Savage Flames Series Book 1: Scandalous
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Amber Kuhlman
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41
Chapter 1
RENEE
The music was deafening, but the humiliation was even louder. The party’s atmosphere was overwhelming. Music pounded against my eardrums, threatening to burst them, and the stench of alcohol burned my nostrils and lungs. My heart yearned to escape the chaos, but my loyalty kept me anchored. I was here for him, despite the pain it caused.
I squeezed into the crowded kitchen, my shoulders brushing the wall as I scanned the room for his face. He promised he’d be here. Waiting for me.
A drunken girl bumped into me, spilling her beer all over my front. Instead of apologizing, she giggled, her glazed eyes reflecting nothing but carelessness.
“Don’t mind me,” I muttered, but she was already stumbling away. I glanced down at my soaked shirt and sighed. This was already a disaster. As I turned to find the restroom to compose myself, the sound of my name echoed in my ears.
“Renee!” a male voice called over the crowd. I turned, hoping it was the person I was here to see. As I searched for the source of the voice through the throngs of people, a teenage boy approached me.
“Oh, hi,” I said, feigning indifference as he neared. “Aaron, right?” I already knew who he was, but I figured playing it cool was the best approach for now.
“Right.”
“I’m looking for Matt. He invited me here tonight.”
There was something in Aaron’s expression that I couldn’t decipher. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders, looking sheepish. “Yeah, Matt is upstairs waiting for you.”
“Upstairs? Really?” A spark of excitement ignited in my belly. This was it. “Thanks, Aaron.” I was grinning now, thrilled I’d come as I navigated through the crowd and made my way upstairs. I didn’t realize Aaron was following me until I stopped at a closed door and glanced over at him. He nodded once, and I twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
Matt was lying completely naked on the bed, a dark-haired girl curled around his midsection. They both looked up at me as the door opened, and the girl snarled something that didn’t even reach my ears. Matt met my gaze over her head and smiled. My stomach twisted, and nausea surged in my gut.
I wanted to vomit.
“Glad you could come, Renee,” Matt said with a casual chuckle. “Want to join us? Three is always better than two.”
I stepped back out of the bedroom, stumbling blindly into Aaron, who reached out to steady me. Bile clawed up my throat, but I swallowed it down and focused on the tears instead.
“Sorry, Ren,” Aaron said. The worst part was that he looked genuinely sorry, which only made it worse.
“Oh, hey, Renee,” said a second voice, and Jake Denny, the school jock and one of Matt’s best friends, came up behind Aaron. “Matt’s been expecting you. Aren’t you going to go in?” He laughed mockingly, and I was so close to throwing up that I could taste it. Tears pressed against the back of my eyelids, threatening to spill over.
“I have to go,” I mumbled, dropping my chin so they wouldn’t see the tears. I turned on my heel and rushed past Aaron and Jake. Jake was still laughing, and even Aaron was smiling now. I despised them for it.
Quit being such a know-it-all, Renee.
How is Virgin Lyon doing today?
Hey, four-eyes, have you ever heard of contacts?
I hated all of them. I hated myself for ever thinking that guys like Matt, Aaron, and Jake could ever be anything but miserable.
As I pushed my way through the crowd of partygoers to find my coat, the music’s bass was overwhelming, and for a moment, I stopped and stood in the middle of the floor, trying to collect myself. I closed my eyes to breathe through the pain. The heartbreak. The betrayal.
“Leaving so soon, Ren?” a male voice yelled across the room, and a wave of anxiety mixed with disgust washed over me.
I turned on the spot, my eyes on Matt as he descended the stairs. The girl wasn’t with him anymore, but he was still zipping up his jeans as he zeroed in on me and crossed the floor.
I waited in shock, realizing that if I tried to bolt now, I’d simply prove to the boys and the rest of the party that I really was as lame and pathetic as everyone always thought.
“Hey,” Matt said, running his fingers through his dark hair.
He smiled as though he’d just played a harmless joke on a friend. Smiling like he hadn’t just ripped my fucking heart from my chest and stomped on it.
“Sorry about that. Can you take a joke, or what?” He reached to touch my arm, but I spun around to face him, snarling. Anger burst from my chest in a frantic moment of despair, and I yanked my hand back, taking a step away from him.
“You’re not sorry,” I whispered. “This was intentional. All of this was. I’m just sorry I ever thought any one of the three of you could be semi-decent people.”
Above Matt’s head, Jake and Aaron watched our exchange from the top of the stairwell. My eyes narrowed as I pinned my gaze back on Matt.
“Here’s the deal,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t tremble. “If you ever try to talk to, look at, or bully me again, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you regret all the harm you ever did.”
“Whoa, Ren—” Matt put his hands up in surrender, surprised by my out-of-character response.
“Shut the fuck up,” I hissed. Years of torment, anger, heartbreak, and fear of these three men erupted from within me, a hot and blinding rage I almost didn’t recognize in myself as I sized him up. “You’re an asshole.”
Despite the chaos and noise in the room, I knew he could hear me. I was glad about it.
“You’re a bully, a player, and a terrible person.”
My eyes lifted briefly from Matt’s face and toward Aaron and Jake at the top of the stairs. Jake was no longer smirking. He saw that Matt no longer had the upper hand. I relished it. My eyes drifted back to Matt’s face as courage filled my chest. His eyes were cold. Dark. Hateful.
I didn’t give a fuck. Not at this moment. This moment was mine.
“All three of you are monsters. You always have been. So, this is my final warning.”
I stepped forward until I was inches from Matt’s face. He didn’t retreat, and our bodies pressed together as I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear. His scent was intoxicating, and I hated him for it.
“Keep my name out of your mouth, Matt, and tell your fucking cronies to do the same.”
Matt remained silent. He didn’t even feign taking me seriously. Instead, he reached out and touched my cheek. Smoldering embers ignited within me, sparking a fire deep in my stomach.
His smile was so self-assured—that dangerous, fucking smirk was the last thing I saw before I drew my arm back and slammed it into his nose with the force of a freight train.
Blood spurted from Matt’s face as he stumbled backward, tripping over a tear in the carpet and falling. Ignoring the horrified students around me, I dropped to one knee in front of him, my face mere inches from his.
“Know this, Matt. It will rain hellfire if I ever have to deal with you again.”
