Page 88 of Consume Me

“That’s not true.”

“See, he’s defensive. Why do you have to go back to the house when everyone else is there?”

“Blake isn’t.”

“Will you two stop bickering?” my father says.

Where could he be?Blake better not have left. The thought alone drags my heart to the pits of hell.

“I am seeing someone,” Dad says, and I offer him a nod to continue while Hunter gulps down an entire glass of water.

“Who?” my brother blurts out.

“Christine, Kaden’s mother.”

Hunter’s jaw drops. “Really, Dad? Since when?”

“It’s been a month. She’s incredible, and what started as a friendship turned into more.”

“So is this serious?” Hunter asks.

“Of course, it’s serious. I wouldn’t have told you if it wasn’t.”

“Are you happy?” I ask, even though it’s obvious he is. He dips his chin in a nod, smiling brightly.

“Then I am happy for you.”

When we finish dinner, my father is on the phone, surely telling Christine that he told us.

“We’re going to be a big, happy family,” Hunter mumbles.

“Hey, are you okay?” I ask.

“I have to be, don’t I?”

“It’s his right.”

“Yes, it’s my fault, anyway.”

I wrap my arms around his torso, and he hugs me back.

“One day, I hope you’ll realize it was an awful accident. Wrong time, wrong place. I’ve never blamed you. Father hasn’t either.”

He offers a strained nod that’s not reassuring. I wish I could take his pain away—the guilt that has eaten at his happiness since he witnessed our mother die.

When my dad comes inside, I lean my head against his shoulder and watch my brother drive away.

“I worry about him,” he says.

“I do, too.”

While I hope one day I won’t have to worry about Hunter anymore, I doubt that will ever happen. After I kiss Dad goodnight, I go to my room upstairs.

Thoughts of Blake keep me awake. I need his warmth around me, the cocoon of his embrace.

I needed time to think. Think about everything—what the fuck I did, and what the fuck I will do. Fact is, I can’t go back to how things were before.

Mia and I didn’t start with me taking her virginity. We began when our eyes locked for the first time. With each passing day, we became a bit more––more need, more desire, just more. That want for more of her steadily became a craving that took over my body, heart, and mind.

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