Page 129 of Their Cruel Play
“You’ll live.” Her gloves snap as she takes them off and throws them away. “Have you taken any painkillers?”
I shake my head again. She goes to the cabinet and pulls out a glass, filling it with water. She picks up a medicine bottle and pours out two pills.
“I assume Harper told you about what I said. You staying in the guest room?” She holds out the glass and pills which I take.
“Yes, ma’am.” I’m not supposed to be here tonight. Her mom is here. She’s safe, but I can’t seem to stay away. I wasn’t sleeping at home, not without her curled up next to me.
“In the morning, I’ll forget to check on her, but I expect to find you or Caden in the guest bedrooms on mornings I get home from work.”
My brow furrows. I expected her to send me home. She sighs at my confusion.
“Go up to bed, Luke. Don’t make me regret this.” She puts away the things in her emergency bag.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“If you’re going to sleep here, you might as well call me Jennifer.” Her brown eyes meet mine, and I see that fierce protectiveness I’ve seen in Harper’s. “I hate the wordma’am.”
“Thank you, Jennifer.”
“Good night, Luke.”
Half in a daze, I climb the stairs and slip into Harper’s room. The soft glow of the computer screen reveals her. She’s in the center of her bed with the sheet kicked off. I half expect Jennifer to storm in and yell at me in front of Harper to make a point. It’s something my dad might have done when I was younger.
I sit in Harper’s chair and slip off my shoes while I listen to Jennifer come up the stairs and pause for a second outside Harper’s door. My breath catches, but she keeps going down the hall until I hear her door shut.
It doesn’t make sense, but I’m too tired to care at this point. This is a gift I won’t refuse. I undress down to my boxers before joining Harper on the bed. She rolls to me and snuggles against me as I pull the sheet over us.
When I glance at the computer screen, I see Nico watching. He and I are going to need to have a talk and soon. If I can deal with my jealousy and not take it out on any of the others, he sure as hell can deal with his, if for no other reason than how it affects Harper.
She cares for all of us.
He closes his eyes and rolls away. I release my breath and sink into her warmth.
Harper
I’m surrounded by warmth and Luke’s soft seductive scent. My fingers press against the solid muscle beneath them. I expected him to come to my bed. I even waited up so I could talk to him, but I must have fallen asleep at some point.
“Luke,” I whisper.
He breathes out as he pulls me tighter against him. I’m on his right side, half-draped over him, so at least I’m not pressing into his bruise. I press a kiss to his chest before falling back to sleep.
The next time I wake my alarm is going off. I try to reach my nightstand, but Luke’s arm is heavy around my waist, and he draws me back against him. He’s curled around me. I turn to look at his face, but his eyes are closed.
“I need to turn off my alarm before it wakes my mom,” I whisper.
“She knows I’m here. Hit snooze,” he murmurs.
“What?” I straighten like she’s in the room and seeing us like this, but my room is empty. He releases me enough to grab my phone. I hit my snooze, but I’m not relaxed, like she’ll come through that door and question my life choices.
“Your mom caught me sneaking in last night.” He draws me in tighter against his body. “Relax, Harper. She said she wouldn’t check this morning.”
What the actual fuck. “Yeah, I’m going to require more information, Death.”
He breathes out, tickling the hair around my ear. “If I have to explain it, I’ll fuck you while I do so. If you want more sleep, I’ll tell you in the shower. While I fuck you.”
I shake my head. “Fine. I’ll sleep.”
But I don’t, even as he relaxes behind me. I can’t get my heart to stop pounding. How much is my mom actually aware of? I thought we were being careful and getting away with things. But obviously not.
