Chapter 11
River
Dove dangles the keys to her combi in front of my face. “Get me out of here.” There is a glint of excitement in her eyes. She’s been ignoring all of us since yesterday, but maybe I am forgiven after all.
I snatch the keys off her, my grin widening. Some fun is exactly what we both need. I can’t stand being cooped up in this place any more than she can. “Where you wanna go?”
A hand comes to her hip, and she clicks her tongue. “Just so we are clear, this does not excuse what you did to me the other night. But since you’re stuck babysitting me and I’m bored out of my brains, you get to be my entertainment.”
I raise a brow; maybe not as fun as I thought. “Well, as long as that’s cleared up, sounds like a delightful morning,” I mutter. “You know I had no choice but to tell Kasen, right.”
She sighs heavily and grabs her purse from the counter.
Closing the gap between us, she gazes up at me, the green of her eyes extra bright today, making her look more like her young self.
It’s unnerving because the truth is I miss her like mad, and staring down at her like this, I get the urge to do what I never had the guts to do as a teen—kiss her till she crumbles and admits she’s mine.
But I know that ship has sailed. She hates all of us now, made that pretty damn clear.
Her hand runs up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps as she slowly drags it up, knowing exactly the effect she has on me.
Then she grabs a fistful of my T-shirt roughly.
“Everyone has a choice in the decisions they make, River, you just made the wrong one,” she snaps, bitchy as all hell, before releasing me and storming to the door that leads to the garage.
Like a puppy I follow her, opening the door with my fingerprint.
Shit, I know she’s right, and if I did what I wanted to do the other night and take her upstairs to my apartment with me, I bet she would still be curled up in my bed right now.
Happy. Satisfied. Not devising a plan to escape me when my back is turned.
Probably stabbing me in it first. But it’s just not how shit works around here.
Kasen had already put word out on the streets to find her.
Apparently, he was testing her to see exactly what she was capable of now.
Lucky for him, she came to me before she got too far.
Unluckily for him, she had her fun destroying property and his car first. But if you ask me that’s what he deserves, playing games like he does.
I acted my part because disobeying a direct order, especially from the top, could land me in all kinds of shit.
That’s how the system works. And I might be injured, but I happen to enjoy the delights this life has to offer, the power we all hold over the rest of our town.
Now I just have to work out how I can make it up to Dove so she doesn’t look at me like she wants to knee me in the junk every time she walks in the room and I’m there.
That’s a look she should reserve for K. Me, I prefer the come-fuck-me eyes she was giving me at the bar.
And after that kiss, I know it’s only a matter of time before I have her again.
When I get down to the combi in the parking garage under the house, she’s in the driver’s seat ready to go. I lean into the window. “Not a chance in hell, baby, I have the keys.” I chuckle, loving her confidence.
She crosses her arms over her chest in a way that draws my attention to her massive tits, in the low-cut tank and bikini top she has on. “It’s my car,” she sasses. “Least you can do is let me drive it after what you did to me.”
I rake a hand through my hair thinking on it, knowing how dangerous this girl is for me.
I wouldn’t consider going against direct orders for anyone else.
But how can I resist that face? She’s just so damn pretty, and the truth is he only said to watch over her, there was no mention of us staying put, and he knows I have shit to do for the beach bar.
And he and Bodhi won’t be home till late with what they are up to.
We can take the combi for a spin then be back before they know anything ever happened. “Kasen will kill me.”
She holds out her hand. “What Kasen doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Come on, Easten, live a little.” Man, her cheeky grin makes me want to live a whole lot.
I suck in a breath, already knowing I’m going to regret this.
“You stick to the speed limit, and we only go where I tell you, you got it?” My eyes narrow in on her.
“You fuck this up for us, he’s likely to lock you in there permanently.
” I motion to the house, my expression deadly serious.
She thinks it’s bad now being locked up with us, but she has no idea what we are really capable of.
If he wants, he could make her life not worth living anymore.
Not that I think he would do that to our Dove, he once loved her too much for that, but she needs to hear my warning.
Her hand settles on the side of my face, light and delicate, looking deep into my eyes in that way that sends my heart into overdrive.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid, Riv, I just need some time away from this place.
You know I don’t like to be caged, and this place is sucking the life out of me. ”
Fuck, this girl is good. I still remember the nights she made me help her escape her parents’ place just like this, twisting my arm by smiling at me all, all cute like. She knows how easily I melt for her. “Yeah, I remember.”
Her fingers brush down my arm. “We could go for a swim, maybe check out that beach I saw on my way in from the train?” she suggests. Her manipulation skills have most certainly improved. It’s still obvious what she’s doing, but somehow, I care less.
I shake my head, trying to clear the lust fog.
I could have any girl I want, but this girl is different.
She holds a part of me, and I know it’s already too late, one damn bat of her long dark lashes and I’m going to do whatever she wants.
She’s the missing part of our crew, and I know it’s running through K and Bodhi’s heads as well; she might just be the one to bring us all back together.
To fix things that no one will admit are broken.
“You’re trouble,” I mutter, unimpressed as I drop the keys into her hand.
“You love it.” She beams from ear to ear, her pretty eyes lighting up with fresh excitement. She slaps my arm playfully. “Come on, hurry up, I can hear the water calling our names.”
I jump in the passenger side, unable to help the stupid grin on my face now as well.
They shouldn’t have left her with me. K knew my intentions weren’t pure.
The more time I spend with her, the easier it’s going to be for her to fall for me.
But maybe that was his plan, get her to fall for one of us again, then we tell her our situation is more complicated than most.
Things between us have been strained since I got back this time.
He’s distant, ice-cold most of the time, and his eyes have that same look in ‘em that Keller’s did.
Dead inside. I’ve tried to bring him back to life, and Bodhi tells me he’s okay, but I don’t believe him.
I missed too much while I was gone and it’s changed all of us.
The girls I tried to bring into the mix were all wrong and didn’t last more than a night with the three of us.
But Dove’s different, she’s got history with all of us.
She could be the perfect fit for us in every way.
With a cackle, Dove kicks the engine to life and takes off out of the parking garage.
“Easy with her,” I warn. This car’s my pride and joy, or it was until I was thinking with my dick last night and not my head.
Her brow rises. “I know how to drive, River.”
“Yes, but she’s delicate, and I would hate anything to happen to her while she’s in your care.”
Her eyes roll dramatically. “Never seen you care so much about anything before. Well, maybe your surfboard,” she mutters, continuing down the long driveway and out onto the main road that leads us out of town.
She flicks on the radio and turns it up high, moving to the music as she races past the shops on Main Street.
I can’t take my eyes off her. The way she brushes her long silver hair over her shoulder as she moves, it sends a waft of coconut into the car, and I breathe it in.
Her hair is so damn pretty, I have the urge to run my fingers through it.
To use it to control her. Hold her close as our lips meet and I kiss her like she’s never been touched before.
I wonder if some other dude has ever blown her mind.
Doesn’t matter. I would rock her fucking world if she let me. We all would if she’s up for it.
She leans her arm on the open window, trying to act cool and relaxed when I can see the tension in her shoulders.
She’s a mystery, hard and soft, so beautiful on the outside but so damn damaged on the inside.
I wonder what it would take to mend my broken baby.
I wonder if she could fix me. Us? Because the way things are going, we’re about to self-destruct, I’m sure of it.
Kasen doesn’t think we know but he’s on the verge of some sort of breakdown, and Bodhi plays it cool but I know he’s hardly holding it all together.
And me, well, I’ve been drifting for months now, fucking anything that moved so I could feel something and fill the void now in my life because I can’t surf.
“When did you get this done?” I ask, running a finger over the rose tattoo that disappears up and under her shorts on her thigh.