AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t understand,” I said.
He reached out and touched my cheek. “Don’t assume Brax doesn’t like you if he pushes you away. He’s hurting, Stella, and pushing people away is how he deals with that.”
“OK.” It wasn’t OK, but I didn’t know what else to say really. This was so far from being comfortable for me, I was on a different continent.
“And don’t worry about Harley being jealous of anything you might have with Brax, he understands how things are.”
“What about you?” I asked, in a rare moment of bravery. I felt like there was a lot he wasn’t saying.
“I think you have enough on your plate right now, Stella,” he replied, rubbing his thumb over my cheek bone. “I don’t want to complicate things.” Before I could react, he leaned forward and brushed his lips over mine. There was a slight tingle and heat flared in my core again. The scent of him, citrus and pine, washed over me. I wanted more than a kiss, but before I could form a coherent thought, he was gone.
I sat for a while, thinking over everything he’d said. The stuff about Brax made sense. I, too, was a master of shoving people away when I felt threatened or hurt. In my heart, I knew that was exactly what he’d done tonight when Quinn appeared. It was obvious he wanted me. Just like I wanted him. Whether it was a good idea to pursue the attraction was debatable, but now we had crossed the line, I wasn’t sure I could go back to being just someone he shared classes with.
Why did my life have to be this complicated? Why couldn’t I be a normal person with a normal family?
I yawned. Given it was now gone 4 AM and I had classes at 10 AM, I should probably go back to bed. So I did. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but at least it was warmer in bed.
Harley was still fast asleep, hugging a pillow when I walked back into his room. I crawled back under the covers and he mumbled my name before wrapping his body around mine. As always, he calmed me down and soothed my anxiety. Nothing had changed, my life still sucked, but with Harley on my side, things might just be alright.
I fell asleep just as the sky began to lighten behind the blind.
Chapter 48
Brax
My head was a fucking mess. Mom had been messaging me all day about Stella and her presence on campus. I’d stopped replying several hours ago. Nothing short of a witch hunt ending with Stella burning at the stake would appease my mother. She hated Stella because she was Daniel’s daughter, irrespective of the fact Stella was entirely innocent. It didn’t matter what I said, Mom wanted her gone. And if that didn’t work, she wanted me to make her life a living hell, just like Stella’s father had done to us.
My mother had no clue how I felt about Stella. She assumed Stella was a faceless student, someone I’d seen in passing, perhaps shared classes with, but no more. As far as my mother was aware, I was still seeing Rowena. I hadn’t bothered telling her it was over - had never got off the ground really.
I opened the window and lit a joint. My stress levels were through the roof and I needed an emotional crutch. Starting something with Stella was the definition of insanity. What the fuck had I been thinking?
It was just as well Quinn interrupted us. A few minutes later and I’d have been inside her, no doubt about it. And what a disaster that would have been. Jesus. I needed a lobotomy. I could well imagine my mother’s face if she found out I had fucked Daniel Cancello’s daughter.
Well, that wasn’t going to happen. Tonight was a mistake. Stella had caught me at a weak moment. From now on, I’d stay out of her way. Difficult, given Harley had invited her to fucking share our apartment, but not insurmountable.
The weed mellowed my thoughts and soothed the anxiety. I inhaled the sweet smoke and relaxed, letting my body sink back into the pillows on my bed. Thoughts of Stella percolated in my brain, but I shoved them away.
She was a problem for tomorrow’s Brax.
Chapter 49
Quinn
My mama always told me and my brother that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. To be honest, I didn’t really subscribe to that point of view, but this morning I felt like making an effort. I knew the others would likely skip breakfast, or in Harley’s case, pollute his body with cereal so full of e-numbers it would almost certainly survive a nuclear apocalypse.
Today was a pancakes day. We had all the ingredients so as soon as I got up, I started preparing the mix. Cooking soothed me. Mom had taught Jared and I to cook from an early age. Her Italian heritage meant she placed a lot of importance on good food and family mealtimes. Consequently, I made the guys eat something nutritious a few nights a week. The rest of the time, they subsisted on pizza and tacos. Neither of them were much use in the kitchen, but that was OK since it was my domain and I got pissed if anyone messed with my shit.
“Something smells good,” Stella commented when she wandered in. Her crimson hair was damp, hanging loose down her back, and I noticed she wasn’t wearing her usual glasses. It was amazing what a difference contacts and a new hair color made. The girl was stunning.
“Pancakes, with your choice of toppings. I have maple syrup, bacon, blueberries, banana, and chocolate spread.”
“Jesus, I’ll need some XXL clothes if I eat all that,” she joked half-heartedly, not quite meeting my gaze.
“Rubbish, you run, so you’ll be fine. Besides, I’m sure Harley is not averse to more cardio workouts.”
Her cheeks flushed when she caught my meaning and I grinned. It was so much fun making her blush.
I added some oil to the skillet and waited for it to heat up. As I watched her out of the corner of my eye, she fidgeted nervously, and I knew she was embarrassed about being caught with Brax last night. Not that she had any reason to be embarrassed. It didn’t bother me and I knew Harley wouldn’t care. We were more concerned about Brax spiraling again, and if being with Stella kept him on an even keel, then it was a good thing.
