Liar: A Dark College Romance (Hillcrest University Book 6) Read online

  Liar

  Hillcrest University: Book 6

  Candace Wondrak

  © 2020 Candace Wondrak

  All Rights Reserved.

  Book cover by Victoria Schaefer at Eve’s Garden of Eden – A Cover Group

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  Chapter One – Ash

  Chapter Two – Sawyer

  Chapter Three – Ash

  Chapter Four – Travis

  Chapter Five – Ash

  Chapter Six – Declan

  Chapter Seven – Sawyer

  Chapter Eight – Ash

  Chapter Nine – Will

  Chapter Ten – Ash

  Chapter Eleven – Travis

  Chapter Twelve – Sawyer

  Chapter Thirteen – Ash

  Chapter Fourteen – Declan

  Chapter Fifteen – Ash

  Chapter Sixteen – Sawyer

  Chapter Seventeen – Will

  Chapter Eighteen – Ash

  Chapter Nineteen – Will

  Chapter Twenty – Ash

  Chapter Twenty-One – Declan

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Sawyer

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Will

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Sawyer

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Will

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Ash

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Declan

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – Travis

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – Ash

  Chapter One – Ash

  Rope was so much better than chains. For one thing, chains made me feel like I was stuck in the eighteenth century or something, locked in a dungeon awaiting a punishment for my crimes. They were cold metal too, clamped on my wrists. I wasn’t a huge fan.

  Now, rope? That I could get used to. Rope could be tied in so many ways, knotted and made pretty. A rope could hold your wrists together tightly and refuse to let go, no slack and no give.

  I’d convinced Travis to give rope a go over break—through a series of texts that included pictures and how-tos, and he’d surprised me on our first day back on campus.

  Yep. Our first day back at Hillcrest after winter break. Classes hadn’t started yet, but they would soon enough. There was still a lot I had to do, too—go get my textbooks from the bookstore in the union, go to Will’s dorm room and help him settle in. Really, the list went on and on and on.

  Winter break had been almost unnecessarily long. It was great to see my mom again and not feel paranoid that Ray would stalk into the picture and hurt her, or me.

  I also saw Kelsey. Things would never be like they were before, but…we talked. We both knew we fucked up. What happened would never be forgotten, but she’d been my friend for years. With everything that had happened during my first semester in Hillcrest, I couldn’t give her up and hold the grudge forever.

  Coming so close to my ex, to death—well, those experiences made me realize what was important. Her friendship, my mom, and, of course, the guys.

  I was well aware that I was currently letting myself drown in the feeling of the rope tying my wrists together and holding them up, but it was a necessary pain. And it wasn’t so much pain as it was pleasure, anyways. Travis never hurt me, though he said he would if I was into it.

  Hint: I wasn’t. No knife play for me. Now, those other toys in that dresser drawer…

  I wore nothing, laying atop Travis’s bed, only the rope keeping my arms up and pinning me down. Travis was hard at work between my legs, his mouth heating my entire body up like a sauna, a fire burning deep within my belly. Like it usually was when with him, my body was raring to go. There was no countdown, no yellow or red lights. It was always go, go, go, green forevermore.

  Letting out a flustered sigh, my eyelids slammed shut, and I arched my back as much as I could with my arms tied above my head. Being restrained meant I couldn’t move like I usually did, but that was just an added challenge.

  I loved it.

  I loved him, even if he was a bit psychotic. Even after all this time, I hadn’t asked for details. I didn’t want to know what exactly happened that night I’d spent with Will and Declan; I knew Ray was gone, and I had Travis and his family to thank. The Scotts. Apparently, their money came from doing stuff like that.

  Killing. Their money came from killing, and it was not something I cared to think about.

  The pleasure built within me, steadily growing until I couldn’t fight the feeling anymore. When the orgasm swept through me, I cried out. Being quiet was so not my thing, and I didn’t care if Travis’s neighbors heard us. They might not even be back from break yet. Some people waited until the absolute last minute to come back.

  Travis’s mouth left my apex, his lips sleek with saliva after he ran his tongue over them, as if he could not get enough of me. Of my taste. Everything about me. His dark hair was messy, his eyes so blue they seemed to stare right through me. His tattooed abdomen shook with ragged breaths, and he gave me a slow, seductive smirk. “I adore the sounds you make, Ash.”

  “Just the sounds?” I asked, tilting my head as I met his eyes.

  He crawled up me, his knees spreading my legs further apart, his hard cock sliding against the slickness of my sex. Travis didn’t push in, though. He simply grinned at me and said, “Everything about you. I adore it all.” He brought his lips to the crook of my neck, his mouth roaming along that tender area while his hands ran up and down my body, focusing on my breasts, on my nipples, sending new waves of pleasure coursing through me.

  I smiled, loving hearing it. If I could listen to Travis shower me with compliments all day, every day, I would. Somehow, I had the feeling he didn’t do things like that often. He’d been with other girls, but this, us—we were different. We’d been through so much together, and I hoped we’d continue to rise above anything else life threw at us.

  It might be selfish of me, but I never wanted to let him go.

  His teeth grazed my jaw, and I turned my head to the side, staring at the wall beside the bed as I felt his hard length push into me, filling me up. There was something to be said about how connected I felt with him, how badly I needed him.

  Another thing I’d taken care of over break was meeting with a doctor and getting put on birth control. Luckily my mom was not at that particular appointment, so she had no idea about what I’d asked for, and what I’d been given a prescription for. I also had myself tested, just to make sure.

  I gave the guys homework, too. They all had to get tested if they wanted to be with me skin on skin, if you knew what I meant.

  They were all good, and so was I. There were now no barriers between us, and things had never felt better.

  Travis rocked his hips, dragging his cock out of me before thrusting and filling me up. I wanted more. I wanted all of it. I wanted every ounce of pain and pleasure Travis would give me, eating it up like I was starved. In a way, I was, having been so far away from him during break. I’d missed my Hillcrest boys so much it was unreal.

  My wrists tugged at the rope holding them tight, a natural reaction of mine to being fucked. My legs curled around him, as if begging him for more, wordl
essly telling him to keep going. Harder, faster, longer. I craved it all.

  I’d known from the very beginning Travis was a weakness of mine, but he was also my strength. If I didn’t have him, if I didn’t have Declan and Will, where would I be now? Up Shitcreek without a paddle.

  Seriously. I’d be lost without them, and without me, they’d still be bickering. Fighting. Bullying each other. They wouldn’t be friends anymore.

  But that was behind us. Things were better now. We knew who had killed Sabrina, and that man was dead. We had nothing to worry about this semester, besides our grades and the general state of our lives. This semester we would truly see if we could make this work.

  Us. All of us. Together.

  Not a typical dating scenario, but as long as the guys were okay with it, I was down. I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to any of them.

  My body flushed with sweat, and the only thing I could see was Travis above me. He wasn’t overly muscled, but lean enough to still pack a punch. Every time he filled me, the breath was knocked out of my lungs, and each time his cock left me, my body ached with the need to be filled again.

  Having multiple boyfriends was certainly good for your sex life.

  Travis’s hips rocked faster, pumping in and out of me at a speed my brain could hardly register. He brought himself to his precipice, his shoulders tensing above me as he let out a low, scratchy groan, almost like a growl. He filled me up as he orgasmed, taking his good old time to withdraw from me. He placed a single kiss upon my lips before murmuring, “Can’t I keep you here forever?”

  Our eyes met, and I shook my head. Travis had grown a bit more used to sharing, but I knew if he had his way, he’d tuck me away and keep me all to himself. I was his obsession, his drug of choice. I was what kept that heart beating in his chest and that brain calculating in his head. Last semester I’d become everything to him, so much so that he knew I needed Will and Declan, so he didn’t fight me about it.

  He still didn’t really get along with Will, but I hoped that would change, now that Will was officially a student at Hillcrest.

  To go to the university where your father used to be the dean of students after killing said father would be hard on Will—and Declan, for that matter. Rumors had flown around late last semester after it happened, and I could only imagine the things the other students would say once they saw Will.

  The police had cleared him of any wrongdoing; the official story was Dean Briggs had attacked his son, and Will reacted in self-defense. The rumors would fly for months, definitely, regardless of whether it was true. The other rich, spoiled kids at Hillcrest didn’t care about the truth.

  “We both know you can’t,” I told him, mentally snapping a picture of how handsome he looked covered in sweat, the tattoos on his body in plain view. The dragon on his left arm, how it coiled around and ended on his chest; the tribal design on his right that continued to his right pectoral and his abdomen. He truly was a fine male specimen, even if he was dangerous.

  “I could try,” Travis suggested, lying beside me on the bed as he ran a finger up my stomach, between my breasts, and along my collarbone.

  “Not today, Travis. I have to get my textbooks from the store, and then I have to check in on Will, make sure he’s settling in.”

  Travis rolled his azure eyes, reaching above me to start uncoiling and undoing the rope holding me tight. A muscle in his jaw clenched, but he said nothing. I really hoped he’d get over his dislike of Will. I did not need my boys at each other’s throats.

  Once my wrists were free, I was able to sit up and crack my back and my shoulder blades. As I rubbed my wrists, I watched as Travis rolled off the bed and started to get dressed. Travis was not the type to not feel jealousy. Even though this arrangement wasn’t anything new, he was still envious, and he couldn’t do anything but let it show.

  I kind of liked it. As long as he didn’t go full-on psycho like Ray, we’d be fine.

  Yes, no more killer boyfriends for me.

  After he got his pants on, I hopped off the bed and reached for him, dragging his tall frame down for a fast, heated kiss. “Don’t brood,” I told him. “You know I love you.” Those beautiful, dangerous baby blues met my stare, and my breath caught in my throat, but all he did was nod in response.

  Travis wasn’t the kind of guy who shared his feelings often. It didn’t bother me, because I’d known from the beginning he wasn’t like anyone else, but still. It would’ve been nice to hear him say I love you back.

  I got dressed, grabbed my bag, and then I left.

  Campus was eerily quiet. I wore a hoodie over my clothes, a long-sleeved shirt under it. My jeans, for once, had no holes. A beanie sat on my head, and I walked across campus. My skateboard sat in my room. Skating when it was cold outside kind of sucked. The wind made everything more unbearable. Plus, the occasional snowfall made for some terrible sidewalks to skate on anyway. For a while, at least, I’d have to learn to be like everyone else here.

  Walk, I meant, because no way in hell I’d ever really be like the other male students here. They all came from rich families, all of them heirs to whatever wealthy throne they came from. I’d never be like them, but that was okay. I didn’t want to be.

  I crossed paths with a few other Hillcrest students, but not many. It was early in the afternoon, the sun hidden by grey clouds above me, and I kept my hands in my hoodie’s pocket as I walked to the union. My books had already been paid for—Mom’s Christmas present to me, something she’d been saving up the last few months for. All I had to do was pick them up and take them back to my room, and then I’d pay Will a visit. Declan was with him now, helping him unpack, since he was the only one Will had left, family-wise.

  I couldn’t imagine being either one of them, not with what happened. Their father, the dean of Hillcrest, not only slept with an underaged girl, but he then killed her. It didn’t really make much sense to me, but I needed to forget it. I needed to move on. This semester had to be normal; my sanity depended on it.

  The union came into view, and I heaved a sigh. My body still tingled with the high Travis had given me, but I dutifully ignored it as I pushed through the glass doors and entered through the side of the large building. The union was like a dead zone when classes weren’t officially in session. There was hardly anyone in the cafeteria, only a few students walking around.

  Of course, there were other students in the bookstore, picking up their textbooks for this semester, so I had to wait a bit before I was able to talk to the worker behind the register and hand him my list, along with the receipt my mom had given me for Christmas to show they were all pre-paid.

  Kind of a lame Christmas present, but when you were used to getting socks and a candy cane, well, you learned to be grateful when you got something else.

  That said nothing about the presents my dad attempted to give me, but he hadn’t sent anything in a while. Years. I think, finally, he’d given up on me, realized I wasn’t going to make buddy-buddy with him. I was firmly on Mom’s side, not his.

  The bookstore worker disappeared to find my order in the backroom, and I waited. I checked my phone, texting Will and Declan that I’d be there after I dropped my books off at the dorm room. A smile grew on my face when Will immediately texted back. I’d already seen Declan, but Will? Not yet.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see him. It felt like it’d been so long since I’d laid eyes on him. I’d gone to their father’s funeral, been with them when I could before winter break began. Since Will and Declan were Dean Briggs’s only children, they inherited it all. The house, the Briggs fortune, and all the other stuff wealthy people had. They had a lot more responsibility now, but I’d help them when I could.

  As I slipped my phone back into my pocket, my mind wandered to what we could possibly do. Will and Declan were okay with sharing…would it be wrong to suggest a brother sandwich? Not going to lie, something like that had been on my mind for a while, ever since being with Declan and
Travis like that.

  Seriously, it was hard to keep my sex drive under control, now that I had so many fine-looking guys with me.

  Someone stood behind me, clearly waiting for their turn with the worker. I paid no attention to him, my mind too far gone. But then he spoke.

  “Look at you, getting your textbooks like a good girl. Tell me, Ash, do you actually plan on reading them?” A slightly mocking tone, one that I took instant issue with, as if it was wrong to actually read the chapters the professors assigned.

  Grinding my teeth, I spun to face the guy. It didn’t even occur to me that he knew my name, or that I slightly recognized his voice.

  My heart stopped the moment I saw the blondie standing behind me. Less than three feet from me, wearing a half-smirk that made my stomach erupt in a fit of butterflies and my lower gut warm for an entirely different reason. Green eyes that made emeralds jealous, a clean-cut jaw free of stubble, and a body that looked just as muscled as I remembered it being. Every bit of pink that had stained his hair before, from my stupid prank, was gone. His hair was even shorter now than it was last semester, the last time I’d seen him.

  “Sawyer,” I spoke once I got my frantically racing mind under control.

  I knew he’d be back, but I didn’t think…I never thought…

  What the hell was I saying?

  “Good to know you remember me,” he said. “Here I thought I’d have to jog your memory. Not going to lie—” He took a step closer to me, his head cocked as he checked me out. “—I was looking forward to the challenge.” His half-smirk grew into a full-blown smile that practically set my heart ablaze. He wore a zip-up jacket, dark, clean jeans, and not a hint of the angst or sorrow I remembered seeing on his face as he locked himself in that car and went off to rehab.

  The confidence, the swagger…he was back, practically the same as he was before, but as I stared up at him, I couldn’t help but notice there were no bags beneath his eyes, that his smile no longer held any traces of mocking or animosity.