“I’ve got it under control.” I keep it short, knowing this could easily turn into a blowout that I don’t have the energy for, then turn for the stairs.
“Do you, though?”
I stop in my tracks, looking at him over my shoulder. “If you’re trying to say something, say it. I don’t have all night.”
He moves around the counter, advancing on me. “I’m saying you’re not going to continue to throw your life away under my roof. Starting after the memorial, you’re gone. You go to class. You get your shit together.”
“And if I don’t?” I challenge.
“Then consider yourself cut off.”
A slow smile spreads across my face. “If you think money is what motivates me, you clearly don’t fucking know me at all.” Not giving him a chance to respond, I turn on my heels, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“You want me gone? I’m gone.”
His shocked expression is the last thing I see before I slam the door behind me, prowling out into the rain. He really thought he could use money to get his way? Why the fuck does he suddenly have an issue with my being here, anyway? Money isn’t a factor. I know that much. My tuition is chump change for him. Maybe he knows more about Danny than he’s letting on, and he doesn’t want me sniffing around. Who the fuck knows?
Thunder rumbles in the distance, and I know where I want to be. Before I can think better of it, I bypass my car, walking into the woods instead. The Hellcat is loud as fuck, and I don’t want to wake her mom. I pull out my phone, using it to light my way through the pitch-black trees, past the lightning tree, past the barn, and finally, to the edge of the property where her grandmother’s house sits.
Both Shayne’s car and her mom’s Jeep are in the driveway, so I go for Shayne’s window on the side of the house. I shove my phone into my pocket, then curl my fingers around the cool metal edges of the wet screen, popping it off easily. Hoisting myself up, I swing my leg through her open window and stand, my wet boots leaving a puddle on her floor. The moonlight barely peeks through the trees enough for me to make out her sleeping form. Her back is to me, and she has one bare, tanned leg hooked over the top of her blankets.
Without thinking of the consequences, I kick off my boots and strip down until I’m in nothing but my boxers. Trying to keep my steps light, I slide into bed behind her, curling my arm around her waist.
“Thayer,” she says my name on a sleepy moan. The fact that she knows me, even in sleep, is enough to give me a semi. I pull her closer until her back is flush to my front, her hot skin warming my cold chest. She gasps at the feeling, fully awake now, her body tensing against me.
“It’s me,” I say quickly, not wanting her to scream and wake her mom.
“Thayer?” she asks, her voice raspy with sleep as she rolls over to face me. “What are you doing here?” She sits up and the blanket falls away, revealing her body. She’s wearing nothing but a ribbed, white tank top and underwear. Even in the dark, I can see the outline of her nipple piercings.
“I don’t know,” I say, giving her the honest answer.
“Are you okay?” Her brows furrow and she runs a hand through her wild hair to push it out of her face.
I don’t respond. I curl my hand behind her thigh, prompting her to lift her knee to straddle me. I roll onto my back, smoothing my hands up the tops of her thighs, watching her nipples harden beneath the thin fabric. I can feel the warmth of her pussy through her underwear as she grinds against me ever so slightly, but I squeeze her thighs, stopping her movements.
She pouts, looking down at me in question.
“Come here,” I say, my voice suddenly thick. She repositions herself, her legs straight between mine, her face i
nches above me. I slide my hand into her hair, bringing her mouth to mine. Shayne’s lips part on a moan, her tongue sliding against mine. Her hands come up to cup my face, one leg hitching up onto my hip in an effort to get closer. I grip her hips that rock against me, trying hard to ignore that I could be inside her with a few quick adjustments. My thumbs rub the exposed skin above the waistband of her underwear, and she sucks on my tongue, making my dick swell even more.
“Stop,” I say, breaking away from the kiss, demonstrating self-control I didn’t know I possessed. Shayne pulls back, confusion shining in her eyes. “I didn’t come for this.”
“Then what did you come for?” she whispers.
I don’t know. I don’t know how to tell her that I just wanted to be near her, to fucking feel her. To be selfish for one night before we go back to our game of cat and mouse. Instead of saying any of that, I shift out from beneath her, then roll onto my side, bringing her back to my front again. I shove my right arm under the pillow beneath my head, then flatten my left hand against her stomach, holding her close. I can feel her heart beating, her breathing still ragged, but slowly, I feel the tension leave her body, her breathing returning to normal.
I lazily drag my lip piercings back and forth across her skin from her neck to the tip of her bare shoulder, loving the way she shivers and melts into me.
“How did you know my window would be open?” she murmurs, her voice telling me she’s on the brink of falling asleep.
“It’s raining. You always leave your window open when it rains.”
Shayne
I stare down at my phone, willing it to light up with a response from Grey. I texted him about Danny’s memorial ceremony, and he said he’d think about it. I really thought he’d show, and I think Thayer and Holden are using his presence, or lack thereof, to determine whether he’s hiding something or not. If he’s guilty of something, he wouldn’t dare show his face. On the flip side, if he isn’t, he wouldn’t miss it. Would he? I know my brother. I know he wouldn’t hurt anyone, let alone Danny, but what if he knows something? His suspicious behavior is getting harder and harder to justify, not only to Thayer and Holden, but to myself. And the fact that I’m even doubting him is, in turn, making me feel guilty.