Page 22 of Tortured Whispers
Shit.
I couldn’t let Ant know that Brook was the one who found his medicine. I’d do anything to protect her from getting yelled at. Ant wasn’t harsh by any means but she was fragile.
“Yes. Of course. We talk and I wanted to know if she knew how long you’d been taking the heart medicine,” I said, swallowing the jagged fragments of the lie I told.
“Fuck you, Cease. You crossed the line. You shouldn’t have told Brooklyn and now she’s cutting her fucking arms up again all because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut!” The vein in his forehead pulsed and I could feel the one in my neck throbbing.
“Don’t you see that’s the problem? You don’t tell her enough. You don’t let her in enough and she feels alone. Floating in the water. Talk to your kid.” My voice softened but my anger didn’t. I realized Brook could hear every single word of what was going on. She was in her room, not some soundproof fortress.
She already had enough on her mental plate. Hearing her father and me shout it out in the kitchen wasn’t helping. Ant’s mood died down some, his shoulders relaxed and his head hung a bit. “I’ll talk to her,” he promised. “I’m still pissed at you for poking your fucking nose where it doesn’t belong.” He stalked past me, clipping my shoulder on the way to Brook’s room and I went into the living room.
**
Family movie night happened only because Brook requested it. She sat snuggled next to me like she usually did. I wanted to move to a recliner instead of indulging in behavior that contradicted what I said to her earlier in the day. The truth was…I couldn’t.
After fighting with Anthony, beside Brook was where I wanted to be. While he dozed, the TV watched me. My fingers twirled lazily in Brook’s soft black hair.
I was singlehandedly obliterating every word I told her about not doing anything. Tangled in that sticky moment, I realized I needed her too. Knowing she was safe and calm put me at peace.
I made a mental note in my mind to set clear boundaries with Brook once I was out of the house. Maybe my head would clear and my heart would forget the way she made me feel once I moved out. Maybe.
Brook’s hazel eyes were fixed on the TV while my fingers inched her sleeve up revealing one skinny scar after another. With each inch I moved up, I waited for her to flinch away. To brush my hand off of her. She never did.
She let my touch skim her olive skin. Over each mark on her once smooth arm. I looked at every scar as a tortured cry that nobody heard. Well, I was listening loud and clear and Brooklyn would never go unheard again.
“Should we wake him?” Brook asked once the movie went off. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. My eyes traced the fullness of her lips and the way the green flecks in her eyes seemed to glow with the light of the TV behind her.
I blinked rapidly, trying to find my words but it was hard. She rendered me totally speechless. She wasn’t even doing anything but I got so caught up in her beauty that I didn’t know what to say.
“Um, yeah. I guess. You can handle that. I’m going to hit the shower.” I was still pissed with my brother but I knew by morning, I’d make an effort to come around and work things out. Right then I needed time and space. I’m sure he needed the same things.
Once I was in the hot shower, the water rushed over me and I prayed it took the thoughts I was having with it when it swirled down the drain. I couldn’t stop replaying the way Brooklyn kissed me. Her lips were so soft and timid. She tasted so sweet. But not the kind of sweet that would make you think of candy.
She was the kind of sweet that made you think of burying your nose in between flower petals. I imagined how sweet she must have been all over and my dick stood at attention.
Shit.
No matter what else I thought about, I kept coming back to Brook’s kiss. The thought of pinning her to the bed while I kissed and sucked on her full lips, had me thrusting into my soapy fist. My eyes fell shut and I imagined sliding in and out of Brook’s tight pussy.
Two minutes later, pressure built deep inside of me and everything from my fingertips to my toes tingled. I came so hard my knees buckled and I braced myself, pressing my forearm against the slick shower wall. I watched my seed disappear down the drain and cursed under my breath.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I shut the shower off then got out, wrapping a plush towel around my waist. I needed sleep. Bad. Not because I was tired but because I needed a break from my brain.
I was relieved to see that Ant was gone from the couch. I laid out my blankets and pillows before crashing down to what had become my bed over the past four weeks.
**
The alarm yanked sleep away from me, sending memories of jerking my dick to Brooklyn, crashing down on my head. I was tired. That’s what it had to have been. I was so fucking tired and I wasn’t thinking straight.
I sat up and looked at my phone to check my appointments for the day. I had a meeting with an old colleague and one of my best friends from New York, Ronnie Hollows. He had a practice in LA, and if he would have me, I’d gladly be a psychologist on his team.
It was so quiet in the house that I could hear the rustle of the leaves outside when the wind blew. On the way to the bathroom, I walked past Brooke’s room and noticed she’d already left for school. I must have been tired because I didn’t even hear her leave.
I got dressed and tried to ignore the colossal feeling starting to crush me. It loomed over my head no matter how upbeat I was about meeting with my old friend. This wasn’t anxiety or nerves. This was something else.
I had to make up with my brother. I realized that I couldn’t go talk about a job knowing he was at home being pissed at me.
