Cocky Bully: The Enemies to Lovers Romance Box Set Read online

  I turned to the window. That was the only other way out if I didn’t want to end up in Austin’s arms the second that I got out of my room. Brittany wasn’t here to save me this time, so I would have to find it in myself to get out of this situation.

  I took a few steps to the window and looked out of the glass toward the ground floor. It wasn’t that far down, and I could survive a jump down without breaking my legs. I didn’t want to risk that, though. It would be better if I were able to climb.

  The classic escape route would be with bedsheets tied to the bed, allowing me to shimmy down to safety without breaking my neck. The only problem was that it would be terribly obvious to the general public what I was doing. Security would spot the blankets hanging from the window and investigate.

  I could imagine Austin chuckling to himself as I got thrown out of East Bridge for climbing out my window by the fine linen bedsheets the school provided. I’m sure I would end up the laughingstock of the school that way. It wasn’t a graceful way to represent the family name.

  So, what else could I do?

  I cracked the seal of the window and lifted it up so that I could stick my head out. Leaving it open wouldn’t be suspicious, just having something hanging out of it would. If I could somehow climb down without leaving a trace, then I would be golden.

  Jane, you clever bitch.

  A smile stretched across my face as I realized what I could do. I rushed to my bed and yanked off the sheets, tying them like I had intended to do before. This time, I didn’t just toss them out the window alone. I tied a knot at the end, bunching up the fabric tightly into a ball. It was perfect.

  Securing one end of my makeshift rope to a foot of the bed, I hurried to the window and tossed the other end out. I leaned over the window, watching the rope sway in the air as it dangled just a foot from the grass. I had to be fast if I didn’t want to get caught.

  It took a moment for me to gather up the courage to climb out of the window and slide down the rope, but I got over the fear quickly. My fear of being caught was much greater than my fear of falling and breaking my spine. My priorities weren’t exactly in order, but when had they ever been?

  It was more difficult to slide down the sheets than I thought it would be. I bounced off the side of the building as I went down, the fabric growing hot in my hands due to the friction as I slid down only slightly slower than I would have if I had fallen.

  My feet hit the ground forcefully and caused my knees to buckle. I rolled onto my back with my head turned up to the sky. I lay on my back for a moment, making sure that I hadn’t broken anything. I didn’t feel any pain, so I sprung back to my feet, proud of my achievement.

  I was so happy with my achievement that I almost forgot to get rid of the evidence. I walked up to the side of the building where the sheet hung down over the wall and took the balled-up end of it into my hand like a softball. I wasn’t a sports person, but I knew how to throw well enough.

  I stepped back, aiming for the window, and threw the end of the makeshift rope with as much force as I could muster. It had to go all the way into the room on the first try, or it would hang out the window in a loop, out of reach but still visible to the security guards on campus.

  I pumped my fist as the end of the sheet flew through the window with perfect accuracy, yanking the rest of it through the window. It looked like I hadn’t climbed out of the window in the first place. Good.

  I turned around, patting my pockets for my phone and keys, something I probably should have done before leaving the room. I froze mid-step. I had my phone, but my keycard wasn’t in my pocket.

  I tried to think back to where it could be. I had used it to get into the building when I came back, so it wasn’t completely lost. The only thing was that I wouldn’t be able to get back into my room tonight without it, so I couldn’t just go back in and get it. Maybe someone could help me pick the lock.

  I thought about calling Brittany, but I didn’t want to bother her if she was still sleeping off the party from the night before. It would be best to leave her alone for now. She had helped me a lot already. Maybe someone from the main office at the school could help me get back in. This probably happened all the time.

  Yes, but they’ll see the bedsheets, Jane. What are you, an idiot?

  True. Whoever got me back into the room would probably see what I had done to escape it, unless they just gave me a new room key without asking questions. I doubted they would do that, however. It was more likely that they would change the lock, which was unnecessary because my keys were in there.

  I would have to get another student to help me get in. I would have done it myself if I knew how, but learning would take me more time than it was worth. I had been social before. Why not be social again? There were benefits to it, not including Austin.

  For now, my goal was to get food and check out the local restaurants to figure out if I would be able to get a job at any of them. I was sure there was a place close by that I could work. I tried to put my forgotten keys behind me and enjoy the rest of my evening. A cold glass of iced tea sounded like a dream right now.

  Chapter 14

  I was lucky. Most of the places that I check out were hiring. It wasn’t common for the students of East Bridge University to take jobs during their time at school. Their parents had plenty of money to give to them, so why work?

  I envied them, but at the same time, I knew that the discipline I gained from regular employment would serve me well in the future. One advantage that I had over the wealthy was that I could control my life better. Brittany was the perfect example of someone who lived without consequences. A lack of responsibility could ruin your life.

  A full meal and two large glasses of iced tea later, I returned to campus, happy and ready to continue my adventures. I didn’t want to party again, but I did want to find someone who could help me with my door. I wasn’t sleepy after sleeping all day, so I wouldn’t mind if it took a while.

  As I approached the dorm building, I check the window that I had snuck out of. I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things wrong, but it looked like my window had been shut. That spooked me out, but it could have also fallen back down on its own.

  I had to assume that because the alternative was that someone had gotten into my room. I was less scared of Austin and more scared that some security guard had spotted it and went to my room to check on me, only to find that I had used my sheets to sneak out of the window.

  God, I was always doing things that would get me into trouble. I had to break this habit, or I wouldn’t even make it to when classes started. Everything that Austin had predicted would come true.

  Okay, calm down. Let’s get back to the room before we freak out.

  Good idea, but I still wanted to freak out. I held a hand over my heart as I entered the building without a keycard after an unsuspecting student. It was shockingly easy to do, and I felt like it was a security risk. Nobody else seemed to care, though.

  My stomach was in knots as I took the elevator back up to my room, not knowing what to expect when I got there. When the elevator arrived at the second floor and rolled open, I peeked my head out, keeping my finger on the close button in case Austin came barreling down the hall toward me like a quarterback.

  I was relieved to find that nobody occupied the hallway in front of my room. The coast was clear. I hopped out of the elevator and walked softly over to the door. I felt strange energy, and my gut said that there was something wrong.

  Well, of course, there was something wrong. My window hadn’t been closed when I left and now it was. I began to doubt myself. Maybe I had been looking up at the wrong window. All these buildings and rooms looked identical. If my building hadn’t been the first one on the lot, I would have lost it by now. I wasn’t good with direction since I grew up in a small town where I already knew where everything was.

  I placed a hand on the doorknob. I knew that it would be locked, but I still wanted to try it. I didn’t k
now what I was expecting when I turned it, but it wasn’t what I got. The door clicked open, as though I had never locked it.

  Shit, this was bad. Either someone had gotten into my room, namely Austin, or I had forgotten to lock the door. I could have sworn I had turned that bolt before I left, but had I? Had I locked the door, or had I forgotten?

  I took a deep breath before pushing the door open. My hands shook, rattling the knob as the door swung open. I looked inside my room but didn’t notice anything odd at first. It was just how I had left it, with the makeshift rope on the floor next to my bed and nothing out of place. The only difference was that the window was closed, but I saw that it wasn’t locked, so it could have very well closed on its own.

  I stepped into the room, not knowing whether to trust my senses. I was relieved that I didn’t have to get someone to help me open the door, but my gut said that this was all wrong. The harder I thought about it, the more certain I was that I had locked the door before leaping out the window. Something was very wrong.

  Often times, it’s the white noise that we don’t notice – ceiling fans, heaters, and… showers.

  I perked up as I got deeper into the room, walking as softly as I could, and listened to the sound of a shower. It was coming from the bathroom. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t hear it before, but it was such an innocent and forgettable sound. Someone was in my bathroom.

  I looked toward the bathroom door, which was closed, and noticed light spilling from the crack at the bottom of the door. The yellow strip of light was unmistakable. Someone was inside my private bathroom, taking a shower.

  Call the cops, Jane.

  It could have very well been a mistake. Why should I jump to conclusions?

  Nobody would come into your room and get into the shower by accident.

  Right, but it could be Brittany. She could’ve gotten locked out of her room and went to my room to clean up. The last time I saw her, she was asleep in a public bathroom, her blonde hair in a mess against the cold tiles.

  It was possible, but I didn’t want to go into the bathroom and check. Instead, I sat down on my bed and placed my hands in my lap, waiting for whoever was in the shower to come out.

  My heart raced as the shower turned off. Then, I heard heavy footsteps coming out of the shower. I already knew who it was now. I could smell his masculine scent in the air, and the footsteps were too heavy to belong to a woman.

  I squeezed my hands together as the bathroom door came open, and light flooded into the bedroom. There, in all his wet and sexy glory, was Austin.

  “What the fuck are you doing in my room?” I asked, trying not to be afraid.

  Austin smirked at me, leaning on the doorframe casually. “I thought I’d get washed up here. Your shower is nicer than mine is.”

  “You can’t be here,” I said, looking over his severely muscular body with wide eyes.

  He looked even sexier without clothes on, but there was a fresh white towel low on his waist, blocking me from seeing anything explicit. Truth be told, his torso was enough to make me wet. It was disturbing for me to feel that way when he was the biggest threat I had ever encountered.

  Austin slid a thumb into the waist of his towel and pushed it down an inch. “Are you sure I can’t be in here? I thought you might enjoy it.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to.

  Austin stepped closer, letting his towel grow looser on his waist as he came toward me. A few more steps and he would be right in from of my eyes, with his crotch at head height to me. His towel might fall off at any second, and then I didn’t know what I would do. Would I even be able to say no to a man like him?

  “I know who you are, Jane Devlin,” he said in a deep whisper as his towel crept down another inch. The only thing keeping it up was the bulge between his legs and his wide stance.

  “I know who you are,” I replied. “You have a reputation.”

  “I’m not the only one who does,” he said, a sinister smirk flickering across his pink lips.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

  “I know who you are,” he repeated, taking another step toward me.

  I didn’t understand what he meant by that. Everything about Austin was confusing, but that was a game he played well. Confuse and distract, then strike, just like a viper.

  “Okay, so you know me. Great,” I said, pulling my hands from my lap and placing then at my sides.

  “I know who your parents are,” he said.

  “So does everyone, apparently,” I said. “I didn’t know they were famous at the school until Brittany brought it up.”

  “Unfortunately, they are,” he replied.

  “What’s unfortunate about that? They were rich like you, right?” I asked.

  “Wealth isn’t what makes the difference here, Jane. Money doesn’t separate the good from the evil.”

  “Are you implying that my parents are evil?” I demanded to know, my face starting to grow hot. I was angry that he was attacking my parents like that. Didn’t he know they were dead?

  “Your parents are filth,” he growled.

  I sprung up, clenching my fists so hard that my knuckles were white. I had never hit anyone before, but this seemed like a good first time to me. “Take it back, asshole.”

  “No,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing it out.

  I swung a fist at him in rage, intending to knock his perfect teeth out of his damn skull, but his hand caught my arm before my fist got anywhere close to his face. He twisted my arm away and pulled me toward him as his towel dropped from his hips.

  My body slammed against him, and in the same moment, he thought it appropriate to kiss me. I was so caught up in the moment that I couldn’t think what to do in response, so I moaned into his mouth. It could have been interpreted as a moan of disgust or one of pleasure. Even I didn’t know what it was until I felt his cock between my legs. Then, I knew very well what I was feeling.

  “What are you doing?” I asked as his lips broke from mine.

  Austin stared into my eyes, his gray irises twinkling. “I’m giving you what you want.”

  “I never said I wanted this,” I said, barely able to choke out the words.

  He breathed out through his nose in amusement. “I think we both know what you want, whore.”

  “I’m not a whore,” I said, but that wasn’t how I was feeling. Words were difficult, but my body was telling me something very clear. I wanted Austin, even if he was a jerk.

  “I’m going to do to you, what I do to every woman I dislike,” Austin said, his eyes deadly serious.

  “And what is that?” I whispered.

  I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and his cock growing stiffer as he leaned into my lips and spoke into my mouth. “I’m going to fuck you, senseless.”

  That was all I needed to hear. I knew that I was done. I couldn’t resist a man like him. He was going to have me, and I wasn’t going to say no. It was fucked up that it had to happen this way, but I saw it coming.

  Lord, I saw it coming like a train wreck in slow motion. I knew what he could do to me, and I was letting it happen. This wouldn’t be the end of it. No, this would only be the beginning.

  Chapter 15

  “Panties off,” Austin ordered as I gazed up at him from my spot on the bed. He had tossed me there, and I was laying without my skirt, feeling awfully shy but incredibly horny.

  I pulled down my panties as my eyes focused on his long and thick cock. He was fully erect now, and I was amazed that his cock was even nicer than the rest of him. He had won the genetic lottery, and I had one a one-way ticket to hell for having sex with him. This wouldn’t end well for me, but I was already in too deep.

  Curiosity killed the pussy.

  The only light in the room was from the bathroom and the bedroom door that was still a crack open. I hadn’t closed it all the way when I came in because I hadn’t wanted to make any noise. Now, anyo
ne who walked down the hall and took a peek inside would see me with my legs spread, beneath a goliath of a man, getting pumped full of his massive cock.

  Jane, what are you doing?

  Something terrible, but so deliciously pleasurable. It was about time I started enjoying myself and stopped running away from everything that didn’t have to do with school. I was learning more than math, science, and literature at East Bridge. Austin was supplementing my education with sex.

  I leaned back as he climbed onto the bed with me. I could feel his weight pressing the mattress down low, causing me to slide toward him. I was trembling as his skin came in contact with me.

  Austin didn’t rush things. He started at my feet, running his large, hot hands up my legs toward my thighs. His eyes pierced mine as he traced his fingers up into my soft flesh, squeezing my thighs when he got within an inch of my pussy.

  I was overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts as he touched me. I felt like my mind would explode from the millions of alarms and encouragement going on within my brain. I was used to overthinking things, and I was afraid I would ruin the sex by overthinking myself into a frozen state.

  Austin made sure that didn’t happen. A finger met my pussy, and it was all over. A jolt of pleasure traveled up my torso like a deadly electric current, rending my brain a useless pile of mush as he seduced me with his movements.

  Around and around, his fingers rubbed my clit with such precision and pressure that I went from trembling to shaking legs as the pleasure rose in my body like the tide. The man who had been so cruel to me was now torturing my body with such extreme pleasure that my cheeks were puffy with heat. I preferred this cruelty to his former.

  “Beautiful breasts,” Austin noted as he looked down from my eyes, continuing to massage between my legs.

  My mouth dropped open as he grabbed one of them with his free hand and squeezed the soft firmly. He didn’t loosen his grip on it as he removed his other hand from my pussy and positioned myself on top of me. He brought his other hand to my other breast and squeezed it, sending a jolt through my ribs.