Page 13

M y hands skim through the wardrobe, pushing hangers after hangers to the right, desperately trying to find something suitable to wear. Somehow, the dresses I own are no longer pretty; the skirts and shirts are looking plain.

I groan, trying to find something. Blair chuckles from behind me, sitting on my bed and eating popcorn. She’s all ready to go. Her baby pink dress reaches just above her knees, with a pretty, heart-shaped neckline. The dress has long sleeves, hugging her body in all the right places.

“It’s not funny,’’ I mutter.

Rose enters from the bathroom, snorting. She just finished getting ready, too. She has a pair of leather pants on, a corset that makes her tits stand out almost too well. I can’t say I wasn’t looking because that’d be a lie. They look gorgeous.

“Why don’t you let Blair and I pick your outfit?” Rose offers with an amused glint in her eyes.

I roll my eyes. “Who? Miss pink bubblegum over there, or you, who I haven’t seen out of sweats in almost a year.’’

“Hey! I can get out of sweats; I just prefer not to most of the time,’’ she laughs at the tired expression on my face, then adds, "How about you let me pick you something? I promise it’s something to suit your taste.’’

With a nod and a sigh of annoyance, I step aside and let her skim through the clothes. While she’s busy cursing me under her breath, thinking I can’t hear her, I sit back down on the floor and start taking the rollers out of my hair. I run my fingers through my hair to loosen the style and make it prettier, then add some oils to it.

I look cute.

But I had to get another bleaching session, at home, by Blair and Mom because the blood stained the white. Who would’ve thought? I definitely didn’t think about that when I decided to participate in the game. As ridiculous as it sounds, if I’d known that it would stain my hair, I would’ve thought twice before going there.

I smack my lips together after adding lip oil and look in the full-body mirror. Except for the fact that I’m currently in a lingerie set, I look good. Well, my face and hair. The white parts pop out even more since it’s freshly dyed, and I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

“There,’’ Rose comes, shoving the clothes in my chest and then going back to the bathroom to pick up the mess she created.

With an eye roll, I start getting dressed before looking at myself in the mirror again.

“Oh,’’ I mumble.

This isn’t half bad. It’s a classic high-waisted black mini skirt with see-through black stockings. Only once they’re on my legs do I see the designs. I completely forgot I even had these. They’re pretty, with many roses all around. They end just around my mid-thighs, with a lace around the hem and a small bow in the middle of it.

The top is a simple black lace bralette, for which I had to take my bra off, but luckily, it has more coverage on my nipples. Going out and flashing everyone isn’t something I want for the night. I’d be too embarrassed to even look at myself in the mirror after that, and these two wouldn’t let me live it down.

“Alright,’’ Blair says, getting off the bed and grabbing her purse, “let’s head out.’’ She opens the door of my room. Rose is the first one to leave, and I follow suit. Blair has a key to my apartment, so it’s her job to lock up for the night.

Rose is the designated driver, taking a seat and pushing the key in the engine. Blair sits next to her, while I’m in the back. A random song blasts through the speakers as Rose rushes through the streets of New York City.

It’s late, just around midnight.

And it’s been four days since the Kortlek game.

Cove’s nowhere to be seen. I tried going to his place, to the basement where the illegal fights happen, but no luck. Arlo’s not much better, either. He hasn’t confronted me yet for sucking his best friend’s cock, though I suspect it’s because he’s still debating how to approach the situation without actually asking me the question.

That’s the least of my worries.

My main concern is Cove.

I’ve no doubt that Dad and Arlo didn’t go to his place to just talk to him. If my gut feeling is correct — which it always is — their fists did all the talking. Don’t get me wrong, Cove is a phenomenal fighter, one of a kind. But my father? He’s a man of experience and balls. He definitely was a little threatening, too.

With Rose’s help, I did something I’m not proud of, which is why I didn’t include Blair in the plan. She’d be on board to help, but she’d nag, scold, and groan all the way, and that’s not something I wanted to deal with.

I broke into Cove’s apartment.

Oops.

To be more precise, Rose picked the lock, and I held guard. He lives in a good part of the city, and his building has a porter. He wasn’t keen on letting us pass, so I gave him a hundred bucks to keep his mouth shut. He accepted, and we managed to go to the fifth floor.

The moment I stepped inside, it smelled like him,and I swear, I didn’t want to leave. Rose laughed at me, but she’s even worse than me when it comes to her man.

Discreetly, I snooped through his things. My goal was to just find where he’d go and why he’d disappear for a few days. The food in his fridge was fresh, his clothes were neatly folded on the chair in his bedroom, and the heater was turned on.

Who just… leaves like that?

I was a little mad. I didn’t find anything incriminating. He’s squeaky clean, which just makes me believe that the closet in which he keeps his skeletons isn’t in his primary residence. He has to have another spot because a man like Cove is bound to have a monster or two he’s hiding.

More than anything, I’m disappointed.

What happened in the forest is something I’m still dreaming about. It’s… almost surreal. It felt so good, but now that the act is long over with, I feel confused. I didn’t expect him to marry me after I sucked his cock once, but I did expect the motherfucker to either reach out to me or at least send me a text if he was going to leave abruptly.

Rose’s theory is that he’s gone because Arlo and dad gave him a good beating.

But I don’t think that’s the case.

Cove’s not someone who’d give up after being beaten. If anything, I’d expect him to challenge my Dad, then Arlo, or both at once. That’s the kind of a stubborn man he is. It’s unlikely the relationship between Arlo and Cove will change.

Arlo trusts Cove.

Because their bond is so deep, built on mutual respect, trust, and common ground, I know Arlo won’t just burn the bridge over this. He’ll get his anger sorted eventually, like always does. I’m just curious what it will mean for this little game Cove and I are playing.

I’ll bet my money. Arlo thinks I’ll be bad for Cove.

My fingers tap against my bare thigh, the music volume lowered down. My eyes flicker to Rose, and she gives me a quick glance through the rearview mirror, both hands on the wheel, and then turns her attention back to the road.

“What’s on your mind, Ari?”

I lean back, contemplating whether to be truthful or not. Rose’s words hold a certain amount of worry, though she’s probably trying not to pry or sully my mood further. She knows me better than I know myself. She’ll probably continue to keep an eye out for me the entire night if I don’t speak.

“I want to know where Cove’s gone.’’

“Still nothing?”

I shake my head.

Blair turns her attention to the window on her side, acting like she’s not listening in. My eyes narrow slightly, and I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, right between the two front seats. The silence lasts a moment before I get too impatient.

“Spill, Blair,’’ I say, reaching to turn off the music entirely. “You know something. What is it?”

She shifts in her seat, adjusting the seat belt before turning to look at me. Her expression is serious enough for mine to mirror it immediately. She’s silent for a couple of moments, seemingly looking for something in my eyes before speaking.

“Cove and Arlo got into a fight.’’

I snort. “I figured. It ended badly?”

Blair falters. “Not… exactly. Well, yes, but also no.’’

“You’re losing me, sweetheart.’’

She sighs. “Hudson and Arlo were on their way to… well… deal with Cove for what happened between the two of you in the forest. I did try to stop Arlo, but you know him; when he’s angry, he isn’t listening to anyone.’’

My heart aches. “Did they… beat him up?”

“More like… Cove let them get a few punches in.’’

I blink. “I’m sorry?”

She nods. “Yeah, it was weird. Arlo punched him right at the door, and Hudson just… popped a beer open and sat on the couch, watching it unfold. Cove didn’t fight back. He just stood there, allowing Arlo to use him as a punching bag.’’

Rose stops at a red light, then turns to look at the two of us, brows raised to her hairline. “Cove does not look like the type to just let himself get beaten.’’

“He isn’t,’’ I confirm.

“Once Arlo’s anger subsided… they talked it out? I mean, they were whispering so Hudson and I wouldn’t hear it, and it didn’t last long. Cove just wiped the blood off his nose and mouth and packed a bag.’’

The disappointment I felt for Cove simply leaving now turns into confusion. “He just packed up and left? Just like that?”

The green light pops on the traffic light, and Rose takes a right turn. I click my tongue against the rooftop of my mouth, contemplating everything Blair just told me. Too many things are running through my head, and none of this makes any sense.

“Arlo wouldn’t tell me what they talked about exactly. All I know is that Cove said he’d be back in a few days, which should be today or tomorrow.’’

Soon enough, Rose parks the car in the parking lot of the club, turning the engine off. We exit the car, but my mind’s too preoccupied with the thoughts of Cove to realize we’ve entered the club. He’s going to come back, and I’m going to get my answers out of him, one way or the other.

The more I think of him, the more my heart seems to be sinking to my feet. It’s a feeling I’m not used to. It’s worrying, but there’s something else, something much scarier. Is it possible to get this attached to a man after so little time spent together?

Granted, I’ve had feelings for him for a while, but it wasn’t like this.

All I can see when my eyes close are his hazel eyes and the intense look he gave me in the forest. It follows me into the dreamland and seemingly scares off the monsters in my head. Thoughts of Cove are the only thing keeping me sane, and I don’t know if I like it.

Because when I’m sane, it hurts.

And when it hurts, I’m thrown back to the time when Wyatt isolated me and mentally destroyed me for his own benefit. It makes me feel like a useless, mindless doll for someone else to play with.

But with Cove? He makes me feel like a doll, but the kind that he wants to treasure and keep safe.

It’s official.

Cove permanently crawled up my chest, hugged my heart, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving anytime soon.