Kelsey snaps out of her tantrum and moves closer at the sound ofhervoice.
“I could ask you the same.” Her deep inhale is audible through the phone. “Did you receive my message?” Her demonic laughter fills the car speakers, and I clench my jaw until it pops. M,y body vibrates with unleashed anger, and I’d love nothing more than to release every ounce of it on none other than Lilith Young. To smash her deceiving face into the pavement until she’s unrecognizable.
“Why did you really call?”
“Maybe I missed your voice,” She croons.
“I don’t have time for your bullshit, Lilith.” I put the car in park in the garage, but remain seated. Kelsey’s breathing has picked up, and she has a look of bitter hatred tensing her gorgeous face.
“I know you’ve busted Tucker. I just wanted you to know.” She finally admits before the call ends.
“Son of a bitch!!” I shout, slamming my fists into the steering wheel and throwing my head back against the seat.
Kelsey sniffles beside me, “What do we do now?”
There’s only one thing to do. Go to her.
25
KESLEY
Istretch my stiff, sore muscles as I pull the covers off me and sit up in bed. I wince at the sting of pain in my ass. After we got back yesterday, Ryder was livid. He was already irritated with me over my attitude, so Lilith’s unexpected call definitely didn’t help matters. Ryder fucked me hard. He had me in so many positions. At one point, I was tangled up like a pretzel and could barely breathe. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every second of it and begged for more even though I was trembling and dizzy.
I check the time on my phone.Shit!I slept most of the day. I see I have a text from Jessie and open it.
Jessie:
Wanna go out tonight?
Sure, whatcha thinking?
I throw one of Ryder’s T-shirts on, and it comes down just above my knees. I yawn, stretching my arms over my head. Catching a whiff of my morning breath, I grimace and make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth before heading downstairs. I get the bristles wet and squeeze some toothpaste on the brush, bringing it to my mouth, and I immediately gag. My stomach’s been uneasy from the stress with my parents and Lilith the past two weeks. I try again and successfully manage to brush my teeth without puking.
After Lilith was flagged and she had my parents murdered, Ryder started sleeping in his room with me. He tried sleeping in the armchair by the window, but I wasn’t having that. Hell, we’ve been fucking each other, so what’s the big deal about sharing the bed? I woke up to find Ryder wasn’t on his side, where he normally is, and the bed was cold. He refuses to leave me by myself, so I imagine he’s in the house somewhere.
Heading down the stairs, I’m met with silence. I grab an orange juice from the fridge and check down in the gym. The stairs are dark and steep, but not creepy like the cellar’s stairs at the office. I don’t feel the incessant need to carry Holy water with me down these steps. I hear heavymetal busting through the speakers, so I know at least one of the boys is down here.
The gym smells of sweat and rubber mats. The walls are lined with dumbbells and free weights. The wall they sit in front of is a floor-to-ceiling mirror that stretches the full length of the wall. I catch Hayden’s reflection in the mirror. He’s lying on his back on the bench press. He’s shirtless, so his six-pack and fully tatted torso are on full display. To his right, Ryder straddles a bench with his elbows resting on his knees. He, too, is shirtless, and the sight has my mouth drying. He’s typing away on his phone, so he hasn’t noticed my presence yet.
I strut over to him, expecting him to put his phone down and notice me any second. When he doesn’t, I drape one arm over his shoulder, and he looks up at me, eyes wide, finally setting his phone down on the bench behind him. He wraps a tatted arm around my waist and pulls me to sit in his lap.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
A grin pulls at the corners of my lips, “More like afternoon. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.”
He shakes his head while his free hand strokes my arm, causing goosebumps to erupt. His green eyes are hooded and heavy, while he looks at me like he…loves me? No. He’s only obsessed with me. Once all this blows over with Lilith, he’ll forget about me, because I won’t be his problem anymore.
“What?” I ask, feeling my skin heat under the heaviness of his gaze.
He shakes his head again, breaking eye contact and glancing over to Hayden. “Nothing,” he takes a deep breath, “don’t apologize for resting. You need it.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, “Jessie texted and wants to go out tonight.”
“Are you going?”
“Yeah, probably. She hasn’t texted back where she wants to go yet.” I run my fingers through his soft black hair, finding a piece and twirling it around my finger. It’s slightly damp with post-workout sweat.
“You hungry?”
