August 22nd 2015
You should have just moved in with me.
I press my lips together to hold back the giggle that wants to escape. Brayden’s in his car, driving next to me, and even from here I can see the small, petulant scowl on his face.
My mom is in the car behind me, because she insisted on coming along this time. She wasn’t there when Ryan moved into college, and since I’m “the baby,” she is determined to be there when I settle in.
I raise my windows, turn off the music, and call Brayden through my car’s Bluetooth. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him raise all his windows before picking up.
We can’t chance my mom overhearing our conversation in any way, and we both know that.
“I’m serious, baby. You’re barely going to be staying at that dorm and you know it.”
I shake my head at his stubbornness. “Our parents…” God, I hate referring to Steve in such a way “expect me to be at the dorms and that’s what my mom is paying for.”
“Fine. But half the shit in there is going to my house eventually anyway, including that sexy little ass of yours.”
I squirm in my seat. Fuck. All it takes is a few words from him and my pussy hollows out with need. “Maybe,” I say, teasing him.
“There’s no maybe about it,” he murmurs in a deep, serious tone that makes me even hornier. “The exit is coming up.”
Flipping the signal, I merge over to the right, keeping an eye on my mom’s car and making sure she’s doing the same.
Brayden lets her pass him, then merges behind her, and we drive down the ramp off the highway.
We couldn’t speed as we usually do, due to my mom being with us, but after an hour and a half drive, I’m more than anxious to arrive.
Five minutes later, we pull up in front of Lincoln Towers on the school grounds. It’s utter mayhem, with cars struggling to find a spot to pull over so other students can unload their things.
Ryan and Dana are standing in front of two open spots. They wave us over the moment they see us.
Brayden pulls over next to me and lowers his window. I do the same and lean closer to hear him. “You and your mom can park here. I’ll go find parking and come back.”
I nod at him, my heart in my throat. The last few weeks, I’ve been nothing but a ball of excitement at the prospect of being out of the house on my own. Finally.
But now that the moment has arrived, I feel an odd fear clawing up from my chest.
Brayden drives off and I have no choice but to push it down. Once Mom and I are parked near the curb, Ryan flings my door open and all but drags me out.
“You’re under my mercy now!”
I elbow him in the stomach while Dana laughs. “As if, dumbass.”
“You see?” He scoffs at my mother as she comes up to hug him and give him a kiss. “She’s cursing already. I told you she would need my adult supervision now that you won’t be around.”
Taking advantage of my mom’s turned back, I flip Ryan off and give him a cheeky smile.
Dana laughs again and comes up to me to say hi. A small group of girls passing by stop near us, staring at my brother with blatant interest and whispering among themselves.
Ew. Gross. Seriously.
Dana’s brow furrows. Raising an eyebrow at the girls, she goes up to my brother and loops her arm in his. The look in her eyes makes one thing very clear: had my mom not been here, she’d be laying a claim on him in a very different way.
A fissure of dread goes through me.
If history is anything to go by, I’ll be dealing with this for God knows how long. And, unlike Dana, I won’t be able to lay a claim on the man I’m sleeping with.
Fuck. I just got here and already my mood is ruined.
“You guys start taking things up and I’ll stay here with the car,” Dana offers.
The dorm rooms are smaller than my bedroom, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t loaded down my car and Mom’s. Still, with three to four people, it shouldn’t take us too long to get it all up.
Brayden comes running up to us and leans into my car to pick up a box.
Almost two hours later, due to having to take an elevator up to the seventeenth floor with each load and having to wait with hundreds of other people, we bring the last of my things into my small room.
The floors are covered in a brown carpet. The set up is odd compared to most dorm rooms. The “room” area is small and long. Twin size beds are on opposite sides, up against the walls. In front of the beds, on either sides of the door, are two small closets. Two personal-sized dressers finish it all off, placed next to each other between the beds.
Thank God there’s a small study area right outside the rooms. I’d be utterly claustrophobic.
My mom places my laptop bag on top of one of the two desks in the study area.
The door leading outside opens. “Ah! I can’t believe we’re roommates!” Jenna drops the box she was holding on the floor, uncaring, and rushes toward me with open arms.
We hug each other as her parents say hello to my mom and Ryan. “Well, duh, we asked to be,” I say with a laugh.
Her father shakes hands with Brayden. “And you are?” he asks with a friendly smile on his face.
“Brayden Hunt. Nice to meet you.”
Recognition flashes in Jenna’s father’s eyes.
“He’s Kira’s stepbrother,” my mom says, smiling.
Jenna’s father doesn’t say anything but I can see the censure in his eyes. He clearly remembers the phone call Jenna made to get me into the holding cells to see Brayden faster.
The atmosphere changes after that, becoming heavy and tense. Suddenly, all I want to do is get out of here.
No. What I really want is everyone to go away and for it to be just Brayden and me. The look in his eyes bothers me. The itch to comfort him leaves me antsy.
Jenna and her parents move into the small room area to drop off her stuff.
Ryan comes up to me and hugs me one more time. “See you later tonight.”
Dana is right behind him and she hugs me with a sympathetic smile on her face. She can see what I’m dealing with and the concern in her eyes touches me. “We’ll be around if you need anything. Just give one of us a call.”
I nod and say goodbye to my mom next. The tears she’s holding back make my throat tighten and my eyes burn. She hugs me tight for the longest, almost as if she’s afraid to let me go.
My mom’s been through this already. When Ryan went off to college, I remember how sad she was the weeks following that.
But this is different. Although both me and my brother are now at this school and it’s only an hour and a half away, me leaving the house leaves her utterly alone.
I hug her tighter. “Mom, promise me you’ll call me if anything goes wrong over there.” The thought of leaving her in that house with Steve frightens me. He’s never put his hands on her, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s going to be in danger with him.
My eyes cut to Brayden and I see him staring at us with a worried look. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing I am.
Mom pulls back. Laughing, she wipes the tears off her cheeks. “Honey. Don’t worry about me. Everything is going to be fine.”
No, it’s not and deep down I know she knows that. I can see how forced her smile is.
“She’s right, Sonia. You can call us, either one of us, at anytime if something goes down,” Brayden says softly.
My mother gives him a small smile. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. Either one of you. And, Brayden, please. Take care of my daughter.”
Something about the way she says that fills me with anxiety.
Brayden studies her as well, searching her expression for God knows what. “Always, Sonia. But I think you know that already.”
Something passes between them.
What the hell is going on? What do the looks on their faces mean?
My mom says goodbye to me one last time and then she’s gone.
Brayden remains standing where he is, his eyes turbulent. He starts taking a step toward me, then stops abruptly, his eyes flickering toward the room area where I can hear Jenna and her parents.
I want to leave. My things can be set up later. I don’t want to be here at all.
Brayden’s jaw twitches. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts texting.
My phone vibrates two seconds later and I pull it out to see his text.
Stay with me tonight?
The question mark at the end makes my heart clench. Lately, he’d gone back to being more sure of himself. More confident. More of his usual, cocky demanding self.
I think about it for a second. My roommate is Jenna, and I doubt anyone else on my floor will pay attention if I don’t come back tonight. Even if they do, no one is going to guess I’m with Brayden.
Of course, I text back, even though this is probably a bad idea.
Every day, I’m falling in deeper.
So is he.
Our situation is just as complicated as always.
I put away my phone and stare up at him. He’s smiling at me, this small happy smile that makes it impossible to regret anything.
For the first time in a long time, I truly want to see him happy.
But we can’t be together.
Even if we could, do I want to? This isn’t about me being vindictive anymore. It’s only been five months since he came back to me with the intention of finally doing right by me.
Five months compared to years of almost constant pain.
Maybe it should’ve been enough to heal me by now.
It isn’t. Sometimes, when I look at him, everything he did still hurts so fucking much. Like a huge scar that will always be tender to the touch.
The smile drops off his face. In two strides he’s in front of me, grabbing my chin.
Heart racing, I try to pull back. If Jenna’s parents come out and see how close he is to me…
Brayden tightens his hold, eyes boring into mine.
“What are you doing?” I hiss quietly.
“What’s wrong?” he whispers.
Damn this man for being so in tune with me.
“Nothing,” I whisper back. “Brayden, step back before they see us.”
“It’s not ‘nothing,’ Kitty. I know you.”
He does. So well.
Against my will, my heart melts, and I can’t help but nuzzle his palm.
He hums low in his throat, that pleased, sexy hum he gives me when I’ve made him happy, and some of the worry melts from his face.
“I’m fine, Brayden. But we need to be careful.”
He swallows, the hunger in his eyes making my heart race faster. “You’re coming over tonight, right?”
“I already said yes.”
Suddenly, he drops his hand from my face and bends down to pretend he’s tying his shoe.
He’s still close but at least it doesn’t look as bad now.
Jenna and her parents exit our room. Her dad’s eyes flash with disapproval when he sees Brayden still here with me.
That’s all it takes for me to dislike the man. Yes, he did me a favor getting me in to see Brayden. And yes, I get it. Brayden got arrested and Jenna’s father is a judge.
I get that he’s worried me and Jenna are associating with the wrong sort. Not that I have any choice since Brayden and I are related by marriage.
Still. Who the hell is Jenna’s father to dislike Brayden without having all the facts? Protectiveness rises up from my chest. Brayden didn’t get arrested for stealing or for another type of violent crime.
No, he got arrested for being in a fight because of me.
It takes all of my willpower not to snap at Jenna’s dad and set him straight about the facts.
Brayden stands. “Call me or your brother if you need anything.”
It’s an innocent enough statement, but it makes me nervous because other people are here. Shit, everything about our situation makes me nervous.
It isn’t about me, either. I don’t give a damn what anyone would ever have to say about me. But if we’re found out, this will be another stain on Brayden’s reputation because of me.
And my brother. I haven’t spoken to him about it, but what would he do living in a town where everyone is constantly talking shit to him about his stepbrother and little sister fucking?
I don’t want that for either of them.
Nodding at Brayden, I give him what I hope is a friendly smile.
He nods back at me, says goodbye to everyone else in the room, and heads out.
Deciding to play nice, I turn to say goodbye to Jenna’s parents.
“You two should try to limit your time with that young man,” Jenna’s father says.
My lips part.
“Daddy! How could you say something like that?” Jenna cries out, outraged on my behalf, I’m sure.
“Honey, he’s just trying to watch out for the two of you,” her mom tells her softly.
Through clenched teeth, I grit out, “It was a single fight, and with all due respect, although I appreciate the favor you did for me, I would also appreciate it if you didn’t insult him in front of me.”
Everyone falls silent.
I bid both of Jenna’s parents a safe trip back home and head into our small room.
“Daddy, you’re being unfair and you know it.”
“I get that that’s her stepbrother and that they love each other like siblings, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong about him. Keep your distance, Jenna.”
I want to slam the door shut in a fit of anger but somehow refrain.
Stepbrother.
Love each other like siblings.
Keep your distance, Jenna.
Groaning under my breath, I push the box on my bed to the side and collapse on it, my face in my hands.
I hear Jenna angrily telling her dad to let it go and then saying goodbye to both her parents.
First day at college. It’s supposed to be an exciting time for everyone.
For me, this is what I get. And all because the stupid world has to always attack Brayden in some way.
Always has to stand between us, too.
Then again, if this is as bad as it gets, I suppose I can’t complain too much. Right?
Then I remember that Jennifer is in this school as well, along with a ton of other people from our high school, and I realize that this is probably only the beginning.
Knowing Jenn, things are probably going to get much worse at some point.