FINN THOMPSON
“Honestly, JJ,” I exhale as I study his computer screen. “You have some serious talent, man.”
JJ stands back with his arms over his chest and a bright grin on his face. “Thanks,” he says gratefully. “Ivy is a great test subject.”
Considering all the video shots he’s taken are of my sister—and how in love he is—they’re sensational. The beach, the waves, the sand. I study Ivy as she laughs, her entire face lighting up as she presses a hand to the camera lens.
My heart swells because she’s happy, the happiest she’s been in years. I know JJ, I trust JJ. He’d never hurt my sister; he’d rather hurt himself than even think about it.
“Do you think she’s gonna like it? I can’t wait to show it to her,” JJ says giddily as he leans against his dresser, and I nearly roll my eyes at how head over heels he is for her. “Been working on it for the past few weeks, and I think it’s finally ready.”
I scoff. “Love it? It’ll probably make her cry.”
JJ smiles and glances up at the ceiling. Oh, he’s in so deep.
My head swivels back to the computer, and I click through a few more clips until I stumble across something that makes my stomach churn. The sound of Ivy’s moans fills the air, and thesight before me is something a brother should never witness his sister doing. She’s riding him. Riding. Him.
JJ scrambles to the computer, and I leap off the chair, stumbling over it in the process. My ass hits the floor as I attempt to crawl away and scream into the depths of hell at the same time.
“Oh my god,” I heave. “Oh my fucking god.”
“Shit,” he curses. “Ah, fuck, you weren’t meant to see that.”
I slap a hand to my mouth and turn away as the sound stops, and all I can hear is my thundering heart inside my eardrums. “What the fuck, JJ? Oh my god. I think I’m going to be sick.”
My eyes squeeze shut, but I cannot get the horrific image out of my head.
“Why the hell do you have that on your computer?” I manage to stand up but purposely face away from him. “I need to go and bleach my eyeballs.”
“It was her idea,” he starts. “It was consensual. She knew about it, Finn. I promise.”
I gag. “JJ, please shut the fuck up. Just…stop talking.”
“Where are you going?” JJ asks when I start to leave his bedroom.
“As far away from you as possible.”
I slam his door intentionally on the way out. As soon as I reach the bathroom, I splash my face with cold water and grip onto the basin of the sink before trying to think of anything but that video.
When I head downstairs after gathering my thoughts, I hear the front door open. I poke my head out of the living room window to find Ivy stepping out of a car. She rushes towards JJ, who meets her halfway. She leaps into his arms, and he catches her, their mouths crashing against one another.
I lower my gaze for a moment, and when I look up again, he’s placing her back down onto the ground. He cradles her facebetween his palms and looks at her as if she’s his entire world—and honestly, I don’t want anything less for her.
I try not to think about what I just saw on JJ’s computer because it makes my skin crawl, and I vow to erase the imagery from my mind forever. But she’s happy, and I can’t be mad about that.
After a few minutes, I pluck up the courage to go outside and make my presence known. It’s the first time I’ve seen Ivy in almost two months, and the second she sees me, her face lights up.
“Hey, Finn,” she says with a grin before taking a few large steps to meet me.
“Hey, Iv.” I wrap my arms around her as she collapses into my chest. “It’s so good to see you.”
She holds onto me tightly. “Good to see you, too.”
When we pull away, JJ wraps an arm around her shoulder and takes her bag from the ground. “Come on.” He beckons with his head. “I’ll put your bags down and show you around.”
I wander back to my bedroom after hearing them laugh with each other. My legs hit the bed, and I fall onto my duvet before reaching for my phone. I instinctively pull up my messages with Maya and sigh.
I’m not due to see them until tomorrow, but it can’t come soon enough.
