Page 80 of Forbidden Lyrics

“Get a ride with Phoenix tonight.”

Gibson ends the call, but his screen lights up with another message before he has a chance to slip his phone back into his pocket.

It’s from Em.

Em’s New Number, to be exact.

My breath hitches and a sharp pain hits me square in the chest as I stare at the familiar name as if I’ve seen a ghost.

“Shit,” Gibson curses under his breath, not bothering to read the message before shoving his phone back into his jeans.

I’m too stunned to move. To breathe. To do anything at all except stare blankly at where his phone used to be.

At least she’s not dead, I remind myself, battling the urge to laugh and to cry at the same time. This is insane. Why would Em be texting him? How long have they been texting? When did they even end things in the first place? Am I the side piece? Is he still dating her? After what we just did?

I cover my mouth and try not to curl into a ball as the realization hits me.

What did I do?

Tortured, Gibson murmurs, “Dove…”

“It’s fine,” I choke out. “I told you to use me, remember? Are you…?” I look down at his crotch and bite my lip to keep it from quivering. “Are you good to go? Do I need to reciprocate or anything?”

I can feel his frustration tainting the air as he shakes his head in a twisted concoction of anger and defeat before he sighs and drops his chin to his chest.

“Come on, Dove. Let’s get you home.”

On shaky legs, I try to stand up but nearly collapse as my high heels sink into the grass beneath my feet. Cheeks burning, I struggle to regain my balance and feel like a helpless baby deer who can’t walk straight.

Apparently, getting emotionally sucker-punched after an orgasm will do that to a girl.

Gibbs grabs my hips to keep me steady, pulling my skirt down to cover my exposed butt as I bite back the urge to cry.

This is hands down the most embarrassing moment of my life, and I’d kill to be anywhere but here. That’s not how life works, though. And there are consequences to my actions. To leaping off a cliff without caring about the fallout. Now, I have to deal with them.

But I was right about one thing.

Gravity’s a bitch.

Once my skirt is situated, Gibson guides me back to the street but doesn’t say a word. He opens the passenger door, the hinges groaning in protest, and I climb inside his beat-up car. After buckling, I curl into the corner of my seat as he gets behind the wheel and starts the engine without bothering to say a single freaking word.

No explanation.

No apology.

Heck, not even a lecture about how stupid I am for coming to this party in the first place.

Only silence.

Pure. Suffocating. Silence.

So this is what it’s like to feel used.

Chapter Twenty

Dove

“Where the hell were you?” Maddie demands as soon as I open the door. I close it behind me and set my purse on the counter but stay quiet. I figured she’d be asleep by the time I got home. Go figure that fate would continue to pile on the crap tonight.

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