He pinches the bridge of his nose and huffs. “I never said that.”
“So youwouldfuck your sister!” I point at him with a grin, but the dimming light in me fades just a little more.
Shut the fuck up, Aiden.
“Come on,” Ryder says. “We still need to burn the rest of the bodies so I can go home.”
I smirk and waggle my eyebrows. “Wanting to get home to the sister so fast, I see.”
Shut up.
Ryder scoffs. “If you’re so dead set on fucking a sister, you should fuck yours. Now shut the hell up and help me with the rest of the bodies.
“Ooh,” Hawk sings, then bites his bottom lip while looking at me. “Daddy Ryder is out to play. You better behave, Aiden, or he’ll whoop your ass.”
I roll my eyes and join them by throwing the remaining limbs into the fire. Embers crackle, and the flames lower before roaring to life to devour the flesh.
I can’t stand my friends’ silence. My skin tightens until it feels like it’s about to peel back, allowing the thorny vines to burrow deeper. We may have had a long night last evening and into the morning, but their silence after I gave them shit about being sister fuckers is raising the alarms in my head.
I chuck a leg into the fire. “Do you guys ever crave being close to someone, but as soon as you do, your mind shuts down and you go cold?”
Ryder’s eyebrows pinch together, his lips flattening, and he drops Kyle’s bloody head into the flames. “Is this a hypothetical question?”
Hawk drags a torso toward the fire pit. “Is that why you're on hiatus from being a playboy?”
I guffaw. “I’m not on hiatus, asshole.”
“You sure?” He smirks. “Because you would have already bragged about the chick by now.”
Ryder folds his arms over his chest and drags his bottom-lip piercing between his teeth, playing with the jewelry as he considers me. “Not everyone will leave you. You know that, right?”
Rolling my eyes, I wave off his comment. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
Ryder doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know the hard lessons I’ve learned since early childhood.
“Right.” He blinks and turns his back to me. On his way to the next body part, he says over his shoulder, “A lot of people love you, man. You just need to understand that it’s unconditional and we won’t leave you behind, no matter what.”
I stand frozen, the back of my throat itchy and clogged from the lump swelling until I can barely swallow around it.
I wish it were that simple to accept.
THIRTY-ONE
NOVA
Leaningagainst the wall outside the living room, I eavesdrop on Aiden and Ryder’s conversation while they play video games and smoke.
“That’s a damn shame,” Aiden says. “I’m a little jealous you got some action while I’m over here unable to bring anyone home because my sister will chase them off.”
What?
“Why is she chasing them off?” Ryder asks.
“Beats me,” Aiden says, sounding bored with the conversation. “If I can’t come soon, I’ll lose my mind. I swear my dick is about to fall off from neglect.”
“Why can’t you just jack off like a normal person?” Ryder mumbles.
“Because,” Aiden says with a huff. “Nova always interrupts. She keeps wanting me to take her out. Or she needs the shower.Or God forbid we have a thunderstorm at night. She runs into my room and dives into my bed because she’s scared. Do you know how awkward it is to have your dick out, then your grown-ass sister barrels into your room? I can’t have a moment of peace.”
