Page 50 of Pretty Monsters

He winks, and I shake my head at him. From behind me he produces marshmallows and a chocolate bar. "Grab the graham crackers. I'm not ready to sleep yet either, and it looks like most of the house will be fucking. I say we let that shit burn out before we try and share walls, yeah?"

It occurs to me, two people are still missing, but knowing Sin, he's probably prowling the woods looking for somewhere to smoke in peace.

We pull up some chairs by the fire pit, and he hands me one of the sticks to roast my marshmallow. Busy making my s’more I don't see them at first. Not until a quiet moan draws my attention.

Through the flickering light of the fire, I see Tessa straddling Sin, who's sitting on the bench in the corner away from us. She rocks back and forth. The dress she changed into is pushed up to her waist, and her movements make it clear she's bare under the dress.

Sin's fist is in her hair, while he looks up at the sky. There's almost a blankness to his expression, but a tightness as if he's angry at the pleasure he's experiencing.

Ford notices them after me. His relaxed mood changes in an instant, and he tenses. Gently, he turns my face toward his. "Don't watch," he whispers.

A strangled sound escapes my throat, but no words come out. I'm not even sure what I was trying to say.

"I understand," he says, leveling his eyes with mine.

"Tessa?" I ask.

He nods.

"I thought the two of you were–" Together? No, he seems like the type to go all in to a relationship. But, it did seem like they were something.

"She's my step-sister. The fucked up part is, I don't care. We're both adults, neither of us live at home, but it bothers her. She pulls me in, and like a sucker, I follow her every time, but as soon as she realizes she's it for me, she shoves me away."

"I'm sorry she treats you like that." I understand what he was saying earlier. We need to choose ourselves at a certain point. It isn't the same, but fuck, anything is better than this feeling of my heart being ripped from my chest.

"I'm sorry he treats you like this."

I open my mouth, but he quiets me with a finger against my lips. "Don't tell me he doesn't owe you anything. I've seen the way the two of yousleep. He knows he's confusing you, and this is how he chooses to send you a message."

He licks his lips. "Let's not give them our pain. They want to send us a message, so let's show them we got it."

This is a bad idea. I don't want to be like them, he's just as wounded as I am in this moment. Taking him up on this offer could cost me a friend.

"Stop thinking," he whispers against my mouth.

Sin's grunts are now mixing with her moans, and I can't pretend I'm not seeing what I'm seeing. He chose her, not me. He'll never choose me, and it's time I did.

My mouth slams against Ford's. It's an angry kiss, both of us pouring our pain into each other. He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist.

As we move, I see the moment Sin sees me in Ford's arms. His eyes narrow, but I'm so fucking done. Behind Ford's back I flip him off.

Ford chuckles. "That's my firecracker." He jerks his chin, and I see my reflection in the sliding glass door.

"Never let them see you suffer, right?"

"Not if you can make them suffer right back," he says in my ear. "But this next part is for us. We don't give them our pain, or our pleasure."

His hooded eyes tell me where this is headed. "Lead the way, hot stuff."

17

My Own Worst Enemy

Sin

My head isall kinds of fucked up. The feeling of being caged made me act out. My body craves release, and I can't get it where I need it.

Stupidly, I thought I could remind Raven where we stood. Show her I'm not hers, because after taking care of her I felt her softening toward me. It would be so easy for me to fall into her, to take what she's offering.

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