Page 42 of Gluttony

She looks peaceful while she’s sleeping. Almost ethereal. Until she turns and I see the way her face is banged up, how her features scrunch in a wince when she moves in a certain way.

Sighing, yet again, I’m reminded of seeing Hadley in a similar position after the first time it happened.

“What was that for?” Her raspy voice brings my attention back to the here and now, thankfully before it goes too far down that rabbit hole.

I look up at her face and find her eyes are on me, but they’re hooded and she’s clearly still tired.

“Got a lot on my mind, Miss Jones.”

She huffs a laugh. “Wanna talk about it? It’s not like I have anything better to do.” She winces a little as she shrugs, but she heaves herself half up to sitting and leans back against Hadley’smany pillows. “C’mon, tall, dark, and mysterious. Gimme something, tell me a story or I’ll die of boredom.”

“Miss Jones, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“Apologies,Sir, but I think we passedappropriatewhen you walked in on me in your kitchen with your twin’s cum all over my ass. Or, let’s rewind further back to the time you watched my ass bob up and down when I sucked Orion off in the back of a limo. That was fun.” She chuckles quietly as if reliving the memory, followed by another wince, and I decide to take pity on her because she’s still doped up on morphine.

“Do you have any siblings, Miss Jones?” I sip the last of my coffee and place the mug on the small table beside me.

She hesitates, but eventually shakes her head. “No. There were some other kids in the foster home, but no siblings.”

Now that surprises me. I discovered her background in the foster system about a week ago, but I didn’t imagine she’d be so open about it when asked outright.

“What about you?” Her question makes me chuckle. She really isn’t on our planet right now, even though she’s coherent, but she’s kinda cute with it.

“Yes, Miss Jones. I have a twin brother.”

“No noo, no. Don’t call me Miss Jones. You should call me…I don’t know. Something nice, like Hadley does.”

“Miss Jones is your name.”

“Yes, but ugh, it’s so dull. Call me something pretty. Sweet. Just not Miss Jones.” Pouting, she looks through her lashes at me, and even through the swelling on one side, it has the effect she’s aiming for because I’m ready to concede.

“Okay…Diamond.” While it’s a crazy-as-fuck name, it’s still hers and it suits her. Like the whole diamond in the rough analogy, though I’ll never admit it out loud.

She gasps and grins. “Ooh, sneaky. I like it. It’s pretty and cuteandmy name! Ha.”

She’s so giddy and light, completely carefree right now, it’s just a shame it won’t last.

“Have you ever been in love?” Her next question comes seconds after deciding she was happy with her new nickname.

I don’t need time to think about my answer because… “No.”

“Well that’s a damn shame. I imagine it’d be something special to be loved by you. Through all that tough exterior I bet there’s a teddy bear underneath. You know, you three are kinda the perfect trio. There’s nothing you can’t do between you. Am I right?”

“I thought you wanted me to tell you a story? Not the other way around.”

“Ooh yes, please. Do that. Tell me things. Your voice is soothing when you’re not being all gruff and angry at me.” She grins, a half smile that takes over the non-swollen side of her face.

Shaking my head, I can’t help the way my own lips tip upward slightly. She’s so vulnerable in this moment I can almost believe she’s trustworthy.

“Once upon a time, there were two boys,” I begin, with literally zero idea where I’m going with this.

“Is this a real story or a made up one?” She closes her eyes and snuggles back down into the plush duvet.

“If you keep interrupting me, Diamond, there will be no story at all.”

She giggles. “Understood, Sir.”

I’m never going to get used to her calling me that. I’m also never going to tell her to stop.

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