Page 24 of Stitches

“It’s OK to communicate with me,” she said softly, a note of pleading in her voice.

“She’ll be there,” Ashes confirmed, his voice gentle. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Cady let out a sad sigh and nodded before coming to me. I sat forward as she hugged me.

“I love you,” she murmured, giving me a squeeze. Tentatively, I reached out and hugged her back. She relaxed in my arms, a contented sigh on her lips.

“We’re getting there,” she whispered. “I know we are. We’ll be shit-talking about these assholes in no time, huh?” She pulled away and looked at Church. “Spoiler, you’re one of the assholes.”

“Fuck off,” he said without missing a beat.

“Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll do it with Jonathan Wise. I heard he’s hung like a horse and has OCD. Rumor has it, he has to do things over and over. Figured that might translate into some hot sex.” She grinned at Church who rolled his eyes at her.

“He’s an asshole,” Church called out as she gathered her things to leave.

“So are you and my sister still loves you, chipmunk murderer.” She left, the door clicking closed behind her.

Church looked at me. “I’ve never killed a chipmunk. They’re rather quick.”

Ashes let out a soft laugh.

A wicked little smile cut Church’s lips upward as he drank me in.

“You should come hunting with me, Specter. Imagine taking a life. I think it could help you. It helps me. It’s free therapy.”

I swallowed hard at his words. The last thing I wanted to do was harm a sweet little forest animal.

“She’s too sweet for all that,” Ashes said, hauling me onto his lap. I cuddled into him, my eyes on Church. He licked his lips, that dark look he wore so well on his face. Before he could push the subject, his phone rang.

He tore his focus from me and answered it.

“Hey, where are you? Yeah? That’s stupid. No, we’re just hanging at the house. Yeah. Yeah. No. Fuck no. Fuck him. OK. Bye.” Church hung up and looked to us. “Stitches is on his way back from therapy. He sounds like he’s upset over some shit Vice Headmaster Dickweed did.”

“What did he do?” Ashes asked.

“Don’t know. Guess we’ll find out when he gets here.”

I hadn’t seen Vice Headmaster Atkins around much. I’d catch glimpses of him here and there though, but he always seemed to be in a hurry. A few days ago, I’d seen him break up a fight between Mason Langston and Demi Crank while the guy who wore the rabbit mask circled the fiasco. There was something about rabbit-mask guy, though, that intrigued me. It hadn’t been the fight. It had been him. I saw him on campus a lot. Most of the time he was simply lurking in the background somewhere and lately, it had been near me.

I had no idea what his name even was. He was built though. I wondered if he worked out with his rabbit mask on. The idea made me let out a little titter. In my mind, his rabbit ears were floppy and kept falling in his face as he lifted weights.

“What’s this?” Church asked, shifting so he was closer to me. He thumbed my bottom lip. “A smile? A little laugh?”

I bit my bottom lip as Ashes gave me a gentle squeeze.

“What are you thinking about?” Ashes murmured in my ear. His warm breath blowing gently across my skin made me shiver.

I said nothing, my heart thrumming along. Church leaned in and brushed his lips along my jaw.

“Tell us.” Church’s soft lips trailed up to my other ear.

My angel and my demon on my shoulders, urging me to divulge in things I knew should be kept silent.

Church’s hand moved slowly up my thigh and beneath my skirt while Ashes peppered gentle kisses along my jaw.

My breath hitched when Church’s lips moved to my neck where he nipped and sucked against the sensitive flesh.

I twisted my fingers in the black shirt Church wore, my breathing ragged. Ashes cradled one of my breasts, kneading it gently as he continued to kiss along my flesh. Church’s fingers teased the edge of my panties before he worked his way beneath the fabric and rubbed against my clit, making me let out a hiss of air.

---