Page 32 of Lost Boy

As I squeeze my eyes shut, I remember the way her lips parted and her eyes fluttered when she came. Her back arched while she lost control, giving herself all to me. Some details might bemissing or blurry, but I know for sure that I ate her like my last meal right before we had sex.

But you can’t have sex with girls like Haley without consequences. She isn’t like that. She’s going to get attached. Hell, she already was attached—I could tell by the way she looked at me.

There’s only one thing I can do right now—get out of here before she wakes up and pretend it never happened. Because it can’t happen again even if I want it to. The closer she gets to me, the more she’ll learn how truly, deeply fucked up I really am.

Everyone has a few demons, but I’m fucking filled with them. And angels like her aren’t built for disasters like me.

I don’t want to be the demise of Haley Thompson. But if I let her get too close to me, that’s exactly what is going to happen.

Haley

The second I wake up, I yank my comforter over my face to shield my eyes from the unwelcoming sunlight that’s overflowing into the room through the window. I groan before a yawn rips through me, and I stretch just as a painful stabbing sensation hits me right in my temples.

“Shit,” I mutter, my voice hoarse.

I try to form a thought, but everything is foggy. However, the soreness between my legs somehow sharpens my memory, and unless I had the world’s greatest dream, it seems I hooked up with Cade last night.

But as I pull my covers down, looking at the empty side of my bed, I wonder,Where the hell did he go?

Did he take off right after it happened?

Because I only remember bits and pieces of the entire thing.

Him going down on me. Him yanking his jeans down before climbing over me as I begged him to—I cringe—fuck me.

I vaguely remember my orgasm because I recall thinking about how I’ve been missing out, never before having such an intense orgasm until now. But I don’t know what happened after that.

Did we cuddle? Did he run away? Did he just slip out to make coffee and he plans to come right back to bed?

And mostly … does this change anything between us? Or did he really mean it when he said it could only be one night?

All questions I don’t have an answer for.

After lying here for another ten minutes, I decide to go take a shower. I have homework to do today, and I also need to get groceries at some point. So, tossing my blankets from my body, I trudge toward the bathroom.

Seeing no sign of Cade anywhere.

I sit at the counter with my giant bowl of sugary cereal. Poking my spoon at it, but not shoveling it in like I normally do. Because no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about last night. Details slowly make their way into my mind one at a time as flashbacks of Cade appear like a slideshow. His touch, his kiss, and the way he looked at me. When I see these flashbacks, they don’t seem like a typical hookup. The way his eyes burned intomine is far from just ordinary. But he left. And that speaks volumes about how much he doesn’t feel the same.

My brother’s first down the stairs, and I wonder when he even got home. He holds his hand up and waves as he trudges toward the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water. I don’t bother asking where he was last night because I don’t want to tell him where I was either.

“Sup?” he says, tipping the bottle up and downing the entire thing.

“Not much, just having breakfast before I bust into some homework.” I pause. “I’m heading to the grocery store later. Can you think of anything you need?”

“Can you grab me some chips?” Watson calls, appearing out of nowhere. “Oh, and I’ll give you money for a steak. I’m craving one bad.”

“I’ll chip in too.” Hunter nods in agreement. “T-bone, please.”

“Rib eye for me.” Watson grins, turning his head toward Cade as he rounds the corner from the stairs, strutting into the kitchen. “Cade, what kind of steak do you want? Haley’s going to the store,” Watson says, and I hear the excitement in his voice. “We’re grilling and chilling tonight.”

I turn to glance at Cade, but he looks anywhere but at me. Avoiding my gaze like it could kill him dead in his steps or something.

“Oh shit. I, uh … have to rehearse with Poppy tonight. Sorry, fellas.” He clears his throat nervously. “Sorry, Haley.”

Just him calling meHaleyand not his usual, obnoxiousHaley babyinstantly proves to me that he’s dodging me and trying to act indifferent.

“We’re all rehearsing tonight,” my brother says, frowning. “Can’t you just practice with Poppy before dinner?”

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