Page 9 of Damaged Prince
I’m not sure if Laney will look at me the same again when she finds out. But I need to at least try. Because I can't lose her. And I can’t build something with her when I’m being haunted by my past.
One step at a time. That's all I can give right now. I need to take a breath and take things slow.
“You wanna go inside or do you need some more time?” Winter asks.
Licking my lips, I stare out the window at the house. “It’s late. I should head inside. I already dipped out of work early. May as well get a good night's rest before my boss bitches me out.” I laugh. But the only joke here is sleep. Because I won’t be gettingany. I need to have that conversation with Laney sooner rather than later, or it’s going to eat me alive.
There's no way I can look at her and pretend tonight didn’t happen.
Winter and I head inside. We part ways, her heading to Laney’s room, me heading to mine. It’s kind of a weird feeling. I’m so used to her being at the house for me, having sleepovers in my room. Now she’s here for Laney a lot of the time.
Part of me is a little bit jealous, but mostly because I wish I could be spending time with both of them.
Maybe things will change now that Delaney moved back in. With everything regarding that crazy bitch, Stacy, and what happened to Benny, she moved back into the house.
It’s a good thing because both Logan and Benny need her right now. Dad, Melissa, Owen, and I have tried to help the best we can, but there’s something about Laney that takes away everything that's wrong in the world.
She’s done so much for Logan already; is it selfish of me to hope she can help me the same way she helped him?
Stripping out of my clothes, I toss them into the dirty hamper and head into my bathroom. Turning the water to hot, I take a moment to stand in front of the mirror.
No matter how many tattoos I have, nothing can cover the scars that lie beneath the surface.
Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water wash away the sweat, body spray, and glitter from the night’s performance.
Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back and let my mind wander. The look on Laney’s face when she saw me on stage was one of shock, rightfully so.
But after? There was no judgment, no disgust. Only genuine curiosity and confusion.
It’s another one of the many reasons why I’m crazy about this girl.
Sharing her with my brothers won’t be an issue, not when I know she’s exactly what each of us needs, but for completely different reasons.
Sharing her with Kai, on the other hand... yeah, that one is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
Another thing added to the long list of how fucked up my life really is behind closed doors.
The only way to start fixing that is to be open, honest, and make those changes.
The thing is... I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.
Doesn’t matter. I have to be. I can’t keep living like this. I don’t think I’ll survive it.
Chapter 3
Delaney
I’ve had many, many dreams over the last few months, and almost all of them starred at least one of my stepbrothers, or Kai. Hell, even all together sometimes.
But the dream last night was different... it had something none of the others had before. Elijah, on stage, giving me a private show.
It’s been replaying through my mind over and over again. The way his body moved, all sinful and sensual. A work of art. Like he was made for that stage.
“My future boyfriend is a stripper,” I whisper to myself as I lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“He’s also a baseball player, a brother, a son, and a good uncle.” Winter’s voice has me jolting, my head snapping over to see her lying in bed next to me. She smiles at the startled look on my face. “Forgot I was here, huh?” she giggles. “If the sounds you were making in your sleep were any indication of what was on your mind, you were not thinking about me at all.”
“Oh god,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “What did I do?”
