Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
AIDEN
Afternoon sunlight bathes my room in its warm glow.
A beam shines directly on Nova’s head, highlighting the side of her face.
Black mascara smudges beneath her eyes, running down her cheeks.
Pink hair sticks to her temples from the dried cum I hadn’t cleaned off.
I’ve been too distracted to part from her side to fetch a warm rag.
It could also be because it’s my mark. I love that she’s filthy from my cum.
I stroke my thumb on her naked stomach, loving how peaceful she looks. I spent the night keeping her awake, fucking her well into the early morning hours with only a couple of breaks to fetch her water and snacks.
I’d never done this for the other flings. It was up to them to get water to hydrate to keep up with me. By the time I finished, I kicked them out and moved on with my day like they never existed.
Does that make me an asshole? Maybe.
But this is different, Nova is different, and I’m unsure how to navigate this new territory. I want to make her mine, but I’m not about to bullshit myself and say I’m not scared.
The other night, I was intent on changing the game by pretending to help her get with Brandon. However, the moment she took my cock inside her, I knew I was screwed.
Having her face away from me while I fuck her won’t save me from heartbreak.
I slide my eyes shut and take a deep breath. When that doesn’t help clear the spiraling thoughts and panic, I suck in another one and shift my focus to the present moment.
It’s not over.
She hasn’t rejected you.
You didn’t fuck up. Yet.
Maybe I already fucked up with Nova by sleeping with her. It’ll make things weird between us, as she said a few days ago.
I knew Nova was intrigued with my deals after she kept bringing up my rules and asking for more information about them. It’s why I asked her several times if she had something to ask me. Why I’d teased her about it.
So why the fuck am I disappointed? This is what I wanted—to be closer to her and pretend for a while that she was mine. I thought if I slept with her, it’d scratch that itch.
I grit my teeth and curl against Nova, my arm banding over her waist as I bury my face in her neck.
Clenching my jaw, I inhale her scent deep into my lungs and cling to her to stay here in the present moment.
I don’t know how much time passes, but eventually, the insecure feelings dull enough for me to manage.
Nova whimpers in her sleep and turns onto her side, facing me and throwing her arm over my back to snuggle into my chest.
I smile down at her.
God, she’s adorable.
I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and drag my fingers over her side, inching the sheet down until it pools beneath the swell of her ass. My gaze flicks to her face, checking to see if this is the thing that will wake her up.
She’s dead to the world.
The corner of my lip tugs in a smirk.
Good. I’m glad I did this for her. I’m happy that I provided a feeling of safety and security, even while she sleeps.
Cocking my head, I inspect the fresh bruises on her waist and brush my fingers over them, being gentle so I don’t hurt her.
My jaw clenches. I promised her I’d leave marks on her body to make her appreciate herself, but not to this extent.
Bruises are scattered all over her, even on her stomach.
Jesus Christ, I was rougher than I first thought.
I didn’t mean to lose that much control where I couldn’t gentle my touch a smidge more.
Breath shudders out of me, and I peek at my chest. It feels like thorny vines are curling around me and squeezing achingly slow, testing the limits of how much I can take before I can’t breathe. The thorns dig into my skin, drawing beads of blood to the surface.
I close my eyes and drag in a calming breath through my nose.
Turn off your emotions, jackass.
Nova’s phone chimes with a text message. I raise my head and peek over my shoulder, searching for the culprit. I don’t know where the hell she put it or why I’m even looking for it.
Her phone chimes a second time.
I glance at my sister, curious if the notifications woke her. She turns onto her side with her back facing me and drags in a deep breath, then . . . nothing.
I grin.
Yeah, she’s knocked out cold.
I slip out of bed, keeping my movements small so I don’t stir her from her sleep.
She needs it now more than ever. I plan to take advantage of this new deal we have, not giving a fuck that it’ll hurt me in the end.
If she wants the added benefits of this fake relationship, then it’s essential that she be ready for my insatiable appetite.
I look through my room for Nova’s phone. After a few minutes, I find her purse in the hallway and bring it with me into my room. She must have dropped her bag last night when I shoved her into my bedroom, and neither of us noticed.
I type in the passcode to unlock the screen, then frown at the new messages from Brandon.
He didn’t say anything wrong. I just hate the motherfucker, and from his recent text, he’s not impressed by me either.
Brandon
you up?
how did it go last night? Did you break up with the boy toy?
I raise an eyebrow and mouth boy toy.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I read through the messages between them.
Is it violating her privacy by snooping around on her phone? Yeah. Do I care? Fuck no. And I’ll do it again and a-fucking-gain because this is just a tiny taste of how I get my hit of Nova. Sniffing her panties and feeding her cumster strudels aren’t the only things I’ll do to feel close to her.
It looks like Nova took my advice and talked shit about me. The plan worked, just as I promised it would. I stop scrolling and land on a message from Nova. Brandon’s response sparks my interest. I re-read it, my lips twitching from a smile I struggle to hold back.
Thanks for listening to me vent earlier.
It’s no problem. Just don’t make it a habit to insult a guy’s dick size. We can be pretty sensitive about our junk. Case in point: your boyfriend getting upset lol
I scroll up, searching for the venting session they’re talking about, and don’t find it. So I assume they talked over Twitch. Rolling my eyes, I crack a smile and close out of the messages. I glance over my shoulder at Nova, amusement tightening my chest as I hold back from laughing.
I’m sure she wouldn’t complain about my size after experiencing it last night.
I set her phone down and crawl behind her, needing to feel her wrapped around me again. My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I groan, my eyes sliding shut for a moment before rolling over and snatching the device to read the new message.
“Goddammit,” I mutter, and slip out of bed.
The minute Hellfire Night is through—and once my friends and I remove the evidence of the havoc we plan on wreaking—I’m silencing my notifications. I want to spend time with Nova without being dragged away to take care of some assholes from the past.
That’s if Nova accepts being with you and not settling with Brandon.
I wince.
How could I have already forgotten that she’s still intent on being with him?
Shut off your emotions. You’re gonna end up hurt, and you won’t come back from this.
I leave the bedroom and take a shower in the adjoining bathroom, hoping it’s enough to wash away the sudden funk I’m now in. The vines wrapped around my chest burrow deeper into my skin. It’s not only slowly crushing me to death; it’s bleeding me dry.
I shake my head, forcing the suffocating feeling away and focusing on the present and what I have in front of me. I refuse to give up when I have only just started on this plan.