Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Har, har…”
Both Raidne and Blaire slide into the back as I round the front to slip into the passenger seat. The engine shakes beneath my butt, and I turn to face Malyk, who’s wearing a black T-shirt and casual jeans.
“This yours?”
“Mmmhmm…sometimes.” His hand comes to my chin, forcing my face to his. He leans down, kissing me softly on the lips. My body buzzes to life from the connection. “Happy birthday, baby girl.”
I smile widely at him, my insides turning to lava. I hate myself right now, but I’d be lying if I denied the way he made me feel. Because I think I know. I know that beneath all that sweetness there has to be poison. Sugar was the first drug of mankind, after all.
“Thanks.”
“Okay! Let’s drive!” Blaire rushes us along, and I turn in my seat to get a read on her.
What is her deal? I didn’t get a chance to introduce either of them and they’re acting like Malyk killed their cat. Before I can catch her attention, she pops open a little vile and taps white powder onto her pinkie, taking a hit before doing the same to Raidne.
Her hand is coming to me when I look between her and the snow.
“Oh, come on,” she teases, dancing to the song that’s playing loudly in the background. “Let old Shiloh come out to play. Just for tonight.”
Both she and I know that old Shiloh was a problem, but I take the rolled-up dollar bill from her and bring it to my nostril, leaning down and snorting the line so fast it pinches my brain. The taste of chemicals hits the back of my throat as I tap the top of my nose to get off the excess powder.
I catch Malyk’s eyes when I come back up, clearing my nose and hitting the music louder. D12’s “Devil’s Night” thuds through the speakers, and just as Malyk turns back to face the road, a smirk touches the side of his face. He reaches for my chin, dipping his thumb into my mouth as the whole back seat goes quiet.
“Suck.”
I wrap my lips around his thumb, swirling it in circles before he pulls it out and dips it into a line of powder, bringing it to his tongue. I watch as it dissolves, and he sucks the rest off. My cheeks flush as I sit back in my chair, the effects of the coke counteracting the alcohol that’s pulsing through my blood, which is good. It can sober me up a little.
We pull up outside the surf club when the people standing out front all part as they hear Malyk’s car. The girls slide out of the back, and I go to reach for the door handle when his hand stops me on my thigh.
“Before you go in, I need to tell you something.”
I hold my breath as he reaches forward and turns the music down. “That story I told you about? Do you want to hear the rest?”
I blow out my breath. “Yes.” The silence between us is suffocating, and I swear in the back of my mind I can hear both of our hearts beating together. “I’ve been wanting to ask you to finish it since I woke up and you were gone.”
His head tilts to the side, and if it wasn’t on Malyk, it would have looked cute. I’ve noticed small things about Malyk that I haven’t otherwise noticed before. He’s the kind of man you look twice at on the street. He has a charm that you can’t replicate, but a darkness that you can see he tries to conceal. I don’t know why. Darkness is there to touch. I don’t care what anyone else says.
“But what if…” He shuffles around to face me more, and the people outside start to get louder. The sun is only just setting in the sky, leaving a burnt orange hue that fades with the dark clouds. “What if I told you that the story isn’t about a good person? What if the person in it is the bad person who does bad things?”
I know it’s about him. I don’t want to push him to admit it yet, though. I’ll leave that for him to tell me in his own time. “Then I’d still want to hear it.”
He leans forward, and my eyes catch his tongue swiping over his lower lip. “What do you think about bad people, Shiloh?”
My fingers itch, and I can’t stop myself anymore. I reach forward and grab him from around the collar. The coke has most likely set in. Pulling him into my lips, I kiss him. Hard. My fingers move from his collar to the back of his neck as his tongue swipes the areas in my mouth that leave tingles crawling down my spine. His hands come to my waist, and he pulls me over the center console until I’m straddling his lap.