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Lo peeks through the doorway, his toothbrush in his mouth. “Did you smoke a bowl on the plane? Because you’ve got to be goddamn high to put her in bed with my brother while we’re in the room.”
“I didn’t say anything about sex.” He stops typing. “I don’t want to watch that any more than you do.”
Daisy’s cheeks redden. Fucking fantastic. I forgot she saw his porn tape. I shut the menu. That’s not particularly something I want to imagine.
I run my hand through my hair. “I’m going to sleep on the floor. It’s not a big deal.”
“Of course. You probably feel at home lower to the ground,” Co
Lo won’t stick up for me where Co
This just makes Co
Lo retreats to the bathroom, turning on the faucet.
I watch Daisy. She keeps her hands within the fucking duffel pocket, and the only time it comes out is to pop a pill in her mouth. She quickly zips it back and stands up.
Co
“Advil,” she lies too easily. “I have cramps.” She slides into the bed without another word. I can tell that Co
I find her Ambien in the end table drawer, and I dole out two pills and hand them to her. She glances at Co
I pass her a water bottle, and she hesitantly accepts it. Her paranoid gaze flickers to the balcony door.
“I’ll lock up,” I whisper so Co
She nods. “Okay.” She sits up on her elbows, her gaze on my lips.
I can’t kiss her right now. Because I can already tell with us, a kiss won’t stop at one fucking kiss. It’ll last five minutes, and we can’t afford that with my brother here.
I surprise her by ru
I’ve suppressed myself from doing something like this for so long. It’s a fucking one-eighty to even go this far. The adrenaline rush is dizzying my fucking head. I watch her slender body, on the bed, lighting up underneath my hand. It grips my cock, and stopping is harder than ever before.
But I imagine my brother.
Beating my face in.
It helps. Somewhat. But I also imagine her with another guy. And that stops me from thinking this is so wrong. Turn back now, Ryke.
I won’t ever turn back.
This is it for me. I want to make this fucking work as best I can.
Her mouth falls, a heavy breath escaping. And then she smiles so fucking bright.
I take my hand off her as soon as I sense my brother returning to the room. Daisy is so flushed that she turns into her pillow to collect herself.
I love watching her feel those sensations—especially after hearing how much she’s been denied them. I want to put her in a state of euphoria more than anything.
I leave her so I can secure the balcony door. The lock is pathetic, nothing more than a turn of a latch. No wonder she hasn’t been fucking sleeping. After that, I head to the entrance, locking the deadbolt and sliding the chain across. When I turn around, Co
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Sara is making waves again,” Co
“My mom has already caused a fucking tsunami, so whatever waves she’s making, I don’t really want to hear about it.”
Co
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I say, glaring at the image of my mother, sitting with her legs crossed on a chair against a navy blue backdrop. I have my father’s dark hair, not hers. She’s been described as a Julia Roberts lookalike with golden-brown locks, her nose a little sharp. She’s originally from a poor town of New Jersey, a fighter, she used to call herself when she yelled at my dad on the phone.
“Do you know where I came from?” she would sneer. “If I got here from nothing, you think I can’t stay here and protect my son from you? I’m a fighter. I’m going to do everything I can to keep my head above water. If you don’t believe that, then think again, Jonathan. Think again!”
She’s a woman who can’t let go of a fucking grudge.
I examine the fine print of the article, detailing the interview to come.
Sara opens up about her marital problems with Jonathan Hale, her recent fallout with son, Ryke Meadows, and her plea to reco
“Don’t break my phone, please,” Co
I’m gripping his cell so hard that I do almost crack the screen. I toss it back to him, my muscles on fire. “Now they think Jonathan traumatized me,” I say with the shake of my head. How can this be my life?
Co
I shake my head. “Whatever.” I take a few trained breaths, and it returns to normal. But I’d love to go fucking hit something right now. I need the gym, to just pour my energy and this pressure somewhere healthy instead of keeping it in my chest.
I glance back at Daisy. She tries to force her drowsy eyes open, watching me from the bed, her head on the pillow.
“I wish people were nicer,” she says softly before yawning.
Me fucking too.
< 22 >
RYKE MEADOWS
I can’t sleep.
Not when I know what’s going to happen.
She tosses and turns underneath her covers, kicking an invisible fucking enemy. And then around 5:00 a.m., she starts screaming. She shoots up, her eyes snapped open, and she thrashes, scurrying back towards the headboard and swatting at the air.
Her high-pitched shrieks blister my ears and instantly wake up Co
She’s still asleep.
That’s the scary fucking part.
“What the hell?” Lo says, rising with Co
“Daisy, Daisy,” I try, but I know it’s fucking useless. She’ll wake up when she’s ready. I slide on the bed, kneeling, and I reach out to hold her, but her fist flies at my shoulder, punching me hard, like I’m the attacker.
“Get away!” she screams, fear pulsing in her big green eyes. “Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! I don’t want this! I don’t want this!” Terrified fucking tears pour down her cheeks.
Fucking A.
Lo rushes to the bed. “Daisy?! What the hell…” He climbs on the bed while she screams and cries, kicking back so quickly that the sheets bunch at her feet. She clutches the mattress beside her. Lo stands up on the bed and tries to pick her up underneath the arms.