There’s a knock at my door. What the fuck?
I lift Harper off me and press a kiss to her lips before helping her move over to Jack. He wraps his arms around her and sighs.
Once I’m off the bed, I put on a pair of boxers and tug on my jeans. I’m confident no one wandered in from the party side of the house. The staff rarely gets here this early on a Sunday.
I open my bedroom door a crack and look down at Ava.
“Hey,” she says softly.
“What are you doing here?” I step out into the hallway. She has a jacket on over her jeans and sweatshirt.
She bites her lip and looks at the ground. “I got in trouble at school. Mom and Dad paid to have me shipped home.”
Meaning they didn’t bother to come with her. I run my hand through my hair. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did.” She shrugs. “You didn’t answer.”
Fuck. I don’t even know where my phone is.
“Do you have company?” she arches an eyebrow at my hand still holding the doorknob.
“Come on.” I put my hand on her shoulder and turn her toward her room. “Let’s get you settled, and we’ll discuss shit at breakfast.”
Of course, my parents would dump her back into my lap instead of trying to help her. Fuck.
CHAPTER 16
The Body Count
Harper
When Caden doesn’t come back to bed, I relax into Jack. The door clicks as he steps out. My curiosity stirs. After all, who would knock at this time on a Sunday? But then my bladder also stirs. Urgently. When I try to shift off Jack’s stomach, his hands tighten around me.
“I need to pee, Jack.” I tap my hand on his chest.
He cups my breast and squeezes before he releases me with a chuckle.
Rolling my eyes, I slip off the bed. I grab a t-shirt and pull it on before heading into the bathroom. We all slept naked again last night. It’s becoming a habit and one I’m not opposed to.
Luke’s cologne wafts up from the shirt and my insides soften. He pulled away last night after he and Eli took care of me. The intensity with which he held me was too much, I guess.
After I pee and clean up, I’m washing my hands when the door opens and Luke comes in. His hair falls over his eyes as his gaze drops to my ass cheeks. He moves into the bathroom and closes the door.
I hold my breath, waiting for whatever he’s going to do. When he steps closer, he lifts the shirt to look at the marksthe belt left. It’s really not bad. But he winces and grabs the ointment off the counter.
“You should put this on three times a day.” It’s like he’s put a wall up between us. After last night, it feels wrong. He refuses to meet my eyes as he squirts the ointment onto his fingers and rubs it into the still tender spots.
When I hiss in pain, he glances up and regret fills his eyes. Fuck, my heart breaks a little for him.
“Luke—”
He steps away, but I turn and close the distance between us.
“Don’t,” he says. The word is like a knife to my heart, but I push through the pain.
I rest my hand on his chest. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want.”
His eyes are hooded as they meet mine. Fuck, he doesn’t believe me.
