Page 70 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
“Oh, my phone must have been on silent—”
A brunette girl suddenly appears next to us. “Hey! Where are you going?” Her glossed-over eyes focus on Zoe.
“I’m going home. I’m tired.” She pouts, then runs her fingers through Lina’s hair. “This is my sister. Isn’t she the best?”
The brunette smiles and turns to me with the side of her lip quirked up. “And who is this tall, dark, handsome tree that looks good enough to climb?”
Lina’s mouth drops as she simultaneously steps closer to me. Her sister kindly answers for us.
“He’s a pilot, and he’s friends with her dad.” Her eyes grow wide, while she whispers in the brunette’s ear, but it’s more in a loud, calm tone. “And they’re fucking.”
The brunette licks her lips. “I have a dad who needs more friends.”
I don’t know who’s more uncomfortable at this moment, Lina or me. I laugh it off, but Lina looks visibly annoyed.
“Nice to meet you, but we’re leaving,” Lina sneers. She wraps her arm around Zoe and directs her sister back through the house toward the front door.
It does not go unnoticed that Lina became visibly jealous of her sister’s friend’s comment about me. Also, I still can’t get out of my mind how Lina reacted when we walked into the house. I’ve got to talk with her about it. Before we leave, I take one more look around the house, filled with drunk college students.I hope all these kids get home safely, I think to myself, then shut the front door behind us.
On the car ride back, Lina and I exchange a few glances while Zoe snores in the backseat.
“Why does it sometimes feel like I’m a parent already?” she whispers.
With one hand on the steering wheel, I flip my hat to face backward. “Nothing in life ever goes as planned. And if we ever try to plan it, then life says fuck your plans—mine are better.”
She laughs and gathers her hair up into a bun on top of her head. “Seriously.”
My eyes drink in the long, thin curves of her exposed neck. I can’t wait until we get back to her place so I can nibble on every inch of her skin. But then I remember her look when we steppedinto that house.
“What happened back there?” I gently ask.
She shoots me a side-eye. “For one, she is way too young for you and two—”
I chuckle to myself. She’s still thinking about Zoe’s friend’s comment. Little does she know, she’s the only pussy that I think about. Twenty-four-fucking seven. “I meant when we first walked in. Were you worried about your sister?”
Lina chews on her bottom lip. “Yes—and no.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She shakes her head, her face plastered against the window. I take that as my cue not to press her further. I know the way Lina’s body moves—I’ve spent almost a year studying it—and then enjoying it in other ways in the last few weeks.
When we pull in, Zoe starts to stir. “Okay, sleeping beauty, get up,” Lina says, opening the back door.
“I’m fine,” Zoe slurs, making her way up the stairs and into the house.
I’m quick to follow, making sure the door is locked behind us and Zoe makes it to her room safely. Lina grabs two water bottles from the kitchen and brings them upstairs to her room.
While Lina tends to her sister, I head back downstairs and settle into the couch to wait for her. I’m not waiting long before I see that beautiful blonde stroll around the other side of the sofa.
“She’s changed and in bed sleeping soundly,” her voice is labored as she falls into the cushions.
I extend my arm, gesturing for her to slide over. “Come here.”
With a weak smile, she crawls over to my side, tucking herself into me and resting her cheek on my shoulder.
“You’re so good to her.” I tilt my head to kiss her temple.
She angles her face up, her lips barely grazing mine. “Thank you for coming with me tonight.”
