Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
She sighs through the phone. “Well promise me lunch tomorrow so we can talk properly.”
“Come back to bed!” I hear Ollie in the background.
“Sloane!” I scold her.
“Gotta go, bye!”
I laugh, shaking my head. She’s useless.
5 Unread text messages
I open my messages and go to the most recent one.
Royce: That conversation last night isn’t over.
I close his message and go to the next one.
Unknown: It’s Silver! This is my number. PS Bea was super pissed when you and Sicko left.
Unknown: Save my number, sweetie. It’s Bonnie.
Sloane: You and Royce have the longest sex buildup in history. I feel like when you both finally fuck, he’s going to accidentally kill you.
My eyes roll to the back of my head. Sloane has always shipped me and Royce. She’s crazy. Flicking open the final message, it’s another unknown number.
Unknown: Yeah, I would.
I pause, my fingers flexing over the keypad on my screen. Ignoring the other messages, out of impulse, I reply who’s this? Before working back through the previous messages. Flipping off Sloane with an emoji, saying thank you to Bonnie, sending laughing faces to Silver, and then finally I’m here on Royce’s message. My heart pounds in my chest.
Don’t.
Tossing my phone on my bed, I move through my room, gathering everything I need for a shower. Since I’ll most likely be dressed in something uncomfortable tonight, I take out some gray yoga pants, and a loose Thrasher t-shirt, it’s casual enough to lounge in. After my shower, I reach for my phone again and see three new texts.
I open Royce’s first, since he scares me most.
Royce: Be there in three minutes.
“Fuck.” I make my bed quickly while plaiting my hair in a French braid, allowing it to fall down my back. I finally go to open the next text message, but there’s a loud bang on my door. Squeezing the handle, I swing it open to Royce and Wicked.
“Really, you shouldn’t have,” I say to Royce, batting my eyelashes.
He moves me out of the way as they both enter, kicking the door closed. “Mom get you this?” Royce gestures around the room. “She really went all out on you, didn’t she?”
I squeeze my phone in my hand, my eyes flying to the photograph of me, Royce, Orson, and Storm out on the boat when we were kids. “Sure did. Guess that’s what happens when one kid leaves the other behind.”
Wicked takes a seat on the chair tucked under my desk, as quiet as ever. His silence isn’t uncomfortable. It’s easy. His presence, on the other hand, is intense.
Royce sits on my bed. “What are you doing tonight? Bonnie and Silver want you to come to hog-out.”
I peer down at my phone, knowing that the unknown number must have replied, only when I read the text that’s on my phone, my eyes fly to Wicked.
You’re staring at him.
How did Wicked get my number and does Royce know?
“Ah, I can’t. I have work. What’s a hog-out?”
“Work?” Royce’s face scrunches. “Since the fuck when do our parents let you work? It’s a BBQ, Jade.”
“She’s lying,” Wicked says, his eyes on mine.
“Am not,” I snap at Wicked. “Every Saturday, I work for our parents. What?” I shuffle uncomfortably. It’s not ideal having them both in my space, especially when I’m trying to contain the biggest secret I’ve ever held, and Wicked is too smart. Shit. Am I already showing my cards? I square my shoulders. “I run numbers for him and in return, they’re giving me all of this.”
Royce’s eyes narrow as he swipes his hand over his lips. His hair is messy, his eyes dark. “Makes no sense, Duchess. You have a trust account. You don’t need to work for all this.”
Fuck.
I shrug, falling onto my soft mattress. “Doesn’t have to make sense for it to be true.”
“What time do you finish?” he asks, standing back to his feet. “I need to put one of the brothers on you.”
“What?” I say, scowling up at him. “What do you mean you need to put one of them on me?”
Royce glares. “It means I need to make sure someone knows where you are at all times.”
“Why!” I snap. “Royce, I just started a new college, you haven’t been a part of my life in forever, and now suddenly you’re all over me like a rash.”
He laughs, but the chilling sound is like fire has being ignited down my spine. His legs hit my bed, his hands around my thighs, pulling me down while pinning my hands above my head with his.
“Royce,” I urge, flashing to Wicked. “Really.”
He turns to look over his shoulder to see Wicked. “Oh, what? him? You don’t have to worry about Wicked.”
I clench my teeth shut.
“I’m not all over you, Jade, I’m trying to make sure that you don’t fucking die, and that’s not because I give a fuck about your existence, that’s because I don’t want to turn Mom into an even worse alcoholic than what she is.”