Page 55 of Two Chambered Heart

She put her own helmet on and got back on the bike with Kayden, shivering even under her layers and bracing for the wind. She didn’t think the ride home was going to go quite like the ride here, but she felt lighter anyway.

Chapter twenty-three

- Jason -

Jason’s head was pounding, and he felt too hot. He brought his arm up to shield his eyes. Why was it so bright? He always kept his blinds closed. He rolled over from his back and buried his face in his arms. Soft suede rubbed against his skin.What the fuck?He groaned, turning his face to the side, suede brushing against his cheek.

He blinked his eyes open, the early morning sunlight streaming in through the full-length windows uninterrupted. The empty whiskey bottle was standing at attention on the coffee table. He had been running through bottles like water lately. For years, he’d been drinking before he slept. Kayden’s concern had been mounting, but Jason had made himself believe it helped. Waking up to the sun and not to his own screaming only enhanced his belief that it did.

For a second night in a row, he’d fallen asleep on the couch.

Jason pushed himself upright, and his vision swam.

There was a light snoring from the corner of the couch, and he found the girl curled up in a sweatshirt with a blanket. All of them had been living in sweatpants. That was usually what happened when you became a recluse.

Her long hair fanned out around her, shining in the sun, the mahogany undertones melting with caramel and chocolate notes, the colours like the flavour of a bold espresso. Her ribcage was rising and falling with her breaths. Under the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, she had a peaceful expression.No night terrors for either of us, then, he thought.

By the time they’d gotten back on the bikes last night, it had been late, and he had been absolutely freezing. The girl must have been too, but she hadn’t complained. He couldn’t handle women who were complainers. He liked that she was tough, up for adventures, liked that she didn’t whine about things. She had pushed his brother off a cliff and jumped right after him without a second thought. The memory of Kayden’s surprised face had him smirking.

They’d all taken hot showers to warm up, independently, and Kayden had ordered Birria, a hearty Mexican soup with beef, which they’d eaten on the couch. Corey had remarked that she’d never even heard of Birria before. It wasn’t hard to impress her with food, though it was true they were foodies.

In typical fashion, Corey had put away enough food to rival the twins’ appetite. She ate a lot, he thought, though he wasn’t entirely sure of a woman’s regular eating habits. He hadn’t lived with women in his adult life, but when he was dating, they usually ordered a salad, or a salmon filet—something docile. Corey would probably order a burger and fries. He tried not to worry about the fact that he could guess her meal order.

Jason peeled his eyes from the girl. Kayden wasn’t here.

Presumably, his brother had made it through the movie and taken himself up to bed, leaving the two of them sleeping on the couch together.Again.

The coffee table had been cleared of their food containers—just the empty bottle remained. No doubt Kayden had left it there on purpose, so Jason could look at it in shame when he woke up. Petty, buteffective.

He needed water and coffee, but he didn’t want to get up. He looked back at the girl, still sleeping quietly. He needed to stay away from her, but he couldn’t. She was like the sun, pulling him back into her orbit every time he tried to put distance between them.

It didn’t help that Kayden was smugly watching from the sidelines, pushing him towards her and giving them space. He knew they were fucking, had seen in his side mirror what she’d done with her hands on Kayden’s bike, had seen the handprint bruises on her neck, slowly fading.

Kayden’s signature. He knew Kayden’s kink as well as Kayden knew his own—they’d shared enough women. Leaving them on the couch together was just another step in whatever master plan Kayden had devised for them to sharethisone.

It definitely didn’t help that Corey was like dripping water on a rock. One drip did nothing, but over time, one drip after another, the rock began to soften, and he did not want to be the rock that softened. He couldn’t be.

He needed to stay away from her.

Jason pushed himself to his feet, taking the whiskey bottle with him to the kitchen to throw in the recycling bin. Then he flipped the switch for the espresso machine and started the process of brewing that sweet nectar of the gods, chugging back some water as he waited for the machine to heat.

He set the automatic grinder on, and the machine ground down on the beans—loudly.

He made himself a double espresso, then foamed some coconut milk, pulling two more shots.

Unable to resist, he made her a latte. Turning to leave the mug where she'd find it, he found her already awake, watching from across the island.

He startled, and his heart skipped a beat. She was always goddamn sneaking up on them.

“So, it’s been you leaving me coffees.”

He lifted his lip at her. “Well, Belinda doesn’t know how to use the machine. She’s a housekeeper, not a barista.”

“I thought it was your brother,” she said, ignoring his attitude.

“Easy mistake to make.” He passed her the mug, annoyed about this entire situation, annoyed that he couldn’t have just made his own espresso and been on his merry way. His head was killing him.

“You look like shit,” she said to him.

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