Sucking in a calming breath, I exit the bathroom. Canyon lingers nearby, his arms crossed over his massive chest and his brows pinched as he stares down at his feet. A flare of heat courses through my body, making me feel shameful and stupid considering the stern talking-to I just gave myself.
As soon as he disappears into the bathroom and I hear the sink running, I throw on my tank top and then busy myself with straightening my bed. The bottle of lube gets stowed away in the drawer once more, hiding the evidence of my wrongdoing. I’m pacing the floor beside the bed when I feel his electrifying presence.
“She lied.”
I freeze, all my inner berating ceasing as I jerk my attention to him. “Who?”
His eyes close, and his jaw clenches. “Mom.”
Before I can stop myself, I stalk over to him, aching for his nearness. He doesn’t shy away from my touch when I palm his cheek with gentleness.
“What did she lie about?” I ask in a husky tone, searching his pained sapphire eyes.
He swallows, the sound audible, and closes his eyes. “About having to work. She missed my meet because she had to work, but when I went there, they said she hadn’t been in.”
“Maybe she called in sick,” I offer, though I feel like there’s more to it based on the hurt in his expression.
“They said she hasn’t been in for weeks.” His brows crash together as his gaze darts back and forth between my eyes. For someone always so sure of himself, he seems younger in this moment. Vulnerable and heartbroken. It makes me want to pull him into my arms and not let go. “I was confused and worried,” he continues, “so I went home.” His nostrils flare. “She was dressed in her baking clothes…”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, realizing where this is headed.
He leans forward, resting his forehead to mine, his eyes pinching shut. “I confronted her. Things got heated.” His breath hitches as though he’s overcome with emotion. “She wanted me to leave her alone.”
Unable to keep my promise to myself, I pull him to me, hugging him tightly. His masculine, soapy scent invades my every pore, and I greedily gulp up everything of him I can. I tilt my head up, seeking his neck to press a comforting kiss there. He roams his palms down to my ass, settling them there in a possessive, familiar way that makes my heart stumble over itself.
“It’s all Dad’s fault,” he murmurs, raspy and broken. “He did this to her. To us. I just…I just want him to hurt too.” A heavy sigh escapes him. “But that means hurting Quinn. You.”
“This is all so fucked up,” I agree, with a low, harsh chuckle. “All of it.”
“I wanted to break you, Wonderland.”
“And now?”
“I can’t break you. I don’t want to. I just want you.”
His raw, honest words carve themselves into my heart. I’m supposed to be blocking this out, but I can’t. I don’t want to. I want to capture each thing he says to me, each tender touch, and hoard them. My life was rotten for so long, I crave to take some good for myself. To be selfish for once.
I tilt my head up, peering into his electric blue eyes. “If my dad finds out about what we’ve done—”
Lips brush against mine in a sweet, caring manner that has my knees weakening. Canyon is rough and mean and competitive. Not gentle. Not kind. Not this. My mind loses its logical reasoning to the way my heart thunders in my chest. His tongue swipes across mine, eagerly tasting me like I’m something new and forbidden that he can’t seem to get enough of.
He tugs at my bottom lip with his teeth while squeezing my ass and pulls slightly away to search my gaze. “Alis, he won’t.”
I internally weigh my options here. I can push him away and keep my distance. Try and be a friend—a brother—to him.
Or…
A needy sigh pushes past my lips as I seek his, eager to feel his promise of secrecy within his kiss. As though he can see inside my mind, he devours me with his lips and tongue, kissing me so I’m wrapped in a cloud of Canyon protectiveness.
I want to bask in how it feels.
Nothing, not sports or orchestra or art, has ever made the anxiety and uncertainty of my future fade away before.
But, with Canyon, all I can think about is him.
Everything else is just background noise.
This is bad. So bad. Fuck, it feels good, though.
“Come on, Chibi, it’s imperative I share the world of Mubona Ikari with you.” Canyon’s devilish grin as he pulls away has me submitting to this ridiculous shit with a groan. “I knew all it would take was getting my hands on your dick to convince you.”