Page 65 of The Torment of Two

He flinches at my words, clearly stung by them. Well, I’m stung too. I don’t appreciate being woken up getting the third degree.

“Promise me you’ll be careful. I’ll back away as long as you promise me that.”

I relax and give him a nod. “I promise. Now what’s our cover story for you bursting in here so late?”

Dempsey flashes me a devious grin. “I’ll just tell them I didn’t know where pregnancy tests are sold and thought you might know.”

“You’re a dick on so many levels.”

“It’d be kind of funny to see Mom’s face twist into one of horror imagining me already knocking her best friend up.”

“You haven’t really knocked her up, though, right?”

“Fuck no. A puppy is hard as hell. A baby? That sounds like torture.”

He ruffles my hair, making it all go in my face and earning an agitated sigh from me before he saunters out of the room.

I wasn’t lying when I told him I’d be careful.

If it means spending all my time with Two or Dempsey or my parents to keep me safe, I will. I just want to have options. If Dad finds out, I’ll have none.

Two

Her brother wants to meet me.

Officially.

And apparently, I should be scared.

Gemma fidgets nervously in the passenger seat of my car. She checks her phone for the millionth time.

“He’s not going to beat me up,” I say, gassing it when the light turns green. “You can stop panicking.”

“You don’t know Dempsey. He’s a punch first, ask questions later kind of guy. Plus, he’s super protective over me. Our only saving grace is Sloane will be there to run interference.”

I reach over and take her hand in mine, squeezing it. “It’ll be fine. If shit gets tense, I’ll start talking about Cedarwood Mansion. That usually does the trick to put the mere mortals to sleep.”

She snorts out a laugh. “Turn there. And you’re right. I can imagine the utter look of boredom on my brother’s face. He slept through most of his classes in high school. Just pretend you’re his professor.”

I’m glad that she seems to lighten up as we make our way through her brother’s neighborhood. Our final destination is a small home with Dempsey’s nice-ass car parked out front beside a police SUV.

We’re barely out of the car when a dog comes barreling our way, barking animatedly. I scoop the hyper little thing up and hug it to me.

“Hey there, pup.”

“That’s my niece, Beauty,” Gemma says, scratching the dog behind the ears. “She was so tiny weeks ago and now she’s this giant thing. They say she’ll keep growing too.”

The dog seems to be a mix of Golden Retriever and something else. Maybe a husky. Either way, she’s cute and goofy. I love her immediately.

All happiness at the furry greeting fades as tension pulsates behind me. I turn around, Beauty still in my grasp, to find Dempsey several steps away, glowering at me.

“Be nice,” Gemma growls.

Her growls are as vicious as this goofy pup’s probably are.

“I didn’t say anything,” Dempsey growls back, definitely with more promise of a bite.

“Two, this is my twin, Dempsey. Demps, this is my, uh, boyfriend, Two.”