Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“You look like you’re going to be sick.” I laughed.
Ash shook his head. “Bro, if I have to listen to her talk about school, or plants, or insects one more time…”
“She’s smart!” Serena argued, winking at me.
“Yeah, man,” I agreed. “Smart women like smart men, you should be flattered. You know, since you’re an idiot.”
“And I’m going.” Ash ignored us and followed Breaker out the door, leaving Serena and me in a weird staring war.
If I looked away, did that mean I lost or won?
I swallowed and stared her down.
She bit down on her bottom lip and then blurted, “I want to try it.”
“What? Not bringing your knives to movie night?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, this whole… let’s be friends thing,” Her shoulders slumped. “Honestly Junior, I hate you so much—”
“Is this literally how you’re starting our friendship talk?” I burst out laughing.
And then she joined in. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Well, I guess it would be weird if you hugged me.”
“So weird.” She gulped.
Fuck, suddenly, that’s all I wanted. Her arms wrapped tight around me. The memories from our first time filled that room so deep with the past that I had trouble breathing.
“Yeah.” My voice was raspy as I took a step toward her. “And you do hate better than anyone I know.”
“Was that a compliment?” She tilted her head and smiled.
God, I used to be on the receiving end of so many of those smiles, I almost forgot how good it felt. It was like feeling the sun on your skin the first time, like experiencing life instead of death—love, not war.
“It was.” I finally said as she took another step toward me.
And then we were nearly chest to chest as she looked up at me with her bright blue eyes and silky wet hair. “Watch it; you don’t want to get soft in these next two weeks.” She poked my eight pack.
I grabbed her hand and held it. “I highly doubt being soft has ever been a problem for me, Serena.”
Her eyes darted to my mouth then away as she sighed. “Promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“I would rather you physically knock me out than let me in,” She tapped my chest with a long fingernail. “Agreed? Shields still up?”
I deflated a bit and then nodded. “Shields still up.”
“For the Family.” Her chin lifted.
I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “For the Family.”
What we both meant was, for us.
For us.
Chapter Fifteen
Serena
He was getting to me, and even though I talked a big game with my whole Avengers shields up talk, I mean seriously, did I really say shields? I shook my head. It didn’t matter; just looking at him was hard.
Being in the same room.
Knowing that all I had to do was make the choice to take a few steps and walk into his arms, knowing that Junior had never denied me his embrace, nearly killed me.
I could do this. I had survived being made; I could sure as hell survive being on friendly terms with the guy who took my virginity, right?
Easy.
I took a soothing breath and walked into the movie room. Annie and Tank had arrived about twenty minutes ago, I heard everyone joking in the kitchen but hadn’t felt ready yet, so instead, I sat in my own room and stared at myself in the mirror.
If everyone was trying for normal then I knew I needed to tone it down, so instead of wearing something scandalous or spiky heels, I went back and changed into a pair of gray joggers along with a black crop top Adidas hoody, and as much as it pained me, I grabbed a makeup wipe and removed everything but my mascara.
I looked younger, more innocent, which was almost a joke, I hadn’t been innocent in a while, and if I was being completely honest, the girl looking back at me bothered me because the girl without her lipstick looked petrified, she looked easy to wound, she looked soft.
And I couldn’t be any of those things anymore.
Especially around Junior.
But this was important to Claire, and regardless of her and Ash’s relationship, she was a friend. I never admitted it out loud, but normal, sometimes, did sound like winning the lottery.
The last time I even went to the movies without a security guard was never.
We always had suits watching us, watching everyone else, so pizza and some downtime, where I didn’t have knives strapped to my thighs, sounded kind of nice.
God help them if they ate all the pizza though, I smirked as I walked down the long hallway leading into the movie room. I didn’t need my knives to make an impression.
Laughter trickled out of the room as Claire and Annie teased Tank, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere but at my dad’s house.
He was sitting between them with a piece of pepperoni pizza held up to his face, his gaze darting between the girls as they talked about something that he obviously didn’t find interesting.