Easton, and Xavier. They were waving their hands at me, thrashing, trying to keep their heads above water.
And I just sat behind the wheel and slowly watched as they drowned…
“Wake up, darling… this isn’t a fucking sleepover…”
My eyes opened and I gasped for a breath.
I jumped up and smashed my head right into Talon’s head.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned.
I fell back down to the step and I blinked fast, watching him sit on the second step, rubbing his forehead.
Pain ached through my head.
“Shit, Talon,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“Damn, darling, you have a forehead made of metal,” he said.
I threw the blanket off me and moved toward him.
“Let me see,” I said.
I grabbed his face and looked at his forehead.
My eyes quickly gravitated to his eyes.
Blame the drinks or the sleep (or fucking Gia for all she had said) but I had the sudden urge to kiss Talon.
My mouth closed in on his and he touched my sides and lifted me up and sat me back down on the top step.
“That’ll cost more, darling,” he said with a grin.
“What?”
“The goods,” he said. He pointed to himself. “But everything is negotiable.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I said.
I put my hands to my face and dug the palms of my hands into my eyes.
What the fuck is wrong with you, Winter?
I wasn’t sure… or maybe I was. Maybe I was alone. Afraid. Maybe I wanted to feel safe and protected. Maybe seeing Noah showing off his power and his sexiness was hard to handle. And on top of that, this lying shit…
“What did you want me for?” Talon asked.
I moved my hands and hurried to stand up.
That’s right…
I looked at him and I gritted my teeth.
I wound up and threw my right hand to slap Talon across the face.
He caught my wrist before I could slap him.
He grinned and pulled me toward him.
And he kissed me.
I punched his chest and broke the kiss.
I then hit the second step of the deck awkwardly and twisted my ankle and fell to my butt.
“Ouch,” I said.
Talon stepped down a few steps and didn’t offer to help me one bit.
“You okay?” he asked.
“My ass hurts.”
“Want me to rub it, darling?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“What?”
I climbed back to my feet and stayed up on the steps so I was higher than Talon.
“What you did… what was that?”
“I’m lost here, Winter.”
“I paid you. And you go and beat someone up?”
“Oh. That. What’s your point?”
“This is crazy,” I said. “This is done. I want nothing to do with it anymore, Talon. Okay? And that includes you. Just go back to where all the Trocs are and stay there.”
“Yeah? And what if I don’t want to?”
“You have no choice.”
“Oh, there’s a choice, darling. What if I make a few calls and word gets around that Winter Seacrum can remember everything?”
“I’ll deny it.”
“A lie in a lie, huh?”
“Sure. I can handle it.”
“You think you can,” Talon said. “I know who to call to light this thing on fire. And let’s be real for a second…” Talon stepped up a step and was eye level with me. “If I make the call… word gets around…”
He stopped and smirked.
“What? Get to your point, Talon.”
“If they even think for a second you remember a thing…”
Talon let his words fall off.
Chills moved through my body.
Then he made a move at me, coming closer, brushing his lips to my cheek.
“Sleep tight, Winter,” he whispered.
He turned and hurried down the steps to the beach and left.
I shook my head.
No way… that wouldn’t… they wouldn’t…
But they would.
Talon was right.
If Noah, Easton, and Xavier thought I had my memory back and remembered what they did to me, then what? What would they do then? My cover would be blown. My lies would be harder to keep up. And no matter what, I’d be in danger.
I gritted my teeth and hurried down the steps to go after Talon.
I caught up to him as he walked along the side of the house.
I grabbed for the hood of his hoodie and pulled.
He instantly stopped.
“Your plan didn’t work,” I said. “That’s why I wanted to slap you. That’s why I want this to stop. I’ll figure something out. I’ll go to the police and get things figured out. Or I can just talk to the guys. Let them know it’s done and over with.”
Talon turned to face me.
“I never took you to be weak, Winter,” Talon said.
“You don’t know me,” I said. “You think you do, but you don’t.”
“I know you,” he said. “You’re