Текст книги "Falling Away"

Автор книги: Penelope Douglas

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

CHAPTER 14

JULIET

When I get my hands on you …

I texted my threat to Shane and Fallon and stuffed my phone back into my purse.

“Sorry if you were ambushed.” Adam shot me an apologetic look as he drove. “It wasn’t my idea.”

“I’m sure.” I didn’t know Fallon extremely well, but I got the impression that this was probably more Madoc’s brainchild anyway.

“But I’m kind of glad.” He flashed me an honest grin. “As long as you don’t have a boyfriend that’s going to come and beat my ass.”

I sucked in a shaky breath, immediately thinking of Jax, which was strange, since I’d just broken up with Liam. Shouldn’t I have thought of Liam when Adam said “boyfriend?”

“Nope,” I rushed out. “No boyfriend.”

“Good.” He relaxed into his seat, doing the guy thing like Jax. But not doing it nearly as well.

Adam’s body wasn’t long, and it didn’t fill the space the same way. His car was more compact, and I didn’t feel the quivers in my thighs the way I did when Jax’s Mustang vibrated under my body.

Adam’s car was fun. Jax’s car was a threat.

Oh, my God. Why was I comparing them? Jax wasn’t making me any promises. And Adam was only here for a few days.

Both were unavailable, in my opinion, and I was a free agent.

Just have fun at the carnival, Juliet.

We pulled into the fairgrounds and parked on the grassy field, right next to Madoc’s car.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I smiled.

County fairs were held at the town’s established fairgrounds, not far from the Loop, and today was probably the best day to come. Being that it was midafternoon, the temperature had to be pushing a hundred degrees already, and I was already sticky. While some hated that, I loved it.

The fuzzy lights in the distance cast a spectacular glow of reds, greens, yellows, and blues, and the sounds of carnival life filled the thick, hot air, making me want to smile.

Eighties music crackled over cheap speakers, riders screamed as their roller coasters whipped them through the air, and intercoms blared names of the latest winners of the ring toss and duck pond, while the sharp pop of the balloon-and-dart game cut through my ears.

I inhaled the hot scent of funnel cake, mixed with sickly sweet cotton candy, and clutched the hem of my shorts at my sides as we traipsed through the high grass to the entrance. With the sun beating down on my shoulders, and the sweat already dripping down my back, I licked my lips, tasting the dirt in the air.

Cheap carnivals grossed a lot of people out. They were grungy and dilapidated, and they attracted deviants.

At least, that was what my mother had told me.

The only reason she ever came was to work a stand, signing up people for the Garden Club, the Rotary Club, or whatever election candidate she was supporting that year.

I never wanted to be a part of that, though. I never wanted to be stuck inside the old banquet hall at the fairgounds with the air-conditioning. There was just something completely raw about the atmosphere outside. About the sweat, the heat, and the dirt.

I couldn’t explain it, and I was always ashamed of it, but I felt primal here. I loved the carnival. For all the reasons my mother hated it.

Walking in, we purchased bracelets that would allow us to ride as much as we wanted until closing, and then we went for food.

“Hot dog,” Fallon ordered, digging in her purse.

Madoc came up behind her, sucking on her neck. “Save your appetite. I’ve got a foot-long for later.”

“Ugh.” She shoved him away but still smiled.

I grinned, Madoc laughed, and Adam and Shane were helping each other with their wristbands.

I turned to the girl working the concession stand. “I’d like a cherry Popsicle, please.” And I raised my eyebrows to Shane. “You?”

“Hot dog, too!” She barely glanced up as she fastened the band at Adam’s wrist.

“Adam? You want anything?” Madoc asked.

“Nah, I’m good.”

We paid and ate and chatted about everything that had been going on. Shane’s brilliant notion to change her major again for a college career she hadn’t even started yet. Fallon trying to decide which piercing she’d get, and Madoc trying to stick his hand between her legs to indicate where he wanted her to get pierced. Adam talking about the latest research on vegan diets.

And me trying not to think about how fast I’d fallen in the last twenty-four hours.

I’d threatened my mom, let Jaxon Trent stick his fingers and tongue inside me, and now I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up for college in the fall, since Sandra Carter would no doubt disallow access to my college fund.

And I laughed.

The smile spread my lips wide, and my skin hummed just under the surface as everyone chatted away, and I kept laughing.

My head bowed, and my stomach tingled.

“Um … ,” Shane started. “You okay?”

I looked at her, my eyes blurry with happiness. Yep. Not okay. Kind of okay. Feel okay. But not okay. Isn’t it wonderful? I just smiled at their wide-eyed expressions.

“K.C.?”

And then my smile faded.

I halted, seeing my mother standing a few feet away, carrying a tray of pies.

She wore a wispy, lavender summer dress and high heels, looking absolutely pristine with her hair curled and tied back in a low ponytail. Suddenly I was very aware of every inch of my sweaty skin.

I saw her eyes sweep up and down the length of me, taking in my appearance, and then her eyes narrowed like bullets. She didn’t say anything before she turned and walked away, back into the banquet hall.

I stood there, looking after her, trying to figure out what was going through her head. Did she really hate me so much?

Madoc and Adam had walked ahead, but I turned to Fallon and Shane at my side. “I don’t look inappropriate, do I?” I asked.

The corner of Fallon’s mouth turned up. “How do you feel?”

I looked down, amusement tickling my face. I wasn’t wearing anything special, but it was skimpy, slightly see-through with the slits on my back, and suggestive. The three terrible S’s.

“Loud,” I confessed. “I feel loud. Like everyone can hear me.”

“But comfortable?” she pressed.

I nodded. Yeah.

“Then that’s good enough,” she shot back. “You make your own rules, Juliet. Girls dress for others. Women dress for themselves.”

And those were the truest words I’d heard in a long time.

I liked being aware of my body.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Shane ran her fingers through her hair, flopping it to one side. “The Gravitron, the Tilt-A-Whirl, or the Kamikaze?”

I looked around and spotted a haunted fun house. My guilty pleasure.

“That.” I pointed to the small warehouse with a huge blowup dragon seated at the front entrance with its mouth open. It was a staple every year that I’d been here. You walk into the dragon’s breath and into the warehouse/converted fun house for the regular kind of carnival fare.

I led the way, Shane and Fallon giggling behind me as Adam and Madoc stayed behind with the water gun game.

We left the bright smells and sounds of the carnival, and I gasped at gusts of wind hitting my body as we stepped through the dragon’s mouth. Fans blew from several directions, cooling the light layer of sweat on my legs, stomach, and arms, and the fog machine rolled soft clouds around my feet.

Looking around, I inhaled the darkness, taking in the hot smell of dirt and depth. Kind of like being in a basement.

Juice from the Popsicle dripped on my hand, and I blinked, looking down and licking the sweet red stickiness from my hand.

The ceiling gave way, rising, and we entered the fun house.

Veering through the maze of clear plastic panels, I bumped into walls I didn’t see and laughed through turns I had to blindly hold my hand out to make sure were there. Sucking on my Popsicle, I wobbled across the bridge, through the spinning barrel, and across the plank with the neon carnival masks zooming past. My equilibrium was lost, and I bit my lip to stifle my laughter. I liked not knowing which direction to turn or which way was up.

My eyes moved everywhere, taking in all the sights, and I took my time, strolling into the haunted house part of the tour.

Biting off a piece of my Popsicle, I stepped up to the different displays around the large room. The lights cast a soft glow, and the little playhouses decorated with bare trees, gargoyles, and zombies almost made it feel like Halloween.

Almost. If not for the heat.

I heard laughter in the distance and twisted my head away from the cemetery scene to see that I was alone.

I lowered the Popsicle, licking my lips and darting my eyes all around me. Where were Shane and Fallon? The fun house hadn’t been busy. It never was, but …

I felt my heartbeat pounding harder, and my senses kicked into high gear. It was dark in here, I was alone, and …

Yeah. I circled the corner and climbed the stairs. If I remembered correctly, there was a slide that took you to the bottom level and exit.

Running up the spiral staircase, I speed-walked past the row of carnival mirrors, kicking up dust and dirt with my flip-flops as I jetted for the tunnel slide leading back to the outside.

But I didn’t make it.

Someone snaked an arm around my waist, and I screamed as he growled in my ear, “Did you think”—his hot breath scorched my skin—“that I was kidding when I said that there was no stopping, Juliet?”

Jax.

His hard chest pressed against my back, and I closed my eyes, feeling safe and threatened at the same time.

My heart thundered against my sternum, and my chest burned. “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, pinching the Popsicle stick between my fingers, not caring that the juice was spilling down.

He ran his tongue from the bottom of my neck up to my ear and caught my lobe in his teeth. “I don’t know.” He sounded playful. “Do you want me to stop?”

I twisted my head, and the air between our lips charged with heat before he lifted his head, threaded his fingers through my hair, and covered my mouth with his. Cinnamon touched my tongue, and I pressed my lips into his, darting my tongue out to lick him.

Then his mouth left mine, and I blinked as he dropped to his knees, reached around to unfasten my shorts, and yanked them down, underwear and all, then sank his teeth into my flesh.

“Jax!” I yelped.

Oh, my God! We were in public! Shit!

He held my waist, kissing and biting my lower back and ass.

I groaned, a fucking inferno blazing between my legs. “Jax, Jesus,” I whimpered. “Someone could come in.”

He stood up, lifted me into his arms, and carried me to the wall, leaving my shorts in a pile on the dusty floor.

Planting me back on my feet, he reached down and lifted my shirt over my head.

He was still wearing his straight-leg black pants, sitting low but secured with a black belt. He had taken off his T-shirt, though, and it hung out of his back pocket, swinging against his leg as he moved.

Hovering over me, he stared down in what felt like a dare. “No one’s coming in.” And he flattened his hand on my chest and ran it slowly down, stopping to knead my breast, and I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back as he claimed it in his fingers.

“Your Popsicle’s melting.” His voice held a hint of humor. And then I watched wide-eyed as he brought my hand up, peeled the Popsicle stick away and licked all my fingers one by one.

Lowering his hand, he swirled my nipple in his mouth, and I sucked in a breath through my teeth with the shock. My already hard nipples puckered even more, and the cold juice in his mouth contrasting with the sweltering heat wave down below made for a nice cyclone in my stomach.

“You like that.” He sounded surprised. “Bet you’ll love this.”

And I grabbed his shoulders, digging my nails in when he slid the Popsicle between my legs, gliding it along my slit.

I moaned. “You’re such a little shit.” But holy hell, I loved it. “Please stop,” I begged.

He sank his lips into mine, molding our naked chests together, and I kissed him as if he were the last meal I’d ever eat. I held him close, going at him and rolling my hips into the Popsicle he still held there.

Fuck, I wanted him.

“I hated the idea that guy might touch you.” He slid the Popsicle in and out of my folds.

Oh, God. I squeezed my eyes shut. It felt so good.

I shook my head. “He didn’t touch me,” I gasped. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

He ignored the question as he continued kneading my hip and working the Popsicle.

“Jax,” I whispered into his lips. “You’re the one I think about.”

The next thing I knew the Popsicle was gone, and Jax was between my legs, licking up the red juice that had melted all over my skin.

“Oh, God.” I gripped his hair.

His lips sucked my clit, and I let him swing one of my legs over his shoulder as he ate me.

The dirt on the wall behind me ground into my back, and the heat burned my nostrils as I breathed hard.

“Jax, it’s so hot.” My hair was stuck to my neck and face. “Baby …” I fisted his hair harder, ready to ride his damn face if he didn’t give me what I needed.

He kissed my clit, my folds, my thigh where it met my hip …

“Your sweat …” He darted out his tongue, licking my hip and stomach. “Damn, you’re fun to play with.”

I swallowed and took my leg down. Gripping his ponytail at his scalp, I forced his eyes on mine. “I’m done playing.”

My eyes burned, and I didn’t know if it was from the ache of my pussy throbbing or knowing that his eyes, his tongue, or his fucking defiance was twisting me so hard and tight that I was ready to scream.

“Please. Fuck me,” I whispered. I could feel the wetness pouring out of me. I was ready. I needed this!

His eyes flared, and he, for once in his life, looked stunned.

His chest rose and fell in silence, but inch by inch, he rose to stand over me. My hands fell to his chest, and I held his eyes as he unfastened his belt. I smoothed his hair back above his ear, smelling tires and grease on him as he took out a condom and then let his pants fall to the floor, kicking everything off.

And I even held his eyes, sucking in a breath when he smoothed on the condom and lifted me, pressing my body into the steel wall behind me.

I hung off his neck, my head falling back as his nipple rings teased my breasts, and his lips bore down on mine.

“I want you,” I whispered. “I want your sweat on my skin, your tongue in my mouth, and your cock filling me up. Jax, I’m yours,” I rasped out, my throat dry. “I was only ever yours.”

He grabbed my neck, planting a hard kiss on my lips, and I gave it back full force.

And when he reached down between us and worked himself into my entrance and into my body, I pressed my lips to his so hard that I could feel his teeth cut into me.

“Oh, God,” I gasped and whimpered, my eyes squeezed shut and my whole body shaking as he sank into me, inch by hot inch.

“Ah,” I moaned, stilling and feeling him stretch me.

The searing heat shot through my womb and down my thighs as his steel thickness pushed deeper, and I let my head fall back as I clasped Jax’s neck with both hands.

We were joined, and I was on fire.

And I was his now.

CHAPTER 15

JAXON

I slid the rest of the way inside her, feeling her body stiffen and relax as she opened for me.

Jesus Christ.

I eased out, bringing my hips back slowly and then sliding back into her tight heat.

“Fuck, you feel good.” Her slick pussy surrounded my cock, holding it like a fucking glove, and I squeezed her hips, forcing myself to go slow.

I should’ve stopped. We were in public, and I should’ve fucking stopped, but I couldn’t.

My lungs ached, because I couldn’t take in a goddamn breath, and I hid my face in her neck, sure that she could see the sweet agony written all over it.

“Jesus, baby,” I said in a pained voice. “So tight. And so fucking wet.” And I groaned, sinking back into her slowly and gripping her ass in my fingers.

“Jax?” She raised her head back upright and wetted her lips. “I’m not a doll,” she panted, pleading with me. “I won’t break, so don’t hold back. I’m ready.”

I let out a shaky laugh, feeling sweat pouring down my back as I sucked on her heated skin, really loving how good she’d gotten at being heard.

Straightening up, I lifted her just enough to make sure I had a good hold and pressed her against the wall. “I hope you’ve been working out,” I warned. “You’re going to need stamina for this.”

Her arms tightened around my neck, and her face sat cheek-to-cheek with mine as I started fucking her the way I knew she wanted.

Her mouth in my ear was torture, her moans and cries surrounded us, and I sank my lips into hers, eating up all her cries. I fucking wanted it all. Everything she had to give me. Feeling her moans and whimpers in my mouth vibrate down into my throat was a fucking rush.

While my hips rolled into hers, shivers covered my skin with the warmth and frenzy burning inside me.

Her hard nipples kept rubbing against my chest, her long black-and-white feather earrings teased her shoulders, and with her glowing skin and petite frame … She was killing me. So beautiful it hurt.

“Jax,” she gasped against my lips, and tilted her head back to look up at me. She looked about two seconds from passing out. “I’m sorry I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said in a shaky voice. “I want to be good for you.”

And I flexed my muscles, squeezing her ass harder.

“Baby.” I shook my head, gazing down into those lovely eyes as she moved up and down my cock, her pussy grinding on me. “Nobody’s ever been sweeter than you. You’re fucking perfect.”

Her eyes flashed to the side, and I followed her gaze, seeing Madoc, Fallon, Shane, and Ken Doll roaming outside. The walls of the fun house only rose halfway, leaving the top half open. We were high enough and far back enough that we wouldn’t be noticed, but we could see them.

And they were looking for her.

Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me” was playing over the speakers outside, the hot air blew across our skin, and I grinned my ass off. “They’re coming in,” I said. “I wonder how long it will take for them to find us.”

“No.” She bit her bottom lip, a worried look crossing her eyes. “I thought you said no one was coming. My mom is out there.” And then she moaned, closing her eyes. “Oh, God. Keep that pace. Keep doing that,” she panted.

I straightened my back, pulling her hips into me faster and faster. “Don’t worry. Mom won’t find out.”

I dipped down, kissing her breast and continuing to move inside her. I licked the salty sweat from her skin and shifted my attention to the other breast, taking her nipple in my mouth.

Fucking hell. Her skin was sugar.

“It’s so hot,” she breathed, and that was the goddamn truth. Her hair still looked sexy as hell, but strands were sticking to her, and I could feel mine sticking to my skin as well.

“I’m coming,” she moaned. “Just keep that pace, Jax. Please. Just like that,” she urged.

I stood up straight, looked down at her tight stomach, and grabbed her hips. “Like this, baby.” And I guided her hips in a figure-eight motion into me and then back down.

Her stomach moved in waves toward me, and I groaned as she caught on and found her rhythm. In and then out. Rolling in and rolling back out. Over and over again, she was driving me fucking crazy.

Her eyebrows pinched together as she took over, working me faster and faster.

“Oh, Jax,” she cried, rolling quicker and harder. More and more. Again and again her hips slammed into me, pushing my cock deep inside her.

I sucked in air, feeling the pressure build as if I were ready to implode. “Come on,” I grunted, gripping her hips and yanking her into me. “Fuck that shit, baby.” And then I dropped my head back. “Jesus, you’re killing me.”

And we were going to bruise my goddamn hips, but I couldn’t care less.

“You feel so good,” she whimpered. “Ah, ah, ah …”

I plastered us to the wall, chest-to-chest, and held my hand over her mouth, drowning out her cries.

Her moans vibrated through my hand, and her body went limp with her orgasm as I powered through my own. All my muscles tensed with the wave of euphoria in my dick, and I dropped my head back and groaned. “Fuck, Juliet. Fuck.” I clenched my teeth, thrusting hard and spilling inside her as she came down.

Fucking hell. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, and I had to tense every damn muscle in my body to make sure I stayed standing. My abs were tight as hell, but my arms were far from tired.

I kneaded her ass, my teeth bared and my chest going a mile a minute.

She was hanging on by a thread. Her limp head bobbed against her skinny arms that were still wrapped around my neck.

And then she lifted her head, meeting my eyes. And I stilled.

K. C. Carter, naked and glowing, stripped and wild, was smiling at me.

“Juliet!” someone shouted. “Where are you?”

She jerked, but I brought her back, holding her tight and whispering into her lips, “I think I like you.” And I sank into her mouth, kissing her soft and long until we were both breathless. I pulled back, letting my forehead fall to hers as I tried to catch my breath.

There was just too much shit to process. She constantly looked at me as if she expected better behavior, we always fought, and to top it all off, there was a ton of things she would never know about me. But … I liked her. I definitely liked her.

She pulled back, weightless in my arms as she looked up at me. “I like you, too.” She smiled. “Was I okay?”

My jaw itched with a smile that I didn’t let show. “I’ll let you know when we’re done,” I replied in a cocky tone, and jerked her into me again.

“You’re still hard?” she blurted out, looking scared. “But … but,” she stuttered, “they’re coming!”

I thrust my hips into her, shutting her up.

“Look at me,” I urged, pressing my forehead to hers and sliding my cock in fast and hard, again and again.

She raised her eyes, her chest rising and falling a mile a minute.

“Juliet!” Fallon called from somewhere in the building.

“Oh, God, Jax!” Juliet called out, and I didn’t care who heard her.

“Say it again,” I gritted out, running my thumb over her lips, all the while fucking her like a machine. “Say it, baby. Say it.”

“Oh, God?”

I shook my head, laughing. “Not that.”

Her eyes narrowed on me, and then realization dawned in her eyes, and she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth, drawing it out slow. “Only ever you,” she whispered.

“Again.” I thrust harder, her moans vibrating through my skin as her tits bounced up and down.

“Only ever you.”

“Again.” I leaned down to her lips. “Who do you want?”

“Only ever you, Jax,” she whimpered. “Ah! Oh, Jax.” Her eyes stayed fixed to mine, her summer green burning against my blue. “Only ever you,” she barely whispered.

My lips covered hers and we both came, swallowing each other’s moans.

Fallon burst in. “Oh, my God!”

“Out!” I yelled, buttoning up my pants. “Tell everyone she’s in line for the Porta Pottis or something.”

“Jax!” Juliet scolded, still naked and hiding behind me. “Gross.”

I rolled my eyes and Fallon snorted.

“Okaaay,” she choked out. “Just send her out soon. It’s getting weird.”

And she barely waited until she was out of the room before she started laughing her ass off.

I grabbed my shirt off the floor, the one I’d used to clean Juliet up and then myself before getting dressed. It was a disaster, and I kind of felt bad.

I’d told Katherine not to buy me expensive shit, but she reveled in it. When she tried to do nice things for my brother, he simply scowled and then rolled his eyes. Graciousness with gifts was not his strong suit.

So, in turn, she spoiled me, because I, at least, knew how to pretend. Even though I didn’t need nice stuff—and could certainly buy it for myself if I wanted to—I liked having someone dote on me the way she did. I took her gifts, and while I didn’t need them, I loved that she gave me things.

I rolled the shirt, covering up the evidence, and stuck it in my back pocket before I fastened my belt.

Juliet looked shaky. I stepped over, snatching up her shorts.

“Here, baby,” I offered, handing them to her and then asking, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, a smile in her eyes. “I’m okay. Just a little sore.”

I bent down to pick up her shirt, dusting it off.

Everything was dirty in this place, and there were wet spots on her shorts. Looking down at the floor, I saw small puddles of water, probably from a rainstorm, and that was when I noticed the cobwebs in the corner where the wall met the ceiling.

I looked down at Juliet, her smooth chocolate hair now matted and stringy, and there were red blotches on her hips from where I’d gripped her.

She flipped her hair over the top of her head, and I offered a small smile that I wasn’t feeling.

What the hell was the matter with me? This was what I wanted. What I’d dreamed about for years. But she deserved better.

I ground my thumb across the insides of my fingers, feeling the grime that I’d wiped all over her, and taking in this filthy place, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this all should’ve happened differently. “You’ve only ever been with Liam?” I looked down at her, the sweat on my skin becoming a weight in my stomach. We needed a fucking shower.

She nodded slightly. “Could you tell?” she ventured, looking embarrassed. “I can’t say that I had a lot of experience. Even with him, it wasn’t like this.”

I touched her cheek. “You don’t have to say that. It’s okay if you loved him.”

She shook her head, tears pooling. “I didn’t. That’s what I mean. It should’ve been you. This—right here– should’ve been my first time.”

I stared at her, knowing exactly what she meant.

“Come here.” I hooked a hand around her neck and brought her into my chest, forcing her chin up. “I didn’t push you, did I?”

“Yes.”

“I’m being serious,” I chastised. “Our first time should’ve been in a bed. In a clean bed without people around. I pushed you too hard.”

A wicked smile cross her lips, and she trailed them along my jaw, finally catching it in her teeth.

I sucked in a breath, feeling my dick jolt to attention again.

“Maybe I pushed you,” she teased. “Anyway, I like it when you push me.”

And then she pulled back, slipping into her shirt.

“I’ve got the Loop tonight.” I pulled out my hair and refastened the tie. “Tell me you’re coming.”

She slipped her feet back into her flip-flops, not looking at me. “Depends on how late my date goes.”

I rushed her, using my body to bully her into the wall again, and she laughed. “Watch it,” I threatened with a smile.

Her little grin was so cute. “I’m teasing,” she said sweetly, kissing my lips.

“For your sake, I hope so.”

There was no way in hell she was still on a fucking date.

But she nodded her answer. “Yes, I’m coming. Of course.”

I pushed off the wall, sliding my feet back into my shoes. “Just come with me now. We’ll shower, get something to eat, and go together.”

Her sigh was thoughtful. “I want to.”

“But?”

“Shane’s leaving for California soon,” she explained, sounding apologetic. “I should spend the afternoon with her.”

And I just wanted to chuck the whole damn day and crawl into bed with her. Turn off phones, strip off clothes, abandon food …

“Not to mention,” she continued, “that I want to get pretty again before I ogle you tonight.” She came up, clutching my belt in her fingers. “If I go home with you to get cleaned up, you’ll just get me all messy again.”

I laughed. “True.”

As much as I’d like to claim that I wouldn’t prey on a barely experienced girl who was on the rebound and probably sore, I wouldn’t be able to take a shower with her and not … yeah.

I held the side of her face, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t want you in his fucking car. You got that?”

She saluted, clearly biting back her smile.

After about five more minutes of making out, I led her down the stairs—no way was I doing the slide—before we really got caught. I’d paid the kid taking tickets not to let anyone else in, but if Fallon slipped through his fingers, we didn’t have long.

We headed out into the late-afternoon heat, hand in hand and smiling. The blush covering her face, her long brown hair shining in the sun, her body glistening with my sweat … Without a doubt, I fucking liked her.

Too damn much.

“K.C.?” I heard a woman call, and my gaze shifted to the side as Juliet halted and her fingers tightened around mine.

“Mother,” she replied flatly, and I turned wide-eyed at the older version of Juliet. The hair was a vibrant black, but the eyes were the same.

She was beautiful. And very fucking clean.

Her face stiffened in anger. “What have you done?” she accused, taking in her daughter’s appearance. The dirty, smudged clothes, the sweaty hair, and the owner of the hand she held. Her pained eyes left her daughter’s and flashed to me, raking her eyes up and down my body.

Only, with me, her lips turned down in disgust. I wasn’t sure if it was the way I was dressed, the way I wasn’t dressed, my long hair, my piercings, or the clear evidence that we’d just been all over each other, but one thing I did know.

It was definitely the sight of her daughter’s hand in mine that made her worried eyes turn angry and her fists clench.

“What have you done?” She looked straight at me, accusing. “What have you done to her?”

I gritted my teeth together, remembering those same words on another day. The same words spoken by my father. By Jared.

Those fucking words that told me I was a dirty, shit kid who had blood on his hands and skeletons in the closet.

“What have you done?”