Page 31 of Perfectly Naïve
“Fuck the trust,” I say with a shrug. “Take it.”
George’s jaw clenches so hard, I think he cracks a molar. My not caring about his money really pisses him off. I guess that’s why Lalo and Josh made sure that some of the money they got in the breakup went into funds for me and Cici. That way, we’d have a cushion if we ever fell out of George’s favor. The account they opened for me is only a fraction of what George has set up, but with my job, it’s more than enough.
I don’t need to pander to this asshole.
“Liam!” Cici shouts, bare feet slapping across the teak. Here comes the only reason I go on family yachting trips. She’s still so young and deserves to have fun. At eleven, she has a few more good years of being mostly carefree, and I want her to have some of the same memories I had. Good family memories. Not fucked-up,George is screaming againmemories. “Can we go down the slide?”
“Heck, yes, let’s do it.” I set my coffee down, and we both ignore Mom’s shouts that Cici should eat breakfast first and race to the slide.
The crew is finishing securing the slide to the yacht when we arrive, and they smile at us with practiced ease. What I wouldn’t give to hear what they think of George and Mom.
“You guys should have a few hours of fun before we head back to shore. Your flight leaves later today, and we’ll make sure to get you there on time,” Riley, the bosun, says.
“Thanks, man. Your team has been amazing.”
His smile widens. “They’re good at what they do.”
“I’m going for it!” Cici grabs the handles on the blown-up stairs and scrambles up to stand at the top of the slide, hands thrown into the air as she screams. Jumping, she plops onto the vinyl and shoots down into the waiting sea.
The crew laughs, and I have no choice but to follow Cici down, hooting and hollering just to make her giggle before I’m submerged in salty water. When I break the surface with a gasp, Cici is already racing toward the boat. “Last one up is a rotten egg!”
“Oh, now it’s on,” I call after her, cutting through the water as fast as I can. My little sister screeches and laughs, and my chest warms.
These moments make trips like this worth it. I can suffer through George’s bullshit for Cici.
There’s nothing but silence as I drive home from the airport. No music. No podcast. Just me and the quiet. You know your emotions are all over the place when you can drive thirty minutes without any noise. The closer I get to home, the more the tension between my shoulders eases.
No more worrying about George watching my every move. At least, for a few more months. The holidays always suck, but at least I won’t be stuck on a yacht for a week with him and Mom. The only other time our paths might cross is at the charity gala I’m attending in a few weeks, but George will be out of town. The only reason I’ll go is to see Lalo and Josh.
Turning into the quaint neighborhood I call home, I exhale long and hard, releasing the last of the stress from the trip. I can’t wait to sit on the couch with a beer and playsome video games with the pack. This is exactly the relaxation I need. A completely, mind-numbingly uneventful night.
I park behind Wilder’s car and cut the engine, a smile tugging at my lips. The garage is still open, and Hayes’s latest project is jacked up. The alpha doesn’t know how to separate work and home. His twin brother is nearly as much of a workaholic, tattooing nearly every day of the week, way outside of a standard forty hours. At least he’s not working on the car right now.
Grabbing my bag from the trunk, I head for the front door, waving to Mrs. Carlson while she empties the bag of her lawn mower. “Last cut of the season?” I call over the chilly breeze.
“I think so.” She glances at the half of her lawn that is slowly being covered in yellow and orange foliage. “If the trees would stop dropping leaves, that’d be great.”
Chuckling, I glance at the tree in our front yard, which is still clinging to its browning leaves. “Winter is coming soon enough.”
She waves and gets back to her yard work. We’re lucky to have good neighbors. No one around here cares about how much money you have or who you know. All they care about is that you’re generally nice and look out for our little community.
It’s so peaceful. Calm. No drama.
I open the front door, and the scent of an omega practically bowls me over.Fuck, that’s not what I need to smell right now.I prop the door open and drop my bag by the door. “A little fresh air would’ve been nice! Some of us are trying to avoid blue balls!”
“Close the door!” Sawyer shouts from somewhere in the back of the house.
Something bangs around, and Hayes appears halfshowered and hard as a rock. I avert my gaze. “Dude, what the fuck?”
“You’ve seen my dick before, asshole. Close the door!”
Wilder slides into the room on socks, zipping toward me and scowling. “Didn’t you hear what Sawyer said?”
My eyebrows hit my hairline. “You want that scent lingering around? I barely got a whiff of the omega and my balls ache.” I jerk my thumb toward Hayes, who has no qualms standing buck naked, covered in suds, in the middle of the room. “He’s jerking off to it in the shower.”
Wilder snaps the door closed.
I shake my head. “I didn’t sign up for torture.” Shaking my head at him, I try to open the door, but he blocks it with his entire body. “Seriously? Move.”
