“But you guys—”
“Give it up, Oak. It is what it is.”
I nod, falling back on my pillow, exhaustion setting in.
Rowan moves our plates, dropping beside me. He stares at me.
“What?” I grin.
With a sigh, he gives a sad smile back. “Nothing, Oaks. Go to sleep.”
I lift my hand, running it through his hair a few times before tucking it beneath my head and falling asleep.The sound of glass breaking shocks me awake.
I look to my right, disappointment flitting through me when I see I’m alone in my bed. The clock on my nightstand tells me I’ve been out for only two hours, which means Rowan left as rapidly as he’d come.
Lifting myself from my bed, I go to see what Alec broke, slowing when I notice all the lights are off, Alec’s included.
“Alec?” I call hesitantly, freezing when I hear a rustle coming from the kitchen.
I grab the Dalmatian figurine from the hall table and quietly flip it over, uncapping the hidden pepper spray inside of it—one of Dad’s safety nets.
My heart starts beating uncontrollably as I approach the end of the hall.
Tucking the spray beneath my arm, I clap, and all the lights turn on at once.
A loud crash in the dining area has me screaming and retreating to my room. Right when I fling my bedroom door closed, the door that leads to the garage bounces against the wall, slamming shut.
I lock the door and run to hide in my closet, wishing my dad were home.
I don’t know where my phone is, and I’m not about to make a sound to try to find out.
Hours of overanalyzing every little creak of the floor or settling of the house pass before I hear a door slam out front, and then tires peel away as keys begin to clink outside. Too afraid to confirm it’s him, I wait.
The door opens and closes, and then heavy footsteps echo down the hall. A loud bang sounds as something thumps against the wall, followed by a deep groan I recognize.
Another boom sounds before Alec yells a slurred, “Ah, fuck!”
Slowly, I pull myself from my spot on the floor and listen through the wall.
I hear him push his door open and then silence.
I wait a few more minutes and then make my way to his room where I find him flat on his stomach, clothes and shoes still on, snoring.
Under normal circumstances, I would never walk in here, but truth be told, I’m terrified. Someone was in my house tonight.
But why?
After locking us inside his room, I lower myself into the chair across from Alec’s bed. It doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep.Chapter NineOakleyWhen I peel my eyes open, I’m met with a pair of green ones.
Alec stares straight at me from his place on the bed.
“Good morning, Oakley,” he calmly addresses me, emotionless, but the pinch of his eyes gives him away. “He fuck you good last night?”
Too exhausted to muster a reaction, I simply stare, half-asleep.
His eyes narrow, irritation seeping from him, as I give him nothing. “Did he fuck you right? Satisfy you? Hmm?”
This is the third time Alec has referred to Rowan as my boyfriend, and again, I don’t correct him.
He flies from the bed and is quick to hover over me. “Tell me, Oakley, does he make you come?”
My face turns beet red, and I refuse to look away. He should have been here last night.
“Get away from me, asshole.”
“Did he go all night?” he seethes, the vein in his neck throbbing.
I don’t know what possesses me to say it, but it happens anyway. “That why you left last night, Alec?” I prop my fist against my temple, holding my head up. “You didn’t want to listen to me fucking your brother?”
He tries hard—I’ll give him that—but he fails miserably, and anger and resentment lock his face into an impenetrable scowl.
His lip curls and I just know he’s about to pop off, degrade me, and then storm away, trying to hide the fact that he feels like shit about it. It’s his thing.
Treat me like dirt, beat me up from the inside, and then do the same to himself.
The why is slowly becoming clear. It’s funny what you miss when you’re looking elsewhere.
“Tell me, Alec,” I start calmly, purposely mocking him. “Why would my dad send you, of all people, here to watch me?”
“Because he trusts me.”
My eyes roam his face, searching for any signs of a break in his armor. “Trusting you is one thing. Trusting you with me is another.”
His jaw shifts, his teeth grinding together. “He knows I’d put your safety before anything.”
I nod, looking off to the side. “Interesting. And how much does his trust mean to you?”
“More than you’re ready to understand.”
Tears pool in my eyes, but I don’t look his way yet. “Yeah, I kind of figured your answer would be something like that.” Slowly, purposefully, I bring my eyes to his, and instantly, he sees his error written in tears on my cheeks. “Day one on the job, and you failed.”