Brutal Nights

BRUTAL NIGHTS A HIGH SCHOOL BULLY ROMANCE HIDDEN VALLEY ELITE SERIES BOOK FOUR ISLA VAUGHN ARROWSCOPE PRESS, LLC Brutal Nights Copyright © 2023 Isla Vaughn All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. (p) ISBN-13: 978-1-951919-47-4 (e) ISBN-13: 978-1-951919-46-7 Publisher: Arrowscope Press, LLC; www.arrowscopepress.com Editing— Amanda K., Line Editor, Virge B., Proofreader, Rashida B., Beta Reader, Red Adept Editing Cover Design—T.E. Black Designs; www.teblackdesigns.com Interior Formatting & Design— Arrowscope Press, LLC; www.arrowscopepress.com CONTENTS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four About the Author Also by Isla Vaughn CHAPTER ONE DAMON #Busted “Cheater!” Gia screamed when she and Skylar’s mom opened the door. Gia’s shriek killed the post-orgasmic high from Sky’s spectacular body as Sky straddled me on her too-small bed. The sensual glow radiating from her faded as she twisted on top of me to see who was in the doorway, then she screamed. Sky’s arms flailed as she frantically gathered her sheets and yelled, “It’s not like that! It doesn’t mean what you think it does.” My hands fell from her hips as she jumped off my dick. The look of horror on her face was a direct dagger to everything we’d just done. “Skylar,” her mom snapped, “your friend needs to go.” Then she turned on her heel and left us with Gia, who stood with her hands on her hips, red-faced and glaring. “I can’t believe you did this to me,” Gia accused, her big brown eyes wild. Her hands went to her short blond hair and tugged. She looked unhinged. I would have laughed, but Sky’s reaction didn’t sit well. She still hates me. Instead, I bunched one of Sky’s blankets around me and casually leaned against the headboard, watching the show. Gia needed to leave so I could get dressed and climb out the window, away from the shit show. Girl drama wasn’t my thing, and the house was full of it. With jerky movements, Sky yanked on her clothes. Gia whirled from the doorway, stomping down the hall. Sky threw a glare my way then ran after her. I had a bad feeling about the confrontation, so I got dressed, too, then followed. The door across the hall from Sky’s was shut. It had to be her mom’s room. Only a bathroom and a little bit of hallway separated them. No wonder she’d wanted us to be quiet. I chuckled under my breath—she hadn’t been. Not when she’d come apart in my arms. More than anything, I wanted to go back to that and skip the rejection she’d dealt me. Heated voices led me to the family room, where I found Sky and Gia. And if looks could kill, both Sky and I would be dead. “It didn’t mean anything,” Sky said, her voice strained and shaky. Gia slapped Sky. The crack echoed through the room. I wrapped my hand around Gia’s wrist before she could do it again. “That’s enough.” I was angry. Gia was a bitch, and I didn’t like her hurting Sky. When she raised her other hand to hit me, I grabbed that wrist, too, before she could make contact. Then I pushed her away. She stumbled back, breathing heavily. The red staining her cheeks deepened, and her dark eyes glittered with hatred and betrayal. Furious and disgusted with everything that’d happened, I strode to the front door. It killed me that Sky was upset, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. It wasn’t like I wanted more from her than her body and what she did to mine. I sure as fuck didn’t care about her. Right? Nothing about the current situation was good. And what I hated most, aside from the way Sky looked at me, was her denying what had happened between us, as if it meant nothing. It was my worst nightmare—I don’t want to be like my father. The situation was too similar to what he’d done, and it made me physically ill. Sky had glared at me one too many times after we’d gotten busted. So fuck it. I was out of there. That shit wasn’t my scene. I yanked open the front door. Sky caught it before it slammed behind me, and she followed me to my truck. Hand on the door handle, I paused as she crowded me, her hair wild from my hands, her lips swollen from my kisses. She was so goddammed beautiful, even when she was spitting mad. “You used me.” Her sensual voice cracked like the weapon she’d meant to yield it as, hitting her target like a heat-seeking missile. “You ruined my life, and now you’re just going to leave so I have to pick up the pieces?” The fuck? I hadn’t left, but I sure as hell would after the way she’d rejected me. “This was a mutually beneficial thing between us. Don’t pretend otherwise,” I growled. “This is your problem. You’re just some chick I don’t give a shit