Page 46 of Pretty Monsters

"What about Teddy?" I asked.

Ford shakes his head. "No, he's our friend, and we trust him, but he's a shit liar. When he's around you have to pretend to be Alice."

"Why Alice, anyway?" Sin asks what I know he's been wondering the entire time.

I grimace. "Ford was actually right when he guessed it was the fairy tale character. Since I left with you and my brother I feel like I'm living through one of the Hatter's tea parties. Up is down, and everything is just inside out. Also, Alice isn't a princess."

Sin chuckles. "You really hate when I call you that."

"Princesses need to be saved. They wait around for a man to get them from a tower, or wake them up with a kiss. That's not going to be me."

"And who are you going to be?" he asks.

"I'm going to be the one who burns the world down."

* * *

Blinkingup at the ceiling I try to get my bearings. Voices in the living room remind me we aren't in our apartment. Like the other times, Sin is sleeping soundly next to me.

In his sleep the walls come down and he clings to me. I try not to read anything into it. I'm starved for affection, so it wouldn't be hard for me to let go and believe these moments, but he's determined to push me away during all the hours he's awake. Something seems to have changed between us since I got hurt, but I'm too afraid to trust it will continue.

Waking up every two hours has left me with a lingering feeling of exhaustion. I try to leave him sleeping, and slip out of his arms, but he tenses when I move and pulls me tighter against him. His nose brushes up my neck, and my pulse starts to race.

"Where do you think you're going?" he croons.

My heart sinks. His hand is once again on my breast, and his erection is pressed against my ass. I'd love to be the cause of his current state, but I know it's just a biological reaction to being in bed with someone of the opposite sex. Likely, he doesn't even realize it's me.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," I whisper.

Looking over my shoulder I watch his eyes blink, and sleep loses its hold over him. Just like I thought, he pulls back from me.

I take the chance and run from the room. Amber, Tessa and a girl I haven't met yet are sitting around. Amber and Teddy are battling over a video game. Tessa is loading food into a cooler, and the other girl is making breakfast. Thankfully, Jess, the girl Sin hooked up with isn't with them.

The new girl wipes her hand on a dish towel and approaches me. Her smile is wide and genuine. She's very pretty in an effortless way. "You must be Alice. Amber told me all about you. I'm Jen."

Recognition hits me. I heard them mention her a few times the other night. She's Shane's girlfriend. My smile becomes real, and I take her hand. "Nice to meet you. I've heard Shane talking about you."

"Have not!" he shouts from his room. "I wouldn't say anything about someone as mean as her. A man can die from blue balls, Jen!"

"You big baby, I'm making breakfast."

He rushes out of the room and scoops her up. Spinning her quickly he plants a kiss on her mouth and sets her down. "I forgive you. Are you making bacon?"

He winks at me and proceeds to the kitchen to load a plate up with food.

"You want to know the secret to keeping a man happy? Balls and bacon. That's all they care about," she laughs.

"That's not true," he speaks around a mouthful of food. "I care about my dick too. Especially, when you–"

"Oh, Jesus stop!" she laughs.

I duck into the bathroom while he's describing exactly what he likes her to do with his dick. Finishing my business quickly, I wash my hands and find Sin waiting.

He doesn't say anything, and enters the bathroom after I exit. I guess I'll have to find out what is going on from someone else. Everything from yesterday is fuzzy.

Amber is bouncing up and down in the living room when I return. "I love going to the cabin. There's a hot tub and hiking trails. Aren't you excited?"

She's perfect for Teddy. Both of them exude a sweetness I've never encountered before. She waits patiently for me to say something, and I remember she asked me a question.

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