Page 28 of Forbidden

“What you reading so hard, Nice?” Tyson reached across the table to get my phone but I locked it just before he took it from my fingers. “Okay what’s the pin?”

“Like I’m telling you.” The whole point of a pin was to keep your nosy brother out of your business.

He looked at me a bit harder and then smirked. “You got a boyfriend, Nice.”

I wanted to hit him. “No, I do not.”

He pointed at me. “Your neck is telling a different story.”

My hand shot up to my neck and I knew I should have covered it with makeup. I had completely forgotten about it.

“Dad, what do you think about Nice’s boyfriend leaving a mark on her neck?” Tyson’s words had heat to them. He hated boys near me. Any boy that got close was scared off by him. He would let Eve date whomever she wanted but me, well, I was different altogether. It was like he didn’t think I could handle a relationship or I wouldn’t be able to handle a boy.

I was staring down breast cancer. So a boy definitely didn’t scare me.

“Hannah, explain.” Dad was attempting to keep a lid on his anger. Like Tyson, he wouldn’t let a boy near me. Well, a boy hadn’t been near me. It was a man. A man that wouldn’t look in my direction right now.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Dad. And I wouldn’t lie to you.” That was the truth. I turned to look at him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You still seeing this boy?” Dad gritted out, his voice wavering with anger. He was slowly losing control on his temper at the thought of a boy having his lips on me.

“Nope.”

“Was it serious?”

“I don’t do serious.” He should know that.

“He the reason you’ve been avoiding this place?” Dad closed his laptop and as fate would have it I realized my lack of appearance around here hadn’t gone unnoticed. “You’re rarely home.”

“I’m home.”

“Last night you were. Nights before that your room was empty. You really think I wouldn’t notice?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been at a friend’s.”

“Is it a boyfriend’s?” Tyson chipped into the conversation.

“No, it’s Layla’s. I’m there a lot, actually.” I looked back at Dad. “Cyrus looks after me. It’s not a big deal. I’m staying there tonight and tomorrow. In fact, for the rest of the week.” I was not coming back here after radiation. I knew I would have to. But the first week is meant to be hard on your body.

I planned on staying at Layla’s for some of the week and the rest of the time at a hotel room I had already booked. I realized I couldn’t just live at Layla’s and she said I still had to keep face with my family. So I was going to hide out in a hotel room when I wasn’t with her.

I would show my face around the club. But I just couldn’t bring myself to lie to them every day. It would be easier on me if I wasn’t around.

“Why?” Dad’s temper snapped. “Why are you there?”

“She’s the only friend I have, Dad, and you can’t scare her away.” I would get Mum involved if I had to. “Plus, it’s like being here.” Their house was just as busy as a clubhouse. I hadn’t been to their clubhouse but I knew I would be heading there sometime this week with Layla.

“Dad, you can’t let her hang out with the deadly dozen!” Tyson pointed at him. “Pull rank or something. She’ll get hurt!”

The only thing hurting me was the cancer inside my body. “Cyrus wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Plus, when he isn’t around, Tatz is.”

Dad’s head snapped at me. “You know Tatz?”

Tatz was Cyrus’s vice president. He wasn’t much older than me. “Yep, him and I had tea the other night.”

Tyson scoffed and Dad’s eyes narrowed on me.

“Did Tatz do that to your neck?” Dad’s hands curled into fists at the thought. “Did he, Hannah? Tell me the fucking truth.”