Page 79 of Vicious Little Snakes
A heady sensation, like tiny fireworks exploding inside of me, begins to fire as his mouth covers mine. Liam devours my pleasure while I crest higher and higher until coming harder than I ever have before as he growls, moving as if he’s going to pull out. I wrap myself around Liam tighter desperate to have all of him.
“I’m on the pill. Stay.”
His body tenses, hesitating, before pushing deeper, saying nothing as he releases inside of me.
Liam’s full weight falls onto me, warm and safe, as his lips graze my ear. “I will never feel like this for anyone else, Caroline. You’ve always meant more.”
I clutch him, wrapping my legs around his sides, depleted, inhaling his scent—but not missing that he didn’t say,love.
We lay that way until it starts to hurt too much, not just physically. My legs fall away, and I suddenly feel so naked as Liam rolls over, putting a hand on his chest, and letting out a breath. I start to speak, to take it all back, but he sits up, giving me his defined back.
“No more hurting each other, Caroline.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. He bends down, grabbing his jacket off the floor, and stands, doing his pants back up. I’m lying on the bed, exposed and raw as he pauses, looking back over his shoulder but only to the point of showing me his enviable profile.
“Goodbye, Carebear.”
Liam walks away, not looking back, but this time I don’t want to cry. I want to run after him and beg, but I don’t because that’s what got me here in the first place. The bedroom door closes, clicking with finality. A shiver runs over my body as I stand and walk to my vanity, opening the silver case that’s still on top.
A neat pile of small bands and Neosporin rest next to each other. They’re organized alongside my razorblades—an ill-fortuned necessity for those who can’t feel.
But I do now. I feel it all.
I reach inside of a satin pocket, hidden in the case, and pull out the Care Bear sticker that doesn’t stick anymore, placing it on my vanity and tossing the rest in the trash, whispering to myself, “No more using you to hurt me anymore, Liam.”
Caroline
“Wake up. You’ve overslept, and God, you smell, Grey.” My face scrunches up in disgust. “How much did you drink last night? It smells like a bar in here.”
Grey grumbles into his pillow, making no move to actually wake up. Donovan’s long gone, so he’s laying alone, still drunk, I’m sure. I wish I were doing the same, but life doesn’t stop just because my heart’s broken. I gave myself a moment to spiral out over the repercussions of last night, but now I have my big-girl panties on.
“Grey,” I press.
“For fuck’s sake, Caroline. I hear you. Your voice is like nails on a goddamn chalkboard. Why are you torturing me?”
He sits up, hair askew, and my hand shoots to my mouth, trying not to laugh.
“You look worse for wear, but we have our hellish brunch, dearest brother. You need to clean up.”
“Cancel.” He grunts, pulling the blanket over his face.
I roll my eyes, stalking over to his drapes and tugging them back to allow the light in.
“We can’t. They’re downstairs.”
A pillow hits me from behind, and I spin around. “Asshole! Get. Up.”
He throws the blanket down to his waist, sitting up and shaking his head. “No. Tell my father I said to fuck off and to get out of my house.”
Good God, he’s an actual toddler. If the girls at Hillcrest could see this—with his luck, they’d find it adorable. I, however, do not.
I raise my brows, but he shrugs.
A burgeoning sense of panic begins to take hold. Grey never leaves me alone with his father—not since an uncomfortable moment when our parents were first married. I don’t think Evan would ever step over a line, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t consider it for a terrifying moment.
That day is just one of the strings that weaved themselves into the ties that bind Grey and me. He promised me two things that day. The first that we’d take care of each other—even if we didn’t like each other very much because we’re the same kind of beast in this world of ours. Second, that he’d never tell when I had a human moment. He’s kept both.
“Grey,” I sigh, standing at the end of his bed. “Please don’t leave me alone with them. After last night—I can’t do this by myself today. I’m trying to ‘brand new day’ my mindset, and my mother is a big fucking cloud.”
