I’d stained my skin with the brotherhood tattoo. No matter how hard I tried to cover it up or hide it, it was always there. If I could rip off my arm and throw it to the wolves, I would. The brotherhood tattoo covered by scissors was a constant fucking reminder; Oscar would always be a part of me. No matter how long or often Mia swam inside, flowing through my veins, Oscar and I shared the same tainted blood.
I’d only drifted for what felt like half a second, and when I opened my eyes, Bria stood beside my bed staring down at me. Was I still dreaming?
Sitting up, I pinched the bridge of my nose and slowly blinked my eyes back to life.
She stood there, raven black hair, and porcelain skin.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice hoarse and groggy. I pumped my fist against my chest and cleared my throat. “Bria,” I tried again and shook my head awake, “You can’t be here.” Bria only smiled down at me and stood there in a top revealing her pale midriff and black thin, stretchy pants. She had no shoes on, and her eyes glazed over. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t feel so good,” she finally said, and plopped down on the bed beside me. “Jude broke up with me. He picked Tyler over me … Where’s Mia? I came to talk to Mia,” she fell back against the bed where Mia usually rested her head.
I inched my way to the back of the wall and pulled my knees up. “Mia’s with Conway,” I turned my gaze to the clock, “She’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
A tear rolled down Bria’s cheek, and she pulled her hands over her face. I’d never once seen Bria cry, especially over a bloke. “It’ll be okay,” I gripped her shoulder, “He’s a wanker, anyway.”
“You think so?” She sat up and wiped her arm across her eyes.
Quite frankly, no. I didn’t think Jude was a wanker, but I nodded anyway. She’d caught me off guard and I’d say anything to make her feel better and leave.
Jude suffered the death of his girlfriend, and by the look in his eyes, the love of his life. His actions were wrong, but I understood them.
Bria curled into my side, and I wrapped my arm around her.
“I miss hanging out with you.” Bria’s words muffled by my hoodie. “I feel like I never see you anymore. We never hang out. We used to be close. You used to be this badass without a care in the world. I missed that about you.”
“That wasn’t me.” That was the arsehole on meds, allowing the darkness to take control. Bria swung her leg over my lap and snaked her arms around me, tears flowing into my chest. I sat confused and frozen. “Come on,” I tried to pull her up, but she held on so tight, “Let’s take a walk, yeah? You can walk with me to get Mia.”
Bria shook her head. “I just need a hug, Ollie,” she cried. “You give the best hugs.”
My head spun, and all I could think about was Mia and how the hell I was supposed to get out of this mess. Keeping my hands at my sides, I looked up to the ceiling, waiting for her cries to dissipate, then Bria rolled her hips against me.
My knob jerked in my joggers, warning me.
I wanted to throw her off me, but the paralysis gripped every muscle and limb.
“Oh, Ollie,” Bria cried again, her bony hip grinding against me, and the sound of my name hit me like a punch to the brain.
The bathroom. It had been Bria crying out my name.
Another hip grind, and I looked down between us to see her wetness seep through the thin material of her pants. She had no knickers on. The flashback of my first time with Lacey ripped through me, digging out the caged beast raging inside with every utter of my name from Bria’s lips.
“Stop,” I warned through gritted teeth. “Fucking stop.”
One more fucking grind was all it took, and I shoved her off the bed. Her back slammed against the floor, and she looked up, shocked and disoriented. “What the hell was that for?” Bria massaged the back of her head.
“I warned you. Don’t fucking come near me.”
“Is this about Mia?”
My brows raised and I bounced to my feet freeing myself of the sweats she ruined. “You’re impossible,” I swiped up a fresh pair of pants and shoved my legs through, “You tried taking advantage of me—again. Mia’s not here to tear your arse off me this time, but I have enough willpower to say no to fanny.” I shook my head, remembering the time Bria almost had her way with me last year after I’d stupidly drank too much.
“What do you meanagain? You think that’s what happened? You think I tried taking advantage of you?” Bria laughed and looked around the room. “You remember, yeah? The long nights after Isaac, Alicia, and Maddie left, it was just you and me. We fucked, Ollie. You fucked me hard. You never said no to me before. What happened that night with Mia was only a misunderstanding.”
All the color drained from my face. “You and me,” I pointed my finger back and forth between us, “We never fucked.”
Bria laughed and looked me up and down. “Wow. Congratulations, Ollie,” Bria clapped her hands together, “You’re the most screwed up person at Dolor … ” Her words ran together thereafter as I stood in a fucking daze, trying to recall ever sticking it in her. “Don’t worry, I accept who you are, regardless of your erection problem. But we can fix that.”
With my contaminated joggers clutched in my fist, I took a step back, adding distance between us. “My dick was never the problem,” I shoved my hand through my hair and peered down at her, “I want you out by the time I come back.”
