Second Sets Omnibus

Eleven - Callum

Leaning my head against the puke-green stall, I take a deep breath and center myself. Music plays through my earbuds, drowning out the world as I finish my business in the isolation of the bar bathroom.

After drinking a few beers and enjoying the live show, it hit me when we stepped outside to take care of Bradley—the biggest douchebag in town. In high school, he was the absolute worst person, bullying everyone in sight—including me. I was the quiet kid who barely spoke and relied on my friends too much. To him, I was an easy target. How he treated River after crashing into her was more than despicable. No one deserves that amount of hate, no matter what side of town they’re on. My fists clench at the memory of his hate-filled eyes looking up and down her body like a meal. No matter what words he used to describe her, in that drunken moment, there was only one thing he wanted to do with her. I should have clocked him in the jaw when I had the chance and filled my memory with something worthwhile to look back on.

I shudder, remembering River's exact face when he crashed into her and uttered those terrible words. Her lips turned down, and her breathing picked up. All the color drained from her face, and her eyes dilated. She claimed she didn’t need our help and could have taken care of it herself, but her expression said it all. River was terrified of Bradley. But why? Sure, he was scary at that moment, snarling in her face and calling her names. But why did River’s face fall into oblivion, and her lips tremble before him? The others may not have noticed, but I caught every down-turned lip and every quiver of fear.

The entire night, I watched her out of the corner of my eye, checking her movements like a stalker. No one else noticed my newest fascination festering under my skin. I don’t know what it is about River that pulls me in and won’t let me go. I’m a transfixed moth flying straight into the roaring flame, praying I don’t get burned. We all are. There’s something addicting about her that reels us in and begs us to stay.

I mutter a curse under my breath when my music unexpectedly cuts out, leaving only the ringing in my ears to accompany me. The silence stretches out around me, drowning me in the nothingness I can’t seem to outrun.

Flushing the toilet, I frown when I yank my earbuds out with a huff. Checking my phone, I note the battery percentage sits at 0%. Thinking back, I forgot to put them on the charger last night when I crawled into my cold bed. Shoving my earbuds into my pocket in defeat, I shake my head at my incompetence. I need the noise to filter out the world. So, I don’t fucking remember. I never want to fucking remember.

My teeth grit together when all the noise around me returns, and my brain works double time, filing everything away for later. Water drips. The wind blows outside, shifting something in the building. Voices mutter in the distance. Even dogs bark somewhere near the bar. The noises will forever be cemented in my memories without an erase button.

Some call what I have a gift. Everything I see, taste, hear, and fucking touch—I remember forever. It never goes away and is never forgotten. If you ask me to quote what I did three years ago on a random day, I can reach back into my brain's filing cabinet and perfectly recall it without missing a beat and explain it in vivid detail.

Kids envied me in school, calling me a cheater for my perfect scores. Teachers grew concerned I wasn’t being challenged enough and wanted to speed up my learning. Little did they know I had this horrible secret weapon blooming inside me. I wanted nothing to do with the gift bestowed upon me.

And me? I call it a heavy ass burden to carry. Something I didn’t ask for. Being able to remember every event in my life is torture on repeat. The good. The bad. And the extremely ugly. No matter what side of life it is, I can’t push it from my brain, and it will forever lie in wait, forcing me to remember.

“Callum! Help me!”

“It’s so cold, Cally,” she whispers, crawling over me. My breaths shudder as warm blood coats my front and seeps into my skin. Helplessly, I cling to her, begging God to spare us from the wrath of death.

“I love you, Jenny,” I murmur, stroking a shaky hand through her damp hair.

“Love you too,” she whispers in a small, quiet voice—leaving me only two minutes later.

Her tiny voice screams in my head. Those cries for help, begging me to rescue her from a situation I couldn’t get us out of. Fuck. I fumble with my phone, needing something to take away the sound of grinding metal, screams, and the feel of warm blood pooling on my chest.

I grunt, slamming a hand into the side of my head twice, trying to knock my brain around. Without the music blasting in my ears, her tiny cries echo on repeat. Make her voice leave. Make it fucking stop haunting me every day. I slam my hand into my head again, silently screaming into the void, pushing saliva out of my mouth, and dripping onto the floor. I lose my fight, slumping on the toilet and leaning my head back against the tile again. Lightly, I knock the back of my head against the wall, begging for the phantom noises to disappear forever. If I could just fucking forget.

Shaking my head, I try to focus on my surroundings and center myself on the here and now. My therapist swears this grounding method will keep me focused on the present, but sometimes I have doubts. A door hangs off the hinges of the stall, which refused to close when I tried. Didn’t matter, anyway. No one else is left in the bar except Kieran, Rad, River, and me. Doors close in the distance, offering goodbyes and laughs to River, and she offers them back in return. As her light footsteps walk past the bathroom, I hold my breath, hoping she doesn’t peek in and see the mess huddled on the toilet, barely hanging on to reality.

My fists curl at my sides until she walks right past and into the room next to the bathroom. In the same room, I watched Kieran and Rad disappear into the moment we separated, going to two different places.

Murmured voices rise through the walls with such clarity I hear every word they speak, as if I’m standing in the room. Heat encases my cheeks when the first moans roar through the walls, projecting into the small, echoey bathroom. They’re breathy and begging, yet she’s the one in charge. Every sound she makes comes through, and my imagination takes off into a fantasy world where I’m a suave, smooth talker who never stumbles over my words.

My breaths pick up as her moans grow louder and louder, and I swear my cock stands at attention in three seconds. All the blood whooshes through my ears and goes straight to my dick, making it jerk in my fucking pants.

With shaky fingers, I close my eyes and undo my pants, bringing the zipper entirely down. With just one tug, I could have my cock out. Only stopping for one second when my conscience barrels in and begs me to stop. This is their private time together, and I’m an intruder listening in like a creep. But the sounds she’s making drive me fucking insane. No one has ever gotten me this hard before. Sure, I’ve kissed a few girls, but none gave me the sparks in my belly like River.

River West will either be our ruination or our fucking salvation—I haven’t decided which yet.

Looking down, I move the elastic of my boxers and bring my aching cock out. I swear the tip is purple by the time I rub my thumb over it and swipe along my crease, spreading my clear pre-cum. Fuck my conscience. For once, I want to come to the live sounds of a woman getting what she needs from my two best friends. Temporarily, I’m not Callum Rose, the idiot who blushes at every look River throws at me. No. I’m Callum Rose, the guy getting off to the sounds of her orgasm blasting through her. Her screams break off like someone has captured her lips with theirs, thrusting their tongue in her mouth. I shudder at the image of Rad shoving his cock down her throat, gagging her like he said he would.

Fuck. Wrapping my hand around my cock, I stroke up and down, using what little pre-cum I have as lubrication. Eventually, the friction becomes too heated, and I spit in my palm several times, lubing myself up.

A loud groan leaves my lips when I pick up the pace, fucking my hand with the same intensity they’re fucking her now. The slap of skin bleeds through the walls. Deep in my mind, I imagine I’m sitting right before them, locking eyes with the girl I’m desperate to touch. I throw my head back, my balls fucking tingling and teetering on the edge when I see the dilation of her moss-green eyes staring heat into mine in my mind. I’m so fucking close to spilling my damn cum all over this bathroom stall. Heat descends my spine, heading straight for my rock-hard cock, twitching in my hand with every stroke. So, fucking close…

My body jumps, and I stop all movement when the door beside me crashes open and slams closed with heavy force. Rad and Kieran murmur in low voices, so low I can’t hear them anymore. I hold my breath, not daring to move a muscle until she walks by the door. Please let her walk by. Please don’t let her come in here and see that I’m fucking my hand to her.

The men’s bathroom door slams open and closes with the same hurried intensity. Only her heavy breaths fill the room. I roll my lips together, fighting the feeling taking me over. I’ve edged myself so far now that I need to fucking cum, or the pain will overtake me. Fuck.

“Fuck,” she murmurs, a light banging happening against the door, which I can only imagine is the back of her head tapping it. “Fuck…”

I swallow the whimper in my throat when I’m forced to stroke myself lightly. The scent of sex wafts off her body, infecting the bathroom with their combined scents. In turn, my heart beats a million miles a minute, filling my ears with persistent thumps. My dick gets impossibly harder, and I suck in a breath, trying to remain as quiet as possible. She'll hear everything in this quiet bathroom if I move a muscle or tuck myself into my pants.

“Who the fuck is in here?” she says in a quiet voice, making my heart drop into the pits of my stomach.

I lick my lips, covering my dick with both my hands. Closing my eyes, I say a brief prayer and do the only thing I can to make her stay away.

“It’s me,” I whisper, hoping she’ll stay by the door and not come any further.

“Yeah? And who is me?” she growls in a harsh tone, but it does little to ease the desire rushing through me.

Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to have her on her knees in front of me, begging for me to come on her tits. My lips pop open when familiar heat races up my neck to the tip of my ears. I swear I’m in a perpetual state of blushing.

Clearing my throat, I utter, “Callum.” Instead of coming out in a normal tone, it comes out in a deep rasp, alluding to what I’ve been doing in the back stall of the bathroom.

“Oh,” she breathes, her tiny feet stepping closer to my reality.

“I wouldn’t,” I plead, begging her to go back out the bathroom door and pretend she didn’t fucking see me sitting here jacking my shit to the sexy sounds of her.

But it’s too late.

As she steps in front of me, I clench my eyes shut, not bothering to hide anymore. I feel her gaze working up and down my body.

“Callum,” she whispers in surprise, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. “What’re you… were you?”

I blow out a breath; the heat intensifies on my cheeks. I’m sure turning me a dark shade of red. I can’t peel my eyes open and face the disgust that will be on her face. Because I know it’ll be there. It’s always there.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp. “I came to use the bathroom, and then…”

“You heard us,” she whispers in a soft voice. No judgment sits in her tone, but I still refuse to open my eyes.

“Y-yes. A-and I’m-I’m sorry,” I whisper, stumbling over my words with my heavy tongue. Everything tingles on my body, but yet, my dick stays hard and refuses to fucking leave.

Read the room, you prick. She’ll definitely shun you after this. I probably just ruined all our chances…

“Did you get off?” My eyes pop open at her question, and I swallow hard.

There standing before me, River cocks her head. Her long brown locks look ratty from overuse, probably Rad shoving his fingers through her hair. Her pink, swollen lips glisten in the shitty bathroom light. A small smile pulls at the edges of her lips when lust fills her eyes and her bare chest heaves. Before me stands a tiny fucking goddess. The fresh, just-fucked look suits her well, and I will forever remember the look in her eyes as she takes me in.

“I… I…” My eyes bug out of my head when she steps closer.

“Start again,” she says in a soft tone.

“Wh-what?” I gasp, tightening my fist around my throbbing dick. I shake my head. There’s no way I’d be able to perform in front of her.

“You heard me,” she barks again, but softly, so as not to alert the two idiots still having a conversation on the other side of the wall. “Stroke yourself, Callum.”

I heave a breath, reluctantly removing my left hand, and reveal myself to her completely. Like in my imagination, I lock eyes with her, and she nods with encouragement. Tentatively, I stroke myself, letting myself fall back into the rhythm I had before. Up and down, I stroke my cock. Like she’s not standing before me in all her naked glory and watching my every move.

“Good job,” she whispers, taking a step closer. “Do you care that I’m this close, Callum?” she whispers, and I shake my head.

“N-no, you’re fine… I…”

“Do you want to come on my tits?” she whispers, softly touching my leg. More heat pours across my flesh at the imagery of spilling my seed across her tits and marking her as mine.

I nod, biting into my lower lip. There’s no way I’d ever admit that to anyone else.

“Then do it,” she says, falling to her knees onto the bathroom floor, waiting for me to finish.

“You-you’re serious?” I whisper frantically, stroking myself harder and harder until the need to come rears its beautiful head again, and I’m ten seconds away from blowing all over River’s chest.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t. That’s all you’re comfortable with, right?” I nod because, yeah, as much as I want to jam my cock down her throat and paint her with it, I can’t do that yet. My stupid mind holds me back. “Then I want you to cum all over me.”

Without another thought, I let myself revel in the feeling of her kneeling in front of me. My balls tighten. Heat descends my spine, straight into my balls. The tip of my dick tingles, and my orgasm hits its peak.

I throw my head back, grunting when the feeling finally overtakes me, and I let go of every fucking thing around me.

“Oh, River!” I shout, spilling everything I have on her awaiting tits.

“What the fuck?” Kieran shouts from the other room, filled with rage.

“You did good,” she whispers with encouragement, putting a hand on my knee.

“You really don’t care that I did that? What—what about them? I…” I trip over my tongue again, feeling the heat on my neck. But relief comes when I stare into the depth of her bright eyes.

“It’s okay,” she says with a shrug, staying on her knees until the bathroom door cranks open and shuts with a thud.

Their footsteps pound toward the back stall. This time, without embarrassment, I let it all hang out. Bliss overtakes me, and I don’t care what they think or have to say about it. I finally let loose and let myself feel something right in front of me.

“Holy shit,” Rad laughs. “No way.” Shaking his head, he leans over and examines the mess I left on River. His dark eyes sparkle with pride when he grins at me.

"What're you guys doing in here?" she asks, narrowing her eyes when she climbs to her feet.

Slowly, I tuck my dick back into my pants and zip myself in. Even if the sight of her with my cum dripping down her tits makes my cock stir again. My breaths shudder when I climb to my wobbly feet.

"We came to see what prick shouted your name. Fuck."

Possession seizes Kieran's voice when his eyes find mine. Instead of the ire I thought I'd receive, a smirk pulls at his lips. He nods at me approvingly and turns to grip River by the hair.

"Now, before we go, be a good girl and tell Callum thank you," Kieran demands in a low voice, sending me a knowing look.

I swallow hard, my heart thumping through my damn chest when she turns to me, sporting a smirk. Shivers run down my spine, and my mouth pops open at her glistening in my jizz. Sliding a finger down her cum-soaked chest, she swirls it in my essence, almost playing with it. I track her movements when she swishes it around her erect nipple, painting it like a masterpiece. Fuck. Making eye contact, she sucks her finger into her mouth, hollowing out her cheeks and moaning.

"Thank you, Callum," she rasps, effectively leaving me and the other two idiots dumbfounded and unable to utter words.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, twisting when she winks, letting me know I did a good job.

Holy fuck. What a woman.

"Uh, we uhh, we came to say goodbye. Asher is probably losing his shit by now," Kieran finally spits out, leaning in to take her lips hostage.

"Fine, goodbye," she mutters breathlessly, shoving at his chest.

"We'll leave you to get cleaned up, Pretty Girl," Rad says with a megawatt grin, lighting up the entire room.

She shrugs with a tired sigh, rubbing at her temples. He gives her a quick peck on the lips and pulls back.

"Give me a minute," I mutter, nodding for them to leave.

Immediately, they take the hint and head toward the door with their shoulders back and smiles on their faces. I haven't seen my friends this happy in a long time, and it's all because of her. Maybe Kieran and his obsession make sense because I'm falling down the same rabbit hole. Asher won't know what hit him when we bring her along when we get into the Battle of the Bands. Because we're getting in, there's no way around that. It's our one and final chance to drive off into the sunset.

"We'll wait by the front door," Kieran says just as they leave the room, leaving River and me alone.

I give her a soft smile as I walk to the sink and start the water. Reaching up, I grab a few brown paper towels and wet them.

"I'll… I'll clean you up," I whisper, stumbling over my damn tongue again. Swallowing hard, I avert my eyes to the ground as anxiety grabs hold.

"You can look at me," she whispers, lifting my chin with her fingers.

Once my eyes meet hers, my breath shudders. Everything seems to click into place, and I nod, gently wiping away my essence from her chest.

"It's hard to make eye contact sometimes," I mutter, throwing the towels into the trash and reaching for more.

"With me, you don't have to worry. I mean, you came on my chest, Cal. I think we're a little past not making eye contact," she says with a small laugh, pulling a chuckle from my chest.

I blush again, instinctively wanting to look away. "I'll work on it," I promise, smiling down at her when I pat her chest dry.

"Now you're just feeling me up," she quips, pointing to my hands as they dab along her tits.

I rip my hand away, looking down at the ground again. "Just trying to make sure you're dry." I quickly throw the towels out and beeline toward the door. I've been brave enough for one day—my heart pounds when I throw the door open, stopping when she calls out my name.

"Callum!" she laughs, strolling forward with a wad of clothes in her hands. "I was just teasing. Now, go with your bros and back to greener pastures." She grins about it, but a deep-seated fear rests in the back of her moss-green eyes.

I lick my lips, stepping up to her. My palms are slick with sweat, and my heart fucking pounds harder than ever. My head swims in anxiety, but I push through it, pressing my lips against her supple cheek. I linger for longer than necessary, soaking in the feeling of her warm flesh beneath my lips.

"We aren't him-him…Van," I whisper against her flesh, taking in her scent. When I pull back, her lips pop open, and her brows furrow. "I'll see you later. Th-thanks for uh…"

"Letting you come on my tits?" she asks, coming out of her stupor with a quip.

Heat retakes my cheeks, and my eyes fall to the floor. "Yeah-yeah, that. See you," I quickly breathe, rushing from the hallway and out the front door.

"There he is!" Rad says with cheer, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "The man of the damn hour! How'd it feel, bro?"

"Leave him alone," Kieran cuts in with a laugh, shoving Rad off me.

A smile creeps across my face, and I swear I blush more.

"Finally," Asher gripes, starting up the Tahoe with a yawn. "Did you all have a fun circle jerk?" he quips with an eye roll.

"Better than that. You should have sat in the corner… or the bathroom," Rad says, grinning when he eyes me.

I roll my eyes, shaking my head, but don't utter a word. The last thing I need is to spill the beans about River and me to Asher.

"You too?" Asher asks, raising his brow.

My blush deepens, and I look away, focusing on the outside. "I don't kiss and tell," I murmur in a shaky voice.

They can talk about their sexcapades all they want, but my lips are sealed for eternity.

"Well, he didn't kiss he…" I grunt, slamming my hand over Rad's mouth. "What?" Rad gripes, trying to peel my hand away.

"Shh," I grumble, shaking my head.

"Fine," he says into my palm with a huff and folds his arms.

"Such a baby," Kieran mocks, sitting back in the passenger's seat with a smile.

My brows furrow when a familiar figure emerges from the shadows with an earbud dangling from her ear.

“Is she walking?” I ask in outrage, looking toward the clock. “At three in the morning? Here?”

Ash clenches his fists around the steering wheel, eyeing her with narrowed eyes as she walks by without looking in our direction. He lurches the car forward, slowly following right beside her. The whirl of the window goes down, exposing us to the warm, damp air. She doesn’t bat an eye.

“Get in the fucking car,” Asher growls out the opened window.

She looks at us and rolls her eyes, walking faster down the cracked sidewalk. Ash snarls again, revving the engine, and speeds ahead of her. Our bodies bounce when he hops the curb, pulling right in front of her on the sidewalk, forcing her to stop.

“Get in the car, River,” Asher says in a no-nonsense tone, eyeing her like he's about to snatch her off the street.

River sighs. “Listen, Assfaces. Great to see you again, but I’m capable of making it home without interference. Thanks a bunch.” Without a second glance, she walks around the back of the SUV and starts walking down the side of the road without a fucking care.

“Where the fuck is her car? Does she have one?” Rad says, looking behind us, and shakes his head.

“Why she gotta be so fucking stubborn?” Asher grunts, slamming the car into reverse and then into drive. Our tires squeal when he hits the gas pedal harder and drives toward her with a sparkle in his eye.

“Jesus, man! Slow down; you’re going to run your meal ticket over,” Kieran shouts, hanging onto the oh-shit bar with a grimace.

“Do not make me get out of this car, drag your ass in here, and then spank it raw for being so goddamn defiant!” Asher snarls out the window, throwing the Tahoe into park, and opening the door with a growl. "If you make me get out of this car, I will punish you."

River's eyes pop wide when she turns toward him, defiantly putting her hands on her hips. Raising a brow, she stands her ground, not giving in to his demands. She doesn't even flinch when he jumps out of the SUV, Kieran yelling after him to stop being an asshole.

Asher stops right before her, giving her one last chance to comply.

“You are a goddamn psycho. Don’t you know no means no, Assbag? I've walked this way before. Thanks a bunch for….” Her words are cut off when she screams bloody murder, slapping Asher when he heaves her over his shoulder. He grunts, hitting her ass hard, and then throws her into Kieran's lap.

Asher's breaths heave in his chest, and he turns his vicious stare to the woman staring him down with murder in her eyes. Kieran quickly holds down her arms, knowing precisely what she was about to go for, and chuckles at her attempt.

“Next time, listen,” Asher growls, throwing the car into drive and slamming on the brake. Taking hold of her jaw, he leans in with a vicious glare, declaring one last promise. "Or you'll receive more than an ass slap, baby brat. I'll make you sorry for ever defying me."

“I. Will. Fucking. Stab. You,” she growls with such malice my balls shrivel in my pants.

Asher laughs, leaning in more, and examines her hate-filled eyes. "Maybe I'd like that, brat. But for now, I'm taking you home." He lifts a brow when she snarls at him, egging him on more.

With those parting words, he presses the accelerator again, and we take off down the abandoned road.

"I swear my dick just throbbed and shriveled at the same time. Confusing ass woman. But fuck, I think I’m in love," Rad stage whispers to me, eyeing the woman in question who fumes in Kieran's arms.

“I said I was fine,” she sighs, pulling her arm from Kieran's grasp, and pinches Asher's nipple through his shirt in punishment.

He flinches, catching her wrist in his hard grasp, grunting through the pain. A familiar smirk twitches the edge of his lips, and he forcefully pulls her face forward with a jerk. In the middle of the road, like a psycho, he pumps the brakes, and we halt. Again. We'll never make it back to her apartment with Asher at the wheel.

“Psychopath,” I mumble, pulling myself from the floorboards with a groan. Pain radiates up my tailbone, and I shake my head, locking my seatbelt. “Seatbelts,” I reprimand, tugging on my belt.

"You're testing my limits, Little Brat," Asher hisses, rubbing at his chest.

"Settle," Kieran grumbles, pulling her closer.

"Fine," she says, shaking her head.

River huffs, looking out the window, and then watches us out the edge of her eyes. I nod, and her body relaxes into Kieran's as she gives me a warm smile that I commit to memory. When my haunting nightmares surface, I'll look at this moment and seek salvation in her warmth.

“Now, where do you live? I’ll do my gentlemanly duties for the night and escort you home. I can’t have my future girlfriend dying at the hands of that guy,” Asher growls, waving a hand at two men smoking against a building, watching us with a sharp eye.

“You drew attention to yourself when you fucking kidnapped me!” she growls, staring out the window and paling.

It isn't until her entire body tenses up the moment she lays eyes on them, and a tremble works through her body I take note it's Bradley from before. He leans against a building, talking with two more men I've never seen before, smoking cigarettes.

Mentally, I take note, vowing to ensure her safety from here on out. From the corner of my eye, I notice Kieran taking in everything being said and the men outside. Catching his eye, he heaves a breath and nods, knowing exactly what I’m thinking, too.

"And girlfriend? Are you insane?" she gripes again, resting her head against Kieran's shoulder. With a sigh, she points down the road. "Just down the way,” she mumbles with less fire, settling into Kieran more. Fuck, how I wish it were me that held her close instead of him. “Central Apartment Complex.” She sighs when she says it, leaning her head back, and shuts her eyes.

I exchange a look with Asher, and he licks his lips, knowing precisely what neighborhood we’re pulling into and what danger lurks there, especially for pretty girls like her. She shouldn’t be on the streets alone, let alone on this one. Central City isn't known for being safe at any time of day. Crime runs rampant in these parts compared to our slice of heaven in Lakeview. It's night and day between the two.

The street blurs by as we drive the eight blocks from the bar to her apartment complex. It’s not a long drive—short and sweet. But the walk would have blistered her feet and taken at least forty-five minutes.

Her apartment building stands in the distance with dark brick and barely any streetlights lining the parking lot. Three more units lay in a semi-circle around her building, with their own dimly lit parking lots filled to the brim with an assortment of cars.

“Over there.” She points to a unit in the middle of the complex, bringing me out of my thoughts.

Ash directs the Tahoe toward the middle unit, eyes darting around the filled-up parking lot. He pulls up next to a Toyota, which looks like it’s seen better days. I look back at River, slumped against Kieran with even breaths. Her eyes flutter open and shut, and if she trusted me more, I’d carry her to her bed. Or force her into mine for the night. I’d tuck her in and never let her leave.

“Thanks for the ride,” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes.

“No, no, thank you!” Rad says with enthusiasm, reaching between the seats. He pulls her tired face toward his and kisses her again, shoving his tongue down her unsuspecting throat. She groans, pushing him away, and wipes the spit from her lips, giving him a death glare.

“Asshole,” she mumbles, opening the door, and jumps down. She lingers a moment, staring into my eyes, and doesn’t shut the door until I give her a nod.

We watch with rapt attention when she walks to the ground-floor apartment and pulls out her keys. Unit 7—I take note, remembering the information for later.

This obsession crashes down on me, and I can only think about her now. Her and our music. I let it settle beneath my skin and take me over. The more of her I have, the fewer nightmares I'll experience.

She opens the door, not sparing us a glance or a thank you, and shuts the door quietly.

“Fuck,” Asher sighs, hitting the steering wheel with an open palm, letting all his frustrations leak through. There's no hiding the interest he holds for our little River.

“Yeah, fuck. Fuck me,” Rad reiterates, staring at the door as she disappears behind. “Ah, shit,” Rad murmurs, holding up a beat-up old iPhone with a split screen.

I frown, grabbing it from his hand, and holding it up to examine it. Ouch. It’s definitely seen better days. Maybe I could buy her a new one with a better case using the trust my parents left me. It would more than accommodate a new phone, or maybe I could lend her my old one. It’s just collecting dust. I bite my lip, thinking about all the things I could shower her with. Not like she’d want them, anyway.

River is making her way through this world. That much is obvious. But what is a little present here and there? Besides, if she is going to date us or be our girlfriend, she needs a better phone to communicate with us. And… hmm. Yes. That will be perfect. I grin to myself and nod. Ah, yeah, that’s it. A giddy butterfly erupts in my gut at the thought of throwing a new phone at her with a little something extra.

“That hers?” Asher asks, raising a brow at the sight of the poor, abused phone.

“Appears so,” Rad whistles under his breath and then snatches it from my hand. “Time to find out where my new favorite girl lives.” I choke on my spit when he leaps out of the car, stumbling over his drunken feet, and marches toward her door with copious amounts of liquid courage.

“Shit,” I yelp, jumping out and taking off after him at full speed and stopping when we come face to face with her weathered door, with the number 7 on it. Kieran breathes heavily when he joins us at the door and frowns.

"You have to be careful, man," he growls, looking around the complex, and his shoulders sag. "You can't just run out here at night. Never know who's waiting around the corner." Kieran swallows hard, eyeing the surrounding buildings with a sharp eye.

Rad grins again, wiggling his brows, completely disregarding Kieran's concerns. Instead, he obviously thinks he's going another round with her between the sheets. Fat chance. Asher would storm the damn castle and yank them out by their dicks.

"For fuck's sake," Asher gripes, running a hand down his face when he finally catches up to us and locks the Tahoe. "Can't have you idiots leaving me in the car again."

The door bursts open with a frightened-looking River standing on the other side, and my hackles rise. I growl, looking her up and down, noticing the tears she’s frantically wiping away and trying to hide.

“What’s going on?” Kieran asks, stepping protectively up to her. He grabs her shoulders, forcing her to look at us. Terror and pure panic rest in the back of her eyes when she stares back, and my heart drops.

“Help,” she murmurs, staring us in the eyes with a bewildered look. “I need your help.”

And every instinct in my body tells me to drop everything and help.