Sicko

Royce’s eyes fall down my body. Other girls would blush from having the attention of Royce Kane, I don’t want it. Why? Because he’s only summing up what he doesn’t like. Bet he’s already decided that I need to wear a burlap sack. His lashes fan out over his high cheekbones as his eyes hit my feet before traveling back up to mine. “It gets cold on the water, you know that.”

Scooping up a hoodie, I shove past him. “Fine.”

Royce finally follows behind me as we make our way downstairs to the front door. We’re heading out when Mr. Kane comes out from the kitchen.

“You kids taking out Green Stone?” Mr. Kane asks both of us, but his eyes remain on Royce. Green Stone is the name of Royce’s gloss black and jade green Nautique G25 aka, his baby.

Mr. Kane’s eyes meet mine, blue ocean flecks so deep they could swallow me whole. For the most part, I don’t have much of a relationship with Mr. Kane, and when it’s just he and I, the atmosphere is somewhat tense. Either he didn’t want to adopt me, or maybe I simply wasn’t what he wanted.

“Yeah, it’s been a minute.” Royce nudges Dad with his other shoulder. “Wanna come? Or are you getting too old for the board?”

Dad shoves him back, chuckling while tensing his bulging arm muscles. “I can bench press you, Orson, and that little shit Storm.” His eyes come back to mine. “Throw Jade on there too.”

Royce chuckles, his hand grabbing mine. He slides me behind him. “Nah, Jade might fall and hurt this pretty little head.”

Dad laughs, disappearing back into the kitchen while we head to the ten-car garage. The sun pelts down over my skin, not a cloud in the sky to interrupt it as Royce flicks open the power box to open the garage door. From what I’ve been told, this home has been in the Kane family for a few generations, only added to and modified on its way through the years. The garage was Dad and Mom’s addition. They needed it when Royce found he loved all things fast, including cars and boats, and what Royce wants, Royce gets. Of course, that included me too. When I was ready, I could take my pick on what car I wanted, but it never felt right, so I dragged my feet with it. Mom has said I’ll be taking the BMW, whether I want it or not.

Royce tosses his keys into the Ford Raptor and I jump up to the passenger side, shutting the door behind me.

Pulling out my cell, I flicked off a message to Sloane, who was more than likely going to be really pissed at me for not bringing her with me, but Sloane is friends with everyone. She’ll busy herself with something else tonight.

I’ve been dragged into going out on the boat. Sorry! See you later?

Leaning to turn the key over in the ignition, I flick through my playlist as Royce jacks the boat up. Fifteen minutes later, Orson and Storm are slipping into the back and we’re on our way. I hit play on Tech N9ne, needing his aggressive tone to mellow out my thoughts. Cranking down my window and kicking my feet onto the dash, Orson hands me a wine cooler from the back.

I shake my head. “What is that? Purple Jack Daniels?”

Orson pops off the lid and takes a swig. “Yeah, pretty sure you’d like it.”

Royce squeezes my leg from the driver’s seat, and I watch as the sun catches behind his head. He has his ball cap flipped backward, his lips glistening from his tongue being pressed to the top only minutes ago. His two dimples distract me for a split second as we pull into the harbor where a few people are gathered from school. Royce, Orson, and Storm rule over the school like gods, but they’re different. They’re not assholes, or entitled, or even a little bit snobbish. You would expect them to be. Orson is the son of Larken, who is number four on Forbes Billionaires, and that’s shortly followed by Bessen, Storm’s mother who is snug at number ten, and then Royce, or I should say Royce and me, whose father is number two. You would expect them to be this way. Assholes who carelessly treat everyone like shit, but they don’t. They take care of Stone View High as if it’s their home. They are all good people.

All of them.

I slip out of the pickup just in time for Orson to toss me over one shoulder, slamming my door closed behind us.

“Put me down!” I bang on his muscled back, but it’s no use. Everyone is well accustomed to seeing me be manhandled by my three brothers, that no one even so much as bats an eye. The girls who do notice are the ones who hover with envy. Every girl wanted these boys, and at times they lucked out. Especially with Royce and his rogue dick, but they never last. They never stayed, and they never got a second ride.