Broken Princess (Van der Borne University Book 2) Read online

  “I thought I told you that your room and essential buildings were the only places you could go.”

  “And I thought I told you I’m not one of your lackeys. My days of giving a shit what you say, are over.”

  “What gave you the idea that you have a choice?”

  “You did. When you shared pictures of me with the school.”

  “Last warning, Jordanna. Keep clear of me, our parties, and anywhere else we’ll be on campus.”

  “Or what?”

  “You don’t want to find out.”

  “Oooh. A vague threat. I’m so scared.” Each word is doused in sarcasm and lit on fire with rage.

  I squeeze her face, making her lips pucker before biting them. Hard. Then tug them with my teeth. When I unclasp my hold, my own lips tip up into a satisfied smirk. I love the sight of her lips reddening and swelling in front of my eyes. She blinks rapidly, trying to keep her tears at bay.

  I ignore the tears and tamp down the urge to gather her in my arms and tell her things will be okay. It’d be a lie. They’re far from okay. Isolating her isn’t just about me being a dick. Why can’t she see that I’m also trying to protect her? Her pulse is hammering in her neck. Is that fear or something else? Either way, I’m mesmerized by its repeating beat. I want to bury my face there, kissing and sucking, leaving my mark. To show them all that she’s mine.

  Jordanna

  He’s staring down at me, with his hand braced on the wall over my head. His irises are dark, his face void of emotion, even though he just bit my lips like he was chomping into a taco shell. I could duck under his arm and try to run again, but I know he’d catch me before I made it to safety. Which is what I’d be running towards, because being in a classroom alone with Logan is danger in walking, talking, smirking form.

  “You shouldn’t have come back to school, Jordy.”

  “Jordanna!” I hiss, reminding him of my name. He’s lost the right to call me anything else.

  “Don’t you get it? Bella’s gonna come for you again. Harder than before, and there won’t be anything I can do to stop her.”

  “Right, because you tried so hard the last time. Oh, wait, you didn’t. You were the ring leader betting on my virtue. So if this is a race to see who can intimidate me first, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Your girlfriend has already started.”

  “She what?” He asks, narrowing his eyes. “What did she do?”

  Like I’d ever fall for that question. He knows what she did. He sanctioned it. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know. She did whatever you sat in bed plotting for her to do. I don’t know how I let myself get fooled before. All of you are just a bunch of rich, entitled assholes, who get off on toying with other people's lives.”

  He tilts my chin up. “What I got off on was getting you off.”

  I lick my lips. They’re throbbing from him biting them. His index finger trails down my neck. That finger used to do things. Reach places. Make me feel things. I block out that thought. Used to is the point. He’ll never touch me like that again. I smack his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

  He glides his knuckles across his lips. “I can’t undo what I did, so maybe this time you’ll take my advice and stay out of Bella’s way.”

  “I’m sorry. Did I do something to give you the impression that I wanted your advice?”

  “Dammit Jordy, I’m trying to help you.”

  “The last time you helped me, I lost my boyfriend, my scholarship, and my internship. I’m sure you’ll understand why I say fuck you and you can shove your help right up your stuck up ass.”

  His hand slams against the wall, close enough to my ear to make me jump. “Your beloved boyfriend was banging the RA in his dorm. Don’t stand there and pretend like he was such a prize.”

  Okay. So that’s the version of events he’s still going with. I may not have gotten back with Robbie, but our friendship is moving in the right direction, and he’s still a better man than Logan will ever be.

  “You think I don’t know you set that up?” I snicker when he loses a smidge of arrogance. “That’s right, I know all about the money you paid Simone to seduce him, and I’m glad I started taking his calls again.”

  The vein in his jaw ticks, the only sign that he’s reacting to what I’ve said. “You saw him when you went home?”

  “Of course I did.”

  He steps closer, forcing me to flatten my spine against the wall. The foundation and weight of it against my back is the only thing keeping me upright.

  He growls, “I swear to god if you fucking slept with him...”

  I let a smirk of my own grace my lips. “You’ll what? Ask me if I let him video tape it?” I turn away. The smell of him, the heat from his body, and having his beautiful face this close to mine, angers and sickens me.

  He grips my jaw again, jerking my face up, forcing me to look at him. “I told you what would happen if you ever let another man touch you.”

  “Oh. You mean the threat about ruining them? How do I know which lies to believe, Logan? I thought that was just more bullshit you told me to help you win your bet.”

  His hand leaves my chin to tuck my hair behind my ear. It’s soft and tender. A stark contrast to the punishing hold he had on my face seconds ago.

  “Logan, I’m not here for more of your games. What I do and who I spend time with is none of your business. You already had my virginity, so there’s no reason not to have fun with whoever is willing to show me a good time. Robbie waited so long. If anyone deserves a chance, it’s him. Don’t you think? He was just as much a victim of your game, as I was.”

  His mouth presses against mine. Rough. Demanding. Stealing my air. He shoves his hand into my pants, and underneath the side of my panties, forcing his fingers inside me. A furnace of need burns through my system. My body is at war with my mind. My brain doesn’t want this, but my body misses his touch. I open my legs wider, rocking against his hand.

  Against my ear he murmurs, “You’re so wet, and tight around my fingers.”

  He nips my ear, and I bite back the moan clawing at my throat when his thumb presses against my clit.

  “That’s it, baby. Remember who owns this pussy.” He commands, his fingers pushing further and harder inside me.

  My survival instincts finally kick in. Nobody owns me, and I won’t let him win. Somehow, I manage to shove him away. Ignoring the emptiness I feel at the loss of his heat and fingers. Snatching my bag off the floor, I run to the exit on the opposite side of the lecture hall. Eight weeks ago, if he would have come to me and touched me like that, I might have believed he cared. But now, I know he’s devoid of emotion with a black rock where his heart should be. Every touch, every kind word, every kiss, was just one more tool he used to cheat his way to victory.

  I hate him and I hate that my body still wants him, especially since I know this is just another sick, twisted game. Didn’t he start off by saying this time things would be worse? Well, one thing is different, I won’t be his plaything. I’m his opponent and we’re going head to head.

  I need to come up with a strong offensive strategy with him before he finds a way to make me an empty, crying shell again.

  Tonight I take my first step. Nervous energy courses through me as I send off one final text to my mother then step from behind the pillar I was leaning against.

  “Ugh, so sorry.” I say to the black high tops in front of me as I lean down to pick up the chips that scattered along the floor. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “Neither was I.”

  I stand, and my smile slips. “Sorry.” I blurt out, turning back the way I came.

  “Jordanna, wait!”

  I make it a few more feet before his legs eat up the space between us. “Jordanna.” He touches my arm and darts in front of me. I pull up short of slamming into his chest. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nothing.” I say, averting my gaze. The stack of chips I’m holding suggests a different story.

&
nbsp; “Are you here with someone?” Frankie asks, looking around.

  “No.” I widen my eyes, as if I’m fearful he’s going to punish this someone if I am. “I’m here alone.”

  “At a casino that’s two hours away from school? This isn’t your scene.”

  “How would you know? You don’t know anything about me that you didn’t read in a magazine article or newspaper clipping.”

  He gives me a look that contradicts my statement and makes me wonder how deep they dug into my background before I came to school. I turn to hurry off again, and he falls in step beside me. “Relax Jordanna. You’re over 18, you’re being here isn’t against the law.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then why do you look so embarrassed?” He asks when I duck my head, averting his gaze. “Wait, are you playing the slot machines or something more risqué?”

  I feel my cheeks heat and nod.

  “How much did you lose?”

  I look up now, still doing my best to look uncomfortable with having been discovered. “Why should I tell you? So you can spread it around school that the charity case has a gambling problem, spending money she doesn’t have? Well, I don’t, by the way. I bet small just to see what it would be like and to learn so that…”

  “So that if you get good at it you’d make some money that could help your mom.”

  “To help myself so I don’t have to ask her for money. Things are tight, because we lost it all with what my step-father did. I’d like things to be a little easier on her. Not that you’d understand.”

  “I understand wanting to make my own money, and it doesn’t hurt if it comes with the added thrill of betting.”

  “You do?” I ask, taking him in, as if assessing him in a new light.

  “Come on, I’ll show you how to track the best machines to play.”

  I don’t give a shit about the systematic way to feed slot machines, but Franklin Thorne does. Or as he said, he loves the thrill of betting. Horses, poker, race cars, women. When he can’t be in control of the thrill, he likes to see how much money he can lose on them. Frankie’s an adrenaline junky, and this run in is my way of getting close to him so that I’ll be there when he takes his biggest risk.

  Seven

  Logan

  My mind is still on yesterday, when I walk into the cafe. What the hell was I thinking? I can’t fight my feelings and attraction to Jordanna if I intentionally put myself in situations where I’m close enough to fuck her. Her pussy juices were all over my fingers, and as soon as she left, I made a beeline for the closest bathroom to wash my hands. It took every ounce of control I had not to slide my tongue around them for a taste.

  Hannah a sophomore waves. I can see her blushing from here. When did they all get it in their heads that I’m into blushing ingenues? Before Jordy, I never fucked with girls who hadn’t learned their way around a dick. They weren’t all assertive sex kittens, but they didn’t look like they were about to pass out when I told them to jump on my cock.

  I liked that. I preferred that, because it was always less of a hassle when I wanted to do something twisted with them. But this new wave of girls that are approaching me… I hope it’s just a tool they’re using to get my attention. Sitting in my chair, I stretch my long legs in front of me, swallowing a grimace when I tip my head towards Hannah. I’m in no mood to talk, but if she wants to hang with me, she can come over here and put her hand or mouth to good use.

  Tabitha sits down next to me. Gives me a once over and blurts out, “What’s wrong with your face?”

  “What’s wrong with your tits?”

  She reaches into the collar of her shirt, fiddling with her bra strap. “Trying out this new contraption for Zed’s Lingerie line. It’s supposed to be seamless, non irritating and flattering. He says it’s like wearing no bra at all.”

  “Is it?”

  “Hell no. The straps hurt like fuck and my nipples feel chafed.”

  Tabby hates bras, like most women, I suppose. But her cousin Lyta dates Zed who fancies himself a clothing designer. He has Tabby try out a few pieces, and she passes the rest out to girls on campus.

  “Did you get the right size?”

  She unbuttons her shirt and grabs my hand, shoving it inside. “You tell me.”

  I pull my hand away, rolling my eyes. Arguably she has one of the nicest sets of tits I’ve ever seen. Top ten, definitely. But she’s so much like family I can’t enjoy her offer to let me feel her up. “Feels like barbed wire in there.”

  “It’s supposed to be hand-sewn lace.”

  “Fucker failed on that shit. What did he use? That hard ass yarn they use for granny doilies?”

  “Exactly.”

  She sends off a text and redirects the conversation back to me. “Okay. We’ve solved my tit issue. Now back to you. What’s wrong?”

  “Saw Jordy.”

  “You’ve been seeing Jordy. The two of you have classes together and she was at the party. So this could only mean you talked to her.” She inches closer, looking around to make sure we’re alone. “Look. I know Bella’s not happy that she’s back, and I know we’re gearing up to reengage and make Jordy’s life miserable all over again.” She rolls her eyes, waving her hands dismissively. “But it’s like I’ve been telling you. You don’t have to be a part of this.”

  “If she’s back, it means I didn’t break her enough. I’m the only one who can do this.”

  “Well, before you decide to launch a new attack, maybe you should talk to Kassidy.”

  “What does she have to do with anything?”

  “They’re roommates, and Jordy spent most of the break with Kassidy and her parents, so I guess that means they’re really close. When you fucked over Jordanna, you blew your friendship with her. It’s gonna be hard getting access to their room this time around.”

  I sit up in my seat, ignoring her advice about girl code shit. Instead, I need clarification about their winter activities. “You’re telling me Jordanna went home with Kassidy?”

  In the winter, Kassidy’s hippy therapist, exhibitionist folks live on a beachfront property on an island in the middle of the Caribbean. They shrink heads without you knowing they’re shrinking your head. Kassidy inherited their sex and body positivity vibe. And now, Tabby’s telling me Jordy may have gone through an immersive experience?

  How many guys were at camp pleasure and did she get with any of them trying to heal after what I did? Or is Robbie the only one? I’m fisting my napkin to keep from hitting something.

  “Logan, if there’s any part of you that cares about what she did over the break, sit this one out.”

  I glare at the one person in this group on campus that I would sincerely and unquestioningly call my friend. “I’m not sitting shit out. All of our futures and our reputations are at risk here. If the other students think we went soft on her. That I went soft on her. Nothing we do will ever matter again.”

  Picking up my cup, I take a calming sip. “Besides, don’t forget how I spent my break. Working off my bad behavior, so I’m pissed I got punished and need to exact revenge on her just for that.”

  “Hey nobody told you to submit your design to the auction under your name.”

  “It would’ve been a bitch move not to.”

  She nods. Slurping her iced latte through her straw. “And you’re nobody’s bitch.”

  Jordanna

  The door opens and I smile politely at the gentleman in front of me even though I’d like to scratch his eyes out. “Dean Allen, thanks for meeting with me.”

  “Miss Felding, I was surprised when I got your note.” He says, ushering me into his office. “What exactly is it that you want to discuss?”

  I take the same chair I did three months ago when we discussed my future with the university.

  “I just wanted you to know that I followed up with Mrs. Dane. She’s a wonderful lady, and I appreciate her taking an interest in my education. She’s given me an incredible opportunity so I can continue at thi
s great university, and I just want to be worthy of the investment she’s made in me. I know charity is a tenet of the school, and the families here are all active in their community in some way. So, I was hoping I could find a volunteer opportunity. Perhaps on campus.”

  Pepper and I have gone over this several times. One of Dean Allen’s office assistants is about to go on bedrest, which means the rest of the staff will have to pick up her slack. He can’t fill her position without asking for more money or firing her. Terminating her is not an option, unless he wants it made known that she’s pregnant by the father of one of the grad students.

  “Well, that’s a highly unusual request. Most students intern or volunteer out in town on the weekends or their breaks.”

  “I know, but I don’t have a car and I’m not sure it would be a good use of my time or the money I’m receiving if I have to use the bus every day. You see, I was hoping for more consistency than just holidays and breaks. And well, dean, if I’m being honest, I need some positive marks on my transcripts to bolster my grad school applications.”

  “Extracurricular activities will help with that.”

  “Oh, I’ve put in a request to join the paper. The faculty sponsor, Mrs. Morgan, and I have our second interview tomorrow, to go over the articles I’ve written in the past.”

  Everyone knows I’ve won prizes and accolades for my articles and some of my photographs. Having me on the paper is a no brainer. I miss writing, but this also gives me more access to Logan. As for the volunteering, I need access to the administration building, and the staff so I can earn their trust. That way, the next time shit goes down with Logan, they’ll be on my side.

  His assistant knocks and enters. She drops a stack of papers on his desk and gathers up others to take away. It’s only eleven in the morning and she already looks like she’s put in a twelve hour day.