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as the sedative the nurses gave me starts working, pulling me
inexorably toward oblivion, I shape the words. Sift through them. I’m so sorry, Fish.
    It
doesn’t make sense. Why is Rike sorry? Why is he here? What—my gaze widens and
I grit out a curse. “Oh, you fucking asshole. It was you. You made her promise not to tell me anything.”
    Guilt
floods his gaze and he looks away. And the darkness pulls me down, with the
sound of his betrayal, and flaring alarms all that I can hear.

 
 
    Chapter
7 : Before

 
    There
are a few defining moments for every relationship. Shit where, afterwards, you
know things have changed. Finger banging Peyton on a stage in a bar was one of
those points.
    When
I was with her, I could forget for a few minutes that everything we were doing
was stupid and doomed to fall apart. Because she was in my arms or holding my
hand. But there was something that needed to happen that couldn't wait—a big
fucking defining moment.
    "I
want to take you out," I say, softly. She's sitting next to me, her
fingers flicking lazily through the stacks of records, and her gaze comes up to
mine when I murmur those words. Curiosity is bright in her eyes and I swallow
hard. This girl fucking undoes me. I don't know how or why, but she can unravel
me completely with just a single smile, all sweet innocence and dirty promises.
    "Where
are we going?"
    I
let out a breath. "Scotty wants to get some new ink. You wanna come with us?"
    She
wrinkles her nose, an expression that I love on her pretty face. "You want
me to go out with you and Scotty?"
    I
nod, and my breath stills.
    She
shrugs. "Ok."
    That's
it? Her gaze goes back to the stack of records, and some of the tension eases
in my shoulders, relaxing some even as I frown at her. "You aren't going
to argue with me?"
    "Do
you want me to?" she asks.
    "Of
course not," I say, annoyed for some reason. Her gaze snaps up, just a
little bit warning, and I breathe out, trying to keep from snapping.
    "Look,
he's your best friend. I get it. There's something about him that's important
to you. We've been seeing each other for almost a month. I'd be more concerned
if you didn't want me to hang out with him." She shoves the records at me
and stands, and I get a quick peek of pink lace panties as she straightens her
rumpled skirt. "But if either of you think you’re going to share me, you
can get that shit out of your head. I get that you have in the past, but I'm
not into him, and I'm not going to fuck him to keep you happy."
    Without
thinking, I catch her hand and drag her back down to the couch. Catch her lips
with mine and swallow her startled little noise of surprise as my hands smooth
down her luscious curves.
    She
comes to life under my hand, arching into my caress and almost purring as I
lick into her mouth. Her teeth close over my lower lip, and I swallow my groan
as she pulls away, pain flickering through me, chasing the high of kissing her.
    "I
won't fucking share you. Scotty gets a lot, but the most he'll get to
participate is listening to you scream when I fuck you at our place. Because I
know that when I strip you down, you'll be a screamer. Won't you, Pey ?"
    "If
that's what you want," she whispers as my hand trails up her leg, and she
shifts, her legs spreading a little in obvious invitation. "But you have
to actually fuck me to find out."
    "You
want that. You want me to fuck you until you scream." I lick the shell of
her ear and catch it with my teeth. "Does it turn you on that he'll listen
to you, that he'll get off listening to me fuck
you?" She whimpers and reaches for my hand and I twist, dumping her from
my lap unceremoniously.
    “Come
on,” I say, rising and adjusting my hard-on. She glares at me, shoving her hair
out of her eyes and I grin.
    “No
one likes a tease,” she says and I smirk, leaning down to brush her lips
lightly.
    “Maybe
not. But you, sweet girl, like me.”
    She
growls lightly and I slap her ass before steering her toward the