Ultimate Temptations Read online

  SO, WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN AROUND HERE?

  I glanced at Cain and rolled my eyes before folding the paper back up and tossing it to him. He frowned as he opened it, and then he wrote something else. I almost groaned when he threw it back on my desk.

  YOU DON’T LIKE ME MUCH, DO YOU?

  I picked up my pencil and wrote down my response.

  TRY, NOT AT ALL.

  I didn’t bother to fold it up before tossing it on his desk. He grinned as he read my reply. I kept my eyes on the board until he tossed it back onto my desk. I shot him a glare before reading it.

  THAT’S TOO BAD. I WAS GOING TO LET YOU SHOW ME AROUND TOWN.

  Is he serious? His ego needed its own postal code. I picked up my pencil again.

  SOMEHOW, I THINK I’LL SURVIVE. I’M TRYING TO PAY ATTENTION. LEAVE ME ALONE.

  I threw it back on his desk. I heard him chuckle. I looked over at him as he wadded up the paper and shoved it into his pocket.

  He mouthed, Your loss.

  I rolled my eyes. Moron.

  Cain left me alone for the rest of class. Once the bell rang, I walked out of my class and went back to my locker. I had gym next, and today was my least favorite day. Every Monday, Mr. Reynolds would force us to play dodgeball. Jenny usually used this as an excuse to show just how much she hated me. More than once, I’d left gym class with a red welt on my face.

  I grabbed my gym bag out of my locker.

  “What do you have next?” a voice asked from beside me.

  I yelped in surprise and almost dropped my bag.

  I looked up at Cain. “Are you following me?”

  “Pretty much.” He pointed to a row of lockers farther down the hall. “Plus, my locker’s over there.”

  “Lovely.” I slammed my locker shut. “I have gym next, which I’m going to be late for if I stand here any longer. Have a wonderful day, Cain.”

  I turned and headed for the stairs. I groaned out loud when I realized that Cain was still following me.

  “What a coincidence. So do I,” he said from behind me once we reached the first floor.

  I shivered as his breath tickled my ear. Cursing my body for its moment of weakness, I ignored him as I shoved through the crowd. I didn’t stop walking until I reached the girls’ locker room.

  Amanda was already inside. I walked over to her and started stripping down. After I was dressed in my gym clothes, I shoved my bag and clothes inside a locker and locked it. With Jenny in my class, I always made sure that I never left it unlocked. All I needed was for her to steal my pants.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Amanda asked as we walked into the gym.

  “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  She shrugged. “You look ticked.”

  “Cain is in my English class. He’s very…irritating.”

  “Everyone, line up for stretches!” Mr. Reynolds shouted after blowing his whistle.

  I walked to my place in the girls’ line and started my stretches. Amanda stood next to me, doing the same. After a few minutes, I heard her giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” I leaned down and touched my toes.

  “I don’t know what you did to those boys, but neither one can take his eyes off of you.”

  “Huh?” I asked as I looked up.

  Mr. Reynolds made the girls line up on one side of the gym and the boys on the other. My eyes followed the line of boys until I found Asher and Cain. They were on opposite sides of the room, but both guys had their eyes glued on me.

  I growled in aggravation. “What is their problem?”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Cain’s undressing you with his eyes. Asher isn’t too far from it either.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” I grumbled as I turned my attention back to my toes. “They don’t even know me.”

  “Who cares? You have two super hot guys watching your every move. Embrace it.”

  “Like I need any more attention.” And that was exactly what I would get if those two didn’t leave me alone.

  After we finished our stretches, Mr. Reynolds told us to split up into our dodgeball teams. I groaned as I took my place against the wall. I looked across the gym to see Jenny smirking at me. I made a mental note to keep my face covered at all times. She looked like she was in that kind of mood.

  “You two! Each of you join a team, and get up against the wall!” Mr. Reynolds shouted.

  I watched as Asher hurried over to where I was standing. Cain rolled his eyes before joining the opposite team. I made room as Asher crowded between me and the boy standing next to me.

  “What are we playing?” he asked.

  “Dodgeball,” I said.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Seriously? You’ve never played dodgeball before?”

  He shook his head.

  “Basically, everyone attacks each other with those balls in the center of the gym. The goal is to hit as many people as you can without getting hit yourself. Once you’re hit, you’re out.”

  “Seems simple enough,” he said.

  I glanced at the muscles in his arms. I had no doubt that hurtling balls at innocent students would be easy for him. “Just don’t hurt anyone.”

  He grinned when he noticed me staring at his arms. “I wouldn’t.”

  Mr. Reynolds blew the whistle, and everyone took off at a full sprint toward the balls—that is, everyone, except for Amanda and me. We were both smart enough to stay against the wall as balls started flying.

  Over half of both teams were hit within the first five minutes. After they were gone, things got harder for me. Without as many bodies to aim for, I soon became a target. I ducked and jumped out of the way as several students tossed balls at me. One hit right beside my head, and I winced. Whoever had thrown that one meant business.

  I looked up just in time to dodge another ball flying right at me. It hit the wall just as hard as the other one. I glanced at the opposing team and noticed Jenny glaring at me. Of course it had been her.

  She grabbed another ball and threw it. I dropped to the ground just in time.

  The next few minutes passed in a blur as I dodged ball after ball. Almost all of them were from Jenny. Finally, she managed to hit me. Luckily for me, it was in the chest instead of the face. I glared at her before walking toward the bleachers to sit down with Amanda. I winced as another ball hit me in the back.

  “Whoops. Sorry, Ella. I didn’t realize you were already out!” Jenny shouted sweetly.

  “Skank,” I muttered under my breath as I sat down.

  Two seconds later, I heard Jenny shriek in protest. I looked up just in time to see a ball nailing her in the chest. She frowned across the room at Asher before walking to the bleachers. Asher shot me a smile before turning his attention back to the game. I couldn’t help but smile back. He’d seen what she did to me, and he’d gone after her. I was really starting to like Asher.

  For the rest of the game, my attention was split between Asher and Cain. I whistled under my breath as Cain nailed another guy hard enough to knock him down. The boy didn’t mess around. I counted my blessings that it was Jenny who’d hit me instead of him.

  Finally, it was just Asher and Cain still standing. I looked back and forth between the brothers. They both openly glared at each other.

  “This should be entertaining,” Amanda said from beside me.

  “My money’s on Asher,” I muttered.

  From across the room, Asher turned and grinned at me like he’d heard what I just said.

  I rolled my eyes at myself. That’s ridiculous.

  He was twenty feet away from me in a roomful of noisy seniors, and I hadn’t spoken very loud.

  “Quit standing there, looking at each other, and throw the balls!” Mr. Reynolds shouted at the brothers.

  Cain’s glare disappeared, and his trademark smirk returned. He grabbed a ball off the floor and threw it in Asher’s direction. Asher jumped out of the way just in time and grabbed a ball of his own. He threw it a
t Cain, and I tensed as it bounced off the wall. He’d thrown it with a lot more force than necessary.

  “Come on, brother. That all you got?” Cain taunted as he tossed a ball at Asher.

  On and on it went.

  Both boys were throwing their balls without holding back in the slightest. The class went silent as we watched the epic dodgeball battle in front of us. My mouth dropped open when Cain did a flip in midair to avoid Asher’s ball. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he tossed a ball at Asher. It missed by inches and hit the wall next to the mats. I was only a few feet away, and my eyes widened in disbelief when I noticed the indent in the wall.

  That’s impossible.

  There was no way he could have thrown the ball hard enough to dent the wall. I was pretty sure the walls were made of concrete.

  Cain growled in frustration when he saw that the ball had missed. Asher smirked as he picked up two balls at once. I watched in awe as he launched both of them at Cain. Cain dodged the first one, but the second made contact. It hit his lower stomach with enough force that he flew backward several feet.

  Damn. That’s going to leave one heck of a bruise.

  “Now, that’s how you play dodgeball!” Mr. Reynolds shouted.

  Cain stood back up. Neither brother paid any attention to the teacher. Both were locked in a glaring contest.

  Finally, Asher broke it. He glanced over at me and then back at Cain. “That all you got, brother?”

  After Mr. Reynolds stopped praising Asher and Cain for their awesome attempts at killing each other, he dismissed us.

  I headed back into the girls’ locker room and changed. The bell rang just as I was pulling my shirt over my head. I grabbed my bag and hurried back upstairs to my locker. I threw it inside and picked up my book for the last class of the day, home economics.

  I didn’t relax until the final bell rang. Cain or Asher had been in almost every single class of mine, except for history and this one. I wasn’t sure if I could have handled them being in here, too. I wanted to escape both of their stares for a while.

  Today, we were going to bake cupcakes. I threw myself into baking with a vengeance, trying to distract myself from the twins. By the time class ended, I had a dozen cupcakes and an A for the day.

  Satisfied, I walked to my locker and threw books into my bag. I had a ton of homework to do tonight, and I wasn’t looking forward to any of it.

  As I made my way to the stairs, I glanced over at Cain’s locker. He was nowhere to be seen. Thankful, I slipped down the stairs to the first floor. I stopped to talk with Amanda for a few minutes before heading out to the parking lot. I scanned the crowd, but neither brother appeared.

  I tried not to think about the brothers on the way home. I managed but just barely. It took me singing at the top of my lungs to quiet my thoughts.

  Once I was home, I headed straight up to my room to start on my homework. Uncle Jack worked long hours and usually wouldn’t make it home until after ten during the week. I didn’t mind. I liked being alone. I’d been alone for most of my life since my mother would either be out at a bar or passed out in her room.

  I spent the next few hours working on my homework. Once it was finished, I climbed off my bed and stretched. I grabbed a pair of fuzzy shorts, my underwear, a sports bra, and a tank top before going to the bathroom to take a shower. Once that was out of the way, I headed down the stairs to find something to eat.

  I was a decent cook. I’d been making my own dinner since I was ten, so I was fairly skilled in the kitchen. Even though my uncle was never home for dinner, I always made extra and put it in the microwave so that he could eat it when he got home.

  Tonight, I went with quick and easy. I fried two hamburgers and put some fries in the oven. After I finished my dinner, I shoved my uncle’s in the microwave and walked outside. It was almost dark.

  I loved this part of the day—when the light met the darkness. The sky was bright orange, making it seem like the world was on fire.

  I sat down in the porch swing and stared at the sky. With nothing to occupy me, my mind went straight to the twins. I wasn’t sure where my fascination with them came from. Sure, they were attractive—okay, more than attractive—but that wasn’t it. Something about them nagged at the back of my mind. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was though.

  I knew from lunch and gym class that Asher and Cain definitely didn’t like each other. They’d skipped right over sibling rivalry and gone straight to hate. I didn’t understand how two people who looked exactly the same could be so different. Asher hit me as the quiet, thoughtful type while Cain came across as cocky and arrogant.

  I could definitely see myself being friends with Asher, but I wasn’t sure about Cain.

  Who am I kidding?

  They’d hear the rumors soon enough and take off running in the other direction, just like everyone else. My mother had repeatedly poisoned my life, but this time, she’d made sure that no one would ever want anything to do with me again.

  Shivers ran down my spine as I thought about that night. It was something I tried to block most of the time. The look in her eyes was something I’d never be able to forget though. She’d been so determined to end my life, and she felt no regret over it.

  “It’s pretty, isn’t it?” a voice asked from the steps leading up to my porch.

  I screamed and jumped backward in the swing. My eyes moved to where my surprise guest stood—Asher…or maybe it was Cain. Whoever it was, he’d changed his clothes.

  “You scared the crap out of me,” I finally said.

  He stepped up onto my porch and walked over to where I was sitting. “My bad. I thought you saw me.”

  “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking.”

  “About what? My awesome body?” he asked.

  Yeah, it’s definitely Cain.

  “You’re a pain in my bum, Cain. I hope you know that. Wait, what are you doing at my house?” I asked.

  I shivered as he sat next to me. I was officially freaked out. Staring at me in school was one thing, but following me home was another. It was creepy and definitely stalker material.

  I scooted away from him.

  He chuckled. “Chill out. I’m not following you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Then, how do you know where I live?” I shot back.

  “Because I just moved in next door. I walked outside and saw you sitting here, so I thought I’d say hi.”

  “Oh.” My eyes traveled over to the neighbor’s yard. Sure enough, the For Sale sign that had been in the yard for months was gone. “That’s…convenient.”

  “Isn’t it? So, tell me, which window is yours? It’ll be easier to sneak in late at night if I know where I’m going.”

  I smacked his arm. “You’re hilarious. Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

  “Like where?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe in front of a mirror, admiring your reflection?” I said sarcastically.

  He laughed. “You really think I’m that arrogant?”

  “Why would I think anything else? I’ve talked with you only a few times, and it’s obvious you think you’re the best thing to hit Shinnston since McDonald’s.”

  “You know what? You’re the most…alive person I’ve met in a long time.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You normally hang out with dead people?”

  “That’s not what I meant, but I’ve been caught hanging out in a cemetery after dark on more than one occasion. I just meant that you’re so free with your words. You don’t hold back even if it might hurt the other person.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not a liar, and I don’t sugarcoat anything. Life is too short to worry about stuff like that.”

  The incident with my mother had been proof of that.

  I frowned when I noticed the look on Cain’s face. It was almost as if he pitied me.

  “You’re right. Life is too short. You should go out and experience everything, Ella. You never know when De
ath is coming for you.”

  I stared at him with my mouth hanging open in shock. What he’d said was so…not Cain.

  “Who are you? And what have you done with Cain?”

  He gave me a sheepish grin. “I’m still the guy you consider to be an arrogant ass, but that doesn’t mean I’m not serious sometimes.”

  “I’d like to point out that I only called you arrogant. You called yourself an ass. That should tell you something.”

  He laughed again and wrapped his arm around me. I stiffened, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “I think we’re going to get along great, Ella. After you blew me off in class today, I thought you were going to be a saint like my brother.”

  “I’m not a saint,” I muttered. “I just like to stay under the radar. Getting yelled at in class isn’t exactly my version of staying inconspicuous.”

  “Why would someone as pretty as you want to hide?” Cain asked. “I don’t get it.”

  I gently shoved him until he finally released me. “I just do.”

  “Oh, come on. Tell me your dirty little secret.”

  I sighed. “People like to start rumors about me. I’m sure you’ll hear them soon enough. They tend to leave me alone if they forget about me.”

  “What kind of rumors?” he asked curiously.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled.

  “If you want me to beat the shit out of someone, just let me know, and I will.”

  I looked up, expecting to see his smirk, but it was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a deep frown was etched into his face.

  “You’d really do that, wouldn’t you?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I would. I hate bullies.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t figure you out, Cain. Most of the time, you’re cocky and sarcastic. Then, you come over here tonight, being all protective and even nice. I’m starting to think you have a split personality. Or maybe you’re secretly a sweetheart.”

  He grinned and leaned closer until our faces were inches apart. My breath froze in my lungs as I stared into his gorgeous green eyes.

  “I can promise you this, Ella. There’s nothing nice about me. If you’re looking for the saint, go find Asher. If you’re looking for some fun, then I’m your guy.”