Taylor West is the epitome of self-reliance. Or she must be. Relationships are fickle. Despite finally enrolling in her dream studies and thriving in them, her social life is only skin-deep. When she finds out that her so-called boyfriend is a selfi...
"So, you don't have a good relationship with your mom?" I asked, struggling to stay awake.
He continued in a quiet voice, "She doesn't care about me. All she cares about is her image."
"And your stepsister?"
"She's a year younger. She came to PSU because of me, I think. I should have paid more attention to her. God knows she can't rely on her dad or my mom. She started having problems and I was too caught up in my own shit to notice. And then there was the situation with Cody's ex. He told you about that, right?"
"Yeah," I said, recalling what Alicia had mentioned. "Do you think...it was more Alicia or Cody's ex?"
"In what sense?"
"Did Cody's ex ever come onto you?" I asked, rephrasing my question.
His body grew stiff. "Did Cody tell you that?"
"No. Alicia did," I admitted.
"When did you talk to her?"
"After I found you at school. Stop avoiding the question."
"Yeah," he admitted after a pause.
I sucked in a breath. "Does Cody know?"
"No."
"And you talk to me about..."
His hand brushed down my spine in slow caressing strokes. "We were already having problems at that time. I didn't want to make things worse, so I ignored it. And like I said, it's a sensitive topic for him."
We both lapsed into silence again. His fingers traced soothing patterns down my back. I hadn't felt this comfortable in ages.
My eyelids grew heavy as I whispered, "The drug raid... Is it somehow connected to all of this?" I mumbled.
"Yeah," he said softly.
His steady heartbeat lulled me into slumber. The last words I heard before drifting off were, "Nobody messes with my sister, even if we're not related by blood."
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I blinked at the sunlight streaming through the half-closed blinds. The spot next to me was empty but still warm. Killian had to have just left. I threw off the covers and searched for the closest bathroom. My skin felt dry and I spent a few minutes vigorously scrubbing it before slathering on a generous amount of moisturizer. At least the itching had subsided.
I padded into the living looking for Killian when Cody spoke up, startling me. "Morning. You hungry?" He closed the door to his room and headed towards the kitchen.
Briefly, I wondered if he had noticed me leaving Killian's room, but then I dismissed the thought. It didn't matter.
"No. I'm good." My stomach chose that moment to remind me that it disagreed. I hadn't even realized I was hungry.
