better not be into some shady shit, or I will beat him so badly he won’t be able to sit down for a week. He forgets that I can knock his ass out. I’ve done it before. Many, many years ago. But a woman doesn’t forget how to fight. It’s like sex. Another thing I haven’t done in a while. When your body is put in that situation, it just knows what to do. Instincts take over. And cravings need to be satiated.
“What are you going to do?” Alexa asks me.
I shrug. “Not sure just yet.”
“Well …” She slaps the bar top. “How about we go out tomorrow night?”
“How is that going to help me?” I arch a brow.
“It won’t, but you need to have some fun and let loose. When was the last time you went out and had some fun?”
I sigh. “I don’t know.”
“Exactly. I have this girlfriend who’s having a party. I actually have a night off. It’ll be fun.”
“Girlfriend, huh? Have something to tell me?”
She laughs. “Trust me, April, if I was trading teams, you’d be the first one to know.” She winks at me, and I throw my head back laughing.
CHAPTER SIX
GRAVE
I LOOK OUT the oval window in my brother’s private jet. All I see are clouds, but it’s better than the judging looks he’s been giving me since he picked me up and dragged my ass onto his plane this morning.
“Here you go, Grave,” his flight attendant, Nicki, announces as she comes over to my seat. “Sure you don’t want anything, Bones?” she asks him.
He shakes his head once without even bothering to look up at her.
“Thank you,” I tell Nicki and throw it back. Setting it on the table between my brother and me, I notice his eyes on mine. Then they drop to the now empty glass. “If you didn’t want me to drink, then you shouldn’t keep your bar stocked,” I say matter-of-factly.
He runs a hand through his hair and looks away from me. He’s clearly still very pissed.
“Why are you fucking your best friend’s fiancée?” I come out and ask.
“What me and Emilee do does not concern you,” he snaps.
“My other question is why would Titan allow that?” I go on when he doesn’t say anything. “I mean, if I was engaged, I wouldn’t let you go anywhere near my pussy …”
“Enough!” he shouts.
I cross my arms over my chest and smirk at him.
“Again, what we do is none of your business,” he says in an annoyed tone.
My phone vibrates, and I look down at it to see a message from Lucy.
Lucy: I’m lonely. Come over and fuck me.
I type back a response.
Me: Can’t. Out of town.
It vibrates immediately with a sad face. I lock the screen and place it back down on the table.
“I want you to go to rehab,” Bones states.
I snort. “Stay out of my life, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
“Grave.” He sighs and looks at me. His dark blue eyes look exhausted. My brother runs too much and rarely sleeps. “I made Mom a promise.”
I throw my head back and laugh, my chest shaking. “And you’re deciding now that you want to honor it? She’s been dead for eight years, Dillan.”
“Goddammit, Grave,” he growls softly, shaking his head. “I’m trying here.”
“No, Dad is dead, so now you’re going to try to take over that role.” The truth is, he has always been more of a dad to me than our father ever was. And I owe him everything for that, but I can’t change who I am. I don’t want to change who I am.
“I can’t do this again,” he whispers.
“Do what?” I look around for Nicki. Where the fuck did she go? I told her to keep them coming when I boarded his plane. “Act like you care?”
“Of course, I care.” He slams his fist down on the table. “We buried our mother, Kyle. Now Dad …” He sighs. “Is it so awful that I don’t want to bury you too?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and avert my eyes.
“I know what you think.” He fills the awkward silence. “That Mom’s death didn’t affect me, but it did.”
I lift my eyes to look at him, and he’s staring out his window.
“I did what I had to do for you. You needed me more than ever after she passed. And I’m sorry if I did a shitty job.”
Just then, Nicki comes up to our seats and hands me another drink. I take it from