Kiara I enter his luxurious penthouse while he takes my bags inside. I find myself glancing around, half expecting Candace to pop out of nowhere and yell, "Gotcha, bitch!" Oh God. I'm nauseous. This feels so fucking wrong. There's no way I was going to let him pay for a hotel, so I chose the cheaper but probably worse option. There's no way I can stay here and not feel that I'm betraying Candace. If she found out, how would I even explain this to her? The knot in my stomach tightens. I don't even realize I'm hyperventilating until Trey crushes me against his chest. "Shh Cupcake, it's going to be okay." Against my better judgement, I melt into his embrace, his delicious scent washing over me. I quickly come to my senses, and push him away. "W-We can't do this, Trey. Candace is going to hate us!" He grabs my shoulders, squeezing gently. "Look Kiara, you're not doing anything wrong. You've been living in your fucking car for weeks, and Candace was so caught up in her own shit,
Trey "You're in a good mood tonight, Chef," Alex teases. He dresses another dish and places it on the counter before ringing the bell for Sabrina to run it out to the servers. "Table fifteen is up!" I can't help but grin from ear to ear. "I am. Kiara is currently at my place." The thought of her probably sleeping in my bed right now fills me with unbridled happiness. Instead of coming home to an empty home after I get off in the early hours of the morning, I'll be returning to her. I've never looked forward to seeing a woman more than once, so the feeling is new but nice nonetheless. He glances at me with worry. "Uh, Chef...kidnapping isn't legal here. Not sure what y'all did in Texas, but-" I cut him off with a scowl. "She's not tied up anywhere. She came to me willingly. Candace abandoned her when she needed her the most, and I'm just... helping her out." Dinner service was a bit hectic for a while, I've been running back and forth between the kitchen and front of hous
Trey I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. "She's constantly drunk, especially since Candy left. If I bring him up, she'll just lash out at me." And nobody has time for that bullshit. Ever since I've been back, I thought I could be the glue that pulls our family together, but it seems we're only falling apart more. It's all my fucking fault, and I don't know what to do to fix it. To fix us. Jeremiah comes back with the ticket, practically bubbling with excitement. "Dad and his girl ordered seared scallops, beef Wellington, and spaghetti bolognese!" he exclaims. Of course they fucking did. William is a leech. Is he can find a way to use someone, he's going to bleed them dry. And I'm his current victim. "I'm gonna go talk to Dad. Hit me up if you need anything!" he says before quickly heading out again. I clench my fists tightly, feeling a surge of fury boiling inside me. I'm not sure how much longer I can take of this before I fucking burst and take J's fa
Kiara The sound of birds chirping outside the window wakes me up. Wow, that was the best sleep I've gotten in weeks. I look around and notice that Trey isn't in here. A tinge of disappointment creeps in, but what was I expecting? To wake up with his arms around me after I already told him we weren't happening? I step out of the room to find Trey lounging on the couch in only grey sweatpants. He's scrolling on his phone when he glances up at me and smirks. "Good morning, it looks like you slept well." His voice is husky with sleep, sending a rush of arousal down to my core. "Good morning. D-Don't you have work or something to go today?" I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush with heat. His eyes narrow. "No, today's my day off. Why? Are you afraid of being alone with me?" More like afraid of the things my body could convince me to do while I'm alone with him. But he doesn't need to know that. "No, I was just wondering," I lie, maintaining my composure. "How w
Kiara Instead, I just nod. I'm relieved when he doesn't say anything else that will convince me to abandon everything I said and let him do whatever he wants with me. My mind remains clouded with lust even after we finish our meal. He finishes with the dishes and silently retreats to the room. I join him and discover him on the bed, engrossed in his laptop. He's still shirtless, wearing square-framed glasses. I ignore the second heartbeat between my legs as I grab my own laptop and sit down across from him. I might as well do some writing while I have somewhere comfortable to do it. If I don't look at him, I won't get distracted. After twenty minutes, I know because I couldn't help but watch the time tick away at the bottom corner of my screen, he peeks up from his laptop. A coy smile tugging at his perfect lips. "Whatcha working on Cupcake?" he asks softly. "My novel," I mutter, frustration evident in my voice. "I really need to stop getting distracted and wrap it
KiaraWhen Trey looks away, I gently bring his face back to meet my gaze. His eyes reflect so much guilt and shame when there's no reason for him to feel that way. "If you know the truth, why are you still feeling guilty about it?" I ask softly, still stroking his face. He sighs deeply. "I cost Candy and J a relationship with their father, and there are just so many "What Ifs" that run through my mind. What if they could've changed him into a better man? What if him and mom could've fixed each other somehow? What if somehow the four of them could've been a happy family?" My chest tightens. "And what about you? What about your happiness?" "I would've sacrificed anything for them in a heartbeat," he says confidently. Although my childhood was nowhere near as traumatic as his, we do have something in common. We would do anything for our siblings. Even if they hurt us. Even if they make us out to be the villains in their stories. Even if they've never shown that they fe
Trey "You know, it would have been safer for you to stay in the house." I'm currently speeding down the road with Kiara sitting in the passengers seat. I made sure her seat belt was secure before we left because I knew I would be driving a little wild. William wouldn't give details on the phone, but he said it was urgent. I can only guess he didn't call 911 because it involved something illegal. "Don't be ridiculous," Kiara asserts, "Your alcoholic step father just asked if you could help him with an "emergency" with no context. What do you think it could be?" "Who knows. The way he's got me by the balls, I might end up burying a body tonight," I mutter bitterly. The truth of that hurts, but I'll endure this shit if it means my brother is happy. Why did I even pick up the phone? Kiara and I were just about to have sex again, and William ruined it. I didn't expect tonight to happen, but it proves her guard is slowly coming down. I see that she likes when I open up to her
Trey Kiara keeps her cool and grabs a shirt from the floor, helping her put it on. "You've got a big, deep cut on your head. Do you remember how that happened?" she asks softly. If I didn't find her attractive before, I definitely do now after today. She's fucking amazing! Lucinda seems even more perplexed. "I-I can't remember exactly. I think me and William were having a big fight last night, and I accidentally banged my head on the wall." Which means he either knocked or slammed her into the wall. So wait, after he knocked her out, did he casually toss her onto the bed like everything was fine? "Ugh, my head is throbbing," she groans, attempting to get up, but Kiara gently pushes her back down. "Please sit down, it's not safe for you to get up on your own." Kiara looks at William. "You have to take her to the hospital. She needs stitches." "What? I can't bring her to the hospital. Another strike and I'll end up in prison," he snarls. Typical. He only cares about himsel