I suck in a breath, already knowing I’m going to regret this. “You stick to the speed limit, and we only go where I tell you, you got it?” My eyes narrow in on her. “You fuck this up for us, he’s likely to lock you in there permanently.” I motion to the house, my expression deadly serious. She thinks it’s bad now being locked up with us, but she has no idea what we are really capable of. If he wants, he could make her life not worth living anymore. Not that I think he would do that to our Dove, he once loved her too much for that, but she needs to hear my warning.
Her hand settles on the side of my face, light and delicate, looking deep into my eyes in that way that sends my heart into overdrive. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Riv, I just need some time away fromthis place. You know I don’t like to be caged, and this place is sucking the life out of me.”
Fuck, this girl is good. I still remember the nights she made me help her escape her parents’ place just like this, twisting my arm by smiling at me all, all cute like. She knows how easily I melt for her. “Yeah, I remember.”
Her fingers brush down my arm. “We could go for a swim, maybe check out that beach I saw on my way in from the train?” she suggests. Her manipulation skills have most certainly improved. It’s still obvious what she’s doing, but somehow, I care less.
I shake my head, trying to clear the lust fog. I could have any girl I want, but this girl is different. She holds a part of me, and I know it’s already too late, one damn bat of her long dark lashes and I’m going to do whatever she wants. She’s the missing part of our crew, and I know it’s running through K and Bodhi’s heads as well; she might just be the one to bring us all back together. To fix things that no one will admit are broken.
“You’re trouble,” I mutter, unimpressed as I drop the keys into her hand.
“You love it.” She beams from ear to ear, her pretty eyes lighting up with fresh excitement. She slaps my arm playfully. “Come on, hurry up, I can hear the water calling our names.”
I jump in the passenger side, unable to help the stupid grin on my face now as well. They shouldn’t have left her with me. K knew my intentions weren’t pure. The more time I spend with her, the easier it’s going to be for her to fall for me. But maybe that was his plan, get her to fall for one of us again, then we tell her our situation is more complicated than most.
Things between us have been strained since I got back this time. He’s distant, ice-cold most of the time, and his eyes have that samelook in ‘em that Keller’s did. Dead inside. I’ve tried to bring him back to life, and Bodhi tells me he’s okay, but I don’t believe him. I missed too much while I was gone and it’s changed all of us. The girls I tried to bring into the mix were all wrong and didn’t last more than a night with the three of us. But Dove’s different, she’s got history with all of us. She could be the perfect fit for us in every way.
With a cackle, Dove kicks the engine to life and takes off out of the parking garage.
“Easy with her,” I warn. This car’s my pride and joy, or it was until I was thinking with my dick last night and not my head.
Her brow rises. “I know how to drive, River.”
“Yes, but she’s delicate, and I would hate anything to happen to her while she’s in your care.”
Her eyes roll dramatically. “Never seen you care so much about anything before. Well, maybe your surfboard,” she mutters, continuing down the long driveway and out onto the main road that leads us out of town.
She flicks on the radio and turns it up high, moving to the music as she races past the shops on Main Street. I can’t take my eyes off her. The way she brushes her long silver hair over her shoulder as she moves, it sends a waft of coconut into the car, and I breathe it in. Her hair is so damn pretty, I have the urge to run my fingers through it. To use it to control her. Hold her close as our lips meet and I kiss her like she’s never been touched before. I wonder if some other dude has ever blown her mind. Doesn’t matter. I would rock her fucking world if she let me. We all would if she’s up for it.
She leans her arm on the open window, trying to act cool and relaxed when I can see the tension in her shoulders. She’s a mystery, hard and soft, so beautiful on the outside but so damn damaged on the inside. I wonder what it would take to mend my broken baby. Iwonder if she could fix me. Us? Because the way things are going, we’re about to self-destruct, I’m sure of it. Kasen doesn’t think we know but he’s on the verge of some sort of breakdown, and Bodhi plays it cool but I know he’s hardly holding it all together. And me, well, I’ve been drifting for months now, fucking anything that moved so I could feel something and fill the void now in my life because I can’t surf.
“When did you get this done?” I ask, running a finger over the rose tattoo that disappears up and under her shorts on her thigh.
She flinches away and tries to pull her shorts down to cover more of her thigh. “After Dad passed.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, even though I can tell it is; by the sadness in her eyes, it means everything. She might have been a brat searching for her independence when we used to hang out as kids, but she loved her parents. They were the closest family I ever saw, all picnics and movie nights. I’m not going to deny I wasn’t jealous as hell. I would have loved to know what a real family was like to grow up in. “Needed something to take away the pain.” She sighs heavily, her pain lodges itself in my chest. Poor girl, lost both her parents so young. That shit is sad.
“Looks good on you.” I smirk all flirty, trying to keep things light, not wanting her to be down this morning. Truth is it all looks sexy as hell on her: the silver hair, the ink, the piercing in her nose, the cutoffs that show off her long legs. She’s fifteen-year-old River’s fantasy come to life. And so tempting. “I’m sorry you lost your dad, he was a nice man,” I offer when she doesn’t perk back up.
She glances toward me, her forehead furrowing. “He hated you boys. Never wanted me to hang out with you and gave me all sorts of warnings about how much trouble you all were. He wasn’t wrong either, I should have listened to him,” she snips.
Her words are harsh but true. We all were terrible influences on the sweet princess. But she needed it. Before us she was sheltered, thedutiful mayor’s daughter, focused on school and her reputation. We corrupted her, and I’m not even sorry about it, because I know how lonely she was before us. She never found her people, her tribe, until Jayden decided she was worth his time and let her tag along. For me it was love at first sight. Or lust, anyway. I’m not sure a twelve-year-old can really be in love, but from that day on, she was just one of us. If K and Bodhi didn’t want her around, she wouldn’t have lasted the afternoon, but she got under all of our skin pretty damn fast. That’s why I think keeping her round for good and really making her one of us is the perfect plan. “I reckon he had a soft spot for me.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Everyone has a soft spot for you, River. Guess it’s easy when you hang with dudes like Slater and Throne, anyone would look good in comparison.” Her voice is lighter now, the type of banter I enjoy with her, and I’m glad she came out of the dark place she slipped into.
Her snippy attitude toward me makes me laugh, and I’m pretty sure she just admitted I’m her favorite. But I always knew I was. “Why do you hate them so much? K and Bodhi, what did they do to you?”
“I hate all of you.” She throws me a bitchy glance, her features hardening.
That only makes me laugh more, because I know it’s a lie, she doesn’t hate me. She wanted me to fill her mouth with my tongue not all that long ago, and even now, she could be hiding in her room, but she dressed up for me in a cute outfit and practically begged me to take her out on a date. “Why?” I push.
She pulls into a sandy car park at a secluded beach not too far from Deadwater Bay. I know it well. Today there isn’t much of a break, but the water is crystal clear and will be ideal for a swim since that’s all I can do. Perfect to get her all wet and relaxed as well, back to loving me like she should be.
Her eyes narrow as she stops the engine, staring out the front of the car. “For… for locking me up with you for a start. And bloody Kasen carrying on about me being his. It’s bullshit, and you two let him get away with it, so that lands you all on my shit list as well.” She looks at me like there is so much more to it, but she doesn’t keep talking.
I steal her hand and lace our fingers together. She slowly moves her head to glance back at me, her eyes running over our hands with concern, but she doesn’t pull away either. I knew it, she wants them on her. “Dove, shit’s not the same as when you lived here last. The boys are trying to protect you. We all don’t want to see you hurt more than you clearly have been already. I can see life hasn’t been kind to you. Why not enjoy the time you have here with us, let K pay for some shit for you while you recover, and if you hate this life we have created so much, when you’re better, you can take off into the sunset with Sheila. But honestly, I don’t think you’re going to want to.”
“Sheila?” Her lips quirk at the side.
“My van.” I grin back at her.
