drink, swallowing down the vodka and feeling it burn a trail toward my stomach.
Her hands come to her hips and she cocks her head.
“I like this place,” she admits, her words soft. Her voice has always been deeper than most girls, in a throaty sort of way. Husky. Sensual.
Fucking sexy, just like it was when she was moaning my name.
My throat feels tight as I stare at her petite frame, think of the way I want her against me again. Underneath me. All over me. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her.
I hope she meant what she said. That I don’t have to live without her. Not again.
“Yeah?” I ask her.
She runs her tongue over her teeth, glancing around the room. There’s not much to it. The couch I’m on, a chair across from me that could seat two, a light gray color that matches Sid’s eyes. Otherwise, it’s fairly empty.
Only the basics.
Except for the extras, of course, because “basic” in Jeremiah Rain means something different from most people.
There’s AC pumping through the vents right now, and I see Sid’s nipples pebbling beneath her tank.
The little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my fingers warping the cup in my hand. I hate plastic cups, but for the cabin, they seemed…standard. Besides, Sid requested them when Ria and Nicolas had gone to the store for us.
I finish my drink, my head spinning, a little loose. The constant memories that threaten to spill into my brain like black oil across a rough sea are tucked back effortlessly now, and I reconsider this whole policy I have about never drinking too much. With Sid…I’m reconsidering every fucking thing.
But I think, too, about grabbing the backpack from my room and rolling a joint.
Because my free hand is resting on my thigh, but it seems the alcohol has made my tremor worse. I have to consciously press my palm against my thigh to keep it from shaking. Luckily, Sid’s eyes haven’t left mine.
She’s still staring at me, a slight smile on her lips.
I think about her beneath me. How she let me cut her.
How she let me own her.
Was that a one-time thing? Can we do it again so soon?
Does she really love me? Will she run back to him?
I lean over, set my cup on the coffee table at her back. Her eyes trail over my body, that pale pink flush on her cheeks again. She bites her lip as I lean back, resting both hands on my thighs.
“Come here,” I tell her, jerking my head toward my lap. “Come sit with your brother.”
That pink flush turns a deeper red and she drops her hands from her hips, her fingers flexing and curling at her sides. She’s bouncing on the balls of her feet, and I know she’s fighting back.
But we both know now, now that I have her, she only has me to run to. She might as well make it a habit.
She lifts up her hand, her eyes tracking over her palm.
I tense, knowing what she sees.
My throat feels dry as her eyes finally shift up to mine again, the dim light of the living room enough to see the confusion warring in the silver pools of her gaze.
I tamp down on my rage. Refuse to look at that gun in the kitchen. At the knife on the island, still bloody.
“You thinking about him?” I demand.
Her throat bobs, but fire flashes in her eyes. “Jeremiah, don’t start—”
“Where’s your ring, baby?” I ask her, my voice hoarse.
Her palm is still up, but now she curls her fingers into a fist, her jaw clenched. I know what she’s thinking.
She’s pissed.
I enjoy it.
I sit up straighter, elbows on my knees, my eyes locked on hers. “Where’s your fucking ring? You tasted his blood,” my skin crawls with those words, my ribcage too tight, but I keep talking anyway, keep barreling past the pain, “he got yours.” Just like I did, now, fucker. “Where’s your goddamn ring?”
She swallows, drops her hand, her eyes narrowing. “I didn’t want a ring,” she whispers, her words a hiss, full of venom, but I think she’s lying.
I tell her just that. “You’re a fucking liar, baby. You’ve always been a liar. A runner too.” I glance toward the door, over her shoulder. “But you’re not running now. After I just ate you alive. Why is that?”
She sinks her teeth into her full bottom lip, holding my gaze as she does, wrapping her arms around