Page 24 of Endure the Pain

“It’s the drugs,” Louie said.

Oh.I undid the buttons on my jacket and shed it off, leaving me in just my black tank that revealed a lot of cleavage. I smiled when I caught Louie staring. “Why have you been avoiding me?” He returned his focus back to the road and I chuckled. “What a stupid question. I already know the answer.”

“You do?”

“What I really want to know, and what really eats me up with guilt because I’mdyingto know, is how badly doyou want me? Do you just want to fuck me, get me out of your system as you do with other women, or do you want more?”

Louie whistled. “Beautiful, you’ve always been blunt, but when on drugs…fuck.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” I grumbled and lifted my hair off the back of my neck. I fiddled with the air vents again, pointing them at my chest and neck. The cold air hitting my damp skin felt good. I closed my eyes, groaning.

“I think about it, you know,” I mumbled. “I hate myself for it, but I think about that night…what would have happened if you hadn’t stopped and Jamie hadn’t shown up.” The forbidden thought ignited something inside of me and I was beginning to get hot for other reasons.

I opened my eyes to find his expression schooled. The tightness in his body gave him away, though. I laughed again, loving that I affected him. “If we could have one night together, what would you do to me?”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel and his voice became riddled with anger. “Maura, stop.”

Someone else might have been deterred. I was stubborn and itched to see how far I could push until he snapped.

CHAPTER 8

“Louie, Louie.” I smiled a loopy smile. “Do you remember the story you told me about how you and Jamie fucked the same woman? I’ve replayed that story in my head while in the shower, only I imagine that I’m that woman as I slide my fingers between my legs.” To demonstrate, I dropped my hair and trailed my hands over my clothes, down my body. I squeezed one of my breasts with one hand through the thin fabric of my tank and snaked my other between my thighs over my throbbing clit. I couldn’t have stopped myself from rubbing it through my slacks even if I'd wanted to. The drugs were making me brazen and completely disintegrated what little verbal filter I did have. My dirty ministrations caught his attention and desire flared in his eyes as he watched me touch myself. “I came so hard, Louie.” My breath hitched on the tail end of his name because my fingers hit the perfect spot.

He cursed, then brought the car to a stop and shifted it into park. Gazing out the front windshield, I realized we were parked in front of Quinn Manor. Louie climbed out of his car and slammed his door shut. My eyes followed him as he walked around the front of the car and ripped open my door. He reached across me to unfasten my belt, then grabbed my upper arm and yanked me from the car. I lost my footing and a little squeal slipped from my lips. He let loose a few more obscenities as he scooped me up bridal style, effortlessly.

Wanting to be an even bigger pain in the ass, I went limp in his arms with my arms and head hanging loosely. It made the entire world go topsy-turvy.

He grunted at the awkwardness. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Like how easy you’ve been lately? I had to practically threaten you to get you to talk to me!”

“You’re so lucky you’re hot. It makes up for your vindictive bitch streak.”

I flipped him off.

Louie walked with me in his arms into the house and once the front door closed with an echo in the foyer, I yelled out, “Daddy, I’m home!”

“I’m aware, Maura,” I heard my father say.

I attempted to sit up. All my limbs flailed as I failed. I snorted, imagining what I must have looked like. Louie turned us and an upside-down Stefan and Brody came into view. Both looked stunned and baffled at the sight of me. “Oh look, both of my parents are here.” I grinned at both of them. “So…how was your day?”

Stefan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I think I’d rather hear about yours.”

“Mine was exciting! I found out we smuggle cocaine in coffee! Then I got to try coke for the first time. A whole kilo blew up in my and Dean’s faces. He looked like a fucking clown!” I laughed, remembering it. “We should probably call Dr. Ben,” I wheezed through the laughter. “To see if I’ll be okay after mixing coke and oxy and all the other meds I’m currently taking.”

Louie hung his head while Stefan and Brody just blinked at me.

Stefan recovered the quickest. “You tried cocaine?” His dark tone was unsettling.Oh, shit.Stefan was pissed.

“It wasn’t voluntary,” I added quickly. “It exploded in my face and I ingested—no, I mean breathed. Wait, that’s not the right word either,” I rambled.

“Inhaled,” Louie supplied.

I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. “Yup, that’s the word. I inhaled all the coke.”

Brody finally broke out of his stupor. “She inhaled a kilo of cocaine?” The way his eyes bugged out made me erupt with laughter again. “I’m going to call Dr. Ben,” he said, rushing out of the foyer.

“The kilo was ripped,” Louie said calmly and went on to explain what had happened while I just hung there in his arms.