Page 134 of Rebellious

“But I couldn’t sleep last night,” she reminded him. “Every time I tried to, I saw water and me and them and…I’m scared.”

“They can’t hurt you ever again.” No one gave him the scoop, but if he knew anything about Diesel, he knew those motherfuckers who hurt Rebel were dead. “You’re here with your dad and your brothers. Me. Bishop. We’d all die to protect you.”

“Okay,” she said in a watery voice that broke Kaia’s heart. “I used to love swimming. Enjoying myself in the natatorium and listening to music. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that again.”

“You will,” Kaia swore. “Give yourself a chance to heal, Rebel.” He tipped her chin back and smiled at her. “You’re in such a fucking rush for everything.”

“If I don’t rush, I’ll miss out.”

“No—”

“I’ve never been to an amusement park without my family, whether it’s my parents and brothers or Lolly, Momma, my aunts, and my girl cousins. It’s never been me and a boy I like or me and my friends.”

“Do you have friends outside of the club?”

“Not really. I mean kind of. Once, I had a couple of girls on the cheer team, then I pretended I was going to spend time with one of them and met with Diesel. That ended that.”

“That motherfucker allowed you to sneak to see him?” Kaia asked, outraged. If Kaia was grown, Diesel was grown-grown and he was playing teenaged games. “Fuckhead.”

“He didn’t know. I didn’t tell him until we were on the way home. He wasn’t happy with me.”

“Where did you go?”

“I told him I needed a ride home, then convinced him to take me to Tee’s. Another place I’ve only been with my family. The mall. Ice cream. A roller rink. Yet, I feel old, as if my time is almost up and I’m past wanting all those juvenile things.”

Kaia laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Like you’re so fucking old. Forty or fifty.”

Raising her head, she grinned and playfully thumped his shoulder. “My dad’s fifty and he isn’t old, so be quiet.”

“True,” Kaia agreed. “I suppose it’s the mindset.”

“Probably.”

“You have your entire life ahead of you. You’ll get to do all those things that teenagers do. I’ll take you to every place you named. Hopefully with you as my Chi and me as your Huahua. Your drone. My moon goddess. But I’ll do it as Kaia, too. Your friend.”

This time, she hugged him. “I-I’ll put your earrings back on.”

Kaia smiled, almost roaring in triumph and beating his chest in victory. He’d won, finally beating Diesel. “Does that mean you’ll give me another chance?”

She leaned back and looked at him. “I-I still don’t want to have sex.”

Wondering if she’d say that to fuckhead, Kaia shoved aside his returning jealousy. “With me or anyone?” he asked mildly, instead of the depressing thought that he’d just never be enough for her.

“With anyone,” she mumbled, lowering her lashes and biting her lip.

She was fucking lying to him. He couldn’t fucking believe she had the audacity to ream him out over his hiding fucking Fia when she was doing the same thing. He hated Diesel as much as she hated Fia, so they were fucking even.

Diesel also had more access to her. He passed himself off as her brother when he was little more than a perverted predator.

“I understand, babe.”

“Okay,” she whispered, then met his gaze. “Just please promise me, promise me, you’ll break up with me if you need sex before I’m ready.”

“As long as it isn’t Fia, right?” he asked lightly, hurt and confused.

“I hate her,” Rebel said, “but I care about you. As much as I’d want her dead, I wouldn’t want you hurt that way.”

He brushed his lips against hers. “That’s sweet, babe.”