Page 78 of White Raven
Brent shrugged. “I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how to answer your question.”
“Let me ask you something else. What would you say you’re doing to helpyourself?”
Psh…nothing.
“I don’t know how to answer that, either.”
“Dr. Ambrose mentioned in her notes from your stay at the hospital that you don’t have many people to lean on. Is that true?”
Not anymore. He had Wren. Even if they never moved forward with what they started, that night at the mansion would connect them forever. They’d always have each other in that. Brent felt the small smile before he could hide it. “I have someone.”
“Oh?” Dr. Lennox’s eyes lifted in their wrinkled corners. “Tell me about her.”
“She was the one my father kidnapped. My ex’s best friend. We’ve had a…pretty volatile relationship. Until after this happened.”
“And you don’t now?” she pushed.
“I don’t really know,” he started, straightening and looking across from him at the adjacent wall. “We—we uh…”
“You had sex?” she finished, causing his cheeks to flush.
Brent swallowed, suddenly feeling a bit too exposed, and not exactly sure if he was comfortable. “Y-yes…we…we did.”
“Do you feel like your shared trauma brought the two of you together?”
Well, obviously…but it was more than that. They both knew it, and neither one wanted to acknowledge it before shit hit the fan and they couldn’t help themselves. Brent felt tension creep into his muscles, and he found himself laying back down on the small couch.
Dammit…this old crone was really good at her fucking job.
Me: that better not be your hot doctor’s fancy couch…
Wren flipped back to the picture Brent had just sent her of his legs crossed on an ugly leather setup in an office about as bland as Conrad’s mansion on the high-falooty side of town. Three dots bounced below her message, and she waited until the phone pinged, smiling at his challenge.
Bitch-boy: Her wrinkles are turning me on…and the mothball smell in this room. Come make it more interesting. Dare you. ;)
She was supposed to be at Nell’s fifteen minutes ago, but Rhaena wasn’t up yet, and she promised not to leave her. Wren fired one back.
Me: don’t patronize me Stratford.
She dumped grounds into the coffee maker as Brent typed, and heard a toilet flush down the hallway. It had been a long night for Rhae-Rhae. After four unresponsive tests, she’d sent Wren back to the store for more expensive ones, and then it took her over an hour to generate enough piss to take six more. Out of those six, only two said negative…the rest were also unresponsive. Neither of them were sure if that was good or bad news. Neither one was wholly convinced, either. Rhaena had cried a lot. While she wasn’t an unsympathetic asshole, Wren also could admit she wasn’t very good at consoling someone. It felt awkward and unhelpful, but what she gave must have been enough, because Rhaena asked her to stay. She’d only snuck outlong enough to shower and get dressed and then came back here to make coffee and see if she’d gotten up yet.
Ping.
Bitch-boy: This old lady could get a confession out of a murderer the way she Jedi mind tricks you. I’ve only been on this couch twenty minutes and she’s already pulled our dirty secrets outta me. Now all I can think about is how your voice sounds when you’re screaming…and not because you’re pissed.
This idiot.
Something about spilling dirty details to an old woman made her wanna gag—especially when it was about her, of all people. However…the flashbacks of all the ways he made her moan were causing an ache between her legs, and she hated him all over again for how easy it was to make her feel anything now. Her thumbs flew across the keyboard.
Me: zip it, or you’ll be screaming for a different reason…I happen to enjoy your balls where they are…not in your throat.
He wasted no time in responding and the three little dots almost seemed to race her heartbeat.
Bitch-boy: I’d rather they be in yours instead…
Damn his preppy…fucking tantalizing genitalia…
Wren sent seven middle finger emojis and pressed the button to start the coffee as she bit her lip, smiling.
