I concentrated on going nice and slow, fighting the urge to fuck her bloody. This wasn’t some random bitch I’d never see again; it was Nova.
“Harder,” she begged.
I obliged, picking up my pace.
She raised her hand and sucked three fingers into her mouth. Eyes locked with mine, she reached down and started to play with her clit.
I fucked her harder, feeling my balls begin to rise I concentrated on not coming before she got off.
“You like this?” I asked her.
“Yes, god, yes,” she moaned, dipping a finger into her pussy.
“Keep going, baby. Fuck your fingers while I fuck this tight little ass.”
She added another digit, moving in tempo with me. Her juices dripped down, finding their way to my dick.
“Fuck,” she gasped, grabbing hold of my forearms.
Knowing she was close, I took over, pounding into her ass and playing with her pussy. She called my name before coming so loud I was positive the next town over could hear her screams. I didn’t try to put on a show, my balls swelled, exploding almost painfully. My dick jerked and I pulled out, coming on her lower stomach.
Neither of us moved right away. Her legs stayed planted on my shoulders. When we finally got up the silence was comfortable. We cleaned up and came back to bed, laying as we were before I put her on her back.
She dozed off instantly, leaving me with the sound of her rhythmic breathing. I fell asleep wondering how much our relationship would change when she truly got to me know, when she found out the real reason I’d been sent to Legacy Falls.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NOVA
I don’t think people are wired to make good choices.
Or, maybe that was just me.
I stared up at the butterfly mosaic I’d painted on the bathroom ceiling in swirls of red and black. My bathwater was growing lukewarm, but I’d been avoiding getting out for the past twenty minutes.
Rhett was leaving, going back to his house. We’d spent the past few days trapped in this bubble of bliss. No phone calls, no interruptions, just him and I.
I’m sure Emery had snuck in when we were sleeping or fucking like jackrabbits, but I was too wrapped up in Rhett to notice.
I had no real reason to ask him to stay other than my colossal mistake. Is it mania or madness that makes you fall for someone? No, not fall, crash. I blamed the exhilaration that came from being with him. He was someone I could be my true self with, who took control and dominated me without hesitation.
“You gonna stay in there all day?” his smooth voice came from the doorway, pulling me from my reverie.
Gliding my head against the porcelain, I smiled over at him. “Not all day.”
He walked in and leaned down, bracing his hands on the side of the tub. “Its just a few days.”
Of course, he’d pinpoint exactly what the issue was in five seconds flat. He’d been doing it annoyingly often now.
“I know,” I replied.
That’s the problem.
I knew I was going to be right back with him that eventually. We’d talked about it the day before and just that morning. Yet, I still didn’t want him to go. It was driving me insane. For someone who didn’t like change, everything was already much too different, and he was a major reason why.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to this. All I’d done was replace one bad habit with another, and he was the worst of the two. Alcohol could be bad for you, but Rhett Sullivan was a different type of poison. And I’d already over-indulged.
He came in for a kiss and I moved to reciprocate, demanding more despite my brain protesting. His hands cupped my face, stroking my cheeks.
He pulled away from me with an unreadable expression on his face.” I’ll see you in a few.”
I remained in the bathtub until after I heard the front door slam, and he pulled out of the driveway. Knowing Annika and Emery would be here soon was what motivated me to get the hell out of the tub. I got dressed in a simple sundress adding the basics, deoderant, lotion, and lipgloss before brushing out my hair.
I grabbed my laptop bag before going downstairs. Setting up at the dining room table. I checked the few accounts that were still active, frowning when I noticed one was marginally smaller. It was time to make the call I’d been avoiding, but I knew once I did this there would be a dramatic shift in my day to day.
When the girls came through the front door I pushed the screen down, wanting to keep this private.
“Nova?”
“I’m in here,” I called.”
“I was starting to think Rhett chopped you into pieces and pulled a Ted Bundy along with Callum.”
“Nika,” Emery reprimanded.
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Right, Rhett and Callum run around killing people in their spare time.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. How could I have forgotten how much patience it took to deal with her? “Did you decide to come here just so you could tear them down?”
“No, I came here because I missed my best-friends, and I would never tear him down. He seems like a great guy, but you’ve never been able to see what’s right in front of you Nova.”
Emery’s gaze darted between the two of us.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She blew out an exaggerated breath and shook her head.
“Nothing. I didn’t come here to rain on anyone’s parade. I just want you to look into them for your own safety, and mine.”
“What do you mean and yours? Did one of them say something to you?” Emery questioned.
She scoffed out a no, but after being friends with her for so long I knew how to tell when she was lying and now was definitely one of those times.
Annika could come off strong and piss me off like no other person on this planet, but her heart was always in the right place even if the delivery was shit. Something had happened, or she knew details that she was afraid to share and for Annika to not speak her mind…my gut twisted at what that meant.
“Hey, I’ll be right back. Need to use the bathroom.”
I flashed them a smile and hurried through the dining room, going into the bathroom that sat right off the first level.
I tried so hard to see things from an outsiders perspective. My brain was ready to rip itself in two the more I thought about things going on around me.
Double-checking the bathroom door was locked, I thumbed the matte black business card and finally dialed the contact number scrawled in white font. I’d wanted to go the more personal route but my text were being ignored all of a sudden so this was my next best option.
The line rang one…twice… “Legacy Realty,” a brisk voice came over the line.
“Hi, may I please speak with, Lance Parker?”
There was an elongated pause on the other end.
“May I ask who I’m speaking with?”
“Um, Nova…Morkav.”
A second pause, this one shorter. I heard the ruffling of papers and then the voice was back. “I’m sorry miss Morkav, Lance has passed away, but the file you needed is waiting at our front office.”
“He passed away?” I swallowed, trying to push down the sinking feeling in my chest.
“He was involved in another of the home invasions.”
“Okay, thank you.” Disconnecting the call, I leaned against the wall trying to process that Lance was dead. He was the one who helped my father, his own schemey business model was running through the real estate company.
I left the bathroom feeling at a total loss, like the universe was working against me. Realistically it was my actions catching up to me, but I didn’t want to take credit for everything that was happening. Even when it was all my fault.
That rabbit-hole that I’d been free falling down all this time suddenly had a deadly rock bottom, and I was close to hitting it.
I poured myself another drink, staring across the room at my father’s urn. I took a healthy sip, but the numbing effect ha
d lost its allure, I’d found another fix to keep me grounded. Exchanging one bad habit for another, and this one wasn’t replying to any of my text.
“Nova?” Emery stepped into the dining room, a look of concern on her face. “What’s going on?”
Straight to the point as always.
“Did you know the Parkers were killed in a home invasion? That Melody is missing?”
She nodded, pulling out the chair across from me. “It was all over the news.”
I studied her debating on how much to tell her. What would she think of me when she found out the truth? How could I keep her safe when the person that went to kill Pamela and the Parkers came here next?
Those weren’t home invasions, that was bullshit. Shifting my gaze to my fathers’ urn, I chewed on my lower lip. I’d killed once, and I’d been certain I could do it again. But what if I couldn’t? This thing with my father was so much bigger than me, I was beginning to see that.”
“Do you remember when the news came about my parents? You were the first one there for me who genuinely seemed to care.”
“Of course, I cared. You’re basically my sister Nova. I loved them too.”
I took a steadying breath. “You’ve never kept anything from me Em and I’ve been…” She glanced away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I was either ridiculously paranoid or she was hiding something from me.
“You’ve been what?”
“Nothing,” I lied. Again.
Seeing I still had zero notifications, I made an executive decision. “I’m going to Rhett’s,” I announced.
“Um, woa! You can’t drive,” she objected, rising from her chair.
“Why can’t I? I didn’t even get to the halfway point of the bottle. I’m not drunk.”
“Its already nine. We can go over in the morning.”
I stared her down, now positive she was hiding something from me. “Em, you can either stay here and give them heads up I’m coming, or get in my car and ride along.”
Her mouth opened but no sounds came out. I left her there and went to grab my keys. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was certainly about to find out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOVA
Quite honestly, I was in no state to go around a bunch of people that lived life based off who they could impress. The façade I held so dearly too was more of a worn and beaten flag now blowing in the wind.
I let the Camaro coast the rest of the way up the drive, nearly taking out some couple that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. Parking in front of the garage, I ignored Em’s voice and got out.
People stared, of course.
What else was new? That’s all they ever did.
I made a beeline across the expansive lawn, towards the fire. Someone called my name, I paid them no attention. I was there physically. Mentally I was in another galaxy. With every step I took I lost another piece of who I’d tried to be. Good. Sweet. Kind. Anything that wasn’t this.
I felt someone touching my arm and reflexively pulled away. When I blinked, I found multiple sets of eyes staring at me and Rhett a few centimeters from my side.
“Come with me,” he spoke in my ear so I could hear him over the pounding music. His hand clasped around mine and he started leading me away, not giving me the option to object. We walked past throngs of people on his lawn, groups lingering in his house. It wasn’t until we got to his room and he shut that door that I felt as if I could breathe again.
“What’s going on?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
Was he serious? “It looks like a party of some kind. You’re the one who lives here.”
He laughed, staring me up and down. “You are something else. You know that?”
I didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t sound good. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here in this state.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?” Now he sounded confused.
I stared at him, asking myself what it was that kept me in this position. I saw the darkness, the hardened edge, the mystery. I saw Rhett Sullivan so vividly he could have been a figment of my imagination. I was drawn to him like a moth to a lethal flame.
I knew the way his hands felt on every inch of my body. I knew he made those dangerous flutters erupt in my stomach and my heart feel like it could mend or decimate.
But…
“I don’t know you,” I said simply. “I know you said things are complicated, but…Rhett there has to be more to you than selling drugs and throwing parties that you yourself can’t stand. I mean, two people close to me are afraid of you.”
“You don’t know me?” he repeated back, skipping over everything else I’d just said. “Nova, we’ve been fucking non-stop and sleeping in each other’s beds. I stayed up with you until four in the morning watching cooking wars last night, I think you know enough.”
He wasn’t seeing things how I saw them. I wasn’t sure how we even got on this topic when it wasn’t what I’d come here for. I rubbed my temples and started to pace. “This is why I don’t do whatever this is. I can’t. I told you that. Remember?”
His eyes tracked my movements from left to right, but he said nothing in response to my outburst.
“I don’t know what the point of this is. We’re in a relationship. Lots of people have them. Whether or not you wish to be a part of it isn’t all that relevant because you’re fucking mine regardless.”
I stopped and glared at him. “You can’t fucking make me be with you.”
His brows rose, an arrogant, dark smile spreading across his face.
“You’ve preached an awful lot about not knowing who I am, but I’m pretty sure you’ve spent most of your life pretending to be someone you’re not. Is this the part when you drop that bullshit good girl act? Or does that only happen when my dicks inside you?”
It would have hurt less if he’d thrown me into the wall. His words cut deep because they were true.
Even worse, they reminded me of my mother. I never wanted to be anything like her. Standing here I was beginning to think the apple didn’t fall far from that very fucked up tree. “Look, I don’t know why I came here tonight. You…us…its nothing compared to what is actually going on in my life.”
He grabbed me around the waist and cemented me in place. “Then talk to me.”
“Rhett--.”
He cupped both sides of my face, cutting me off. “Why are you doing this right now? What’s wrong?”
My heart skipped in my chest. How could he read me so well? It was unnerving. I wanted to tell him everything but the sirens in my brain said no and for once logic won over my heart.
“Nothing.”
There was a tick in his jaw. I don’t know why I bothered to lie. I felt like the biggest hypocrite on the planet.
I had so many secrets of my own. I’d done terrible things, maybe even worse than him, and I didn’t know what to do anymore.
I was drowning in emotional turmoil and short of running back to a liquor bottle the only lifeline I saw was standing right in front of me. He went to let me go and I stopped him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Nova.”
I kiss on the lips got no reaction, so I kissed his cheek, moving to his neck.
“Nova,” he repeated.
I slid my hands beneath his shirt and finally got a response. He tangled a fist in my hair and pulled my head back, making my thighs clenched; mouth slightly parting.
“How did you ever convince anyone your good and sweet when all you want is to be fucked like a slut?”
“By you,” I stressed, pleaded.
That sounded terrible, like all my other truths. The lie was pretty, so much easier to convey, and it was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.
He stared at me his face set back in that unreadable mask I couldn’t stand. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. A walking disaster? A mistake? A selfish cunt?
“Tell me its you and m
e,” he demanded.
I blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Say it’ll always be me and you.”
“But…that isn’t true.”
“Then fucking lie to me.”
I swallowed past some emotion I couldn’t understand, one making my chest hurt as I told him what he wanted to hear.
“It’ll always be me and you
He tightened his grip, kissing me savagely. Walking me backward. There were hardly any words exchanged between us.
He shoved me onto the bed and tore my underwear from beneath my sweat dress.
My position was decided when he pinned me down by the throat, and just fucked me, his pants barely lower than his hips.
Hard. Brutal. Fucking.
The moans that poured from my mouth were uncontrollable, his name in almost all of them. I felt all of his frustrations and barely contained rage, drinking it all in like it was fucking acid. And that’s exactly what it was. He was a drug. One I blindly consumed without checking the side-effects. I couldn’t stop now that I’d gotten a hit. I knew he had issues, so did I. Our hollow parts were toxic, but they fit perfectly together.
I grabbed hold of his ass and pulled him deeper inside me, our teeth clashing in a brutal kiss. I came with my nails digging into his back, leaving behind tiny slits.
When he finished, I expected him to leave me there without a word. Instead he came back with a rag and a glass of water. My eyes burned, self-loathing and guilt gnawed at my insides like a rat in a maze.
I wanted to apologize for being such a mess, but I was suddenly tongue tied.
“Stay here, baby-girl. I’m going to shut this down,” his words were at odds with what just happened. The kiss he placed on my forehead before he walked away only added to my state of confusion.
When I heard a lock turn, I knew something was wrong.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
RHETT
I couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of this town. Maybe I’d burn the motherfucker down on my way out. I hadn’t been this off in over a year. Nova had been the only thing keeping me here since Lance was gone, by this time next week we’d be gone.
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