“I don’tknowwhat I was thinking!” I hop free of my sister’s demonic grip. “Shep is my professor. This was forschool,” I wail without really putting too much thought into it. Deep, deep regret. “It’s extra credit,” I say weakly, mostly to amuse Shep, but according to the size of his eyes, that’s backfired, too.
Lex moans as if I just kicked her in the gut as she turns to Shep, slow and filled with a seething hatred so palpable never has anyone ever been hated more in all the world.
“How dare you use your position of power to lure my poor, sweet, virgin of a sister into your lair where you stripped her naked and tied her up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey! To a bedpost no less!” She attempts to dive her way to Shep—presumably to claw his eyes out—and yet Axel intercepts.
“Virgin?” Shep practically mouths the word my way.
“Yes,” I hiss. “What did you think? That I was some frat house hussy? I’m not giving away West Virginia for free, you know.”
Lex gives an indignant huff. “I don’t know jack about West Virginia. But you were certainly about to give it all away for free with a side of stuffing and gravy. You werehogtied, for God’s sake! Is that how you want your first time to go down?” She sucks in a quick breath. “My God, it didn’t go down, did it? You two didn’t…” Her fingers do a quirky little dance between us, symbolizing the obscene.
“No,” I’m quick to defend my feathered honor. “We were just getting to the good part when the two of you busybodies rammed in here as if you were on a vaginal recognizance mission.”
Both Lex and Axel cringe at that one as I hop my way to Shep’s side in this oversized cape Lex has swaddled me in.
“I’m going to have sex with Shep, and neither of you is going to stop me!” I bellow, and all the color bleeds out of my sister’s face as she grows white-hot with rage.
Shep clears his throat and takes a meager step back. “Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We hadn’t gotten that far in the evening and who knows—”
Lex stalks her way forward. “Oh, you shut up.” She might be talking to him, but her beady, angry eyes never leave mine. “Get your things. You’re coming home with us.”
“The hell I am,” I shout it loud and clear, and even the neighbor’s dog across the street gives a howl of approval. “I’m staying and surrendering my West Virginia to this man right here.” I accidentally point to Axel before twitching my finger to the next testosterone-laden being in this room.
Lex gags and indulges in a wild blinking spree.
Shep steps in and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Maybe we should talk about this.”
“Oh, shut up, Shep!” I take an aggressive step toward my sister. “Instead of happily losing my virginity on this fine evening, you’ve turned this entire night into a dumpster fire. You may never tell me who I can and can’t bed becauseIam not achild. I am a grown woman who—”
Lex cuts me off at the pass. “Who lets a man—who by the way is in an authoritative position, manipulate you into disguising yourself with feathers, then displays you on his bed like roped cattle!”
“Enough!” Axel scissors his hands in a quick referee-like motion. “Lex, she’s a grown woman. If she wants to sleep with my pervert of a brother, so be it.” He takes a moment to glare at Shep. “But that’s not what we came for.” He pulls Lex in, and they speak wordlessly to one another with their eyes. It’s eerie, but Lex and Axel have always indulged in that telepathic communication style reserved for better halves the world over.
“What is it?” My heart thumps into my throat, and I come close to vomiting it out. “Did something happen to Sunday? To the baby?”
“No,” Lex reassures me with a softer tone, but those eyes of hers still let me know she’s beyond livid. “It’s about the murder investigation. They’ve cleared the transient of any wrongdoing.”
Axel takes a breath. “They have another set of suspects they’re looking into.”
I clutch my chest in anticipation. “Who are they?”
Lex looks from Shep to me. “It’s the two of you. Congratulations, Shep and Serena. There’s another fine mess you’ve dragged yourself into. You’re at the top of the suspect list.”
Shepherd
Suspects.
It took another hour for Lex and Axel to take off, but only because Lex insisted she wasn’t leaving without her sister—the virgin. Holy hell, what in the heck was I thinking? Avirgin? It’s been so long since I’ve felt the need to ask anyone that it honestly never crossed my mind. But, of course, she is. Under that tough girl exterior, under that gorgeous exterior, Serena Maxfield is a sweet, innocent girl—one I was all too eager to defile.
I knew I shouldn’t have had that extra glass of wine with dinner. And then, shooting whiskey like it was a fountain drink once I got home didn’t help either. But as much as I’d like to blame it on the booze, there was a far more biological reason I was unstoppably determined to have her. I’m attracted to Serena—and not just physically. There’s an emotional connection there as well.
The truth is, I could have walked into the Black Bear, or The Sloppy Pelican for that matter if I really wanted to get the job done, and there were probably a plethora of women willing to close the deal. But I’ve never been that way. I’m not wired to thrust my way through every dry spell. I need meaning behind the madness, only then am I truly where I want to be.
I thought I had that with Carmella. Carm and I fit into a nice, neat box. Same education, same friends, same tastes in music, food, and movies, and yet something about the two of us felt forced. I can’t say it wasn’t a relief when she announced we should see other people. Being with her was like a dizzying carousel I couldn’t get off of, couldn’t quite break the gravitational pull. Hell, I never put the effort in. I got comfortable. We both did. Sure, my ego took a hit when she chose that drowned rat over me, but to hell with it. I’ve moved on. Haven’t I? And have I moved on with Serena of all people?
My gut grinds as if it’s true. A part of me desperately wants it to be true. Despite our banter, there has always been a playful undercurrent of affection. At least on my part. And just having her in my life again has made it that much brighter. With Serena around, it’s as if everything that was crooked is suddenly straight. I’ve been thinking about her nonstop since that fated, deadly night—wanting to comfort her, wanting to simply be near her to have her comfort me. But I can’t get a good read on her feelings.
Is she really that into me and what we could have together, or am I simply a means to an end? An able body ready and willing to invade West Virginia? I bow my head into my hands a moment as a body falls into the booth across from me.
