Page 68 of Ugly Truths
The first night I met Jeremy, I knew something was off. Not in a shy way, but in a way that felt studied. As if he were taking cues from the people around him, mirroring their reactions instead of forming his own. It unsettled me then, and it still does now. But even I can see that the poor guy is lost and his father is doing nothing to help him find his footing.
“Maybe you’ll be able to find some common ground,” I say, trying for optimism. “Work some stuff out.”
Silas nods, but he’s only humoring me. I don’t press him on it. Instead, I refocus, falling back into the rhythm we’ve built between us.
Jab. Cross. Reset.
We move together in the same way river water passes over rock. His voice is gruff, precise—a tether pulling me forward. The satisfying weight of every hit lets me lose myself, until my gaze flickers past him and lands on the digital clock above the door.
6:32.
Silas notices it in the mirror's reflection, too. The hard lines around his mouth reappear as he exhales. “I need to get ready.”
I wipe the sweat from my forehead, offering him a small, knowing smile. “Duty calls.”
He peels the mitts off his hands and tosses them onto the mat. I barely have time to blink before he’s in front of me, the heat rolling off him. I jolt at the sudden proximity. The tape on his hands is rough againstmy face before he kisses me so slow and deep that it stokes every ember in my body white-hot.
“I might need to drag you out of bed for drills more often,” he murmurs against me. “Never seen anything sexier.”
A laugh bubbles up, and I press a still-gloved hand against his chest, pushing back just enough to breathe. “Try waking me up before I’m ready and see what happens,” I joke.
Something dark and pleased rolls through his eyes as he threads his fingers through the end of my ponytail. “Maybe I will.”
His grip tightens, arching my body against him. His mouth descends on my throat, all teeth and lips, biting before immediately soothing with soft sweeps of his tongue against my already damp skin.
For a second, I forget how to work my own limbs. The electricity from earlier has turned into something more pleasure than pain. Then, too quickly, he pulls back.
“Shower,” he demands, his coffee eyes unflinching.
The words linger between us for only a second before he pulls off my gloves and starts moving, but not before curling his fingers around my wrist to go with him.
Chapter 28
Silas
Leaning back into the plush leather of the booth, I drum my fingers idly on the side of the lowball glass in front of me. My phone buzzes in the opposite hand, and I glance down to see Elena’s reply to the text I’d sent just as we sat down.
Me:I’m going to be later than I thought. Jeremy’s dragged us to one of his favorite clubs.
Elena:The horror. Anything but that!
I smirk despite myself, my fingers moving quickly over the keyboard as I type back a response.
Me:Watch the sass.
Elena:Should I wait up for you, or will you be too busy dancing to bad club remixes?
I can practically hear the teasing lilt in her voice, and it stokes the heady fire that always seems to lick at my veins whenever she is involved.
Me:Keep the bed warm. I’ll deal withyou later.
Elena:(;
My tongue skims over the front of my teeth to suppress the smile tugging at my lips before locking my phone screen. The whiskey Jeremy insisted on getting me sits mostly untouched, condensation pooling around the bottom. The bass of the music makes the glass shake slightly, and strobes of light reflect off the melting ice cubes.
Across from me, my brother is entirely in his element, teeth shining in the darkness as he grins at the waitress lingering at the edge of our circular booth. The staff greeted him when we walked in and escorted us to his “usual table” within seconds.
I’d stepped back from Jeremy’s opioid recovery a long time ago. Between shielding him from the press, running Wells, trying to get him professional help, and fending off my father, who often fueled the problem, I’d burned out completely. I had nothing left to give either of them. After some convincing from Natalie, I decided to wash my hands of it the day Jeremy checked into that last rehab facility in California and was officially in their care.
