Page 65 of Drown in You

Whatever horrors plague her mind each night, I guarantee they have something to do with whatever asshole she ran from to come here. The same asshole who sent her that text.

I sit beside her on the bed, needing to be close to her warmth again. “I didn’t have any either.”

For the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully through the night. I don’t remember a single dream. All I remember is the soft warmth of Sienna in my arms.

She lifts a brow, her nose nearly brushing my skin as she turns to face me. “What do you have nightmares about?”

What the hell have I already told her? As Ten, I admitted to nightmares about Pop’s death. The air around us grows heavy with her suspicion. I rest a hand on her bare thigh and rub my thumb along her soft skin. “Losing you.”

Not the whole truth, but not a lie. Losing Sienna is my biggest fear.

Her eyes soften. “Because you lost your dad. And Chloe.”

I nod. “I don’t want to lose you too.”

She bites her lip and silence falls between us as she returns her full attention to her plate. Because she can’t promise that I won’t.

In the library, Wes flirts with Violet behind the circulation desk. Sienna sits at a table with Juliet while a few puck bunnies swarm our table. One on Knox’s lap, two fighting over a seat on Damien’s, and one perched on the table in front of Finn with her legs practically spread open for his viewing pleasure. I already pushed away the blonde fawning over my lap, hence the fight over Damien.

Even though I know she wouldn’t dare, I want to leave the spot open for Sienna.

I’ve tried to give her space since the Devils kidnapped her. From the shadows, anyway. Lurking where she won’t see me, my eyes never leaving her. Give her the chance to miss me, to miss my hands on her and cock inside her, to miss the praise I murmur in her ear and the way my attention sets her on fire, until she finally comes to her senses.

At Sienna’s table, Juliet rises from her seat. My stomach twists when she sets her sights on me with a grin.

Sienna must’ve encouraged her to come over here to talk to me.

Except an ember of jealousy flickers to life in Sienna’s eyes when Juliet rests a hand on my shoulder. Her tight black skirt rides up so high, I can nearly see the curve of her ass.

Sienna may think she wants me to shift my focus to Juliet, wants me to find another girl who can fit into that spot in my heart reserved for her, but the jealousy is already eating her alive.

I rest a hand on the small of Juliet’s back and tug her closer. Sienna’s jaw clenches, and she forces her eyes back on her textbook, but she’s not reading.

When Juliet claims the space on the table in front of me, I don’t protest.

She drops her boot in the spot between my spread legs and leans forward, cleavage on full display. Her overwhelming perfume floods my nose. Too strong. Sienna’s scent is more subtle, softer. Like her.

“You want her, don’t you?” Juliet murmurs, so quiet no one else at the table can hear. “I can tell.”

Her smirk tells me she knows the bulge in my pants isn’t for her—it’s for my stepsister. The stepsister I can’t drag my gaze away from. The stepsister who watches from the corner of her eye as her best friend perches in front of me.

“Sienna’s a rule-follower and a people-pleaser. I’ve spent our whole friendship trying to corrupt her, but she’s tougher than she looks. If you want to get her, you’ll have to keep things between the two of you quiet. I can keep a secret, but these?” She points at my eyes. “They’re telling the whole world how badly you want to fuck your stepsister. I support it. She wants you too, even if she won’t admit it. But you need to get better about pretending you don’t so no one suspects anything. Otherwise, she won’t bother with you. She won’t risk it.”

I don’t know how long they’ve been best friends, but as much as I hate to admit it, Juliet knows Sienna better than I do and she’s probably right about this. I’ve done a shit job of bottling up my feelings for my stepsister. Anyone on this campus could take one look at my face while she’s in the room and know how much I want to fuck her. How much I care about her. I’d rip every inch of this world apart for her.

Luckily, no one suspects anything is going on between us when she goes out of her way to ignore and avoid me. Everyone assumes the attraction is one-sided. The only person who doesn’t is the one who knows Sienna most—her best friend.

I’ve been selfish, wanting her to be public with me when she isn’t ready. But I’d rather have her in the shadows than not at all.

Juliet's breath hits my ear. “And you better treat her right, Valentine. Or you’ll have me to deal with.”

“I’ll take good care of her. I’m a great big brother.”

“Careful.” Juliet smirks. “You might actually turn me on.”

I cock a brow, knowing how much Sienna is seething with jealousy at our little performance. “What does turn you on?”

She shrugs. “A masked man chasing me in the dark. Knife play. Somnophilia. A little bit of pain with a lot of pleasure.”

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