by K E Osborn
Sniffling, my eyes move back to the storm raging in front of me, feeling like it’s replicating the emotion inside of me right now. “I just don’t know why this club has to constantly take from me. My parents, Zero… all it does is take my happiness.”
Phantom’s grip on my hand tightens, and I gaze up at him. “For all the happiness it’s taken, there are so many good memories here, too, Prinie. You’re so blinded by the bad, you fail to see the good.”
I shrug. “Maybe—”
“No maybes about it. Here, I’ll prove it to you!” He stands, stepping out into the middle of the rain, his arms out wide with the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. His hair sticks to his face as the water runs down his skin and clothing leaving him like a drowned rat.
“Phantom… Jesus… what are you doing?” I practically yell, standing from my chair, under the verandah urging him to come back under the shelter.
He laughs loudly, then starts spinning around. “Making fun memories with you, princess. Now get out here and have some fun.”
My eyes widen. “Huh? Come out… into the rain? Are you high?”
Phantom turns to me, dropping his smile. “Quite probably… stop being a pussy and get out here.” He rushes forward, grabbing my hands, then he yanks me out into the rain with him.
I let out a shriek as the water pummels over me, but the warm spring rain doesn’t chill me like I thought it would. In fact, it’s refreshing and liberating. We rush out into the middle of the cookout area. I giggle as I spin around in a circle, mouth open wide, taking in the rain droplets.
Phantom grabs me, pulling me to him as we laugh hysterically. “See, I told you we could make fun memories.”
I grip onto his cut stabilizing myself as the water rushes down my face. “You’re crazy.”
Grabbing my hand, he pushes me off him, twirling me around as though we’re dancing. I laugh so hard I stumble in the slippery wetness.
“Prinie!” a booming voice calls from the doorway.
I stop. Turn. Wraith’s standing, arms crossed, angry as hell but sexy as sin.
The second I see him, all broody and worked up, my skin prickles in goosebumps. My breathing quickens as I stare at him with water running into places it has no business being right now. My heart rate spikes as we stare each other down.
His nostrils flare. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re gonna catch damn pneumonia!”
I stand taller, folding my arms over my chest. “I’m making fun memories.”
Wraith’s eyes dart from me to Phantom, then back to me. “I don’t care if you’re doing a haka to make the rain fall, I need you to get inside and showered. Now.”
My hands move to my hips in defiance. “Actually, the haka is a New Zealand war dance, not a rain dance, and—”
“Prinie, don’t fight me on this. I’m looking out for your health.”
“Well, you haven’t done anything for me this past week, so I don’t need you to do anything for me now!”
His eyes darken as he races toward me, out and into the rain. I take a step forward to meet him in defiance, trying to keep my strong posture. Once he reaches me, he bends down and hoists me up over his shoulder. I let out a loud squeal as I flop down over him, my head falling in line with his gorgeously toned ass. I slam my fists into it as he storms off with me.
“You put me down, Wraith. I am not a child.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
I glance up to see Phantom’s a little lost as he follows us in. “Phantom, help me.”
“Stay out of this, Phantom, you’ve done enough,” Wraith calls back as he storms inside. I groan as I lift my head, while everyone’s watching.
“Put me down, you fucking monster.”
He chuckles but keeps walking toward the stairs, taking them two at a time as I continue hitting, pummeling his ass with my fists. I must be hurting him, but he doesn’t even flinch.
“Dammit, Wraith, where are you taking me?”
“To the shower.”
I stop attacking him as I let his words sink in.
Is he going to stay while I have a shower?
Is he going to shower with me?
My senses shoot into overdrive as I clench my thighs together. Wraith slams my bedroom door open, then shuts it with his boot. He makes his way to the bathroom, then slowly slides me down his rock-hard body. My breathing is short and sharp as I come face to face with him. His hands rest on my hips as our eyes connect. Wraith’s irises are almost black they’re so dark as he stares at me with such intensity I can hardly think straight. His callused thumb comes up wiping under my eye in a delicately unexpected move from him, and his hand lingers on my cheek. His tongue darts out licking his bottom lip. “Even with your mascara running, you’re still fucking beautiful.”
I’m shaking, physically fucking shaking as my hands move up to grip onto his wet cut. “Wraith...” my plea comes out as a breathy whisper.
Wraith’s hands slide up along my arms soothingly as he inhales deeply. “You need to get warm. Get in the shower, and I’ll bring some clothes for you.”
And just like that, he’s closing down again.
“It’s fine, I can manage—”
“This isn’t a request, Prinie.”
Exhaling, I let go of his cut, putting a little space between us. “Okay. On one condition?”
He stands back, threading his thumbs through the hooks on his jeans. “Yeah?”
“Go easy on Phantom. He was just trying to cheer me up.”
“Fine. Now get in the shower, I need you to warm yourself.”
“You know it’s a spring storm, right? It wasn’t even cold rain?” I smirk.
“Get in the shower, Prinie.”
I shrug, starting to pull off my shirt.
His eyes widen as he spins for the door. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he mumbles under his breath as he rushes out shutting the door behind him.
How easy it is to rile him up.
I continue to remove my drenched clothing, place it in the basin, then move into the shower. I slide the curtain across, turning the faucet until it’s a nice warmth, letting the water soak over me. I didn’t realize I am actually cold until I got under the warm water. Wraith knows my body better than I do. Running my hair through the stream, I relax.
Damn, I wanted Wraith to stay in here with me. I really wish he would let go of his inhibitions. I wish he would be brave enough to stand up to Zero and take the challenge to be with me.
We have a connection.
That much is true.
But he wants to fight it with every fiber of his being, and I can’t fathom why. I’ve told him I trust him. I’ve told him I forgive him for what happened that night, but he can’t forgive himself. That sometimes is harder to overcome.
I grab my loofa and body wash when the hinges on the door squeak. I stall, my muscles going rigid as I turn to the curtain. Wraith’s shadow enters the bathroom, and I tense all over.
“I’m just bringing your clothes in for you.” He turns to walk back out, so I do something drastic.
“Stay.” My eyes widen, shocking even myself.
Wraith stalls by the door as I slowly move my hand to the curtain. I grip the edge and begin to pull it aside. My breathing is shallow as my eyes remain on his shadow.
Suddenly, his hand shoots up stopping me from pulling the curtain back any further. “Prinie… we… I… fuck. Just have your shower. Get dressed, and come back into the bedroom, okay?”
I swear the water in here just turned ice-cold. I drop my hand from the curtain, backing up against the wall trying to fight back the tears. “Mm-hmm,” I mumble as he walks out the door, closing it softly with a click which echoes through the room so loudly, it’s deafening.
I clench my eyes shut, but it doesn’t stop the tears. Dropping the loofa to the floor, I bring my hands to my face as my eyes overflow, and I sob, letting out all my pent-up frustrations the world is currently dishing out to me.
My brother is locked up for something he didn’t do.
The man I adore doesn’t want anything to do with me.
My universe is collapsing around me, and there’s nothing stopping it from exploding.
I have to hang on, try and wait for this vicious ride to fucking end.
And right now, more than anything, I want everything to end.
WRAITH
The wracking sobs coming from the bathroom are tearing my insides apart. I want more than anything to waltz back there into that shower and hold her. Let her know I can take her pain away instead of causing it. But I can’t be that guy.
I can’t be Zero’s best friend, VP, and be here for Prinie in the way she deserves.
As I sit, my stomach clenches with every painful wracking sob that echoes through the room. And all I can think about is how much she’s suffering.
I should leave.
It’s the right thing to do.
But I can’t.
I need to know when she comes out of that room, she’s going to be okay.
So, I sit on the edge of her bed, internally dying as I listen to her gut-wrenching sobs slowly die down to a gentle crying, then they stop. She’s been in the shower for almost an hour, letting all her anguish out, and I’ve been here, on the outside, listening to it all.
Maybe this is my punishment.
I sit back a little further on her bed, finally feeling like I’m able to breathe as the sounds of her getting dressed echo from the other side of the door. I can only imagine how wrecked she must feel.
I have to know she’s okay.
Then I will leave.
Like I always do.
My stomach churns remembering all the times I’ve left her. It’s a wonder she even talks to me, let alone is still attracted to me. I have no idea what Prinie sees in me. I can’t fathom why she could fall for someone like me. A beast. An animal. I’m no good for her, that much is perfectly clear.
The handle to the bathroom door starts to jiggle which snaps me from my thoughts as I glance up. As it swings back, the bright lights from the bathroom illuminate making her glow like a fucking angel. It makes my heart thud harder, and I gasp as she stands still. Her puffy, red eyes focus on me as she jerks back in shock.
“Y-You’re still here?” Her voice is broken, just like her.
I pat the edge of the bed. “Just needed to make sure you’re okay.”
Prinie clears her throat, then slowly steps over to the bed moving in next to me. She smells amazing—all fruity and fucking perfect. It’s taking everything in me not to act on my impulses right now. My cock throbs in my jeans as I clench my eyes tight trying to rein him in. I don’t need to get hard right now. This is most definitely not the moment for that.
“Are you okay?” Prinie’s tone is curious as I open my eyes to see her assessing me.
I sharply inhale as I take in her beautiful face. Even though she’s puffy and red around the eyes, I can’t imagine anyone else being this beautiful. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Prinie. I wish I was a better man. I wish I could help you mor—”
“You being here, helps more than you know.” Prinie places her hand on my wet jeans. A weak smile lighting her face. “You must be freezing. You told me off for being wet, now here you are an hour later still in your wet clothes. You could have gone and gotten changed, Wraith.” She stands rushing into the bathroom.
“I wanted to be here when you came back out.”
She fusses about in the bathroom, then rushes back with a dry towel. “If I’d known you were still here, I would have taken a lot less time.” Prinie hands me the towel which I bring to my hair and scruff it, though it’s almost dry. It’s my clothes that are soaked through.
“You needed it.”
She hesitates, then sits next to me. “You… you heard me?”
I nod, my face scrunching unintentionally from my own inner pain.
She turns away, seemingly ashamed, but I reach out, my fingers on her chin forcing her to look back at me. “Don’t ever be embarrassed around me. I know you better than most people around here. You don’t ever have to hide around me.”
She jerks her face away from my hands with a scoff. “You’re never around me, not lately, anyway.”
Ouch.
“I can’t please you and Zero, Prinie.”
“So, you choose him over me?”
“It’s not that simple. He’s not only my best friend, he’s your brother, and my president. It’s complicated.”
“You just don’t have the balls to stand up to him.” She turns away from me with a huff.
My nostrils flare. I grip her arm, forcing her to me. “Prinie, you know it’s not just that. Zero has a reason not to want us together, and you’ve seen it firsthand. What I can do to you. I can’t risk doing it again. It’s how I am. It’s what makes me tick. It’s how I… get off.”
She stands abruptly, running her fingers through her hair. “You have self-control, more than you know, you’re just too chicken-shit to try.”
“Too chicken-shit? Prinie, I want to wrap my fingers around your throat. The need crawls under my skin. I think about it so often it haunts my dreams. I’m so scared of fucking hurting you. It. Terrifies. Me.”
Prinie turns back to face me, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Then do it, Wraith. Fucking do it! Wrap your hands around my neck and squeeze the life out of me because I don’t want to be here, anyway. I may as well die at the hands of someone I care about.”
I stand, grab her shoulders, and shake her. “Shut the hell up. How fucking dare you say shit like that! I can’t fathom what kind of hell your head is in right now, but not even for a second believe that you don’t have a place on this earth, do you hear me! You want to be dead? Well, I’m not gonna do it for you. Not. Fucking. Ever. Nor, will I let that happen to you, not on my watch. So, you put that shit right out of your mind.”
Tears well in her eyes again, and she blinks a few times. Her body slumps in my arms, so I pull her to me, embracing her, holding on, hoping she knows I care. Prinie wraps her arms around me so fucking tight, then she snuggles her face into my chest. “I just don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore, Wraith.”
Bringing my hand up, I smooth over the back of her head to comfort her. I need this moment with her. “I know everything feels bleak right now, but even though I can’t be with you, I’ll always be watching out for you. And I will always be here for you if you need me.”
Prinie’s head moves up, her eyes locking onto mine. We’re so close her minty toothpaste refreshes my senses as her breathing quickens. “Zero’s in trouble, isn’t he?”
Shit.
I can’t lie to her.
Not now.
Pulling her over to the bed, I sit us down. This isn’t something we can discuss standing. I’m worried in her state she could collapse, but at the same time, with her mood the way it is, I’m going to have to limit what I tell her. I grip her hand in mine, tightly threading our fingers together. “When he came out to see us, it was clear he was having a tough time in there.”
“What do you mean?”
I crack my neck to the side. “He’d been beaten.” She gasps, her free hand moving to her mouth as her eyes well again. “Swollen eye, cut lip, probably some rib injuries. His cellmate is the prob—”
“Wraith! You have to do something.”
Scrunching my nose, I don’t want to lie to her and tell her I’m going to fix it when I know I can’t. I’m expecting a phone call in the morning to tell me Zero’s gone, and that’s the crux of the matter, but I don’t want to have that conversation with Prinie right now. I don’t think she can handle it.
“We’re working on it. It’s a difficult problem for the club when the Baron has so much control over everyone.”
“So, he’s on his own?”
“I didn’t say that… I said, we’re working on it. It will take some planning and extra work on our end.”
Prinie sits for a moment l
etting everything sink in. “He’s in real trouble, isn’t he?”
She’s so fucking smart.
Instead of saying anything, I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her to me. I lean in kissing the top of her head while she cuddles into my side.
She knows.
I’m sure she does.
I just didn’t say it outright, nor confirm it for her.
“I’m sorry for dragging you out of the rain. I always want you to be safe and looked after. I want you to have happiness here. I wish I could be a part of that, but I know I’m part of the problem.”
She pulls back, assessing me. “Then why are you avoiding me all the time?”
“For your safety. You know that.”
“But you literally proved just now, all you care about is my safety. You won’t hurt me, Wraith. Not again.”
“I can’t take the risk, Prinie. Something takes over me when I’m in the moment, and I can’t stop it like I normally can. You mean too fucking much to me.”
She slumps with a sigh. “It’s always going to be this same argument, isn’t it? I mean so much to you, but not enough for you to try?”
My nostrils flare as I grit my teeth. “It’s the exact opposite, you mean enough for me not to try.”
She rolls her eyes standing from the bed. “You know what, Wraith, to me that doesn’t make any sense. But it’s all you’re ever going to say, so I’ve had enough. I need you to leave.” She grabs my arms pulling me up from the bed. I frown as she turns me, pushing me toward the door.
“Prinie, I don’t want to leave you alone right now.”
“I’m fine. I need to be here for Koda. No one else is going to be.” She shoves me at the door, then turns walking back toward her bed. “Now. Get. Out.”
“Prinie—”
“Out!”
Clenching my jaw, I turn back grabbing the handle and open the door. I walk through, spinning back to take one last look at her as she slumps on her bed.
She’s going to be okay. That’s what I tell myself.