Saturn and Her Rings (Mended Universe Book 2) Page 8

  This cop is new and obviously not familiar with who I am or else he wouldn’t have brought me here. I just roll my eyes at him and prop my feet up onto the uncomfortable concrete bench inside the cell.

  I’m sure Alex called Sonni like I told her to. Her eyes shone with too much delight when she saw the cop walk up behind me before I could even get into my car.

  Alex is a good one. I read her file when she came to Safe Haven just a month before Sonni. Her dad passed away just a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday, and since she had no other family or a mother she knew, they sent her to Safe Haven. She’s a friend Sonni needs to keep.

  I close my eyes and do my best to get comfortable on the bench, but this thing is harder than Cesar when I watch girl-on-girl porn.

  “I’m here to pick up Silas West.”

  Ah, Dr. Keller is here. I knew she would come with Sonni. I raise from the bench and walk to the bars separating me from the rest of the world. I’ve been here more times than I would like to admit. Single holding cell, two separate smaller cells, numerous rooms lining the walls, and a big desk in front of it all. Harper Valley Police Station is small and shitty, just like the rest of Harper Valley.

  “Dr. J! How’s it hangin’?” I try my best not to slur. The punch bowl drinks really hit me. I’m almost glad the fat cop didn’t let me drive and scooped me up before I could even get into my car. I’m fucking plastered.

  Her cobalt-blue eyes with the small specks of purple meet mine. “Silas.” She dips her head. “You better be glad I’m here and not your parents.”

  I just let out a chuckle and ignore her comment. “Where is she?” I demand.

  “If you’re referring to Sonni, then she’s in the car. What do you want with her?”

  Dr. Keller and I have an understanding. She knows what I’m trying to do, at least some of it anyway. Granted she doesn’t know what I know, but I need to keep it that way. I need to make sure Sonni sticks around.

  Dr. Keller may act like she doesn’t like me, but I know she does. She cares about me the same way she cares about all the other kids that come through her door. My “parents” tried the whole mandatory therapy sessions with me, but I refused. No one needs to know my life unless I want them to. Dr. Keller understood that and never tried to push me.

  “That—” I point at her with a shaky finger. “—is none of your business.”

  She shakes her head. “If you hurt her, then I promise you, I will make your life hell. She’s been through enough.”

  I widen my eyes and place my hand over my chest. “Resulting to threats are we, Jupiter?”

  “Silas.” She shakes her head with a grin. “It’s a promise, not just an empty threat.”

  I let out another chuckle. “If you must know, I have no plans to hurt her. I’m trying to help her. I’m trying to help you too.”

  She just shakes her head.

  “Maybe I like her, Doc.”

  She tilts her head back and lets out a barking laugh. “We both know you don’t operate on the right wavelength. You’re the notorious bad boy. I know it, your parents know it, hell, all of Harper Valley knows it. Don’t try and drag Sonni down with you. She’s too good, I can see it.”

  “I find it funny you feel so protective over her. You barley know her,” I remark.

  “It’s deeper than that, Silas,” she says almost sadly.

  “Deeper how? Feeling almost motherly?” I laugh at my question because I know the truth. Soon she’ll know too, but not until Sonni helps me get Halley.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I see the wheels turning in her head. She questioning a lot right now, but I’m done giving answers.

  “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.”

  The cop walks around from the desk and finally opens my cell. I follow Dr. Keller to her car and slip into the back seat. Sonni is stone still in the front and quiet as a mouse, so I leave her be. Things are about to get really interesting.

  Six slides into the back of the car, but I stay quiet. He doesn’t deserve my words or worry. I’m not sure how I missed it, but he’s clearly shitfaced. He was swaying as he approached, and even climbing into the back of the car seemed like a chore.

  “I’m taking you home, Silas,” Dr. Keller hisses from beside me. “And don’t worry, I’ll be telling your parents about this when they get home.”

  I glance in the side mirror and catch Six rolling his eyes. “You’ll do nothing but ruin the good time they had on vacation. Let’s just keep this between us, shall we?” He smirks into the rearview mirror at her.

  “I don’t think so,” she remarks, then throws the car into drive and pulls away from the police station.

  Six scoots to the other side of the back seat, then leans up, close to her ear, and starts whispering too low for me to hear. Dr. Keller’s eyes grow wide, and the small smile that always seems to be on her face falls.

  Six pushes back into his seat and smiles with victory. I want to ask him what he said; I want to pry, but I don’t. Instead I just stay quiet and look out the windshield as Dr. Keller drives.

  Only a few minutes pass before we are pulling up to the curb in front of Six’s house. Since it’s late at night and there is no party, everything is dark. All the perfectly crystal-clear windows don’t have their normal light shining through, and the short green grass in the front yard is still.

  Dr. Keller puts her car in park, then looks back to Six. “Get out,” she snaps.

  Six just shakes his head and grins. “With pleasure.”

  I let my eyes bounce between the two of them, trying to read them and figure out where all the tension came from, but I come up with nothing.

  “Come on, Sonni,” Six says, not asks.

  I turn back to Dr. Keller with my eyes a smidge wider than normal before I look at him and reply. “Why should I?”

  “We have business to discuss,” he says quietly.

  I just roll my eyes and step out of the car. I close the door behind me, then turn and look to Dr. Keller. “If I end up murdered, it was him.”

  She laughs. “You’ll be fine. Silas would never hurt you.” She smiles sadly, then lowers her voice. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  I look at her and tip my head. “Him what?”

  “The one you were telling me about in your session.”

  I inhale sharply. I had totally forgotten I even mentioned him to her. I give her a sharp nod, then turn and walk up the drive behind Six.

  The tension between him and I as I stand behind him as he unlocks the door is ridiculous. It’s so thick that I can almost feel it suffocating me.

  “Why does she trust you?” I ask, trying to break the silence as we enter his house.

  He shakes his head with a laugh. “Like I said, Sonni, I’m actually a nice guy. She and I have an understanding.”

  I let out a laugh of my own. “I call bullshit. Are you blackmailing her too?”

  “You’ll never know.” He shrugs.

  I just shake my head as he flips on the light in the kitchen.

  “She does trust one thing I said though.”

  “Yeah? And what’s that?”

  “That I would never hurt you.”

  I’m stunned speechless and not sure what to even think. Six is always so hot and cold. One minute he makes me want to punch him in the face, and the next my body is begging to give in to the attraction I have toward him.

  For once in my life, I let my body take control. I know I’ll probably regret it, but I’m tired of watching my every move. For once I’m going to do something crazy, consequences or not.

  I step in front of him and push my hands into his hair. His dark eyes meet mine, and I can see the question in them, but I ignore it. I spend a few seconds studying his face. His brown eyes have the smallest gold flecks within them, and his cheeks are brushed with a light pink. Who’s blushing now?

  I move my eyes from his cheeks to his lips, then back up to his eyes, urging him to make the next move. He does the same thi
ng I did. Eyes to mine, then to my lips and back up. In one slow movement, his lips touch mine, soft as feathers. I open my mouth and match his pace, and this time I don’t bite him. I welcome his tongue with my own.

  Six reaches down and grabs my hips roughly, urging me closer to him. I curl my fingers, gripping his short hair tighter in between them, and pull. He lets out a growl through our lips and digs his fingers into my hips even harder.

  “I’m going to ruin you, Sonni,” he lets out on a whisper.

  I pull away from him slowly and grab the hem of my shirt. “Ruin me, then, because I already hate you.” I lift my shirt over my head and throw it to the floor.

  I watch him closely as I unbutton my shorts and let them fall to my ankles. I step out of them and back toward the big glass door that leads to the backyard. My back bumps into the cold glass, so I turn around and strut to the pool. The feel and confidence of letting my body take control is intoxicating. Almost more intoxicating than Six’s lips.

  I don’t wait to see if he’s following me. I just step inside the warm water and submerge myself, letting it surround me. I go under and keep my eyes closed. The water rushes into my ears, and I can hear my heart pounding, almost like it’s telling me to be careful. Be careful with Six.

  I come up from the water and smooth my hair back from my face and turn to find Six staring at me… naked. His arms dangle to his sides, and his chest heaves slowly as his eyes bore into my body. His calm demeanor from moments ago is gone. His eyes are dark, and his lips are curled in a way I’ve never seen. It’s almost as if I am his prey.

  He circles to the steps of the pool and walks in slowly, never taking his eyes off me. Once he reaches me, he grabs the sides of my arms and pulls me closer.

  “I’m going to—” He cuts himself off with a deep breath. “I’m going to kiss you again, then tomorrow I’ll blame it on the liquor.”

  “Blame it on whatever you want because this will never happen again,” I whisper.

  It seems he and I are on the same page. We are no good for each other. I’m broken and he’s no good. He’s the bad boy moms warn their daughters about. He only thinks of himself and no one else. It would be stupid of me to admit anything more than hate for him. Sometimes white lies are what keep things from exploding. They can stop the chaos and uproar of everything—that’s why I choose to lie to myself. Nothing good will come from Six and me.

  He gives me a curt nod, then leans in and crashes his lips to mine.

  There is nothing sweet about Six, not anymore. Not in the way he speaks, not in the way he carries himself, and definitely not in the way he kisses me. His lips are hard and punishing, sloppy and threatening. But it doesn’t stop me. My whole life has been lived on the edge of something. Fear, survival… Maybe it’s time to live on the edge of bad. To be the prey and enjoy the hunt. To get lost in it for just a moment.

  I hook my legs around his waist and throw my arms over his shoulders. His lips leave mine and trail to my collarbone before his teeth bite into me. I cry out as he chuckles in my ear.

  “I hate you,” I whimper.

  “Good,” he snarls as he unhooks my bra.

  I move my legs from around him and let them dangle in the water as I push my panties down. “Never again,” I say, reminding him of the words I just spoke moments ago.

  “Never,” he bites back.

  He backs me to the edge of the pool and spins me around. My hands latch onto the concrete edge as his hand runs up the back of my neck and into my hair, fisting it tightly around his fingers.

  “This is your last chance to run, Saturn,” he whispers, bringing his face next to mine.

  “No,” I sigh.

  I can feel him nod before he kisses my check softly and shoves into me.

  I bite down through the pain. I want this. I want this. I want this, I remind myself, but it’s almost too much. It isn’t like I’m a virgin, or that his dick is so big I can barely handle it. No, it isn’t any of those things. Fact of the matter is I’m catching feelings. Feelings I swore I would never feel, and that shit hurts. I’m falling in love with the bad boy. The boy who only cares about himself and no one else. The boy moms warn their daughters about. I’m falling in love with my tormentor, the one who’s blackmailing me. I can say I hate him over and over, but really, I’m falling in love with Silas fucking West.

  He nuzzles his face into the back of my neck as I hold back my screams. He pumps into me over and over, sending the warm water sloshing around us in an erratic rhythm. There are no bounds to it. It crashes over the edge and spills onto the concrete, making intricate shapes and patterns. It’s just like me and Six. Sloppy and dangerous, but beautiful in a far, abstract way.

  Suddenly, the pain is gone. If I fall and my heart gets shattered, I don’t even care. It would all be worth it for this moment here.

  I throw my head back and let out a moan as my climax builds. I scream Six’s name and grab the edge of the pool. I let my body explode around him. I say fuck the consequences and let myself fall.

  “Your name has never been more fitting,” Six says from beside me with a hoarse voice.

  I turn on my side, letting the grass tickle my skin. We’ve done nothing but lie naked in his backyard for the last hour. Everything has been still and quiet. No interruptions, no consequences, no nothing… until now.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, looking into his eyes. The normal amber color is replaced with black. No gold flecks in sight.

  He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me the way he always does. He’s looking through me, not at me, his eyes penetrating my soul.

  “I—” I cut myself off and look down the length of my body. His dick twitches by my thigh.

  “Say it, Sonni,” he demands.

  I bring my eyes back to his. “Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy. That you’re trouble,” I whisper.

  “Maybe you should listen to them.”

  “I’m not sure I want to anymore.” I reach for his face, but he pulls away and turns onto his back. “I… I think I love you.”

  With my thoughts out in the open, now I feel vulnerable. I feel scared. Silas isn’t one who loves. He isn’t someone you take to meet your parents or marry. He really is the bad guy, but my heart doesn’t care. All the back-and-forth between us has done nothing but make me love him more. Make me want him more.

  He lets out a dark chuckle. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

  “Why not?” I knew our little moment wasn’t sweet, but I still thought there was something. Something lingering beneath the surface about to break through.

  He stands from the grass and runs his hands up his face and into his hair. “Saturn…” He speaks softly with an edge to his tone. An edge that would normally make me want to run and hide, but not this time.

  “You have all of these rings around you to keep people out. They shield your body and mind. They’re made of stone and dust. They’re made of ice.” His dark eyes meet mine, and I sit up and pull my knees to my chest, trying to shield my naked body.

  He squats in front of me with a smirk. “I’m fire, sugar. And I’m going to melt and destroy all of those rings that protect you. I’m going to ruin you and leave. You won’t love me once you see what I’m capable of and what I’ve been through.”

  My lip starts to quiver of its own accord, but I refuse to cry. I won’t let him see me that way. Instead of replying to what he said, I repeat myself. “I think I love you.” I pause for a beat. “And it terrifies me.”

  Maybe that’s the best way to describe love. A thin line between bliss and being terrified. A complete paradise within a battlefield.

  “You don’t,” he bites back.

  “Fuck you,” I hiss. A lone tear finally breaks free and rolls down my cheek.

  “Already did.” He winks and stands, then disappears inside.

  I wipe my face aggressively and stand, then gather my bra and panties floating along the side of the pool. I march inside, ready to throw every
insult at Six that I have, but he’s gone. His house is still and quiet, just like when we first got here.

  I take a deep breath and pick up my shorts and shirt from the kitchen floor and throw them on before walking slowly to the front door. I knew Six was trouble from the moment I saw him. I just wish my heart would have listened.

  With a shaky hand, I reach for the knob, hating myself more than I ever have for falling for him.

  “Two days.”

  I look to the dark living room beside me and see Six lounging on the couch, still naked.

  “We get Halley in two days. I’ll text you.” His voice is smooth and not at all affected by our conversation from minutes ago.

  “I hate you,” I whisper.

  “Good,” he replies.

  I walk out the door and let it close softly behind me, then pull my phone from my back pocket and dial Dr. Keller’s number for the second time tonight.

  Once the door closes behind Sonni, I rise from the couch and head back into the kitchen. I slide my shorts back on, then pour myself a glass of whiskey and light up a smoke.

  I replay everything she said in my head over and over. She thinks she loves me, and it terrifies her. Good. She should be scared. My whole life has been nothing but a shitshow, and I refuse to get off track now, when shit is finally falling into place, over some pussy. As much as I want her, I have to keep her at a distance. At least for now.

  I have shit planned out. I don’t do anything on impulse. Well, I try not to. I never planned to sleep with Sonni because I knew it would complicate things, and complicated isn’t good. My only worry right now is getting Halley and taking down the Stones. I can’t let Sonni get in the way of that.

  Sonni thinks she’s had it bad, but she hasn’t heard my story.

  My phone starts vibrating in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts. I hit the green button on the screen and bring it to my ear without even checking who it is. “What?” I bite out.

  “Six, it’s Cass.”

  Ah, Cassidy Stone. My inside man. Cassidy is a few years older than me and a biological Stone, but that hasn’t stopped him from feeding me information. It’s funny how money makes people talk.