His lips ran a scalding hot path along my neck and shoulders as he wrenched the low sleeves of my dress down. My arms trapped at my sides, I savored his body pressed against mine. Every inch he exposed was painted by his touch. His palm caressed my skin, setting it aflame in the cool AC.

Goosebumps broke out all over my body, and I shuddered when the boat neck of my dress dropped lower. My nipples were freed and hardened, bared to his touch. With a flick of his wrist, the flowing fabric pooled at my feet. My hands braced against the windowsill, and I parted my legs as he bent lower. A shudder racked my body and the ache between my legs grew. I’d forgotten how the fire he sparked in me had never gone out. Even covered by so many other things, it was always there simmering. That simmer had grown and threatened to consume me as his kisses peppered the curve of my ass.

“There isn’t a part of you I haven’t missed, Ave.” He ran his palm over my cheeks, giving me a small smack and squeeze. His fingers sank into my flesh. On his knees, he spun me, exposing me to him. The evidence of my excitement coated my inner thighs.

Reaching behind me, I dug my nails into the painted windowsill. He sat on his haunches, eyeing me like a man starved. My pussy throbbed in time to my heartbeat. I was drunk on the hunger and passion in his eyes, my head swimming with the delicious promise in them.

His palm pressed against my stomach, fingers spreading out and spanning my waist. Could he feel the swarm of butterflies threatening to carry me away? Lifting my leg, he settled it over his shoulder, opening me up. The cool air whisked across the wetness coating my flesh, and I broke out in goosebumps once again.

Exposed and on display, I watched him watch me. The sharp focus of his eyes had my clit crying out for attention.

“I’m glad you’re just as ready for this as I am.” His hot breath fanned across my clit. My stomach clenched and I moaned. He was so close.

“Please, Em, don’t tease me any more.” I sank my fingers into his hair and raked them across his scalp.

He growled and his mouth latched onto my clit. Tongue and teeth worked in perfect unison to bring me pleasure tipped with the slightest hint of pain, enough to enrapture me and keep me from floating away. My knees gave out and his hand pressed me harder into the window. The cool glass clashed with my heated flesh through the gauzy curtains. His mouth painted my pussy, leaving every inch of me flowing with an electricity so good I barely hung on.

“You taste as good as I remember—even better, maybe.” The insistent nudge of his nose against my clit had me teetering on the edge.

His grip on my thighs eased and he shifted. Two of his fingers thrust inside me. I screamed. Fully supported by him, my legs clamping together around his head. My back arched and my hips bucked off my makeshift seat. If anyone else was home, I didn’t care. My entire universe centered around Emmett’s tongue and fingers. They pumped into me with such ferocity, I lifted off the ground, pressed harder against the window.

With one more hard suck, I opened my mouth in a silent scream. My clit was the button he worked in perfect time, like picking up an instrument you hadn’t played in years but could still play masterfully. He certainly wasn’t rusty. Pleasure coursed through me so hard and fast, I collapsed before I could even find my voice. With my body slumped over his shoulder, Emmett stood, carrying me to the bed.

I licked my lips, trying to form words. The jingle of his belt coming loose sent a shiver down my spine as my eyes fluttered open. I watched him rip his clothes off, each piece revealing another hard plane of muscle and skin. Climbing onto the bed, he ran his hands along my body until he settled on top of me.

Letting my thighs fall apart, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His trim hips settled between mine and his hard length rubbed against my pussy. The fireworks had barely stopped going off in my head, but I was only getting an intermission. The finale was still to come.

“Emmett.” I ran my lips along his jaw, the stubble scraping against my skin. Tears formed in my eyes. I’d thought this was dead, thought the distance I’d created between us was insurmountable. I’d tried to make it that way, perfectly constructed to keep me safe and protect those I loved—with one exception. He’d been my sacrifice for us both.

“I know.” He rested his forehead against mine. Sliding his hands under my shoulders, he lifted me and rolled us over.

I was on top of him, straddling his hips. Shifting in the bed, he sat up against the headboard. Only then did he let me out of his arms.

“I missed you, Ave.” His voice was husky with emotion.

“I missed you too, Em.” My voice cracked. My tears clouded my vision, but I didn’t let them fall. It wasn’t the time for them.

His hands wrapped around either side of my waist, not moving me, just holding me. Rocking my hips, I slid myself along his length, and a shudder ran through his body. Glancing between us, I saw a pearl of pre-cum on the tip of his head. I reached between us and spread it over his tip. My hand pumping his length, I lifted up and put him at my entrance.

“You always liked to tease.” The deep timbre of his voice made me swoon.

“I never teased. You were always just too impatient.” I leaned forward.

“How am I supposed to be patient when you’re the prize at the finish line?” His fingers sank deeper into my waist.

He was reaching his limit, and so was I. With one hand braced on his chest, I slowly lowered myself onto him. The slow pace was torture for both of us, but I wanted it to last. Slowly he spread me open, filling me up and hitting all the marks along the way that had sweat beading on my forehead.

My ass finally met with his hips, and I basked in our connection. With a sharp jerk, Emmett ended the leisurely pace and kicked it into an Olympic sprint. Using his hands on my hips to control the pace, he thrust up into me, grinding against my ass and shooting sparks of bliss throughout my body.

I choked on every attempt to say anything other than “Yes,” “Emmett,” and “More,” but those seemed to be the only words we needed. Each slam down fully seated on his cock made my back bow and my toes curl.

Lifting me nearly completely off him, he then thrust up as I came back down. I clawed at his chest. Babbled nonsense flew out of my mouth as my orgasm hit me hard, rendering me deaf for a few seconds.

I collapsed against his chest, where the pounding of his heart mirrored my own. Each tender pass of his hand across my back sent another shivery shock through me. We stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, listening to each other’s slowing heartbeats.

His fingers toyed with the ends of my hair, everything so familiar and so new all at once. The past and present were colliding into a new vision, and it scared the crap out of me.

“What are you thinking about?” The backs of his fingers ran along my cheek.

I glanced up at him. Swallowing against the tightness in my throat, I opened my mouth and closed it again. A new way forward… “Us.”

His bright smile smoothed out the bubbling nerves in my stomach. “What about us?”

I nibbled on my bottom lip. “What we’re doing.”

“What do you think we’re doing?”

“I…I don’t know.” There was still so much I hadn’t told him. How did I bring up what his parents had done? The money? My dad? A pit sank deeper into my stomach, the kind you tried to avoid, but plunging into the depths of it was inevitable. How would he feel if he knew all the reasons we could have never been together back then?

And what now? I’d seen the women he’d been seen with. Jeans and a t-shirt were how I felt most comfortable. I was barely able to throw something together for Alyson’s graduation. I’d attract attention with my too-casual fashion choices, and the press would go digging into my family. What would happen if they shined a spotlight on Dad or Alyson? What would they say? How would he handle that? Bringing all the baggage and problems I had to deal with to them didn’t seem fair.

“I think we’re getting back to where we should be…who we should be.” The sureness in his voice brought tears to my eyes. I buried myself in his side until his breathing evened out.

My phone buzzed, slipping out of bed, I grabbed it from my bag on the floor.

Alyson: Checking In, Warden.

Me: You suck. Is it so bad wanting to make sure you’re okay?

Alyson: Just kidding. I miss you so much already.

Tears welled in my eyes.

Me: I miss you too. Christmas Break can’t come fast enough. Maybe I can come visit you for Thanksgiving.

Alyson: YEAH! That would be so awesome. Look at us, college girls together. Heading to dinner. Talk soon!!

Getting back into bed, I brushed the hair off his forehead, still wide awake. So many nights I’d lain in that same position with our legs tangled together. I squeezed my eyes shut. How did I stop things from falling apart again?

My head was buried in my knees, glass from the shattered door surrounding me on the floor. Mak’s hand landed on my shoulder.

I jumped, my skin still crawling from where Fischer had touched me. My head throbbed from the tears that soaked my shirt. Everyone was staring at me, anger burning in their eyes from the scene they’d watched unfold. I didn’t have his protection anymore, no fake smiles or jealous glances for the girl on the arm of one of the Kings of Rittenhouse. This was straight-up hatred. It’s what happens when you break a golden boy’s heart. I’d shown them what they’d all whispered about for years. I wasn’t good enough for him. I’d been bound to screw it up.

“Avery.”

My gaze shot to hers.

“Do you need a ride? Do you want me to take you home?” Her soft words broke me again, so kind and gentle.

I nodded, tears pooling in my eyes, making it hard to see.

“Avery, what the hell?” Declan stopped in front of me. I couldn’t look him in the eyes. His legs filled my view.

“Back off, Declan.” Mak’s voice was tight and angry.

“Back off? Did you see what she just did?” I winced as he jabbed an angry finger in my direction and the whispers of the crowd got even louder. “He was going to—” Declan stopped and turned away, storming toward the back of the house.

“Let’s get you out of here.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and helped me stand. I kept my eyes on the ground. Glittering shards of glass were sprayed all over the entryway.

Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I stepped over the broken pieces that had been the front door.

Mak stumbled on the front steps, and I grabbed her around the waist.

“Have you been drinking?”

“I only had two.” She shoved her keys into the driver’s side door. I put my hand over hers.

“I can drive. I haven’t had any. I’ll take you home. I can get to my place from there.”

“That’s probably a better idea.” She went around to the passenger side door. I climbed in, starting the car.

Navigating the streets with tears in my eyes, I kept my hands on the steering wheel. My heart raced. What did I do? I needed to find Emmett and explain. I’d thought for a minute I could do it, could do what his parents wanted me to do to protect my dad and my sister, but I couldn’t. The way he’d looked at me… The tears spilled over again. He’d looked at me with so much hate and anger my knees had nearly given out, and the pain in his eyes had cracked my chest wide open, had made it hard to breathe.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Mak turned to me as we sat in her driveway.

“No.” My voice wavered. “No, I can’t talk about it now, maybe not ever. I don’t know. I’m going to go home and…I’m just going to go home. Night, Mak.” I wrapped my arms around her. Putting the keys in her hands, I got out of the car and ducked around the corner as quickly as I could. I didn’t need her trying to come after me.

Taking the bus home, I stared at my phone the whole way, hoping it would ring, but I knew it wouldn’t. I needed to call him. I needed to explain it wasn’t what he thought it was. The pain deep inside knowing he could think I’d ever cheat didn’t compare to what I felt without him.

My whole body was numb as I walked down the street to my house. I was swimming on dry land, dragging myself up the steps to my door. The overgrown weeds threatened to completely cover the walkway, and I knew this was who I was. This was my real life.

Unlocking the front door, I stared down at my phone and tapped on Emmett’s name. Would he even take the call? I pushed open the door and screamed, nearly falling back outside. My mind went blank. It was like walking in on a scene so foreign your brain couldn’t process what was happening. Then it all clicked together, the pungent smell overwhelming me from across the room.

My dad was sprawled out on the floor, a puddle of vomit around him. Scrambling across the room, I knelt down and shook him. The warm mess on the floor soaked through my jeans. A gurgle came from his throat.

“Dad, what did you take?” I shook him harder.

His clothes were coated in sick. Rushing back to the front door, I grabbed my phone from beside my bag. Clearing away Emmett’s name, I dialed 9-1-1 and rummaged through my stuff. My fingers wrapped around the tiny bottle. First responders had told us about the stuff during a safety fair, said they all carried it for overdoses. I shoved it up his nose and squeezed the spray. When the operator came on the line, I screamed out our address.

His back arched off the floor. His glazed eyes searched the room without seeing anything. He swatted at me.

The operator’s requests for me to stay calm almost sent me into a fit of maniacal laughter. Fuck calm.

“Yes, he’s alive, but I need an ambulance.”

My dad rolled to his side, his eyes half open. I rocked on the floor beside him, my hand wrapped around his, pleading with him to stay with me.

The wait for the ambulance was the longest fifteen minutes of my life, Dad moaning and grumbling, scrounging around on the floor trying to get what was left of his stolen stash, berating me for taking it away. I’d flushed it all.

Little did I know the worst was yet to come—cleaning the house before Alyson got home and telling her dad had hurt himself. She eyed me suspiciously, but didn’t push for more. Showing up to school after the weekend, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Barely keeping my eyes open, I went through the motions, so tired I fell asleep in class more than once. I was on the brink.

The questions at the hospital had led to even more questions. The police questioning us. I was so scared they were going to come and take Alyson away, scared someone would pull up in a car with paperwork from a judge and take her. I slept beside her bed, worry twisting my gut and making it impossible to eat.

Standing in the hallway before school Monday morning, I watched everyone mill around like nothing had changed, like my life hadn’t been ripped apart in a matter of hours. Rocking myself beside Alyson’s bed the night before, I’d tried to call Emmett. My mind had raced, trying to find the words to explain everything to him, but his phone had been disconnected. He’d probably gotten a brand-new one to make sure he never had to hear my voice again. He hated me. I didn’t blame him. I’d buried my face in my legs, muffling my tears so I didn’t wake my sister up.

With a weariness so deep I felt it in the pit of my soul, I barely made it through the day. The snide remarks and staring might have killed me if the party had been the worst thing to happen to me over the previous three days, but it hadn’t been.

A call to the principal’s office was the perfect end to a perfect day. I squeezed my fingers around my knee, trying to stop the bouncing. I’d logged into Dad’s HR account and used some of his vacation days to buy us some more time.

“Ms. Davis, please come in.” Principal Vander held the door open.

Wrapping my hand tighter around the strap of my backpack, I stepped into his office. I stopped short two steps in when my eyes landed on the pristinely polished woman inside.

“I’ll take it from here, Mark.” The venom-tipped voice was one I knew far too well.

I whipped around, my eyes pleading with him not to leave me there, but he did. The door closed behind him, sealing me inside. I was alone with her.

“I have to say, I’m quite impressed with the way you went about it.” Her voice dripped with an icy viciousness.

“I didn’t do it for you.” My words bounced against the solid wooden door in front of me. I couldn’t figure out how to tell Emmett. How did I tell him what they’d said? Would he even believe me? I turned to her with my jaw clenched.

“Nevertheless, it’s done, so thank you.”

“Once he’s back, I’m going to tell him everything.” I stepped toward her where she stood against the principal’s desk.

“No, you won’t, and do you want to know why?” She leaned forward.

The sinking feeling was back, pulling me deeper into the abyss. I crossed the room, not wanting to get closer, but also not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cower.

“Because I’m going to do you a favor, Avery.” Her smile brightened. “To show my appreciation for your cooperation. Would you like to have a seat?” She motioned to the high-backed leather chair beside me.

“I don’t need any favors from you.” My hands fisted at my sides.

Her vindictive smile made my stomach turn. “Oh, I think you do, and here’s what’s going to happen. The charges against your father for drug possession will no longer be an issue. He will enter a rehab facility we will fully fund for ninety days, just in time for the new school year to start, and he will have a job waiting for him, due to the recommendation of certain board members that upstanding members of our Rittenhouse Prep community deserve second chances. We all know how terrible a plague addiction can be. It would be awful to turn our backs on someone who has been employed at this school for so long and needs our help.”

The watery feeling was back in my mouth. I wanted to throw up, and tears pricked the backs of my eyes. She was holding the answers for everything that weighed on my shoulders.

“We’ll also ensure that child services knows there won’t be any issues like this in the future, so their assistance will no longer be needed.”

I fell into the leather chair beside me.

“I hope my generosity won’t be thrown back in my face, because all it takes is one wrong move…” She tugged at the stray thread sticking up from the shoulder seam of my uniform. I needed new ones, but since it was my last year, it didn’t make sense to replace them when Alyson needed hers more. “For things to fall apart.”

She picked up her bag, which had probably cost more than our house, and strode out of the office like a woman who had the world by the balls. And she did. I sank down farther in the chair, the tears I’d held at bay spilling over. I wrapped my arms around myself and sat there until Mr. Vander came back. Rushing out, I sat in my car, shell-shocked. If I told Emmett the truth, everything would be destroyed, and if I didn’t, my heart might never recover.

I closed my eyes and let the feeling of his strong arms around me pull me into sleep. In the morning it would be another day, and maybe then I’d be able to figure out how to keep him.