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“We should have called Cass,” she said, sniffling. “I’d rather have argued with her than be dressed down and called a whore by my mother.”
“I’m surprised she even bailed me out.”
“Me too, after all that. I’d have come back for you, though. If I’d only had my bag, I could have done it myself and no one would have been the wiser.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling miserable. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s mine.”
“If I hadn’t taken you to the water tower—” I started.
“If I hadn’t wanted to fuck you so badly?—”
“If I hadn’t fucked you in the first place?—”
She looked hurt. “You regret that?”
“God no,” I said on a laugh. “Never regretted anything less. But it sure has been a whole lot of trouble for you. That’s what I can’t stand.”
She sighed, backing away, taking my hand.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I made a choice, remember? You made sure of it. And I’ve never regretted anything less either.”
I stopped, pulling her back to scoop her up and kiss her for a moment, wishing things were different. Easier.
But they weren’t. And they seemed to keep getting more complicated by the day.
“Come on, Duchess. Let’s get you home.”
And with another brief kiss, we did just that.
34
these dreams
JESSA
I hated waking from lovely dreams.
I was in Remy’s arms, tangled up in bed. The sun hung in the afternoon sky, cicadas hissing in the heat beyond the open window. His fingertips drew shapes on my bare skin, his body warm and vital and alive against me.
I only wished I could stay in this dream forever—it was the best dream I’d ever had. But the clock ticked incessantly on, despite any wishes and dreams I’d been cursed with.
A sigh slipped out of me, and he tipped my chin, shifting to kiss me, slow and luxuriating.
“You need to go talk to your mama,” he said, though he looked even less enthusiastic about it than I did.
I groaned and pulled the duvet up over us.
He laughed, a low, raspy sound that rumbled around in his chest. “I know. But the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back. Unless she convinces you to stay with her.”
“I’d rather die, thank you.”
“How bad do you think it’s going to be?”
“I don’t really know. I have no precedence.”
He sighed. “Another first I wish I hadn’t instigated.”
