“No comment.”
He leans his seat all the way back. “Saddle up, cowgirl. Time is money.”
“?‘Cowgirl’?”
He shrugs. “I know you’re kinky.”
I roll my eyes at him—but the truth is, I’ve wanted him more and more since his birthday party. It’s like I can’t ever get enough of him and I can see in his eyes he wants me just as bad. Slowly, I unclip my seatbelt, and scoot over.
As soon as I climb onto his lap, I feel his hands cupping my ass and his tongue searching for mine. He kisses me hungrily, the way he always does. I barely recognize myself with how starved I am—like I’m seeing us from the outside. Carrie Wolinski straddling Donovan Wolinski, pressing down on him hard, chasing the exact right amount of pressure.
My pants are in the way, but I’m definitely not having sex with him out here in the street, anyway.
“Stay over tonight?” he whispers, suckling on my bottom lip. “We’ve got an away game this weekend, so I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I’m working on my project until eleven—”
“I’ll come by and pick you up.”
I hear myself mutter anokayas butterflies flutter in the pit of my stomach. Why did I spend so long fighting this? Seeing a guy, letting a guy come by to pick me up, spending a night with a guy, and doing it all over again the day after, and the day after that. It feels good. It feels… Like little electric shocks, starbursting through my body every time he touches me.
I grip his shoulders while my mind floats up and away. I don’t even hear my phone ring until Donovan gives me a gentle nudge.
“Good thing for me you never pick up.”
The phone rings again. And again.
I glance back over at my seat. He’s right—I neverdopick up, but when I catch sight of the name flashing up on my screen, I freeze. I lunge for the phone, kicking Don’s hands away as I scramble back into my seat.
“Hello?”
“So, youdosometimes pick up!”
I clamp a hand over Donovan’s lips, and strain to hear.
When I recognize Greyson’s voice on the end of the line, my blood turns to ice. There’s only one reason he could be calling—and that reason is Mom. I’ve been ignoring her calls, because I didn’t want to face reality. Now it looks like there’s no escaping it.
“What’s up, Grey?”
“You need to come home.” His voice sounds so small. “Your mom fucked up again.”
A few short, simple words, and my whole life pivots.
“What did she do this time?” I whisper.
“You need to come home, Carrie,” he repeats. “Don’t worry—everything’s going to be okay. But you need to get back here.”
“What did she do?”
“Started a fire, pretty much.”
I gasp. “What? Where?”
Donovan tightens his grip on my thigh. My gaze floats over to him, but all I can see right now are the flames. I’ve been burying my head in the sand these past few days, but who was I kidding? Everything is just as fucked as it ever was.
“She set fire to your house. Don’t freak out, though,” he adds. “I was home when it started—I saw it happen. The living room is a little messed up, but it could’ve been worse.”
“Where is she now?”
