Page 98 of In Love and Revenge

‘I’ve been thinking about you,’ I tell her.

Silence.

‘Are you still there?’

‘Why are you calling me?’ she bites. ‘We aren’t doing this.’

‘Doing what?’

‘This. It was once. You said I’d never have to speak to you again. I thought we agreed.’

‘It was twice, actually.’ I lick my lips at the memory.

‘I don’t care what it was. It’s done. I want to forget about it.’

I sit up in my seat, a flash of unexpected nerves coiling in my gut and taking me out like a bat to the knees. She sounds so sure. How can she be? After a night like that? The threat of her slipping away tugs at my subconscious, engaging my mouth before my brain.

‘Where are you? I’ll come to you so we can talk.’

‘What’s there to talk about?’

‘Aurora,’ I growl.

She huffs. ‘I can’t. I just had coffee with Dove, and I’ve got work to do.’

I lean back into my seat again. So that’s it. It’s not that she wants to forget about that night, it’s that shecan’tforget about it. And seeing my sister has made her feel guilty. The knowledge is like a soothing balm cascading over me. Aurora might be my sister’s best friend, but I’ve known Dove her whole life. My sister won’t be angry at Aurora for being with her brother.

She’ll just come for my balls if I hurt her friend.

‘Are you filming more videos?’ I ask, unable to conceal the interest piquing my tone.

‘Seriously?’ she scoffs.

But I hear it, the hint of heat in her voice. She knows I’ll be watching as soon as she loads them up. And she knows what I’ll be doing as I watch. That’s been my only saviour this past week, trying to maintain distance from her until I saw her father. I needed answers before I spoke to her again, concerned that I’d tell her what a pathetic excuse for a father he is, leaving hersuffering alone, when he has the means stashed away to help her. And I know she thinks she already hates me after one or two meagre comments I’ve made. But if I annihilated him like that, I’m not sure there would have been any coming back from it.

And now I’ve seen him, it changes everything.

‘I’m always serious when it comes to you and your career, Aurora,’ I say.

And I’mseriouslylooking forward to her new videos. I’ve devoured the ones she’s already posted this past week. Although none of them are a scratch on the real thing. Not now I’ve felt her beneath me, tasted her, heard the sounds she makes when she comes undone.

Looked into her eyes as she’s come all over my cock.

She snorts. ‘You don’t think it’s a stupid hobby?’

‘Why would I think that?’

‘Charlie always said ...’ She stops short as a rough grunt leaves my throat at the mere mention of her idiotic ex. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she finishes.

‘I want to see you,’ I clip.

‘No.’

‘Yes.’

‘No.’

‘Yes!’ I snap. ‘Give me one good reason I can’t.’