The Prince and the Player

I sit up and start to laugh. “I’m not sure you believe it. Do you need me to pinch you and be sure you’re awake?”

Rolling onto her stomach she looks up at me, and I confess. Something about her is different. I can’t put my finger on it, but she seems calmer somehow. She’s definitely glowing.

“He’s amazing, Zee. He’s strong and sexy and massive, and oh my god. His dick is so big—”

“Whoa! Hold it right there!” I wave my hand between us. “I don’t need to hear about his massive peen. It’s all I’ll be thinking about next time I see him. Back it up to the part about how he’s the king.”

She starts to laugh, and I do too. I’m only partly teasing about the penis size—apparently the brothers have something in common. I’m mostly happy and relieved and so glad she was with someone who took care of her.

“So you already knew he was strong and all that,” she says, then she falls back on the bed again. “He’s also so gentle and attentive and… possessive and demanding.”

Dropping onto my side, I prop my head on my hand, threading my fingers in her hair. “That’s awesome, Ava-bug!” She smiles, and her eyes drift around the room. I can tell she’s remembering something, but she suddenly snaps her attention back to me.

“Were you with Cal?” Pushing against the bed, she moves to a sitting position. “I didn’t want to leave without talking to you, but I remembered last time… I figured you and he were together. I know you care about him.”

Twining my finger around a long lock of dark hair, I give it a little tug. “I was a little freaked out when I heard you’d left with Rowan. I don’t like us not having a plan in case something goes wrong…”

“I know. I’m sorry, but it was Rowan. You’ve spent the night at his house. You know what a wonderful person he is. He’s the whole reason we’re here!”

I take a deep breath. She’s right, and I can’t argue with her. “In the future, we’ll be more careful.”

Her eyes drop to her lap. “I can’t seem to think about a future without him in it. What am I going to do, Zee?”

My brow lines, and I study her face. “I’ve been thinking about that question all night. Or trying not to think about it.”

Green eyes meet mine, and they’re flooded with worry. “You know Reggie lied to us. There’s no way Rowan is all those bad things he said.”

“I know.” I nod, looking down, thinking about my conversation with Cal. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

“What if we tell them? We can just be honest and say Reggie lied to us. They might understand.”

“Yeah, but we lied to them. Over and over…” My stomach knots, and I want to cry when I think of what Cal will say when he learns the extent of my deception. How many times I lied to him and all the different ways. I feel that little fish in my insides dying.

Ava lunges forward, hugging my waist as she presses her cheek to my stomach. Her voice is a cracked whisper. “I can’t bear the thought of losing him. It hurts so much!”

I wrap my arms over her shoulder and lean down, hugging her to me. For several moments we stay that way, and I know the only way out of this is the hardest way possible.

“How did you leave it with Rowan today?”

She sits up, and her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “He’s picking me up after lunch. We’re going to the track, and he’s going to show me his race car.”

I’m about to answer her when my phone buzzes with a text. I look over at it, and I see it’s from Cal. Rowan is taking Ava to the track. Let’s go with them?

A lump is lodged at the base of my throat. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing up at my sister. “Maybe we can put it off just a little longer? Hide from the truth and steal a few more hours?”

“Do you think we can?” She’s blinking back tears.

“It’s going to hurt like hell sooner or later.” I take her hand, and a shiver moves through her body. I’m trembling on the inside as well. “Maybe we can delay the pain just a little bit longer.”

Snake

Zelda

In a roar as loud as a jet engine, Rowan’s red Formula 1 car soars past us on the practice track outside of town. It moves so fast, it’s hard to believe, and Ava’s on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Cal’s watching his phone’s timer.

“One minute eight,” he says, touching the face. “

He’s so fucking fast. Too bad he can never hit those speeds on the course.”