Page 167 of Wreck Me

I gritted my teeth against that thought.

Thankfully, my phone buzzing on my nightstand helped me out there and refocused me.

I headed over there and snatched it up to find a bunch of text notifications had come in since I’d been in the shower.

Caspian: Stocked up on raspberry cupcakes with fondant. Bastian tells me they’re your favorite. Anything else you’d like here to make you comfortable?

Bastian: Miss you, beautiful. Maybe I’ll climb in your window again. No fucking, I know you’re sore. Just wanna wake up to you again. Nothing else like it. Although, with your dad home, gonna have to go the full on stealth route so he doesn’t shoot my dick off. Like my dick. Almost as much as you do. *Winky face emoji*

Caleb: You were amazing last night. How you feeling? Packed some of our ointment in your bag for you.

I dropped my phone, stepping back unsteadily.

Where to start with all of that?

Overwhelming didn’t even cut it.

Why couldn’t I just lean into it, just accept everything they were offering me? Just fall into it all and never look back?

Because then you’ll be vulnerable. Then they can hurt you.

A rap sounded on my door, startling me.

I cleared my throat and managed to call out, “Just one second!”

I hastily ran to my bathroom and grabbed my robe. I slipped it on and tied it, then looked down at myself to make sure all the marks I’d sustained earlier were hidden.

Phew.

And then I unlocked the door and opened it to find my dad standing there, in his checkered pajamas and looking all sleepy.

“Did I wake you when I came in?” I asked quietly, making sure my voice didn’t carry down the hall and also wake up my mom.

He walked in and closed the door behind him. “No, pumpkin. Every now and then, you know I just wake up in the middle of the night. This was one of those times, then I heard your shower running as I was about to head downstairs to sneak a midnight snack. I just wanted to see you. We haven’t seen a whole lot of you lately.”

“Sorry, yeah, I’ve just been really busy with everything.”

“With the boys?”

“Uh… yeah,” I said, feeling my cheeks heating. Dammit. I wished I could control that shit.

“And everything is still going well there? They’re treating you well?”

“Everything’s fine there, yeah.” I rolled my eyes at him. “You know, you didn’t need to get so heavy-handed with Caspian, Dad. I mean, he doesn’t have the fear gene anyway.”

“I’m aware. I wasn’t trying to scare him. I was trying to affect him… emotionally. I looked very deeply into him since I learned of your involvement with the three of them, and it’s become apparent that he is actually very sentimental toward those in his inner circle. I was merely pulling at those heartstrings of his to ensure your safety.”

“Wow, that’s manipulative.”

“And worth it to protect you.”

“You do realize I can actually protect myself, yes?”

“If I didn’t recognize that, my response to learning you resurrected Onyx and are even now working alongside The Jackals would have been very different.”

“That’s true.” Oops.

He laid his hand on my shoulder. “Everybody needs a helping hand once in a while, baby girl, that’s all.”

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