Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Back when I thought she was real.
A real friend. A real stepsister. A real person.
I have a hard time looking at the pair of grinning teenagers staring back at me from the photos. I’d been completely oblivious to her duplicitous ways.
She felt pretty real a short moment ago. Bringing my fingers to my nose, I inhale her sweet scent that remains. Still damp and sticky. Real. Fucking real.
My chest feels hollow. I’d had nefarious intentions when I’d gone in there earlier, but then the lines blurred.
What if I was wrong a couple of years ago?
What if I’ve been feasting on a lie?
“Spencer?”
Dad’s deep voice startles me. It’s not often he’s been able to sneak up on me. Based on the mess at the bottom of my closet, I’d say I lost myself to memories for longer than I thought. Quickly, I start stacking up the pictures and throw them back into the box.
“In here,” I finally say, giving away my location. “Just looking for a picture of Mom.”
I hoist up the box and am sliding it into place when I sense his presence in the closet doorway.
“Okay,” he drawls out, wisely choosing not to press as to why. He sighs heavily. “Can we talk?”
Sweeping my gaze over my father’s impressive frame, I take stock of his appearance. His hair isn’t styled anymore and hangs limply over his forehead. The tie that’s usually perfectly knotted has been tugged loose. His eyebrows are furled and his lips are pressed into a tight line.
What’s strange is his eyes don’t meet mine.
Interesting.
“Yeah, Dad, what’s up?”
He turns on his heel and stalks back into my bedroom. I notice the bedroom door has been closed. My curiosity is officially piqued.
“Is Aubrey okay?” His expression grows stormy and his nostrils flare.
I still my entire body, wondering if he somehow knows what I was just up to. Can he smell her sweet scent that’s certainly invaded my nostrils?
“Seemed perfectly fine to me,” I say slowly, narrowing my eyes. “Why?”
Dad glances at me briefly, a relieved glint in his eyes, before looking away again. He shrugs and turns away from me, choosing to walk over to my window.
“Just wondering.”
It’s then I realize what’s wrong with him. Guilt. I’ve rarely seen my father looking guilty, because as far as men in this community go—and this family for that matter—he’s one of the more morally stable.
“Did you upset her?” I probe, prowling closer to him.
He flinches at my question. “Maybe? Fuck.” His fingers spear into his hair and he tugs, giving away why his hair looks like shit today. “No, I did. I upset her.”
Things begin to click into place quickly.
Aubrey’s foul mood. Dad’s shame. The evasiveness of both of them.
Something happened between them. My guess is she started it, he went along with it, and then his predictable morals started flashing warning signs at him. He probably freaked and embarrassed her.
What did they do?
Kiss. Oral. A quick fuck over his desk.
Anger boils in my gut, chasing away any fondness I’d been feeling minutes ago. Aubrey is exactly what I’ve always known—a broken girl who likes breaking families. She tried it once two years ago and now she’s at it again. With her track record, especially since she just got done ruining her relationship with her father and his boss and family, it’s quite obvious she’s up to it again.
It’s a part of her.
Ruination and destruction.
Awful, wretched, fucked-up girl.
Familiar bitterness poisons my veins and shrivels my heart. I’m so damn stupid when it comes to her. Always letting my guard down when I need to be applying war paint instead whenever she’s around.
She fucked around with my dad. Then, she came home and let me fingerfuck her. Was his cum still inside her when I brought her to orgasm. The urge to scrub my hands is overwhelming. I curl my hand into a fist and crack my neck to release the growing tension.
Aubrey Love will not tear apart this family. I kept it from happening once before and I’ll do it again. In order to do that, I’m going to have to stop with the games and reveal how shamefully slutty she really is.
“Dad?” I say, adopting a soft, unsure tone. “I think I fucked up.”
He turns away from the window, finally meeting my stare. The concern in his expression makes me feel like a dick, but it’s necessary. “Everything’s fixable, Spencer.”
Not Aubrey.
She’s a broken, ruined, used-up girl.
“Not this.” I let my shoulders fall forward and crumple up my features. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
Stalking over to me, he grabs both sides of my neck like he used to do when I was little. It still warms me and fills me with love. My dad might not be perfect, but he doesn’t deserve to get sucked into Aubrey’s whorish void. It makes me feel like an even bigger asshole that I’m going to have to poke him in order to get to her.