petty, and plain childish, but it had somehow developed into us being how we were now as adults.
I continued to scan the room for her, but instead of her pale face I saw other familiar ones. One particular face I spotted was one I’d come to know well over the past few years; it was Laura Stoke’s pretty one.
The same Laura Stoke that Neala despised.
She was tall, not as tall as my six foot three, but taller than most girls, at five foot eleven. She had freckled, pale white skin, long, thick strawberry blond hair that touched the small of her back, and an arse that made my cock stand at attention with one sway.
Laura was, to put it nicely, my fuck buddy. Like me, she wasn’t looking to settle down with a relationship; she was simply up for fun whenever I was up for it – pun intended.
I had had a long sample of Laura only a few days ago. I licked my lips, grinning at the memory.
“Laura,” I called out.
Her head turned in my direction, and a knowing smirk curved her red-painted lips. I allowed my eyes to slowly trail over her sizzling-hot body as she sashayed towards me through the small crowd, and as always, the thought of what I could do, and had done, to that body caused me to harden.
“Darcy Hart, fancy seeing you again . . . so soon,” Laura purred as she reached me.
She leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.
“You look edible,” I growled down at her, and swallowed when she snapped her teeth at me.
Laura took a step back and looked down at the hot-pink pencil dress she had on.
“What? In this old thing?”
I groaned as she slowly twirled, giving me a full view of just how tightly that old thing hugged her slender body in the sexiest of ways.
“Yeah,” I hissed as she turned and pressed herself fully against me.
Laura smiled at me seductively. “I’ve never turned you or your cock down before, Darcy . . . Quite frankly, because you give me amazing orgasms. But no orgasm, no matter how good, is worth the wrath of Neala Clarke.”
I sobered, and my dick softened at the mention of her name.
“What the hell has Neala got to do with us shagging?” I asked.
Laura smiled. “This is her brother’s engagement party, and I’ve been around you enough to know explosive shite happens when you’re both at the same function. I don’t want to jump to the top of her hit list by being on your arm tonight. She hates me; it wouldn’t take much for her to target me.”
I growled in annoyance. “Neala doesn’t get a say in who I fuck.”
“No,” Laura agreed, “but when she’s mad at you, she will get you back no matter who you’re fucking – and she is always mad at you. I don’t fancy her pulling some stunt while we get down and dirty in the bathroom. She’d be more than happy to make a show of me.”
This wasn’t happening.
“Don’t do this to me, Laura. I need you tonight,” I pleaded.
Yeah, I was pleading with a woman to have sex with me. So sue me. I wasn’t the first man to do it, and I wouldn’t be the last.
Laura smiled that sexy smile of hers and gave me one more chaste kiss before she whispered against my lips, “Until next time, Wicked Mouth.”
She turned and broke the pulsing heartbeat in my cock as she walked away. I looked at her arse and instantly narrowed my eyes at the torturous hump.
Did she really need to sway so much?
“Women,” I grunted, and looked away from Laura’s arse and up to the ceiling of the pub.
I took a few deep breaths.
I grunted again, this time in annoyance as I thought of her.
Neala Clarke.
The malicious little menace had managed to work her way into my sex life. She had just singlehandedly cock-blocked me . . . and she didn’t even fucking know about it.
“Bloody woman!” I snapped.
The noise of the punters in the pub filled my ears until a familiar voice got my attention.
“What’s the matter, little brother?”
I sighed as I looked to the concerned gaze of my older brother. “Laura just turned me down because of Neala.”
I spat out her name like it was poison in my mouth.
Justin’s eyebrows jumped. “Why?”
I shrugged. “Something about her being worried Neala would target her for being with me.”
Justin laughed, and it annoyed me.
This wasn’t funny.
“Care to explain why you’re being a dick and laughing at me?” I quizzed.
Justin chuckled. “Why does everyone make Neala out to be something she isn’t? She’s probably the sweetest girl I know, and just happens to have an attitude every now and then. Sounds like every woman I’ve ever met, if I’m honest.”
I gawked at my brother.
“Neala Clarke is the Devil in disguise, brother. You had better realise that. Sweet is the last word I would use to describe her . . . She is evil incarnate.”
Justin cracked up again, and like before, it pissed me off.
“Fuck you, man.”
Justin waved his hand at me. “I’m sorry,” he said as he tried to calm himse
lf down. He managed, but only after another minute. “I understand you both have history,” he went on, “but I love that she gets to you this much. You actually freak out about her.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “You find it funny that a woman pisses me off?”
“No, I find it funny that she gets under your skin and you like it and hate it at the same time.”
What the hell?
“I don’t like—”
“Don’t lie. Don’t say you don’t like Neala, because you do. You hate her because you want her so much. It’s obvious, to me anyway.”
“There is something wrong with you. I don’t want Neala in any way.”
Justin smirked but said nothing, and it bothered me.
“What?” I snapped.
He laughed. “Nothing, bro, nothing.”
I shook my head. “You’re a dick.”
Justin clasped his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I may be a dick, but I’m an honest one.”
With that said, he walked off and greeted some of the other locals. I stared after him, feeling utterly confused. This was the first time he’d ever mentioned that he thought I liked Neala, but he was very wrong.
I didn’t like her.
I hated her.
I just enjoyed messing with her from time to time.
Sure, I sometimes felt like I needed the Neala adrenaline rush to keep me sane, but that didn’t mean I liked her; it meant I liked her reaction to my bullshit. That’s all. I didn’t like her. Not one bit.
“You look absolutely horrified about something.”
I blinked my eyes, turned my head to the right, and saw Sean standing next to me.
“Justin thinks I like Neala,” I said, and shook my head.
Sean remained silent, so I turned to face him.
“Don’t tell me you think the same thing?” I asked, shocked.
Sean shrugged, but remained silent.
“For fuck’s sake. I don’t like her. I can’t stand the witch!”
Sean laughed, but continued to look at me as he held his tongue.
“Say something or I’m going to sock you one!” I warned.
He licked his lips and said, “Don’t hit me . . . but I agree with Justin.”
Oh, Christ.