Wicked princess

Chapter 23

With shaky fingers, I type Hayley’s name into the search engine. 

Instantly, my laptop spits out a slew of results. 

Her birthdate and email. An article from our local newspaper that lists all the people from her graduating class. There’s even a picture of her from back when she was on the cheerleading squad at Royal Hearts Academy, a link to her Instagram page, and her obituary. 

However, there’s absolutely nothing in the search results about our accident. 

Not even a local news station covered it.  

Hmm. I’m about to try a different search, when there’s a knock on my door. 

“Come in,” I tell Sawyer. 

“You have to tell them soon,” Sawyer hisses, quickly closing my bedroom door behind her. “Keeping this secret from Cole is killing me.” 

I close my laptop. “I will. I just want to…” Catching myself, I shake my head. “You wouldn’t understand.” 

Her brown eyes soften. “Try me.” 

“I want to keep him a little longer.” 

Stone’s been the light at the end of a very long, very dark tu

I want more time. 

“Okay, you’re right.” Her features screw up. “I don’t understand.”

I stifle the urge to say I told her so and tell her the truth instead. 

“My brothers are everything to me. Which means I’ll never put anyone before them. Ever.” 

“Still not understanding.” 

“They’re never go

 And because they’re my family and I love them…I’ll do what they want and stay away. 

No matter how much it might hurt me. 

A deep frown works over her face. “Honey…no.” 

Now I’m the one who doesn’t understand. 

“Yes, it’s going to suck at first. Your brothers will flip out and do their overprotective brotherly thing and order you to stay away from him.” Walking over to me, she cups my face in her hands. “But, Bianca. Your brothers love you. And I know that above everything else—including any pride or anger they might feel—they want their baby sister to be happy. We all do.”

I guess I never thought about it like that before. “You really think so?”

She smiles. “I know so.” 

“I’m telling Jace and Cole soon,” I inform Stone. 

We’re currently lying on his bed, watching another film in the Jason Bourne series. 

Turns out Stone is a really big movie buff. 

He turns on his side, facing me. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I run my finger down his stomach. “After Christmas.” 

His forehead creases. “Why not sooner?”

“I don’t want to ruin the holidays.”

I figure it’s the least I can do before I drop the bomb of all bombs. 

“Wow.” His jaw tics. “Didn’t realize being with me was ruining your life.” 

That’s not how I meant it at all. “Stone—”

“Whatever.” He sulks. “I get it, I just hate that we have to sneak around all the time.” 

“It’s only for two more weeks.” I kiss the tip of his nose. “After that you’ll no longer be my dirty secret.” 

His eyes gleam with wicked intent. “Dirty secret, huh?” 

The energy in the room shifts, causing the muscles in my thighs to clench. 

Stone has been the epitome of a gentleman, never pressuring me for anything more than a kiss. But the look he gives me tells me he’s ready for more. 

So am I. 

He palms my breast, squeezing gently. “Is this okay?”

More than okay. “Definitely.” 

Closing the distance between us, he kisses me. 

Goosebumps break out along my flesh as his hand dips lower, skimming the bare skin above the waistband of my jeans. 

He pulls back. “Am I hurting you?” 

My pelvis is the least of my worries. Besides, it’s almost healed. 

I shake my head. “Not at all.” 

In fact, I wouldn’t mind if his touch was a little rougher. 

The sound of him lowering my zipper is so loud it almost echoes. 

My breath hitches when he licks two fingers and slips his hand inside my panties.

Smirking, he brushes the pad of his thumb along my clit. “You like this?”

Biting my lip, I nod. 

He repeats the movement, sending tiny little tingles to the sensitive bud. 

“You want more?”

Hell yes. “Yes.” 

His movements are so slow, so gentle. 

“Stone.” 

I need more. Deeper, faster, harder. 

But he doesn’t. 

Stone continues building me up, deliberately drawing out every inch of my pleasure. 

Ever so slightly, he speeds up his movements bit by bit, bringing me to the brink. 

He studies my face as he works me. “You go

Past…

“Yesterday s-s-she w-w-wore a yellow dress.” Liam looks over at me. “She looked s-s-so p-p-pretty it gave me butterflies.” 

It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes. His crush on Dylan is becoming all-consuming. 

Brows knitting together, he folds an arm under his head. “And t-t-that’s w-w-when I realized.” 

Turning over, I humor him. “Realized what?” 

The tear streaming down his cheek pierces my heart. “That I’ll n-n-never be good e-e-enough f-f-for her.” 

“Liam, that’s not true.” 

If I could have any superpower in the whole wide world, it would be for my brother to see himself the way I see him. 

Because if he did, he’d realize how incredible he is. 

When other kids are mean—Liam’s nice. 

When other kids are stupid—Liam’s smart. 

And when other kids are following their mean, stupid friends because they’re too scared to be themselves—Liam always follows his heart. 

He’s the most courageous person I’ve ever met. 

The world is so much better and brighter with him in it. 

Another tear falls. “Yes i-i-it is.” He swats his tears with his sleeve. “I’m a f-f-freak.” 

“You are not a freak.” 

“Everyone at s-s-school s-s-says s-s-so,” he argues. “Whenever T-t-tommy m-m-m-makes f-f-fun of m-m-me, everyone laughs. No one ever s-s-stops him.” More tears fall. So many they soak the pillow. “Because I’m a l-l-loser.” 

His words punch straight through my heart. Tommy is a dumb jerk who needs to be beat up. 

“Liam—”

“I get now why M-m-mom k-k-killed herself.” The agony in his eyes makes me want to keel over. “W-w-we d-d-didn’t love her e-e-enough.” 

Pain slices through my chest. 

I did love our mom. 

So much I fight the anger I have for her daily. 

So much that every day that passes I wish I could have done something—anything—to save her. 

So much I wish it was me who died instead of her, because maybe, just maybe, Liam wouldn’t be so upset all the time and I wouldn’t have to keep pressuring him to keep the real reason she died a secret. 

 “I’m n-n-never go

I press my lips to his. 

Not because he gives me butterflies like Dylan gives him, but because I want him to know that no matter what happens, I will always love him, and he will always be good enough. 

Liam deserves to have everything he wants and then some.