Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

“You know you can’t hear anything, right?”

“Well, not when you’re talking!” I whisper back at her.

“They can’t hear us either.”

“I am going to kill you,” I warn, and she scoffs.

“I wish you would try,” she snaps at me, rolling her eyes. “What are you even doing? Who’s in there?” She presses her ear to the door and then gives me a dry look. “Oh, come on. Really?”

“What?” I ask innocently.

“Still into Aiden? That’s pathetic.”

“You’re pathetic,” I throw back at her as I walk past her. “Still living at home when you have every opportunity to move out.”

“Um, Shelli,” she says, and I look over my shoulder. “You’re living at home now too, after making buttloads of money on Broadway, and still obsessed with a dude who will never want anything to do with you. So, really, who’s pathetic?”

I glare. I want so badly to throw in her face that Aiden did want me—and had me—but that isn’t a good idea. I don’t want anyone knowing. My actions toe the line of whorebagish… Okay, they don’t really toe, but I’m not ready to accept the reality of my actions. So instead, I do what any mature adult would do when her sister pisses her off.

I flip her the bird and try to kick her.

She smacks my leg away as I stick out my tongue and head down the hall to my room. I don’t realize she is on my tail until I go to shut the door and she stops me. “But for real, why don’t you get a place?”

I shrug as I turn, shooting her a look. “Why does it matter?”

“You made Mom and Dad move Maxim. That’s unfair. He was comfortable here.”

I fall back onto my bed. My room hasn’t changed at all. It’s still all pink and full of lace. My bed has a canopy of lace, while my walls are full of Broadway posters. I hold up my hands. “I think he may have been relieved to leave my Pepto-Bismol hell.”

She growls. Like actually growls. “No, he likes the view of the lake.”

“He has that upstairs in the bonus room.”

“Yes, but that eliminated the space for the boys’ games.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh my God, the boys have to play games in their rooms. I bet they’re suffering so much.”

She glares. “I’m just saying, you’re selfish. You don’t need to live at home.”

“Nor do you. You can live in the dorms.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Well, I don’t want to either! Jeez, what is your issue—” I pause, and then I laugh. “You have a thing for Maxim, and with me taking my room back, you don’t share a bathroom with him. Do you peek in when he is showering, you stalker you?”

Her face turns bright red. “Shut up.”

“Does he brush his teeth with just a towel on?”

“For real, Shelli—”

“Aww, Posey and Maxim sitting in a tree—”

“Shut up. I don’t like him.”

“Yes, you do! Hmm, he is hot, and that accent…”

“Shut it, Shelli.”

“You know Stella has a thing for him.”

Her brows furrow as her lips press together, pure annoyance on her face. “So? I don’t care.”

“I beg to differ,” I sing. “Does he know you like him? Wait, where are you going? Don’t leave! We can have girl talk!”

But she’s gone, hightailing it out of my room.

Mission accomplished.

She’s so dramatic.

I shouldn’t tease her, though. She hasn’t ever openly liked a guy before. Probably because I’m an asshole and tease her for it. But she’s so cute when she wants to kill me. Man, I wonder what my mom is talking to Aiden about? She has no clue about us. No one does, minus Amelia. She’d never tell since I hold all her secrets too. Man, he looks so hot. I didn’t realize how hot a guy in a suit could make me until Aiden Brooks walked in with his arms full of eggs.

Mmm…

I fall back on my bed just as my mom yells my name. I cover my face as I holler back, but when she doesn’t answer, I know she wants me to come there. I get up and head down the hall. While the house is quiet, it’s a madhouse outside. My brothers are so damn loud. I’m almost into the living room when a hand comes around my bicep and pulls me into the bathroom. Next thing I know, I’m looking up into one hell of a gorgeous face.

“We need to talk,” Aiden demands. “Like A-S-A-P.”

“Who actually says ‘A-S-A-P’? No one. That’s weird. Just say ‘asap.’ It rolls right off the tongue.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Fine. What’s wrong?” I ask. I try to back up, but the half bath is just that, half the size, and Aiden is huge. He takes up most of the room, and I didn’t realize how big he was when I was on top of him. He’s wearing a button-up that is straining at his shoulders. The shirt is tucked into his dress pants in a sophisticated way, and even though he smells like eggs, he’s still hot as fuck. His long hair is wavy along his shoulders, and I want so bad to run my fingers through it. I didn’t do that when we were together. I was too busy trying to devour him.