MILES "Do we eat free or something?" I asked, stepping into the retro diner Marcus brought us to. It was called The Dine and Dash, and I was in love with it instantly. The walls were lined with colorful, vintage décor, the cozy booths were plush with upholstery, and the checkered floor gleamed under the lights. A jukebox sat in the corner, playing an old tune, and even the waitress was in a poodle skirt. This place had character. I scooted into a booth, Marcus sliding in beside Dom across from me. My eyes scanned every inch of the diner, taking in the warmth of it. "Do you like it that much?" Marcus asked, amusement lacing his tone. I nodded, unable to wipe the grin from my face. Dom cleared his throat, and if I didn't know better, I'd say his ears turned red. “What’ll it be, darlin’?” The waitress asked, clicking her pen against the pad. She had bold red lips, black hair in a high ponytail, and a southern drawl that felt completely at home here. “We’ll have the dou
DOM Why didn't she want to tell me who did it? I understood not wanting to talk about it, but I needed to hold the person responsible. Personally. Seeing her back this morning did something to me. A dangerous rage I hadn’t known since the day my mother died resurfaced, boiling beneath my skin like magma, and I wanted fucking blood. I could do it too. I could make whoever was responsible pay dearly and get away with it. I studied law—I knew full well what I was capable of. But she wouldn't tell me. I couldn't exactly blame her. And yet, the thought of her suffering in silence killed me. Did I really even care? Fuck. I did. I did fucking care. I didn’t want to, but I guess I just couldn't help my damn self now, could I? I didn’t even deserve to care. Every petty thing I did to her, every cold remark, every fucking scowl—I was just another weight on her shoulders, another reason to suffer. Had something like this been on her plate the whole time? And there I was, just adding to i
DOM "Did you guys fuck?" Marcus didn't even hesitate. Mouth full of food, burger in one hand, like he was just making casual conversation about the damn weather. Miles nearly choked on her milkshake. "Excuse me?" "When we returned to the table, you two were gone forever. Felt like an appropriate question," he said, chewing obnoxiously. "Oh, come on, I can't have relations with my big brother," Miles said, voice dripping in sarcasm as she waved her hand dismissively. I arched a brow. Cute. She thought she was funny. "Oh, I know you two have fucked before," Marcus added, wiping his mouth with a napkin like he just exposed some government secret. Miles’ entire face whipped toward me so fast I thought she might snap her own neck. "What the fuck, Dom?" I just shrugged, utterly unapologetic. "He's my best friend. What did you expect?" Her mouth opened in an adorable little gape, and before she could launch a full verbal assault, I took the opportunity to shove a fry in her mouth.
MILES The week passed quickly. Too quickly. Between classes, the library, and my careful avoidance of certain people, I hardly spent any time at the manor. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays were stacked with coursework, and when I wasn't in class, I made myself scarce. Wednesday and Friday were my "off" days, but Dominic still had morning and evening practice. The only day he was free was Sunday, and somehow, he insisted I spend it with him. Dom had become something of a caretaker. An excellent one. Too excellent. He rebandaged my back at every opportunity, his hands frustratingly gentle. I’d feel his fingers graze the nape of my neck, the tips skating over my skin before he’d pull away and pretend like it never happened. We didn’t talk much during those moments. Maybe he was biting his tongue, waiting for me to explain. I never did. And I never asked him to kiss me again. Not because I didn’t want to, but because he always left before I could. As soon as he finished tending to me
MILES I was in my corner chair, reading when a knock sounded at my door. I had left it open, trying to keep an eye out for my fucking demon of a mother. Dominic stood, leaning on my door frame with his arms crossed. I ignored the way his chest and arms bulged. "Can I come in?" I nodded, putting my bookmark in place and setting my book down on my side table. "What's up?" I questioned, noticing he closed the door, then locked it. I kept a straight face as he approached me. "Let me check your back," he requested, motioning towards the bathroom. I chewed on my lip, thinking of how to decline. "I think we should wait until later, when our parents are out, or in bed." Dominic gave me a small smile. "They went out for lunch, so now's the perfect time. Gotta stay diligent, Miles," he countered, reaching out to grab my hand. Damn it. I really liked the way he said my name and how deep his voice was. And he looked delicious today in those dark jeans and plain black shirt. Did
MILES He kissed me again. I didn't even have to ask him. Dominic just put his lips against mine, putting out my fury with the tenderness of his kiss. He kissed me until I leaned into him and then abruptly pulled away, walking out of my room. I stood there shocked. What the hell had just happened? We were talking, and then fighting, and then ended it with kissing. 'No, Miles. You're wrong. You're everything.' What had he meant by that? Everything as a person? Everything to him? I was still standing there, frozen in the bathroom when he came back, and sat me back on the toilet to rebandage my back without saying another word. When he was done, he put my first aid kit up and left. My head started to hurt, so I went to lie down. I tried sleeping, but his words just kept echoing in my mind over and over again. I'd never been told that before. Not even by Kenzie, who tried every single day to remind me that I was loved. I didn't know what to do with it, or how to digest it. E
DOM It was too damn hot for this fucking suit. The tie was too tight, and the people were too many. Why they decided to do a luncheon instead of dinner was beyond me. The summer was still in full swing, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. “Need a drink?” Marcus held out a flute of champagne, and I gladly took it, needing something to take the edge off. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal at my father hosting the luncheon in my mother’s garden. It was her favorite part of the estate. I was happy for him, of course, but it still felt like a slap to the face. “Where’s baby sister at?” Marcus asked, scanning the crowd. I, in no way, acknowledged her as my sister but answered him anyway. “I have no idea. I haven’t seen her all day, actually.” I had meant to visit her and check on her back again, but I didn’t know how to face her after yesterday. I felt like shit at her twisted confession of thinking she was nothing. I couldn’t stand it. I acted before I thought and just...
DOM WARNING: LOTS OF F-BOMBS, A SHIT TON OF DESIRE, AND POOR IMPULSE CONTROL It was too fucking hot for this suit. Too fucking tight. Too fucking public. Too fucking her. The heat wasn’t just from the midday sun beating down on my black dress shirt. It wasn’t from the crowd buzzing with their fake smiles, their hollow laughs, their constant chatter. It wasn’t even from the champagne that Marcus handed me, which I downed in one go. It was her. It was that fucking dress. I knew I shouldn't have looked. I knew Marcus was about to hit me with some wise-ass warning, but I still let my eyes follow his line of sight. I still let my gaze land on her. And fuck me—I shouldn't have. I clenched my jaw so tight my teeth ached. That. Fucking. Dress. Who the fuck let her wear that? The square-cut neckline framed her perfect tits like a goddamn invitation. The lace sleeves hugged her delicate arms, crawling up her throat like some elegant fucking collar. But that skirt—the one that stoppe
MILES Lunch was over way too quickly. The second Dominic and I stepped out of the library, the stares returned like they'd been waiting for us. Silent, sharp. Hungry. Added by the whispers. "Think she's the jumper?" "What kind of psycho jumps off a cliff unless they’re trying to die?" It shouldn't have bothered me. And it didn’t. Not really. But the attention? The spotlight? That made my skin crawl. The worst part was that Dom looked like he was barely holding it together. His jaw ticked every few steps. His hand twitched at his side like he wanted to grab mine. Like maybe that would ground him. Or maybe it would ground me. It didn’t even matter what they said. They were going to talk. They were going to look. Not because of me. Not just because of me. But because of him. Dominic Black. The golden boy, the prince of the campus—was hovering over the broken girl who looked an awful lot like the one who jumped off a fucking cliff. Earlier in class, I heard people whis
KENNY Miles acted like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t unraveled in my arms. Like she hadn’t called my name with my hands on her skin, my mouth against her throat. Like she hadn’t begged me to make her feel something. And fine. I could play along. But I wasn’t stupid. The way her fingers hesitated sometimes when she reached for something. The way her gaze flickered, just for a second, when I got too close. The way her lips parted when I made her laugh, like she had almost forgotten she could. She hadn’t forgotten. I could tell my the way her cheeks would flush when my hand brushed hers. She was pretending. And I let her. I still made her coffee the way she liked it. I still teased her when she got flustered. I still called her Mimi, just to see the corner of her mouth twitch in that almost smile. She never pulled away. Never put space between us. But I knew where the line was. And I never crossed it. Until today. I was behind the counter at the diner, wipi
*WARNING EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT* KENNY "You can't take it from me," she whispered. Her voice curled around my ribs. Tangled in my lungs. "But you can give me something else." My throat bobbed. “Miles—” “Something to feel.” And there went my self-control. Miles barely had time to breathe before my hands were on her—gripping her waist, yanking her against me. My mouth crashed against hers, and she took it. Took everything I gave like she had been starving for it. A low moan hummed from her throat, vibrating against my lips, and fuck—I was already gone. I had wanted to kiss her for days. Wanted to feel her. Wanted to take away her pain. Her fingers slipped into my hair, nails scraping my scalp, pulling, tugging, making me groan into her mouth. “Kenny,” she breathed, and I felt it. Felt her heat. Her desperation. The way she arched into me like she wanted to climb inside me, crawl under my skin and stay there. I grabbed her thigh, hoisting it up, pressing my k
KENNY Her eyes were hauntingly beautiful. A storm in a purple sky. Lavenders on a cloudy day. Such beautiful damn eyes. If only they held a little bit of light in them. I remembered the first time she walked into the diner. It was late afternoon, the kind of heat that clung to your skin like a second layer. I thought she was a customer at first, so I grabbed a menu and made my way over, only for her to throw her hands up, a nice coral blush tinting her ears. “Oh, I don’t have any money,” she said, biting her lip. “I saw the help wanted sign and wanted to apply.” Her hair was windblown, strands sticking to her forehead from sweat, and she smelled like the sun… and honey. It wasn’t perfume—just her. Fresh, a little wild, like she had been running through an open field before stepping in. I should’ve said something. Anything. Instead, my brain short-circuited as I followed a single bead of sweat trailing down her freckled cheek, over the curve of her jaw, disappearing beneath the
MILESDominic met my stare with something unreadable in his golden eyes. Even as I pulled him closer, still, he held back."Scared?" I dared, knowing he liked a good challenge.But instead of that knowing smirk—the one with those delicious dimples—he inhaled through his nose and gently pulled my hand from his shirt. He stepped back until he was leaning on the nearby bookshelf.I had expected him to come stomping into the library like a storm barely leashed, dragging his rage with him. I had expected his sharp tongue, his impatient sighs, his suffocating protectiveness that had only gotten worse since I woke up in the hospital.What I hadn’t expected… was this.Silence.Now, he stood in front of me, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, jaw tight, eyes stormy. I had chosen the farthest, most secluded corner of the library to eat my lunch, but of course, he found me anyway.Of course, he did.I swallowed my last bite of an apple and leaned back against my chair, resting my good a
MILES Maybe I thought I would be prepared to return to university. Maybe I believed that after everything, walking these halls would be easy. I had decided to go despite myself, just to prove a point. That I wasn’t weak. But that weakness crawled out from the dirt I buried it in as soon as I entered my first class. I had spent the morning in the library, hidden in the quiet while Dom and Marcus were at practice. It was the first time in weeks I had been truly alone—no watchful eyes, no questions, no hovering hands. Just silence. Then, I left. And as soon as I walked—no, limped—into my first class, the whispers started. You would think the stares were because of the brace on my ankle, the sling keeping my shoulder in place. But no. It was because Dominic Black had his hand on my waist, his grip steady as he helped me to my seat. "Who the hell is she?" Someone whispered. "Why does she seem so close to three of the hottest guys in school?" "She’s probably fucking them." "No,
DOM I felt like a fucking puppy. Following Miles around like gum on her ass. If she went to her room, I hung out in the hall. If she went to the library, that’s where you’d find me. And now? Now, I was leaning against the wall outside her bedroom door at four in the damn morning on a Monday. Fucking ridiculous. She had insisted on going back to school. Much to my—and my father’s—dismay. “Miles,” I’d said, already knowing I was wasting my breath, “you don’t need to—” “I’ve rested long enough, Dominic.” I hadn’t even argued. Not really. Because fuck, it felt good to hear her say my name. She was here. She was breathing. She could have whatever she wanted. As long as she wanted. Even if it meant standing here, waiting for her stubborn ass to open the door— The lock clicked, and Miles stepped out, limping. I let her get three steps before I reached behind me and revealed the wheelchair. She stopped. Looked at it. Then at me. Yeah, she was pissed. “Yeah, n
MILESThe first thing I noticed was how empty my arm felt.For weeks, the IV had been a part of me, a tether keeping me here. But now, as Nurse Hilda carefully slid it from my skin, I was free."You’re all set, sugar," she said, her warm hands smoothing over my arm, gentle in a way that made something tighten in my chest.I had gotten used to her voice—her presence. Hilda was the only reason my mother didn’t have more time alone with me. Every visit, every lingering moment where Candice might have tried to poke and prod at my weakness, Hilda would swoop in, checking vitals, fluffing pillows, telling long-winded stories about her family.And I had let her.Because I knew what she was doing.And I liked her for it.She smiled as she set aside the IV. "I sure will miss those gorgeous eyes of yours, sweetheart. You remind me of my brother, you know. He’s got dark hair too."I blinked.A strange pull tightened in my gut, something like a whisper of familiarity. "Oh?"Hilda’s grin was all s
MILESDid this happen to all survivors?Did they wake up feeling like a new person? Like they’d been reborn?I thought maybe I’d be disappointed.The surprise?I wasn’t disappointed at all.I was relieved.Opening my eyes, seeing everyone… it made me so relieved.At first, I didn’t know why. But then my mother hugged me.Tears streamed down her face like she was glad I had made it. Like she wouldn’t have known what to do without me.And maybe that much was true.But I wasn’t going to be her punching bag anymore. I wanted to be something else to her. Something much closer to her heart than she had ever allowed me to be.I was going to be her pain.I was going to be her suffering.But most of all…I was going to be her weakness.---"You fucking bitch!"Kenzie’s voice snapped through the air like a gunshot.She took a shuddering breath, setting down the cup of coffee that I guessed had been for me before she crossed the room, murder in her eyes."I want to fucking hate you right now," s