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“I’m crashing on the couch. We’ll go get your phone turned back on tomorrow.”
“What? No. We aren’t doing that. I don’t need your money, Aiken. I can take care of myself.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t. Now go grab me a blanket, so I don’t freeze my balls off tonight.”
She stood there with her arms crossed for a bit, and I was sure she was going to fight me on it, but she didn’t. Instead, she sighed and went to the linen closet to grab a blanket for me. She tossed it on the couch just as I sat and put my feet on top of the coffee table.
“I’m going to go shower. Goodnight, Aiken.”
I nodded, crossing my arms and lying back against the couch. “Goodnight, Everly.”
It probably wasn’t the best idea to sleep under the same roof as Everly, but there was no way I was going to get a good night’s rest knowing she was there alone without a way to call for help. I could handle it. She would sleep in Zada’s bedroom, and I would sleep on the couch. We weren’t even in the same room—no big deal.
That’s what I thought, but as soon as she came out of the hallway bathroom, and I got a glimpse of her walking into Zada’s room in nothing but a towel, my cock had other plans.
No amount of self-control could keep me from following the fresh scent of her soap so I could at least touch her moist skin. And when I stood from the couch and started toward Zada’s room, just one touch was all I had intended to do.
25 Everly
THE WEEK HAD BEEN A LONG ONE.I skipped two days of school to work doubles at Smiley’s. Lisa, the girl who usually worked dayshift, quit, leaving the schedule open and no one to cover her hours until they hired a new person.
I needed the hours more than anyone else, so I took what I could and hoped I didn’t get far behind in my classes. I wasn’t about to drop the ball during my senior year.
I wasn’t sure what my future after high school held anymore. I used to worry about things like getting into my choice of college and preparing for that. These days, I just wanted to make sure I had enough money to eat for the week as I saved for things I needed—like cell service.
My heart hurt. I hadn’t heard from Erik or Mom since I left, which meant they didn’t care about me. For all they knew, I was dead in a ditch somewhere. I tried not to think about that and instead kept my mind in the game and on my goals.
To top things off, I found myself missing Aiken, which was stupid on my part. I stayed away from him from the moment I saw him with a gun to another person’s head. I got lost in the neighborhood, trying to find my way home, when Crow found me and pulled over. He was just as dangerous as Aiken as far as I was concerned, but he was so powerful I couldn’t fight him off.
He dropped me off at Zada’s without a word after a panic-ridden ride on his motorcycle. Every day Saint would ride by as I walked to work and disappear once I was inside, and every night, he would do the same as I walked home. Other than that, I didn’t see any of them.
When Aiken pulled over beside me when I was walking home, I couldn’t lie to myself and say I wasn’t glad to see him. He was dangerous—a drug dealer who stabbed people and pulled guns on them—but I couldn’t help myself. I liked him, and being around him made me feel safe and seen. The week without him made me feel invisible again.
I was glad to hear I was wrong about him and the guys and that they were only protecting someone. It was easier to get over seeing him holding a gun to someone when I knew he was only doing it to save another person. I should have known since he had played my protector twice already. Not to mention, he did things like made sure I was getting to and from work safely and made sure I was eating.
I had no problem climbing onto his bike after he explained. I knew he was telling the truth. Aiken never sugarcoated. It was one thing I had learned by being around him. The back of his bike felt like home, and when I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he took off, I felt safer than I had all week.
Knowing he was in the living room sleeping on the couch, made me feel safer taking a shower. Any other time, I always heard noises that weren’t there and worried someone would break in while I was sleeping. I appreciated Zada and her dad letting me stay, but I hated being there alone.
I felt a ton better. After eating a real meal, thanks to Aiken, and getting a long hot shower, I was like a new girl. I stepped into Zada’s room and pushed the door closed. Leaning over my bag, I pulled out a pair of panties and my favorite PJs and set them on the bed. Then I grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair. Once I got the knots out, I set my brush down. I was about to drop the towel when the door opened.
I gasped and swung around to find Aiken leaning against the doorframe. His eyes moved down my body as he crossed his arms as if it wasn’t strange that he just walked in on me in a towel.
“Um … Hi.”
I sounded like an idiot, but I had never been in that kind of position before.
Again, his eyes passed over my body, and the side of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Hey.”
“Is there something I can do for you?” I asked, thinking maybe he wanted a pillow or something.
I was way off.
“Yeah. You can drop the towel.”
My heart rate sped up with his words, and my nerves kicked into overdrive.
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. The small room shrank with him in it. My knees began to shake when he two took steps in my direction. He stood in front of me, gazing down the top of my towel at the bits of cleavage showing.
