Page 42 of Dirty Love

“What’s wrong?” I ask, struggling not to panic when I catch the look in his eyes.

It’s fear, and it scares the shit out of me.

He takes my face in his hands and runs his thumb over the side of my neck, leaning over me like he’s trying to shield me from the outside world and everyone in it. “Keep this covered and stay away from Jasper,” he says quietly, leaving absolutely no room for argument. “Stay away from everyone, you hear me?”

I nod rapidly and swallow the lump in my throat, fisting my collar to hide the hickey he just gave me. “Okay.”

CHAPTER 17

KADE

It’s storming outside tonight, so bad they’ve had to close the main road leading out of town thanks to a fallen tree that almost hit a moving car. The fights were called off considering we can’t get to the woods without being seen by the cops manning the roadblock, our dad being one of them, but I don’t mind.

I like storms.

They remind me of Mom and Nicky and blankets and hot chocolate, freezing cold nights on the couch in front of the shitty fireplace, the three of us curled up together while we ate popcorn and watched movies.

I take my headphones out so I can hear the rain beating against the window, leaning back on my bed to finish typing up this essay I have due on Monday. I manage to get a few more sentences written, but I can’t help the way my eyes keep drifting to the bathroom door on my left, my heart sinking a little further every time I think about what I did to him at school the other day.

I need to be more careful with him.

Fuck that.

I need to stop touching him, right now before he gets caught with my goddamn mark on his neck.

I don’t think anyone saw it, but still, that was fucking stupid.

Unable to concentrate with this awful mix of feelings rushing through me, I abandon my essay and stand up to walk to the bathroom. I know I shouldn’t, because I need to stop, but my body’s moving by itself and I don’t have it in me to fight it any longer.

I’m so sick of fighting.

I push the door open and squint at the thick cloud of steam filling the room, frowning when Nicky curses and drops the little black pencil he’s holding. His hair’s still wet and the water’s still running, but he’s not in the shower like I thought he was—like he tried to fool me into thinking he was.

Fully clothed in a pair of sweats and a hoodie, he bends down to grab what he dropped and stashes it beneath the screwed up towel next to the sink, tucking his chin down to his chest to hide his face from me.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t… y-you’re supposed to be writing,” he stammers, blindly reaching over to grab a couple tissues from the side. “Did you finish alread—

“Look at me.”

He shakes his head no and I reach over to turn the shower off, slowly walking over to him to press my hips to his. I trap him between me and the counter and take his jaw with one hand, raising a brow when he tightens it, locking it up to ensure his head stays down. I’m stronger than he is, though, and it barely takes any effort at all to overpower him. I push his head back with a little more force than necessary and study his pale face, my mood quickly shifting from wary to infuriated when I spot the black shit covering his eyes. My own eyes darken and I dig my fingers into his jaw, my nostrils flaring at the sight of my little brother wearing fucking makeup.

“What is that?”

“It’s—” he cuts off, his cheeks burning with embarrassment and shame. “It’s eyeliner.”

“I know what it is, Nicky,” I grit out, unable to control my temper. “Why the fuck is it on your face?”

He doesn’t answer that, and it’s only now I realize how hard he’s shaking, holding his breath as he white knuckles the edge of the counter either side of him.

She had pretty eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out, but I’m already losing it, ripping my fingers through his hair to pull his mouth up to mine.

“Mine.”

He whimpers and I feed him my tongue, sliding my other hand beneath his waistband, squeezing his ass to rub him against me. Feeling his cock thicken through the thick layers of our clothes, I shove his leg out with my knee and drag his thigh up to my hip, grinding on him and dry fucking him into the counter.

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