A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

Paulo drags me through the crowd, his anger radiating off him in waves. We get to the bar where he orders a white wine for me and a double shot of bourbon for himself.

“If you try to act the innocent little whore here,” he threatens in a low hiss once everyone around us is out of earshot, “I’ll make sure you never forget acting like one.”

I glance up into black eyes that hold contempt at my response to him earlier.

“Everyone enjoying the party?” Finn’s voice comes from behind us, breaking the glare Paulo’s pinned me with as he turns to the man interrupting his rage.

He turns to face Finn, a smile gracing his perfectly carved face. “It’s a beautiful home you have,” he tells Finn. “I was just telling my fiancée it would be great to have something similar once we’ve decided where to settle down after the wedding.”

Finn throws his glance my way, his dark brow infinitesimally arching, but I don’t respond. “Well, Thorne Haven is a town that will most certainly burrow itself under your skin,” he tells Paulo. “It will feel like home after a few days.”

“Perhaps,” Paulo responds, picking up his drink and taking a sip, his gaze sizing up the man before him. “And you are?”

“Oh, I’m a Thorne,” Finn says but doesn’t offer his name. “This is one of the annual parties my family throws. I trust you’ll enjoy the rest of your evening.” Without waiting for a response from Paulo, Finn offers a nod and leaves us.

“Is that the bastard you were fucking when you were a kid?” Paulo grits as he grabs my arm and hauls me through the crowd once more.

“I wasn’t fucking anyone.” My response is a gasp when my back hits the wall. With everyone dancing and enjoying themselves, they don’t take note of what’s happening.

Paulo leans in, his lips at my ear, and that’s when I feel heat burning through me. Teal eyes are locked on us from the second-floor bedroom balcony, where Cassian is standing; he’s watching every fucking move we make.

He lifts the bottle he’s holding to his lips and takes a long swig before he lowers it and pins me with a stare so fierce, so filled with anger and desire, I don’t hear what Paulo says.

When a hand grips my hair, tugging until tears sting my eyes, I’m quickly brought back to my situation.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Sorry, I—”

“We’re leaving,” he announces. “I’m done with you acting like a slut around men. Tonight, you’ll take a double dose.” The promise is clear, and as we move to the door, my stomach sinks to my feet, and my heart splinters.

If only I’d never left Thorne Haven. If only I hadn’t lied about Cassian. If only I could make him see just how much I love him.

But none of that is possible.

I can never have the man I love.

And I can never find solace in this town.

11

Cassian

My head throbs as I lean my elbows on the kitchen table. Perhaps my idea of drowning my sorrows last night wasn’t one of my better ideas. The coffee that’s steaming from my mug doesn’t offer solace; instead, it has me wanting to puke my guts up. Last night after I left Kalyn, I thought I’d find a pretty girl to use as I wish, but instead, I abused a bottle of vodka up on the roof while watching the party below.

I watched Kalyn and her fiancé as they moved through the crowd. And with every touch of his hand on her body, I swallowed back the clear alcohol and allowed my jealousy to rage and my anger to burn. My temper had taken hold of me last night when I finally had her all to myself. But even in that cloud of red, her scent was so familiar, I wanted to drown in it.

She’s been a drug to me since she was fifteen, when her family moved here. She was too young for me then, even though we’re three years apart. But then I realized she had more demons that I couldn’t eradicate.

I didn’t want her to have to deal with her pain as well as mine. So instead of telling her about what I’d been going through, I allowed her to distract me from my thoughts. And she did. Everything about her had pulled me in; I was a guy lost to a girl who was his savior. Only, she didn’t know it.

Her sheltered upbringing was refreshing, and when I first spoke to her, I realized she wasn’t like the girls from Thorne Haven; she was different. I was enthralled by her sass and wit.

I wanted nothing more than to lock her in a glass case to keep her safe. I didn’t want this world to change her, to make her hard and cold. But it did so anyway. When her grandmother died, she dove headfirst into the world of Thorne Haven, being corrupted by the partying and drugs.