Page 26 of Silent Girl

“You look like you just rolled out of bed. A man’s bed,” Vinny grunts.

“I wish I did. Unfortunately, I didn’t. So don’t fret. You can go on about your day, pretending I’m an innocent little virgin who’ll never get laid,” I say, walking past him and into my apartment.

“I’m not pretending, Lia. You are a virgin,” Vinny says from behind me.

I roll my eyes. Not that he can see me. “Whatever, Vinny. I don’t have time for this today. I have shit to do. And that shit doesn’t include dealing with your overbearing ways.”

“Why are you here? And why the fuck do you think you can touch my sister?” I hear Vinny ask Liam.

“He’s here because Dad wants me to fix him. And he wasn’t touching me.”

“I heard what you said, Lia. You told him to stop touching you.”

“I was being dramatic. Do you really think I’d bring anyone up to my apartment who was touching me in a way I didn’t want?” I ask Vinny.

“I’m going to assign some guys to your door, Lia. No man should be stepping foot in this apartment.”

“Oh my god, kill me now.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and call my dad.

“Aliyah, everything okay?” he answers.

“It would be better if your son wasn’t in my apartment threatening to kill your favorite player, Daddy.”

“Why is Liam King in your apartment, Aliyah?” my dad asks. Not denying that the man in question isin facthis favorite player. Anyone else would assume it’s Grayson, but my dad doesn’t work like that.

“He’s here because I picked him up on my way, and I needed to stop by home before I took him to the rink, where he’s going to be teaching the local youth league how not to be a disappointment.”

“Okay, put Vinny on the phone.”

I smirk as I hold my cell out to my brother. “Dad wants to talk to you.”

Vinny scowls at me, snatching the phone out of my hand. “Dad?... Uh-huh… Sure…”

I don’t know what Dad says to him, but my brother disconnects the call and then hands my phone back before he goes into my kitchen and starts pulling out food. “What are you doing?” I ask him.

“Dad told me I can’t leave untilhe’sout of your apartment, and I’m hungry.” Vinny shrugs.

“Oh my god, I’m changing my locks. You people are unbelievable. You know what? I’m gonna go to Vegas, get married, and get myself knocked up just to spite you all.” Liam’s eyes go wide before his lips start to twitch. “Don’t say it,” I warn him.

“Lia, if you did that, I’d slaughter the fucker and then help you raise the kid.” Vinny cuts into a tomato. He’s making himself a sandwich… and a mess of my kitchen.

“Be sure to clean up after yourself. I’m jumping in the shower. Do not kill him.” I point at Liam while addressing Vinny.

“Yeah, you were right. Dad wants him alive,” Vinny says, then adds, “For now.”

I walk down the hall to my bedroom and slam the door shut. Casper looks up from his spot on my bed before he lowers his head again and ignores me.

“Great chat, Casper.” I give him a little pat as I make my way into the bathroom.

ChapterFourteen

Ican’t say teaching youth hockey has ever been on the list of things I wanted to do. I wouldn’t have signed up for this shit if it weren’t for Aliyah forcing my hand. Although I do have to say I’d much rather be stuck in a rink with a bunch of six-year-olds who can barely stay upright on their skates than be back in her apartment with her psychotic brother.

When Aliyah went to have a shower, he made sure to explain, step by step, how he’d kill me and enjoy it if I ever so much as thought of touching his sister. It was graphic, and veryGodfather-like. It probably should have been enough to stop me from thinking about her. It wasn’t. Because even as he was explaining how he’d slowly slice into me, piece by piece while demonstrating his handiwork with a tomato and a paring knife, my mind was filled with thoughts of his sister in the shower, naked, wet, soapy. And how much fun we’d have if I were in there with her.

Shit, maybe Aliyah was right. Iamon the path to self-destruction. Even knowing what will happen to me for touching her, I want to do it. I want to touch every fucking inch of her.

I look over to where she’s seated at the side of the rink. She’s dressed in a pair of jeans and a white sweater. Light-pink gloves cover her hands and a matching scarf is wrapped around her neck. She’s completely covered from head to toe and still utterly alluring.

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