Chapter 37
TROY
Charlie is morose after we leave Golden Oaks. I don’t need to be a genius to guess meeting my mother put her in that state. Curse the woman and her evil ways. I wish Grandma had told me Mom would be paying a visit today. I’d have canceled ours.
The drive back home is quiet, and not even the radio manages to fill the void.
“Hey, don’t let my mother get to you,” I tell her once she parks in front of the house. “She’s a witch, and she will suck the joy out of you if you let her.”
Charlie gives me a pitiful smile. “I’m not upset about what she said exactly. She did remind me about my parents’ fight though.”
“Do you want to drive to Littleton today? I’ll come with you.”
She shakes her head, staring straight ahead. “No. Only if Ben needs me. I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with what’s coming.”
She means if her parents get a divorce. I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes. When my parents split up, I had already been in a dark place, so one more bad thing didn’t impact me as much.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we invite your friends for another board game party?”
She turns to me, and this time, the smile seems more genuine. She cups my cheek, and because I can’t help myself, I take her hand and place a kiss on her open palm.
“Thanks for suggesting it, but everyone is busy today. But I know what can make me feel better.”
A sly grin unfurls on my lips as my mind wanders off to Hanky-Panky Town. “What?”
“A Lord of the Rings marathon. It’s high time I introduce you to my favorite series ever.”
My smile wanes a little as a smidgen of disappointment comes through, but I hide it from Charlie. It’s not like we haven’t had plenty of sexy times in the past twenty-four hours.
“Sounds good, babe,” I reply.
“I promise you’ll love it.”
“And if I don’t and end up falling asleep, I know you have a special way to wake me up.” I wiggle my eyebrows up and down.
Her cheeks become bright pink, and suddenly, the air between us is charged with electricity.
“Let’s head inside before you get any ideas,” she says.
I follow her out of the car, rearranging my cock in a more comfortable position. “Too late; they’re already in my head.”
When we come to the front door, we find a box waiting for us. It has Charlie’s name written on top in block letters.
“What is it?”
She lets out a squeak. “This must be from Fred.”
I open the door and let Charlie walk in ahead with box in hand. She sets it on the kitchen counter and peels off the note attached to it.
“What’s in the box?” she reads out loud. “Oh my God. No way.” She laughs, but I don’t get it.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
She widens her eyes. “Come on, Troy. Seven ? The epic final scene where Brad Pitt loses his mind over the box?”
It finally dawns on me. “Oh shit. Don’t tell me Gwyneth Paltrow’s head is inside that.”
“No, silly. Actually, I have no idea whose head is inside.”
Charlie grabs a pair of scissors from the drawer and cuts the tape. The first thing I see when she lifts the flaps is blonde hair and fake blood. Carefully, Charlie pulls the prop from the box. She lets out a yelp and then drops the prop back in the box.
Damn . If she got spooked even knowing what it was, I can only imagine Andreas’s reaction.
“Hey, I want to see.”
She closes the box again, keeping both hands on top. “Better if you don’t.”
“Charlie, what the hell? What’s in the box?” I know I sound exactly like Brad Pitt now.
She grimaces, keeping her hands in place. “Before I let you see it, you have to understand that Fred has a dark sense of humor, and I’m sure he didn’t mean to upset you.”
I bristle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Charlie lets out a heavy sigh. “The head in the box is a fake of your sister.”
“What?” I shout, making Charlie wince. “Let me see this.”
I pry the package from her and reopen it. Bile pools in my mouth when I remove Jane’s fake severed head from the box. It’s so lifelike that it feels like I’m holding her actual head.
“This is so fucking wrong,” I say. “Why would he pick Jane as his model? Is he a fucking psycho?”
“Oh my God, no. I’m pretty sure it’s because he also noticed Andreas’s interest in your sister. Like I said, twisted sense of humor.”
“We can’t use this.” I put the head back, wishing now that I had listened to Charlie and not peeked.
“Are you sure? It would be epic.”
“Imagine if it were Ben’s head.”
Charlie’s eyebrows furrow, and her eyes become hard, but the moment only lasts a few seconds before she relaxes once more. “Disturbing, but Ben would probably love it.”
Now that the shock has passed, I can see the appeal of using the prop. “I guess we could use it if Jane agrees.”
“Yeah, and we should totally invite her to come to the party.”
“No, absolutely not,” I object vehemently. My visceral reaction to the idea surprises even me. I’m protective of Jane, but not to this level. Maybe it’s the certainty that Andreas has a thing for her that triggered it.
“Don’t get mad at me for saying it, but Jane will start dating soon—guys you don’t even know. How terrible would it be if she dated Andreas, your best friend?”
“It’s because Andy is my best friend that I know he’s the last guy on earth I want dating my sister. He’s a player, Charlie. The worst kind.”
She holds up her hands. “Okay, okay. I’m not going to broach the subject again. What about Fred? Would you allow her to date him?” She quirks an eyebrow.
“He just made a fake severed head of her likeness. The answer is a million times no. She’s too young to be dating anyone.”
Putting her hands on her hips, Charlie stares at me hard. “Troy Wolfgang Alexander, I won’t tolerate that kind of Victorian mentality from you. She’s eighteen, for crying out loud. I’m sure she’s already dated plenty of guys, and you don’t even know.”
“I seriously doubt it. My mother is stricter than me. And Victorian mentality?” I chuckle. “At least you didn’t call me a caveman this time.”
“I don’t think Neanderthals cared much about who their sisters shacked up with.”
“Shouldn’t it be caved up?”
She throws her hands up in the air. “Ugh! You’re impossible. Just because of that, you’re on popcorn duty—and none of that microwave crap. I want the real deal.”
I don’t move right away, too busy staring at my gorgeous girl. My sexy nerd turns even more irresistible when she’s mad and bossy like that. I love it.
I love her .
The realization sets in my chest, but instead of becoming terrified, I’m centered, whole. My easygoing smile vanishes when I stride in her direction and slam my lips to hers, claiming her mouth in a possessive way. Her surprise only lasts a moment before she surrenders to the assault.
I’m taken over by a frenzy. I have to connect to Charlie skin to skin right now, or I’ll go mad.
I yank at her clothes with only one hand since my arm is back in the sling.
Mercifully, Charlie is caught in the same urgency as me and shrugs off her jacket and T-shirt on her own.
We only break apart when it’s necessary to remove a piece of clothing.
In less than a minute, I have her bent over on the couch, and I’m fucking her into oblivion.