Time stops.
“Want him?” I ask. It’s barely a whisper.
A sinful grin unfurls on that wicked mouth. “Want youboth.”
A hundred thoughts explode in my brain— thoughts so sinful I don’t know how I haven’t been smited on the spot.
“But… It’s wrong.”
He tilts my chin up.
“Is it?”
Then he retreats, absorbed by the shadows, leaving me stunned and alone on the roof of my own home while that small question plays on repeat.
Twenty-Seven
SEBA
A haze of smoke—most likely weed by the musky scent– weaves through the bodies crammed into The Larson’s guest house while voices compete with the music playing from speakers tucked into the ceiling. (Rich people shit). Across the room, safely shielded by Grant and Jessica, Marcus shoots me another nervous look.
His hands were all over Cade. His mouth. His body?—
I chug the rest of my beer to chase down the acid rising in my throat. Since walking through the door, I’ve been tempted to start something with the fucker, if only just to alleviate this pent-up frustration. Fortunately for him, I’m not that stupid or intoxicated. I took the excuse to stay out because going home means facing him.
I can’t do it.
So here I am, lurking in the corner of a crowded party with people I don’t like, nursing another beer to avoid reality.
You’re turning into your father. It’s pathetic.
My fist strangles the beer can. It creaks in protest. I've lost count of how many I've had. I check the time. It’s well past one in the morning and the party shows no signs of windingdown. I could stay here, drink myself into oblivion like the rest of these idiots, or I could grow a pair and walk home.
“Hey Sebastian,” chirps an overly excited voice. A short blonde in a skimpy top gives me a cartoonish grin. She looks familiar. Maybe one of the cheerleaders? Her pupils are blown to the point I can’t tell what color her eyes are.
Drugged. Like pretty much everyone here.
“Did Andrea come with you?” she asks.
I shake my head, pretending to sip from the empty can.
Take the hint and leave me the hell alone.
“Of course not,” she scoff-slurs. “She never comes to these things, no matter how many times we invite her. It’d be a totally different story if Cade were here. I swear to God, her obsession with him is so annoying. The worst part is she’s completely in denial about it.”
Great. Just what I needed to hear. Coming here was a mistake. Then again, my judgment has been shit lately.
The girl grimaces. “Oh shit, he’s your brother, right?”
Yeah, it’s time to go.
“Stepbrother,” I grumble and shoulder past.
Her voice calls at my back as I march out, but it’s swallowed by party chaos. The front door slams behind me, instantly sealing the noise inside. My ears feel stuffed with cotton. I used to love the quiet. Now, it only amplifies the madness screaming in my skull. Burying my hands in my pockets, I follow the sidewalk, gaze trained on my boots until I reach the house.
A solid eight hours of sleep is what I need. Or a coma. No dreams. Then I could blame amnesia for not remembering the asinine shit I said in the car.
By the time I get some water from the kitchen and climb the stairs, the last beer hits.Maybe Iwillsleep after all. Grinning to myself, I push in the door to my room.
