Arranged love

He grunts, his hands slapping on the wall above my head, and I tilt mine to the side to get fresh air because I’m choking on the water spraying on us from above.

This is nothing like the other times we’ve had sex. Even last night at The Palace felt intimate. This is a distraction for him.

I place both hands in his hair. “I’m here,” I tell him breathlessly, and he pulls back the best he can with my legs wrapped around him, slamming into me. “Right here.”

He’s being so rough that it’s painful, and tears start to sting my eyes, but I don’t stop him. I have a feeling this man is never as vulnerable as he is right now. So I take it. Let him use me. It feels nice to be needed for once. To help someone rather than cause pain.

“Dillan-”

He reaches up and slaps his hand over my mouth, shutting me up, and I close my eyes, breathing heavily through my nose. He lets out a groan, slamming into me once again, and I feel his body stiffen against mine while his cock pulses inside me.

We stay this way for a few seconds while he tries to catch his breath, and then he pulls his head from my neck and drops his hand from my mouth. I suck in a deep breath, swallowing some water. He lowers my feet to the floor, and I whimper when he pulls out. He takes a stumbling step back, running his hands through his dark hair to push it back from his face. His eyes stay on the floor. Without saying a word to me, he turns and exits the shower. Grabbing the towel hanging on the hook, he wraps it around himself and exits the bathroom.

I turn off the water and get out myself. Grabbing the spare towel, I wrap it around me and rush out to find the bedroom empty. I see the door to his closet open, and I walk in to see him getting dressed, pulling up a pair of dark gray slacks. “Where are you going?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe.

“Work.” His answer is clipped.

I frown. “It’s almost four in the morning.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, just slides on a black button-up and starts buttoning it. Once done with that, he puts on socks and shoes. He turns to exit, but I stand, blocking it. “Talk to me,” I urge.

“I’m late.” That’s all he says and shoulders past me. Then I hear the bedroom door open and slam shut.

I crawl into bed with wet hair and his cum dripping out of my pussy, worried that something has happened and I’ll never know what it was because he’s emotionally shut himself off to me.

_______________

I SIT SILENTLY next to my brother’s hospital bed. A quick look at the clock tells me it’s almost midnight.

Haven sits up over on her cot and rubs her eyes, yawning. “Anything new?” she asks.

“No.” I release his cold hand and set it down on his bed.

She runs a hand through her tangled hair. “I’m exhausted.”

“Go home. Just for one night and get some rest,” I tell her. She can’t get much here. It’s a nice setup, but it’s still not home. They come in all hours of the night and day, checking on Luca and running tests. The machines constantly beep. She deserves to go home and get a good night’s rest.

“I can’t go home,” she whispers. “Everything there reminds me of him being here.”

“Come home with me,” I offer, knowing that Dillan doesn’t have any other rooms set up for company. I can put her in his office. The couch is really comfortable. All she needs is some blankets and a pillow. She’ll have the entire second floor to herself.

“No.” She shakes her head softly. “I don’t want to bombard you and Bones.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I look down at my hands in my lap. “He hasn’t come home in three days.” The last time I saw him was in the closet. He got dressed and left without an explanation, and he hasn’t returned since. Well, not that I’ve seen. I guess he could have been there while I was sleeping. He’s avoiding me. I’m not sure what I did, but I hate the unknown.

“What?” Her head snaps up to look at me. “Is he staying at Kingdom?”

I shrug. “Don’t know. Haven’t heard from him.” No phone call to get the fuck out of his house. Or text to tell me that our pretend relationship is over. Not a fucking thing. I’m on my own to figure it out myself.

“In three days?” she growls.

I nod my head and stand.

“What happened to you two getting engaged?” she reminds me.

“As far as I know, it’s still on.” I shrug, not too concerned about it. Something tells me it won’t be happening. Not if he’s as smart as he thinks he is. “Come stay with me. Just one night. You need a good night’s rest.”

She gets up and walks over to Luca’s bed. Running her hand over his forehead, she gives a sad smile. “Yeah, that sounds good.” Leaning down, she kisses his hair. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

BONES

I WALK INTO my house and go straight to the kitchen. I stop at the fridge when I hear my phone going off. Pulling it out of my pocket, I see it’s an incoming text.

Lola: I’ve been calling you. I’m in town for a few more days. I want to see you.

I ignore it. Opening the fridge, the light flips on. I look up to see Haven standing there. Her red eyes let me know that she’s been crying. Probably because Luca still hasn’t woken up yet.

“What are you doing, Bones?” she growls.

“What are you doing, Haven?” I throw her own question back at her while grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“Why are you doing this?” She avoids my question like I dodged hers.

“Doing what?” I run a hand through my hair. I’m exhausted and not really in the mood to play games right now.

“Why are you shoving Mia away? You say you’re going to announce an engagement and then ignore her?”

I walk past her. “I don’t have time for this …”

“Want to know what I think?”

“Nope.” Don’t care.

“I think you’re falling in love with her.”

I come to a stop and spin around to face her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a lot of things, Bones, but you suck at lying.” She walks over to the table and falls down into a chair. “That’s why you’re avoiding her.”

“I’m not avoiding her.” Not a total lie.

I haven’t wanted to see her since the night I went over to Grave and April’s. Our father raised us to feel nothing. Grave never was that guy, but I was. And then when I saw his breakdown that night, I had an overwhelming feeling of rage and guilt. I felt like my hands were tied, and I was unable to help him. Then Mia walked into the shower, and I realized I needed her. While I was fucking her, all I could think about was that I understood why Grave stopped and bought that bottle of scotch on his way home. Mia is my drink of choice. My drug to numb the world. She knew I was hurting, and I just used her. And the worst part is that she let me.

“Why aren’t you coming home?” Haven demands like she’s the wife who waits around for a husband she never gets to see.

“Because I’m not able to.” I slap my hand down on the table, making her jump. Lowering my voice, I add, “I’m working Kingdom during the day and Glass at night.”

“There are three other Kings.”

“Glass is not their responsibility,” I argue.

“And the engagement?” she asks.

“What about it?” I sigh.

“Are you calling it off?”

I don’t answer.

“So you’re going to pretend to get engaged, and then what?” She goes on in my silence, “Break up with her in a week?”