Series: Like Us Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
I follow to the door that leads to the garage. She twists the knob. “That’s weird,” she mutters. “I think it’s stuck.” She rams her shoulder against the door while turning, but it doesn’t budge.
“Let me try.”
She lets me pass. I give it a good turn with half my brute strength, and the entire brass knob breaks off the door as it swings open.
I’m about to congratulate myself.
But I freeze. Oh fuck.
Her parents are going at it.
Luna whirls around, her forehead to my chest, but she’s also shielding her eyes with her palms. I hug her against me, about to draw her back into the kitchen.
“OhmygodLo!” Lily shrieks on the hood of the parked Bugatti.
Loren Hale has his hand down the front of Lily’s leggings. He peers over his shoulder, curses, and then tries to catch Lily, but she bolts for the shelf of paper towels. Ducking out of sight.
I’m pulling Luna out of the garage, and we return to the empty kitchen together. Luna is hiding in her Eagles jersey.
She only hides in her shirt when she’s extremely upset, and my stomach knots. “Where’d my sad alien go?”
“To the land of shame.”
“Fuck that,” I curse and toss the broken knob on the counter. Swiftly, I pick her up, and her legs wrap around my waist. I join Luna under her jersey. It’s dark, and her nipples poke at her thin, lacey white bra. I can feel the heat radiating between her legs. But I don’t focus on it.
Glitter sparkles the corners of her eyes. She holds the back of my neck. “This feels a lot like karma.”
Could be. I try to read her face. “You alright?” She looks swallowed by remorse, and all we did was try to open a door.
“I feel really guilty,” Luna murmurs. “Like I’m setting my mom back in recovery for her sex addiction and I keep setting her back.”
“Have you talked to her about it?”
“No, but…” Her face contorts in several anguished emotions.
“Luna, Luna.” I slide my hand off her lower back and up to her cheek. “Why are you beating yourself up about this?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt her.”
“You’ve gotta talk to her ‘cause I don’t think she’d want you to feel like this either.”
Luna fights back tears, then nods repeatedly. “Okayokay.”
I kiss her lightly on the lips, then pull my head out of her jersey. She slides down my chest, her feet thudding to the floorboards. Someone walks into the kitchen, and we’re no longer alone.
Her parents have arrived. Lily is beet-red and half-hidden behind Lo’s back.
Her dad’s glare is deadly. “The door was locked, Paul.”
I point to the broken knob. “We thought it was stuck.”
“I thought it was stuck,” Luna clarifies, her voice shaky. My concern flares, but she steps out toward Lily. “Mom, I’m really, really sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Lily sounds out of breath like she ran a marathon. “It’s okay. Luna?”
Luna wipes at the sudden tears streaming down her face.
It’s crushing me. Seeing her cry.
“No, don’t cry,” Lily rushes out to her daughter, and they immediately embrace in a tight hug. “It’s not your fault. It’snotyourfault.”
Lo’s glower softens on them. “We didn’t know you were dating the goddamn Hulk.”
“Me neither.” Luna sniffs, rubbing at her eyes. Her voice sounds a little brighter. “I’ll still love him when he turns green.”
I smile, but honestly, I hope I’m never consumed with that much rage. I’ve already been struggling to rid this bubbling hatred toward my family. It’s been surfacing since she got kidnapped.
Lo doesn’t like what she said. His glare returns tenfold. Attention back on me. “You,” he says. “Come with me.”
“Knew we’d make it to third base at some point.” It’s supposed to lighten the air.
Her dad sucks at scavenger hunts because he can’t find the humor in this one. He’s locked his glare on me like I’m the target of NASA’s ballistic missiles. “Paul—”
Luna jumps in, “We were going to talk to Mom together. That’s why we went in the garage.”
“Let them talk,” Lo tells me. “You’re going to help me with the burgers.” It’s not a question. No room to put up a fight.
Not when I just caught him fingering his wife.
36
PAUL DONNELLY
Luna’s dad takes out burgers from the fridge and a jacket off a chair. I avoid the stares from the living room as we head to the backyard. My neck strains from trying to see the score on our way out.
I think I saw a 7. Maybe an 8.
Can’t even worry about the game when Lo looks ready to throw me on the grill with the beef. He puts on a red fleece jacket while my nipples perk from the cold. Didn’t think to bring a coat. Knew this would be an indoor shindig and whatnot.
Lo and I are the only two souls on the back patio. Steam rises off the heated pool, the water glowing blue, and the trees and fence are coated in an icy layer of snow.