Page 46 of Reckless Rebel

He looks away with a huff and I don’t expect a response, Linc isn’t exactly known for being talkative, but then he turns back to me and takes a step forward. “I do that because I can’t bear the thought of you getting desperate enough that you go searching for it,” he states. “I do it so I don’t have to worry about you ending up dead in a ditch somewhere because you picked a fight with the wrong fucking person. I do it so Elle doesn’t have to attend one more funeral and you don’t have to see the look in her eyes if she really knew how bad things were.” He moves until he is right in front of me before he adds, “I do it because despite everything that has happened, you are my family.”

My eyes drop to the floor unable to hold his stare, that is probably the most I have ever heard him speak in one go, and all of it was because he cares about me, and all I have done is treat him like shit. There is nothing I can say to him to make things better so I simply reply, “I’m not starting anything, she has a boyfriend.”

He raises his eyebrows having witnessed what I did earlier between Rick and Riley. “Jace she is asleep in your bed.”

I shrug, “It’s not a big deal.”

He laughs with a little shake of his head, “Jace, there is only one girl who has ever slept in your bed. It is a big deal.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, just turns and walks away.

When I get back to my room, Riley hasn’t moved, she is still sleeping peacefully in my sheets and as I watch the rise and fall of her chest I realize how truly fucked I really am. Never in my life have I wanted a girl who I not only couldn't have, but who didn’t want me back. I am used to girls throwing themselves at me, fighting one another for my attention and pleasure, now the one girl I actually find myself wanting more and more, doesn’t give a shit about me. Which is good, she shouldn’t want me back, I’m not worthy of it, she is too good, too pure, and I don’t want to drown her in my self pity and allow her light to be lost to my darkness.

I decide not to sleep, I can’t, not with her here, in my bed. It’s better I’m awake and watching her, than asleep and disturbing her with my nightmares. So I toss back some Adderall and perch myself on my window seat and think of all the ways I keep fucking up, and all the people I let down. How long before Riley becomes one of them?

24

Riley

Warmth is the first feeling I detect as I rouse from sleep, the second is the pounding in my head. Christ, how much did I drink last night? I don’t even remember getting home, and that is not like me at all. I should probably get up and make sure I have everything ready to leave later, but my bed is extra comfortable today for some reason. An unfamiliar scent surrounds me and as I inhale deeply I realize how much I like it. I wonder if my mom has been using a new detergent. I’ll have to ask her.

The door bursts open and I ready myself to scold Sofia, but then a voice I don’t recognize hits my ear, “Jaceeeee, Mommy said it’s almost time for breakfast.” My eyes snap open as soon as I hear his name, and my stare lands on a small blond girl who stops speaking the moment she spots me. “Who’s that girl in your bed?”

“That’s Riley, I told you about her,” Jace answers casually, and my eyes flick to where his voice came from and I find him sans shirt and walking towards the little intruder. “And I thought your mom told you that you had to knock.” He tells her with the same smile I see him give Sofia.

The little girl smiles right back, “Yeah but daddy told me the world is mine and I can go wherever I want.” She closes the gap between them, lifts her arms in the air and he picks her up easily.

He grunts, “Sounds about right for him.” His eyes finally find their way to mine and the smile he gives me should be illegal. One of his muscular arms holds the little girl firmly in place as the other pushes through his loose blond hair. “Morning, Red.”

I sit up slowly and feel his eyes tracking my every move, “Erm, morning.” I look from him to the little girl who is also still staring at me. “Who's this?”

"I'm Cassie," she replies before Jace can even open his mouth, and I smile.

She’s beautiful and my mind is reeling with wonder about who she is, "It's nice to meet you Cassie, I'm Riley."

"Why are you in Jace’s bed?" She asks innocently, my blush is instant.

I swing my eyes to meet him, and cock my head. "I'd like to know the answer to that myself."

Jace hesitates before dropping his eyes to the little girl. “Cass, go and find your mom and tell her we’ll be down soon, okay?”

She smiles up at him, “Okay!” He drops her to the floor and ruffles her hair like I see him sometimes do with Fia, and then she rushes back out of the door.

I watch her leave and then let my eyes track around the room as I take in my surroundings. A large bed frame, all matching furniture, intricate art on the walls of what look like abstract waterfalls, and then a photo board filled with snaps of Jace and a bunch of other people, some of them I recognize and some I don’t, but the one that stands out the most is the one I took of him and Sofia a few weeks ago that I sent to him. He actually kept it and printed it for what I am presuming is his room.

“There’s water and pain meds on the side for you.” His voice cuts into my appraisal of his room and I find him shifting slightly from foot to foot. I turn to the side and tentatively reach out to grab them, tossing back two painkillers with a large swirl of water.

“What happened last night?” Different images clash together in my head in a messy blur of memories. Flirting with Jace, the bathroom with Rick, the arguing. How the hell did I end up here?

“You fell asleep in the car so I brought you here instead of driving you all the way home.” I start to panic, daylight is pouring through the curtains so I know it’s hours past my 1am curfew. God my dad is going to kill me. “I texted Gerry to let him know so he didn’t worry.”

“You texted my dad?” Even I can hear the shock and panic in my tone, I’ve never been one to stay out and I have never missed curfew ever.

Jace shrugs. “Yeah, it was no big deal, he said it was fine.”

“He said it was fine? Fine that I didn’t come home, that I stayed out, that I stayed in your bed, with you? Oh god where did you sleep?” I can hear my voice getting higher as the smile on his face grows.

“Relax, Riles, you had my bed all to yourself.” His flirty tone doesn’t calm me as it usually does, instead I think about the amount of girls who he must have had here.

I dive from the bed before I can second guess myself. “Oh god, please tell me you have changed the sheets since your last erm,” I pause trying to find an appropriate word. “Sleepover,” I add on with a cringe.

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