The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,32
Hendersons likely suspected that whenever Lou ran away from home, it was to be with me. That was only mostly true. Sometimes, she ran away to get my attention if only to assure herself that I was still alive though she would never admit to it. Lou knew I’d always go hunting. And even though she never said it, I knew Lou also ran away whenever she was beginning to feel content. She didn’t want to let her guard down only to be abandoned again. Regret knotted in my throat, making it hard to breathe.
Remorse was an even harder pill to swallow.
“Like I said,” I retorted after shaking off the useless feelings, knowing I couldn’t change her past…or mine, “I’m sure you’re to blame.”
She blinked those big sparkling blues at me in disbelief. “For being innocent?”
“For convincing them that you are,” I replied although it wasn’t entirely fair. Despite the scars hardening her heart, Lou’s soul remained unblemished.
“Trust me,” she scoffed. “It’s the last thing I want anyone to think. I might as well put a ‘kick me’ sign on my back.”
I lifted a brow. “You’re worried about not looking cool?”
“Why, of course,” she replied good-naturedly. “I have a rep to protect.” I watched her plop down on her bed and lean back on her elbows with a smile. I knew she was full of shit. Lou never cared what anyone thought of her. She was happy to let people judge her as long as their assumptions kept them far away from her.
No, Lou was worried about being vulnerable.
“Get up,” I ordered her.
“Why? I’m comfortable.”
Of course, she then flipped onto her stomach, giving me an unobstructed view of her pert little ass in those tiny white shorts. They molded to her hips and thighs so well they might as well have been white cotton panties—the crest for virgins, a symbol understood by any red-blooded male, no matter what language he spoke.
I looked in time to see her peeking at me over her shoulder, and my cock went rogue, stirring in my jeans at the sight of that coquettish smile.
Jesus, fuck. I felt sweat beading around my hairline. Did she have any fucking clue how inviting she looked?
“I need to shower.” And thanks to Lou, it would have to be a cold one.
She frowned, and I saw genuine confusion etched all over her soft features. “And you need me to…what? Wash your back?”
I palmed my face, letting my hand slowly slide down. How could I even for a second think this girl wasn’t innocent? She had no idea what that kind of offer sounded like to a man with a hard dick and blue balls.
If she got in that shower with me—if she touched me at all—I’d forget the fact that she was my best friend, underage, and a virgin. I’d push her against the wall and pound the shit out of her until the tile broke and the water turned to ice.
And even then, I might not stop.
“If the Hendersons come home, it’s wise if they think you’re the one showering.”
Her mouth formed a perfect O as color filled her cheeks. “You want me to come with you?”
“That would be wise.”
“Wise?” she echoed. “I’m not so sure about that.” She seemed to think it over before whining, “Can’t you just shower when you go home?”
“What’s the big deal, Lou? I’m not asking you to jump in with me.”
“You’ll be naked, and I’ll see,” she squeaked, sounding just like a mouse. I bet if Lou were under the covers, she’d be clutching them under her chin as if she were the one naked.
“Don’t you have curtains?”
“What about when you undress? Or when you get out?” she interrogated.
I didn’t answer her because I’d already lost my patience. Stalking across the room, I ignored her squeal as I bent low and tossed her ass over my shoulder. “Quiet.”
She had no choice but to do as I said when I opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the empty hall. The house was small, and the walls were thin, so I usually waited until they’d all gone to sleep to sneak inside Lou’s bedroom, but after two weeks of being away, there was no way I could wait for night to fully fall.
Creeping down the hall on silent feet, I didn’t dare take a breath. The Hendersons would be home any minute from work or Bible study or whatever the hell it was that kept them gone and out of my hair. I