“She’s beyond complicated! She’s nuts.”
“She has issues she’s working on. We all want you here. What about Dad, Colt, and Liv? We need you,” Aiden practically pleads.
“What about what I need? I need my sister to be here with me. I miss my job and my friends.”
“It’ll take time—”
“No, this is being forced on me. The only reason I’m here is because she threatened to send investigators after my family. My dad—”
“That’s the only reason you’re here?” Aiden snaps, his nostrils flaring. “I told you I’d talk to her about it, but you said not to. You didn’t care about getting to know us?” He angrily shakes his head. “Fine—”
“Aiden—”
“No, you should go. Tilly should still get to go to England though.” He turns to her. “I’ll fund the school for you even if my mom changes her mind.” He glances at his phone as it lights up. “Test came back, same as before, not that you care.”
He barrels out the door, and Tilly screams at me to get out of her room.
“Aiden!” Casey hollers, but Aiden doesn’t look back.
Nick looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t as I push past him to go to my room. I grab my clothes from the back of the closet, shoving them into my duffle bag but the hangers are still on, so it’s a big fucking mess. I sink to the floor, sitting cross-legged and drop my face into the palms of my hands as a stupid tear breaks free.
Chapter 22
It doesn’t take long until my face is covered in salty wetness, and I’m a blubbering mess. I hate fighting with Tilly. I hate that she thinks that shit about me. I hate I’m here and not at home.
Feeling someone’s presence as they slip into my room, I glance up and see Nick standing above me. I can barely see him through my teary eyes. My mom always encouraged crying, but I fucking hate it. It makes me feel like a weak bitch.
“Everything’s screwed up. Nora doesn’t believe I’m Anna, and she’s trying to change me into something I’m not. I wish my mom was here. I wish she’d never gotten into her car or the idiot who smashed into her hadn’t been drinking.” Tears roll down my face. I know if my mom was here, things would be better. I hate the jerk who ended her life. He got a slap on the wrist because he knew people in high places. I should have taken my revenge to the next level but I was lucky I didn’t get caught doing what I did.
Nick drops down next to me. He pulls me against his side and then gently brings my head down to his shoulder. His arm moves behind my back to land on my hip. The comfort he’s providing feels better than crying alone, so I lean into him and bring my knees to my chest. He’s patient while every single tear is released.
“I’m really her. I wasn’t sure, but I’m Anna. I thought the second test might say otherwise.” I wipe my nose. “This is so weird. I never would have thought it.” My stomach flutters anxiously. Aiden, Colt, and Liv are my siblings. I kind of like the idea of that. My family is so small. I have a twin fucking brother. I have a twin brother who is pissed off at me.
“It was hard to believe because you didn’t want to be her,” Nick says.
I nod my head against his shoulder and then groan. “I’m eighteen again. I was so close to being twenty-one.”
“Yep, you’re practically a baby,” he teases. “I think we all pictured the reunion going differently, but we didn’t take into consideration that you would have a family and a whole life you liked. We didn’t expect you to be thriving.”
I wipe the tears from my face. “I wouldn’t say thriving, but yeah, I liked my life for the most part.”
“What’s something you would have changed about it?”
I think for a moment. “Besides my mom’s death, college. I took the first semester off, and I’ve been trying to go since. Something always came up.”
“I heard John offered to get you in. You don’t want to start with Aiden?”
“My dad,” I say, still tucked against Nick’s side. “He’s in Tennessee. When he gets out of rehab, he’ll want Tilly and I home with him.”
“Is your dad rooted in Tennessee? Do you think he’d move?”
“Like to California? I don’t know.” I pull at my lip ring. That hadn’t crossed my mind. If my dad was in California, maybe I could give getting to know the Westlings a shot. Everyone besides Nora seems in it for the long haul. My shoulders feel lighter with the thought of giving in.
“Why don’t you take it day by day. Don’t plan too far ahead. You could take online classes next semester, so you can live anywhere.” He pulls a bag of weed and papers from his back pocket. “And I have just the thing to help you relax.”
Lifting my head from his shoulder, I laugh. “It’s only noon. I’m not ready to be rendered unconscious.”
He chuckles. “This isn’t the same shit.” He pulls out papers and rolls a nice sized joint. “Ladies first.” He hands it to me.
The door flies open and Casey barrels in. “Hey!” He plucks the joint from my fingers. “Remember, it’s my turn to have quality time with Hayley.”
Nick laughs. “Last night was your night. You forfeited.”
“No. Last night was the party.” He puts the joint to his lips only to frown and hand it back to me. “You can go first. You look pretty rough there, princess.”
Nick hands me a lighter, and Casey drops down on my other side. I light up, taking a few hits and then pass it to Casey.
“Damn, your room is messy,” Casey says, passing the weed to Nick. “Total opposite of Aiden.”
I scan my room. Clothes and shoes are scattered around the floor. My purse is on a chair in the corner and the dresser is covered with hair products, makeup, and maybe a little trash. “Whatever. I like it like this.” I take the weed from Nick and hit it a couple times. My worries are already melting away.
Casey blows out a cloud of smoke. “Don’t worry, Hayley. Things will work out. It was fate that brought you back, and fate has a way of making things fall into place.”
I take the joint from him. “I don’t believe in fate.”
Casey scoffs. “You shouldn’t say that. You’re going to piss it off.”
I laugh. “Yeah, right.” I cup my hands over my mouth. “Do you hear me, fate? I don’t believe in you, but on the slim chance you’re real, I challenge you.”
“Oh shit,” Casey whispers. “Like to a duel? You’re challenging fate to fight?”
“I’m challenging it to whatever. It’s not real, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Do you think aliens are real?”
I lean my head against the mattress behind me. “Yeah.”
“Me too,” Casey says, sinking to the floor where he sprawls out on his back. “I watched this alien show before. They talked about government cover-ups and shit. It seemed legit.”
Nick moves to the bathroom, and I lower myself to the floor next to Casey. “I saw some weird lights in the sky before. It wasn’t a plane. Either it was some secret government drone, or it was aliens.”
“Hell ya.” Casey laughs. “For real, though. I’d piss my pants if I ever saw an alien.”
“Why do you always talk about aliens when you get high?” Nick asks, sprawling out on the floor.
He’s inches away from me and staring up at the painting. He’s so perfect that he could be a painting come to life.
“It was that or kiss her.” Casey laughs. “I see the way you look at her, so I figured aliens were safer.” Casey rolls his head to the side to meet my eyes. “He’s got it bad for you.”
“Shut the fuck up, Casey. This is why nobody likes smoking with you,” Nick says, reaching his arm over me to jab Casey in the ribs.
“You weren’t supposed to be here, ass. You’re butting in on my bonding time with Hayley.”
“Can you two shut up. You’re ruining my buzz.” I point at the painting above us. “Focus on the ceiling. Who do you think painted that?” The longer I stare at it, the more details I see. One angel has a scroll behind his b
ack and a little smirk on his face. That angel is up to something.
Casey’s phone chimes, and he sits up. “Hell ya. Gabby from the party wants to meet up.”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” I ask.
He types something out on his phone. “We aren’t exclusive. Too busy for that shit. She’s on a world tour right now. I’ll see her in a few months.” Staring at his phone, he grins. “Looks like we’ll have to bond later, princess.” He gets to his feet and lightly kicks Nick’s foot. “Don’t have too much fun without me.” Laughing, he shuffles out the door.
My lips feel tingly and then numb.
“You know what’s a weird word? Numb,” I say, making sure to pronounce the b. “I know the b is supposed to be silent but that’s dumb.” I laugh. “Numb and dumb.”
“Everywhen.” Nick says.
“What?”
“Everywhen is a weird word. It means always. Nobody ever uses it.”
I lift my head from the floor. He’s staring up at the ceiling, his brown hair messier than usual. “I don’t know. I kinda like that one.”
“If you say it fast, it sounds like everyone.” Nick grins and moves to a sitting position with his elbows propped on his bent knees. “Everywhen, everywhen, everywhen. See, it sounds like everyone.”
“Wait, you weren’t saying everyone?” I ask, sitting up and gazing into his bloodshot and glossy eyes.
Nick chuckles. “No, I was saying everywhen.”
“Everywhen. Oh, yeah. I like that one. How would you use it in a sentence?”
Nick wets his bottom lip as he thinks. “If someone was to ask me how often I think about sex, I’d say everywhen.”
We both bust up laughing. His laugh is deep and sexy.
“That’s my new favorite word. It’s better than numb.” I rub my ears. “That was some good weed. My ears are burning. My ears everywhen burn when I smoke good weed. Did I use it right?”
He chuckles. “Yeah. I think so.”
“Thanks for the smoke. I feel better.”
He strokes my hair. “I got your back, Hayley Anna. Everywhen.”
The way his lips move when he says everywhen, makes me want to run my tongue over them and then take his bottom lip into my mouth and suck, maybe even bite. Biting down on his plump bottom lip while having an orgasm would be fucking awesome.
Fuck it. I’m going to kiss him. If he rejects me, which I don’t think he will, I can blame it on the high. Weed makes me horny. His lips are moving, but I’m not listening to his words. I scoot closer and then get to my knees so I can touch his lips with mine. They are soft and thick and feel amazing against mine, almost like a lip massage. His hands move to grip my waist, fingers digging into my skin. I knew he wanted this too.
His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and I reciprocate. Our mouths move lazily against each other while our tongues mingle sensually. He pulls me closer, deepening the kiss, and I move to straddle his lap. His hands roam my body, starting at my shoulders and moving down to my waist and then resting on my thighs.
We slowly move from the floor to the bed without breaking the kiss. On our sides, our legs are tangled together and our hands exploring, mine under his shirt to feel his hard abs and pecks.
Kissing, we lay like that for a while before he nudges me onto my back and then slips between my legs. His hard length presses against me in exactly the right spot. I haven’t had a make-out session in a long time, and the chemistry between us is like nothing I’ve experienced before.
A sound at the door has us quickly breaking apart in time to see it pushed open and Casey strutting in with a tub of ice cream and a few spoons. Nick and I glance at each other both wearing the same confused expression.
“Gabby got caught up. She’s not ready yet.” Casey walks around the bed to drop down next to me seemingly unaware he interrupted us. “I brought ice cream.”
I’m a little aggravated because kissing Nick is the best kind of high, but my buzz is wearing off and munchy mode is kicking in. Casey hands us each a spoon and sets the tub of mint chip ice cream in my lap.
“You guys want to roll another?” Casey asks, dipping his spoon into the ice cream tub.
“Nah, I’m good,” Nick says.
I shake my head. “I’m okay.” I scoop out some ice cream and lick it off the spoon. I notice Nick watching me, so I do it again but more slowly. Nick arches his brow, and I laugh.
“What?” Casey asks, digging out some more ice cream.
“Nothing. So, you into this Gabby chick?” I ask him.
“She’s cool.”
I pause with my spoon full of ice cream at my mouth. “That’s it? She’s cool? You seemed excited when you ran out of here earlier.”
Nick laughs and spoons out some ice cream.
“I was high. I like getting my dick sucked when I’m stoned. Now I have to wait.” He grins and scoops out some more ice cream. “And no worries. She knows it’s only a casual hookup.” He eats the ice cream off his spoon. “You guys sure you don’t want to smoke anymore? My buzz is gone.”
Before Nick or I can answer, Casey’s phone chimes. He pulls it from his pocket and grins down at the screen.
I smirk. “The casual hookup?”
Casey nods. “Yep. She’s pulling up.” Casey plucks our spoons from our hands, grabs the ice cream, and darts out the door.
“He could have left the ice cream.” The laugh that slips out of me is carefree and happy. It feels good.
Nick smirks. “I agree about the ice cream.” He presses his hand firmly down on the mattress. “Much better than the old one.”
“Wait, that was you? You changed the mattress?” I laugh. “I thought I was going crazy.”
“I had it changed when we were at the party. Your old one was shit.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
We stare at each other for a moment and then we’re moving at the same time. Our lips connect. Nick’s hand moves into my hair, grabbing and tugging. The little prickles against my scalp have a breathy moan leaving my lips.
This kiss isn’t slow and careful like before. There’s more fire to this. His hand slips underneath my shirt, and skilled fingers find the hardened peak of my left breast.
“Fuck, you have some nice tits.” He tugs the shirt up. “This needs to come off.”
He helps me pull it over my head and toss it to the side. I watch Nick’s face as he takes in my bare chest. He smiles and brings his head down to lick and suck my sensitive nipples. I throw my head back and arch into him as he drives me wild.
“How high are you?” he murmurs against my neck.
“I’m not,” I pant, running my fingers through his soft hair.
Pulling back, he grins. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I laugh lightly. “Didn’t want to take advantage of me? I never get so stoned or intoxicated that I can’t make an informed decision, and FYI, I like to fuck while high.”
He nips my bottom lip. “Good to know, princess.” His hands come to the hem of my shorts to yank them down. He moves to the side so he can rip them off and then he takes his place between my thighs. He trails kisses over my neck and chest.
“I bet a week ago neither of us would have guessed we’d be in this situation.” I smirk.
He chuckles. “Nope.”
“Why did you think I wasn’t her?”
He meets my eyes. “I had a preconceived idea of what Anna would be like. I thought she would be… timid, and you were intense, fearless, reckless, and so damn beautiful in the glow of the fire. I was trying to intimidate you.” He slowly runs his finger over each nipple. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up if you weren’t Anna, but I hated that you might be her and were at that party with all of those drunk idiots.”
“I can take care of myself,” I say, slipping my hand into his sweatpants. I wrap my hand around his impressive length and give him a few strokes. I discreetly take my lip ring out while he’s focused on my nipples. “I can take care of you too.” I flip him ove
r, kneeling next to him as I pull him free. Damn, that’s big, and now I’m feeling intimidated about what I’m about to do. I’ve only ever given my psycho-ex head, and his dick was a lot smaller than this.
Flipping my hair to the side, I lock eyes with Nick as I lower myself to rub my tongue over the tip. With lust-filled eyes, he groans and brings his hand to the back of my head to guide me down farther. We stare at each other as I take my time on him. His thighs clench, and he squeezes his eyes shut. Pleasuring Nick Cabot is fucking hot as hell.
I push myself to take as much of him as I can. He must like that because his hips thrust up to push himself to the back of my throat. My mouth waters which is a good thing in this situation. With one hand on the back of my head, his other hand moves between my thighs to caress me over my black lacy underwear. He slips a finger underneath the fabric and slides back and forth. He rubs my clit for a minute before slipping into me. I moan loudly over his dick while he thrusts into my throat and my center.
I fist his base where my mouth won’t go. He’s too big to take in all the way. I suck harder while moving my head faster. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed giving head as much as I’m enjoying this.
With a growl, he pulls away. “I need to feel you.” He flips me onto my back, settles between my thighs, and then pulls my underwear to the side while his fingers play. He kisses me hard and then nips at my bottom lip. I pull his into my mouth and gently suck. I pull away and grin at the sight of his swollen and puffy lips.
“I need inside, Haley,” Nick rumbles, but he doesn’t move.
“I want this.” I wrap my hand around his cock, guiding him toward me as he holds my underwear to the side.
He inches in, the muscles in his back and legs straining. I’m dripping wet, but there’s still resistance because he’s so damn big. He groans as he pushes forward slowly.
Once he’s fully in, he kisses me softly while his hips begin to move. I run my hands over his shoulders, and he pulls his mouth from mine to lick and suck on my nipples. I bend my knees and plant my feet on the mattress so I can rock my hips in time with his thrusts. Each stroke feels amazing and entices breathy moans from me.
Everywhen: (Savage Princess book 1) Page 16