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He grunted, kissed Mom on the temple, and sat down beside her. “Sucks. Doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.” But at least he had someone who could take care of him after. Mom helped me through it as well, but it wasn’t the same. I needed someone I could spend the rest of the night holding, talking to, just being beside. It didn’t have to end in sex. I just needed something other than hot chocolate.
While they talked quietly amongst themselves, I continued drinking from my mug, distracting myself.
Once I finished the hot chocolate, I brought the mug to the kitchen. When I returned to the dining room, I wrapped my arms around my mother’s shoulders. “Thank you for the hot chocolate, Mama.” I kissed her cheek.
She patted my hand. “Anything for you, sweet boy. Try and get some sleep.”
“You heading to the city today?” Dad asked me, rising to his feet.
“I am.” My dad owned half the high-rises and hotels in the city that was a couple of hours away, thanks to my grandfather before him. Since retiring officially from the navy a few years ago, this business was all Dad had. And it left a cozy cushion for his family which was why I followed in his footsteps.
“Youareallowed a day off,” Dad chided. “You’ve been going strong for the past few months. People are going to begin to think your boss is running you ragged.”
I chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. “The business is all I have right now. Until I get a family of my own, I need this.” I was working toward taking over the business so he could retire officially and spend time with his wife. But it was taking a little longer seeing as Dad didn’t want to retire just yet. Instead, I was learning as much as I could from him.
“I understand.” He looked down at his wife. “It was all I had before you.” He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb over her mouth.
She smiled up at him.
Looking away, I cleared my throat and excused myself.
I loved them. They took me from hell and brought me into their home. I hadn’t always been easy to get along with. I knew that. But sometimes their love was overwhelming. Was I jealous? Maybe. I didn’t know anymore. I dated a few times, but it never resulted in anything more than that. No pussy was going to tame this beast inside of me. Or that was the rumor that went around anyway. Truth was, I hadn’t had sex in over a year. The rumors still went around that told a different story, but I never corrected them. What was the point? I was wild in my high school days and people assumed it followed me into my twenties. It didn’t. Sex was an out for some but for me, it wasn’t enough. This need for more was only getting worse and I knew I needed to do something about it before it consumed me completely.
Luna
I COULDN’T SLEEP. ITwas past five in the morning and I had been laying there like a damn lump for the past couple of hours. The house I lived in with my three best friends was eerily quiet and it made me uncomfortable. Our house was never this quiet. No matter what time of the day it was, someone was usually always up. Whether it be a random stray that one of my best friends brought home or just someone who spent the night after drinking too much, there was always noise. But tonight, the loudest sound going on, was inside my brain. I hated nights like this.
Rolling over onto my stomach, I reached for my phone and texted the only other person I knew who could possibly be up at this hour.
Me: You awake?
Zach: Yeah.
My stomach twisted that he had responded so quickly.
Me: Nightmare?
A couple of minutes went by and I still hadn’t gotten a reply. Everyone knew that Zach Porter had a shitty childhood but none of us was aware how far it went or what exactly had happened. He was always quiet and withdrawn. He threw himself into his work and stuck mostly to himself even though we had all grown up together thanks to all of our parents being friends. But for whatever reason, I had been the only person he actually opened up to. Even though I had known him since I was a little girl, I had a feeling that I still didn’t know him completely.
My phone chimed, making me jump.
Zach: How did you know?
Me: That’s usually why you’re awake at this hour.
A video call came through, revealing Zach’s handsome face. My heart skipped a beat. My skin became flushed. Good thing it was dark in my room, so he couldn’t see the damn blush in my cheeks that he always caused. It was no secret that I had a crush on the guy. I just wasn’t sure if he knew it or not.
“You are the only guy I would even consider video chatting with while I’m in my pajamas.” I laughed, not looking him directly in the eyes. The dark, almost black orbs sucked me in every time. I could spend hours getting lost in them.
“You’re beautiful, Moonbeam.” Zach smirked, that tiny dimple in his right cheek, popping at the movement. “You have nothing to be embarrassed over.”
My cheeks warmed at the childhood nickname he had given me after finding out my name meantmoonin Italian. My stepmom loved it. My dad, not so much.
“Why did you call?” I asked Zach, turning on the lamp and leaning against the headboard.
“You know I hate texting.”
