Page 213 of Ruptured

When Diesel pushed open the door and she followed him in, he didn’t flip on the light until he’d closed the door again.

It was a bedroom, modest-sized, neat, and furnished in gold and blue. Bypassing the bed, he tugged her to the loveseat and pulled her on to his lap.

She didn’t hesitate to lean her head in the crook of his neck and sob. She didn’t have to explain or hide or pretend. Diesel knew. He understood her. He’d known her for her entire life, since she was ten months old.

She cried until she had no tears left. So much had been lost, including her trust. How could that motherfucker try to kill her?

Laughter rumbled from Diesel and he stroked her hair. “Good to hear your fire hasn’t been extinguished.”

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Are you okay, sweetheart? I’ve been so fucking worried about you.”

“Kaia talked to me,” she admitted, weary. “He helped a lot.”

Diesel tensed.

“Be nice to him, Diesel. For me. You’re marrying another woman.”

A shift of his hips made her aware of his erection. He tightened his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and tangled his fingers through her hair.

“Let me return you to the back staircase,” he murmured.

“I don’t want to go. I want to stay in here with you.”

His heart rate accelerated and his muscles tautened. His hard length throbbed against her butt. He kissed her temple.

“You have to, Rebel,” he whispered. “It’s the right thing to do. I sought you out as your brother.”

Rebel didn’t point out having an erection for his fucking sister was so much worse than getting a hard-on for an underage girl.

Why should she?

It was official. Men were fucking stupid.

March 9th

Glancing at himself in the mirror, Kaia turned this way and that, appraising his clothes. Not much different than his normal attire. Except they were new.Brand new, not secondhand, ‘gently used’ new.

Yesterday morning, after he’d finished sweeping the foyer,Bishop arrived as the new cook. As with Diesel, Kaia had known Bishop for months. And, as with Diesel, Bishop was pissed with him over Fia.

“CJ handpicked your fuckin’ ass for Rebel and this is how the fuck you repay him,” he’d fumed, then looked him up and down, and sneered an insult about Kaia’s striped pants and polka dot shirt.

They’d been cool with each other whenever Bishop came with Mortician to watch CJ practice.

When Bishop stormed off yesterday, Kaia stood in the foyer, broom in hand, humiliated and defeated. Mrs. Caldwell clearing her throat had scared the shit out of him and alarmed him to no end.

Gazing into her icy blue eyes, he’d expected her to send him packing. Hehadflirted with her even before the Fia incident. She’d ordered him to follow her, anger vibrating in her every step.

Inside her office, she had addressed nothing other than his wardrobe. First, she’d questioned if he had a problem shopping for new clothes. He didn’t, if it meant Bishop eased up on him. Then, she wanted to know if he wanted to do his own shopping. It didn’t matter to him since the chicks who purchased his clothes rarely asked his opinion. . He hadn’t shared that with Mrs. Caldwell, but she insisted his preference mattered. Either he wanted to shop for himself or he wanted her to shop for him. Since he’d had to sweep, he’d asked her to do it for him.

Once she got his sizes, she sent him to do his job. Returning to his room later that afternoon, once he finished sweeping the house, he hadn’t expected to have new clothes waiting for him. He’d even texted CJ and said his packages had been delivered to Kaia’s room.

That hadn’t been the case. CJ walked in and opened one bag, then threw it aside. “This is yours, dickhead,” he’d grumbled, turning and stalking toward the door.

“No, I doubt it,” Kaia had insisted. It looked like a mini department store had landed in the room, exploding jeans, T-shirts, pullovers, button downs, trousers, chinos, socks, belts, jackets, sweaters, beanies, coats, suspenders, suits, bow ties, regular ties, loafers, boots, sneakers…the list was endless. “Who’d buy all this stuff for me?”

“My mom,” CJ snapped, almost to the door because Kaia’s room was big, too.