Page 166 of Lucky 14

“Eyes,” Holli demands. Then she comes, facing me and looking into my eyes. It’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. I come too, unable to hold back the waves of pleasure, shooting up into her. We stay locked together here in this moment, all of us, panting and sated.

Everything feels complete, except for this nagging feeling that I have to be better for Holli. That I have to make up for what I did for the rest of my life. And I will, happily.

Kyan groans. “Goddamn, I need a shower.”

Holli gives a little laugh and gets off me. Immediately, I feel her loss, and I want her back. I want her to never leave, and that familiar disappointment racks my body.

I stand. No. I won’t be the old Oakley. Yet I feel myself gravitating toward the two of them. I just want to crawl into their skin.

Kyan walks to the shower, and Holli follows.

I have to get out of here before I make a mistake and try to apologize for shit over and over. I’m almost out the door, where our shoes are piled up, before Holli’s soft voice stops me.

“Fourteen.”

I turn to face her, confused for a second, until I realize she’s called me by my hunter number. She’s standing there, giving me an indecipherable look. Every cell in my body wants to go to her and drop to my knees. But I don’t. I stand still.

We both stare at each other, so much history between us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something move. I glance over to see something black dart out of the corner of the room toward Holli. It’s a bug, a huge bug with a bunch of black legs all up and down its body and a red head.

Fear shoots through my muscles, and I snatch up a shoe, darting after the centipede. It’s still headed toward Holli, who’s just standing there, frozen, looking like she’s trapped in another reality.

The bug is fast, darting along the wall to the bathroom and back out onto the open floor. All I can see is it biting my fox, and that fills me with an odd sort of cold terror.

I smash the shoe down on the bug as hard as I can. For a second, the creature is stunned, but then it hops back up and runs at Holli again. The chill takes over me, and I slam the shoe down on it again and again. Each time it springs up, only the last time, it runs toward me. Letting out a screech, I jump out of the way. For a second, it veers toward the bed, and I picture it hiding there and biting Holli’s toes. I hit it again, and it scurries out the door.

I chase after it into the hallway, but it blends into the place where the wall meets the floor and disappears into another room.

The burning in my limbs makes my arms shake, and I pant for breath. It’s gone. It can’t hurt her.

Turning, I see Holli is still there, staring. Only now, instead of just glazed, her eyes are tightened with fear, and that look is like a sucker punch to my gut.

“It’s gone,” I say, walking up to her.

She doesn’t look like she heard me.

“Holli?” I reach to gently grab her arm, and she rears back like I hit her, looking around like she’s looking for something I can’t see.

“It bit me.”

What? That adrenaline is back, and I scan her body for injuries. I don’t remember it biting her; how did it bite her?

“It bit me.” She’s breathing hard.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Holli pulls in a breath. “I mean,” she pulls in another, “it bit me on the island.”

I’m confused for a second before my brain catches up. On the island. During the game. I hate the look in her eyes. I want to hug her until it goes away.

I take a tentative step toward her. She doesn’t move away, so I take another step until I’m right next to her.

“Can I give you a hug?” My heart races. She might say no. She definitely will say no, and that’s okay.

Miraculously, she gives a tiny nod of her head. For a second, I don’t believe I saw it, but she makes eye contact with me, and her gaze is tortured.

Immediately, I wrap my arms around her, folding her small body into mine. She’s stiff, but I pull her in and squeeze her as if I could protect her from anything that might hurt her. We’re silent for a while, but as she breathes, slowly her shoulders relax, and her head drops on my shoulder. When she does that, I feel a warmth spread over my body. I feel like everything might be okay.