Page 22 of Beyond Repair, Part One (Damaged Duet #1)
Nina
" W hy are you blushing?"
"Nina?"
Someone clears their throat, annoying me. "What?" I mumble, still attempting to read through the distractions.
"Pretty girl."
A finger tickling my cheek makes me suck in a breath, just like the girl in my book. Henry smirks at my reaction, but he can't possibly know the low thrum coursing through my body right now. That one little touch while reading that has my mouth filling with saliva.
Kai went upstairs to get my eReader when I was bored. I’ve been lost in my own world ever since. Considering the way my ass hurts, I doubt I’ve moved for a few hours.
It's not Henry who says something about my reaction, though. Kai reaches for my e-reader from behind me. "Please put me out of my misery and tell me what the hell you're reading that has you wiggling and blushing like that?"
I scramble to keep hold of my device. "I?—"
A cold French fry enters my line of sight. "Open," Trevor demands. I scrunch my nose but do as he asks.
"No more," I say while chewing, but that leaves my attention split, thus allowing Ridge to snatch my book from my hands. Screeching, I try to lunge for him, but he's securely on the other side of my coffee table now.
" If you're about to come all over my leg, you'll use my first fucking name, Miss Sessions," Ridge reads, and I swear I beg anything listening to let the ground swallow me whole. "Damn, Neen. You're a little kinky, huh?" he teases.
I'm so mortified and trying to think of the best way to make him stop when a cold sensation tickles the back of my leg. I didn't think this moment could get any worse. Honestly, I'd rather Ridge keep reading my smut.
When they got here a few hours ago, I was running for the bathroom in my shorts. I know Kai saw one of my most brutal scars, but I completely forgot about it until this moment.
These guys are just so...so... overwhelming .
I don't have time to think around them. They take so much space inside my head that everything goes quiet.
This morning I struggled to pay attention to my book, but with them buzzing around my house, encouraging me to continue eating my lunch in small portions and playing cards at my dining room table, I was able to let everything go.
Sure, I still glanced out my front window from time to time to make sure Mr. M wasn't here, but I think my heart, mind, body, and soul finally took a much needed break.
I'm not sure why they want to be here, but I don't have the confidence to ask or to kick them out. And why would I? In a shocking turn of events, I think I like having them here. I have to remind myself it's only day two of seeing them again.
Pressure on my calf makes me stiffen. Then Trevor growls out a question that makes my eyes immediately fill with tears. "What is this?"
Knowledge equals pain. And I really don't want to cause even a fraction of the pain I suffered.
"You-you should go." Push them away. Push. Push! PUSH! "I-I don't w-want you here."
"Bullshit. I call bullshit, Nina." Ridge sounds angry. He throws my e-reader down on the recliner and pins me with a look that forces a tear down my cheek. "What is Trevor looking at?"
Trembling, I wrap my arms around my waist and try to gather my strength. "S-stop touching me." I want my mom .
"Trev," Henry murmurs. "Move away. Now."
Trevor's fingers disappear and somehow my leg feels colder without his touch.
Still, I don't look behind me. I can't bear to see the looks on their faces.
Kai's seen it, but after Henry had me sit on the stool, I managed to sneak away to the couch without them noticing.
Ridge stealing my e-reader was the catalyst for this moment.
In desperation to keep him from embarrassing me like when we were kids, I stood from the couch, dropping my blanket and leaving my scar on full display. All Trevor had to do was look down.
Of course he looked down. Why did he have to look down?
Ridge's jaw ticks before he stomps around the side of the couch. A whimper slips free when I hear him curse.
"Guys stop." Henry's standing and grabbing my bicep before I can run away from him. A startled gasp explodes from me when a rush of warm air chases away my chills. "There you go. Deep breaths."
Once I have my breathing under control, I just stare at Henry.
He brought me outside. How did I not notice walking outside?
My back patio is my most favorite part of my house with its twinkly lights, grill—not that I know how to use it—and the fire-pit.
The outdoor furniture surrounding the brick circle looks perfectly comfy too.
Black curls in disarray, Henry looks calm considering what just happened. Each new piece of information coming to light brings them closer to running for the hills. I decide I have to tell them things when they ask. They deserve to know how messed up I am.
So I give Henry a broken piece of me. "His dog." I shudder and curl up on the outdoor sofa. "When I ran away."
Afraid to find that I was right, I don’t look at him. I'm disgusting and broken. I'm missing a chunk of my calf. So much of my blood is in the tangled web of woods in Colorado.
Who wants to risk picking up shattered pieces of glass? Because that's what I am. There's no hope of repairing my broken pieces. And there's only so many times someone can ignore broken glass before it's swept and thrown away.
If Henry says anything, I don't hear it. The memories I've fought so hard to ignore can no longer be battled by their presence. Trevor shoved me below the surface with his questions. Ridge took away my floaties when he vocalized his displeasure of my leg. And Henry offered a life raft.
But do I want to be saved?