It felt nice to have someone care enough to nag me to take care of myself. My own mother hadn’t even given enough of a shit to ask me how I was doing. Auryn eyeing up my plate with scrutiny made me feel loved. Like he really did care.
“I understand that, doll, but you need to stay strong. We can’t have you wasting away now. You’ll need your strength for what I have planned for you when we get out of here.” He wiggled his brows, a devious smile adorning his gorgeous face.
I glanced around to make sure nobody had overheard him before playfully slapping his arm. “I can only imagine what dirty little thoughts are filling your head.”
We took our food over to a table, sitting down next to one another. Auryn leaned in to whisper in my ear. “The only thing I’m more addicted to than coke is that sweet pussy of yours. I would kill for a taste right now.”
My cheeks warmed as a blush stole over my face. Auryn snickered. “There’s that blush I love so much. I love how you pretend to be such a good girl, but we both know you’re bad.”
I elbowed him in the side to shut him up as two people took a seat across from us. He gasped and clutched his middle.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” I dropped my spoon in my bowl, turning to check his wound.
He chuckled. “Just messing with you. I’m fine.”
“Don’t scare me like that,” I admonished. “You are in so much trouble when we get out of here.”
“Promise?” His eyes sparkled with mischief.
I strongly suspected that Auryn would make it his mission to make me as crazy as possible going forward. I was perfectly all right with that.
CHAPTER THIRTY
RIPLEY
The next few days flew by. Each one felt better than the last. Even though we didn’t get to see each other that often, having Auryn there with me made the hard parts easier to handle.
We were both in different programs for our addictions and attended separate therapy sessions. We did make it a point to meet up every day in the dining hall and sometimes in the entertainment room. He tried more than once to sneak into my bedroom, but I quickly turned him away. I had no intention of doing anything to screw up my time here. Like he said, I was the good girl. I wasn’t breaking the rules.
Auryn didn’t make it easy to stay strong in the face of such temptation. One afternoon he found me in the laundry room. One of the few public areas that didn’t have cameras. He pushed me up against one of the washing machines, stealing my self-control with a dizzying kiss. I allowed myself to enjoy the moment before pushing him away.
“You’re going to get us both kicked out of here.” I shook a finger in his face before turning back to my laundry.
“Nobody will know. We’re all alone in here.” With a sly smile, Auryn pressed up against me from behind. Grinding against my ass.
Sticking to my guns, I shook my head. “Someone could come along any moment. This room is pretty busy. I bet this is the longest you’ve ever gone without getting laid since you lost your virginity.”
Auryn didn’t even pretend to think about it. “Hell yeah it is. I think I might be addicted to that too. Or maybe it’s just you. God, you smell good.”
He buried his face in my hair, breathing deep of my scent. I tightly gripped the washing machine, taking deep breaths as I talked myself off this ledge. He was too fucking irresistible.
Someone’s shoes squeaked in the hall outside the door. The only warning we got before a sixty-something woman entered with a bag of laundry. Auryn shoved away from me, moving to the other side of the room. She looked at us like we weren’t fooling anyone. My cheeks flushed, burning hot.
I offered her a polite smile before ducking out of the room. Auryn followed me into the hall, snickering to himself.
“I have group now,” he said, pulling me in for a quick kiss. A barely there press of his lips to mine. “I’ll see you in the dining hall later.”
“Stay out of trouble,” I called after him.
I had my own private therapy appointment within the hour. I hadn’t expected much to come from these sessions. Luckily, I’d been proven wrong. My time with Jennifer had already helped so much.
She’d been helping me work through my issues with my mother. I’d also learned coping strategies for my addiction and my tendency to self-harm. She was equipping me with tools I could take out of this place when I left at the end of the week.
Staying longer may have been helpful, but I needed to get back to classes. Graduation was close, and I didn’t plan to miss it. Jennifer said I would be able to keep seeing her after I left, which I planned to do.
Since I had some time to kill before our session, I wandered outside into the backyard behind the building. A space we were allowed to frequent during the day. A fenced in grassy area that contained a flower garden and several benches. At this point in the spring season the flowers were starting to bloom. Offering beautiful color and a sweet aroma.
I took a seat on a bench near a rosebush, enjoying the soft breeze on my face. A few other patients were scattered about. Most of them in their own world. One man read a book across the yard while a woman my age stared into the sky, braiding her hair.
