Page 199 of Ominous: Part 1
Fuck.My dick gets hard all over again as I marvel over the fact she just sent me a picture of period blood. Holy fuck.
Me: Thank you for informing me. That’s a hot photo.
Her response comes through right after.Her: Yeah… do you still want me to come over tonight?
I frown at those words. The question.What?
Dad is saying my name, so I look up, brows pulled together. “I asked if Eden would be here.”
I glance back at my screen, starting to dim. “Yes,” I answer him. “Why?”
Dad swallows, his throat bobbing over the collar of his dress shirt. He averts his gaze a second, then says, “I really like her.” His words are soft, but they feel like a blow.
There’s a tightness in my chest I don’t like. “Good.”
We don’t look away from each other for long seconds, his palms pressed to the counter, his shoulders curved. Then he releases a breath and straightens. “I’ll be home tomorrow evening. Since you’re off this weekend, we can do dinner Friday night?” He doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “Invite Eden. We can go out somewhere.” He adjusts his cuffs, and in my head, I hear his unspoken words.
I really like her.
So don’t fuck her up.
I bite the inside of my cheek, and with those thoughts in my brain, I realize why Eden might think I wouldn’t want her over.
I respond to her before I say anything to Dad.
Me: 1. I can still fuck you on your period. Blood doesn’t bother me. Especially not yours. 2. Even if I couldn’t, you have a working mouth. 3. That was just a joke. You’re coming.
Then I flip my phone over as Dad carries his glass to the sink. “Sure,” I tell him. “That sounds great.”
He stiffens, his shoulders snapped tight with tension as he pauses on his way to open the dishwasher.
Twisting to look over his shoulder at me, he offers a rare, genuine smile. “Great.” He puts the cup away, closes the dishwasher, then gazes out the window over the sink. “Have you thought any more about…” He trails off.
I clench my hand into a fist, willing him to shut the fuck up.
But he doesn’t. “About your mom’s request?”
I think of shattered glass. Glancing at the floor, I imagine the picture frame broken across it, glittering in the sun from that day.
I hop off the stool, snatch my phone from the counter, and leave my plate and half the orange behind as I turn my back to Dad and head up the stairs, not bothering to answer his question.
He knows my answer.
* * *
“You sure I’m allowed over?”Luna pushes her sunglasses up over her head, wispy auburn hairs falling into her red, swollen eyes. She leans against her white Mercedes, arms crossed over her chest. “Since you and Eden are practically fucking in the hallways every time I see you, I thought I’d been banned.” There’s a bitterness to her words, and I know it’s because she’s upset about Winslet, for Dom’s sake, and she’s taking it out on everyone else.
I roll my eyes, tossing my gym bag into the trunk of my car, over top the bottles of liquor I managed to snag from the King kid in my subdivision on my way out this morning. I sent him a text while I got ready, took the money from my wallet and we did a quick transaction when I drove by his house. King stared at me a long time, then counted my money twice, which is unlike him, but I waited it out in my car, and he finally gave me a head nod in dismissal.
Eden would’ve mocked me, probably. Something about rich boy drug deals.
I scrub a hand over my hair, still damp from the shower after practice. I close my trunk and pull my phone from my pocket. Eden got a ride home with her mom and I want to make sure she’s still good for me to pick her up now.
I ignore Luna.
Me: You ready?
Luna scoffs. I look up at her through my lashes, the sun still beating down overhead. The weather shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon. I’m grateful. Means I have more time in the pool.
