Page 42 of Hard Rock Sin

Cameron leaned forward. His lips brushed my ear. I suppressed a whimper.

"You remember those indecent things I mentioned before?"

I flushed, a tingle forming between my legs.

He pulled back with a mad grin. "Better not throw me under the bus, Angel." He turned and ran towards the pool. "Cannonball!" he shouted as he jumped in, clothes, shoes and all.

Indecent things.

I could vividly imagine all sorts of indecent things Cameron could do with me. Could dotome.

I wished I could throw myself into the pool as well to cool down.

The heat of arousal flowing through me was enough to scorch me from the inside out.

Chapter Fourteen

There wasno point hiding from my brother. He'd already seen me. He was no doubt gearing up for a lecture. I made my way over to the patio doors. I'd rather face my executioner sooner rather than later.

"Cameron was supposed to keep you away from all this," he began the moment I stepped through the sliding doors. "I don't want you hanging out with the kind of people who go to these parties."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean people like you and Jen and her friends?"

Noah opened his mouth to speak again, but I cut him off with a wave of my arm, gesturing.

"I'm not getting into any trouble," I continued. "The party was too loud. I couldn't sleep. I decided I'd mingle, maybe dance, and go to sleep when it starts quieting down."

"These things never quiet down."

"Then I guess I'll pull an all nighter and be exhausted in class tomorrow, like every other student who goes out partying."

The furrow between his brows didn't disappear. I straightened my back. We were going to resolve this, one way or another. I couldn't keep letting my brother control my life.

"Noah. Listen to me." I took his hands in mine and squeezed them. "I know you're looking out for me. I know you want to protect me. But have I given you any reason to worry?"

He scrutinized me carefully before giving in. "No."

"You can't keep me in a cage forever."

"The last time—"

"What happened last time had nothing to do with drugs and parties and boys. We trusted the wrong people. That's all."

"Itrusted the wrong people," he stressed, that furrow deepening with guilt. "It was my fault."

"We can't live in fear forever." Maybe the more I told myself that, the more I'd believe it. "You need to let me live my own life."

He opened his mouth to speak.

"No." I cut him off. "I'm serious, Noah. You need to back off. Can you do that?"

"It's my job to take care of you," he insisted.

"And you have. You made sure I grew up in a safe environment. But I'm not a kid anymore." I gave him a small smile. "All baby birds need to leave the nest sometime."

"And sometimes those baby birds plummet to the ground and die when they hit the pavement."

"Why are we talking about dead birds?" Jen wrapped her arms around Noah's neck as she came up behind him.