Brynne
B ang! Bang! Bang!
I jolted upright, the room spinning. Bright sunlight blinded me as I ran my hand through my hair, looking around the room. A groggy groan left me—where was I?
But then I blinked, and everything came rushing back. I reached up, touching my neck, knowing the little bites and hickeys Theo left on me were in full bloom.
“ Theo ,” I rasped, pressing my palm against his shoulder. He rolled onto his side, a sleepy smile spreading across his face.
“Good morning, Re?—”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“What is that?” I asked, pulling the blanket tighter around me. His dark brows bunched, bleary eyes on me.
“I don’t know.”
Silence filled the space between us as we stared at each other. I strained to listen.
“Maybe it’s Scout?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“She won’t be home for—” He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “Shit. Maybe it is.” He grumbled under his breath as he rolled out of bed, sliding his pants on from last night, not bothering with a shirt. “Stay here. I don’t know who it is for sure.”
I doubted it was anyone dangerous. This was Cedar Ridge, and other than the craziness with Willow a few months ago, nothing ever happened.
The floorboards creaked as Theo walked down the stairs. I tightened my hold on the blanket, straining to hear, but the house was too big, and the door was too far away to make anything out.
Slowly, I looked around like it was my first time seeing the room. Last night, everything felt like a blur. I hadn’t focused on anything too long, but now that it was the stark light of day, everything bathed in a golden glow, things felt more real.
I wasn’t in a dream. I was in Theo’s bedroom.
And everything that happened last night had been real, too. But the three words he said against my hair were the only things I was unsure of. It had to have been my imagination, a manifestation of something I wanted to hear.
Did I want to hear it?
I thought for only a moment before the truth settled through me, spreading through my veins like wildfire.
A smile tugged at my mouth as I finger-combed my hair, gaze on the balcony doors leading outside.
Distantly, I could hear waves crashing against the shore, and the rustle of wind through the trees and tall grass.
Everything in the room was gray, white, and black.
A perfect, elegant blend that screamed Theo.
Trin and I visited him in New York a few years ago, and his penthouse had been decorated similarly, but he’d brought more color into this house when they moved.
His bedroom still tied him to his old life—no pops of color, no extra decor.
But there was a photo of him and Scout on the dresser, the only real permanence . The only sign of change .
Male voices rose from downstairs, and I shifted my gaze to the cracked open door. My heart galloped—slowly at first, but as they grew louder, angrier , my heart beat faster.
Sliding from bed, I slipped my dress on from last night and crept into the hallway. Every step closer to the first flight stairs made the voices grow louder. It wasn’t until I hit the second floor and stood on the walkway overlooking the foyer that I realized who it was.
Sean .
“I don’t know why you’re being such a fucking prick about this,” Sean snarled, stepping closer to Theo, but he stood his ground, not giving into the intimidation.
“I don’t need anyone else on my team. I have it covered.
” His voice was dismissive, almost bored.
There was a lazy arrogance to him, like there always was, but this felt different.
His shoulder muscles were tense, and the way he held himself a little taller, his spine a little straighter, told me he might look calm, but inside, something else brewed.
“You work for me ?—”
“I work for your father,” Theo said coolly. “And so do you.”
Sean scoffed, almost like the words burned him. “It’s my name on that sign. It’s my name?—”
“You’re lucky your dad hasn’t fucking fired you.” Theo pointed his finger in Sean’s face, his voice rising, the first crack in his armor. “After all the shit you pulled, all the bad press you brought to the company, everyone is shocked you’re still there.”
“I’m valuable?—”
Theo threw his head back and laughed— laughed like what Sean said was hilarious.
“You’re not fucking valuable ,” he said, chuckling without humor. “Why do you think your dad agreed to this lighthouse project? Because he knows it’ll make the company look good. Here I am, yet again, Sean, cleaning up your messes.” He held his arms out, his muscles flexing with the movement.
Sean stepped closer, his chest brushing against Theo’s. I gripped the banister, my breath caught in my throat as Theo balled his hands into fists at his sides.
Was he about to hit him?
But then he let out a harsh breath and stepped back. “You’re not fucking worth it,” he muttered. “You and I both know if Bruce wasn’t your dad, you would’ve never been hired in the first place.”
“I’ve brought in more clients?—”
“No,” Theo snapped, interrupting him, slicing his hand through the air.
“You’ve lost more clients than anyone else.
I’ve brought them in, and the handful that were yours were ready to leave when news about you being a fucking predator hit tabloids.
Who was the one who kept them around, Sean?
” He closed the distance between them. “Who was the one Bruce promoted? Who was the one who kept the clients signed despite your allegations?”
“They weren’t fucking true,” Sean spat.
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Theo shook his head, disgust rolling off every word. “I should’ve kicked your ass years ago. I should’ve done something to get you locked up and away from women years ago.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t because you’re just like me,” he said, and my stomach dropped. My eyes shifted to Theo.
“I’m not,” he said, his voice low. “The difference between us is that I don’t have to beg women to fuck me. I don’t have to trick them, or roofie them, or follow them around like a pathetic fucking dog . They give me their consent, fully and happily, because I’m not you .”
Sean rolled his eyes, doing a double take when he saw me watching them. I stumbled back a step, silently cursing myself as a smile curved his lips.
“I see you have company,” he said, gesturing toward me. Theo glanced over his shoulder, his face hard. Unreadable. “She’s not your usual type. I didn’t realize you liked them fat. Or is that all this shithole has to offer?”
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, they hit deep . Tears sprang to my eyes, and my throat tensed.
Fat .
The ugly, three letter word that carried far too much pain.
“Get the fuck out,” Theo snarled, grabbing Sean by his shirt and shoving him toward the door. Rage filled his words, but I didn’t care. I could barely focus on anything but that word floating around my mind. “Get the fuck out of my house before I kill you. Get out.”
Sean laughed as he stumbled out the door, his eyes on me. I wiped roughly at my cheeks, my stomach flipping. His words hit their intended mark like an arrow through the heart.
Suddenly, I was that thirteen-year-old girl with a crush on the cute, popular boy and all his friends were pointing and laughing and calling me fat. Suddenly, I was fifteen and watching my thinner friends complain about their bodies, inadvertently saying their biggest fear was to look like me .
Suddenly, I was eighteen, and wanting to put myself out there again, and the boy I liked only liked me in secret because what would his friends think of him fucking a big girl?
I hurried up the stairs to Theo’s bedroom. The words settled deep inside me, opening wounds I’d stitched closed years ago. Being the fat friend, the girl with the pretty face, the one who would be a ten if she just lost weight— those things stayed with you forever.
Even though I’d spent years working on myself, building my confidence, unlearning all the lies people spat at me, all it took was one word from someone to reopen that carefully closed box and have everything spill out like oil.
“Brynne!” Theo called, but I ignored him, stumbling through the bedroom door. “Don’t listen to him?—”
“I want to go home,” I said hopefully loud enough for him to hear, and pulled my heels on. “Take me home, or—or I can walk. I don’t know. I just—” I shook my head, tears still dripping from my eyes as I searched for my purse. Did I leave it downstairs or bring it up here with us?
I’d never seen Theo with a woman before, but somewhere deep down, I knew I wasn’t his usual type.
And a part of me wondered if Sean’s words were true.
Was he only with me, did he only sleep with me, because I was the only option?
If there had been someone better, someone closer to what he was used to, would he have chosen them instead?
Theo stood in the doorway, bare chest heaving as he watched me. As I stared at him, all I could see was that boy in college telling me I was only worth being a secret. And wasn’t that what Theo said, too?
We’d keep it on the app only. We’d just have fun . Nothing serious.
No one had to know .
I was his secret.
Why? Was he afraid of hurting Trinity, too? Or was it really because he was afraid of what his friends would think if they caught us together?
“Just calm down,” he said, reaching for me. “Ignore him, Red. He’s?—”
Roughly, I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I barreled past him, heading for the stairs.
I felt irrational, emotional . But after last night, those maybe-dream-words still ringing in my head, I felt raw .
I felt vulnerable in a way I’d never felt before, like I was stripped bare and laid out before the world to pick apart.
And I needed to get away.
Just for a moment.
Sunlight warmed my clammy skin as I rushed outside, bracing my hand on my hip as I walked down the walkway toward the car. If I could just calm down, I knew I could get past this.