Damage Control

  I caught the hem of her flirty little skirt and pushed it up to her hip, leaving her bare from the waist down. Hooking my fingers in the silken scrap of her panties, I slid them down her legs. “I want to…”

  “Then do it.” She caught my hair and tugged me closer, arching her hips up.

  I smiled at her, then licked her, opening her folds.

  She gasped, lashes fluttering down.

  Pressing my mouth to her cunt, I caught the nub of her clitoris and sucked on it. She moaned, and when I twisted two fingers inside her slick heat, she began to move up against me.

  I did everything I knew would make her moan and sigh, those little sounds I loved to hear.

  Rising, I freed myself from my jeans. As I came down over her, I said, “I don’t even remember what it’s like not to want you. I don’t want to.”

  “Come here,” she said, the words both a plea and a demand.

  I did, spreading her thighs and settling between them. Wrapping a hand around my cock, I passed back and forth over the heat of her.

  “Stop teasing me.”

  “But it’s so much fun.”

  “Keep it up, and I’ll go without panties for the next two days, and you won’t get to so much as touch me.” She gave me a wicked smile.

  “Oh, now that’s playing mean.” I guided the head of my cock to her entrance, and when I thrust inside, both of us shuddered. I groaned, and she cried out.

  “I need this,” she said. “All the time.”

  I needed her – all the time. I was starting to wonder how I’d even existed without her.

  Thirty-Three

  Piety

  Light filtered in through the curtains. We hadn’t gotten around to pulling the blackouts before we fell asleep the night before, tangled around each other.

  The light wasn’t what woke me though.

  It was the incessant, annoying chimes from my phone.

  Only one person would be that persistent.

  I groaned, throwing my forearm over my eyes. If I grabbed a pillow, buried my face in it, and tried really hard, I might be able to block her out.

  A grunt next to me made me realize that wasn’t going to happen. Astra wasn’t just being a nuisance to me. She was annoying Kaleb too.

  Sighing, I grabbed the phone and squinted at it, my eyes struggling to adjust to the light. It was too early for conversations.

  It didn’t matter that it was ten o’clock back home and my body was still on that time. My body wanted it to be midnight, making it totally acceptable to still be asleep.

  But logic and want never seemed to align.

  Swiping a finger across the phone, I muted the notifications, then went into my messages. I did it just as the next one came in. Without bothering to read any of them, I sent her a quick greeting.

  You are such a pest sometimes. I was sleeping!

  Her answer was a smiley face and LOL.

  Yeah, she could laugh.

  Scrolling back up, I read her messages.

  With a grimace, I propped myself up. Somebody had told her that my parents had been to the loft.

  Yeah, it wasn’t fun. Kaleb told them about his sister. You’d think he’d confessed to being a serial killer.

  Astra texted back with another emoticon, but this was a sad face, followed by an angry one.

  That pretty much sums up how I feel. I didn’t want to deal with their drama so we just came back out to Vegas. We have to figure out how to help her anyway.

  I eyed Kaleb next to me and then slid out of bed.

  Astra texted me twice, but I ignored them as I slid into the bathroom and took care of some necessary business. Once that was done, I moved into the main area of the suite and curled up on the couch, reading her texts.

  She wanted to know why and how things had changed with Kaleb. It was too long to go into detail about that on the phone, so I summarized.

  My parents lied. They had Stuart pay Kaleb off so he would leave – he didn’t go to them. They went to him. It still sucks that he just disappeared, but he was feeling desperate. His sister is in serious trouble.

  As I waited for her to receive and read, I stared at the door.

  Her answer took a few moments, and when I read it, I saw why.

  It was…long.

  So let me get this straight…your parents had their dipshit lawyer claim he’d blackmailed them. Am I right there? And you’ve spent the past few weeks feeling like a piece of shit because you put them in that position. Or that’s how you felt. But it turns out that THEY set the whole thing up and were the ones who went to him? What sort of shit were they smoking?

  I started to laugh, muffling the sound behind my hand. But just as I went to respond, another text popped up.

  And why the hell didn’t he get in touch with you and talk to you sooner? I don’t want to hear this shit that he felt like he shouldn’t. You were busting your ass to help him. Doesn’t he know that?

  He didn’t though. I texted her back.

  He doesn’t have what we have, A. I’ve always had you. You’ve always had me. Ever since his parents died, it’s just been him and his sister. She was a kid, always relying on him. I don’t think he knows how to rely on somebody.

  This time, the little emoticon she chose to represent her mood was one sticking out his tongue. I could almost hear the raspberry.

  I stuck my tongue out at the phone.

  “Astra?” a deep voice bellowed.

  Startled, I almost dropped the device.

  Jerking my head up, I eyed Kaleb, who was standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of low-slung jeans, and looking sleepy-eyed and completely beautiful. “Yeah. She…um…she spent the night with a friend last night. Got my note, wanted to see what was going on.”

  My gaze strayed to his chest, then back to his eyes only to find him grinning at me.

  “We’ve got things to do today.” My mouth was dry, but I knew if I wasn’t careful, the two of us would end up naked and all over each other, so my gaze went back to the phone – and the message that had just come through.

  He seems to know how to rely – or at least TRUST you. So whatever you’re doing, keep it up. And keep me posted. Later, PS!

  I texted bye to her and then tucked my phone into my lap, watching as Kaleb made his way over to the coffee pot, a giant yawn cracking his jaw.

  “What do you need to do today?” I asked softly.

  He shrugged restlessly. “I’ve texted Camry again. I texted her last night when we got in, but I didn’t hear back from her. Who knows if I even will.”

  He turned and met my eyes, staring at me solemnly. “I don’t know how this will go, Piety. My work visa is only for a few more months and once that time comes, then what?”

  Yeah. I’d worried about that myself.

  Maybe Camry wasn’t worried about immigration and violating a bunch of laws, but something told me her brother was a different creature altogether.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling. “If it expires, and I have to go back while she’s still tangled up with Stefano, then what do I do?”

  I wanted to tell him we’d figure it out. We had to. Right?

  But I had other, selfish reasons for wanting to comfort him. Reasons that had to do with needing him here with me. I had to buy a test kit soon. But I bit my lip, holding everything I was thinking back. Getting up from the couch, I went over and hugged him. “We’ll work it out.”

  Leaning against him, I focused on the sound of his heart beating and closed my eyes.

  He loosely looped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. “I’m glad you’re here, Piety.”

  “I’m glad you are here.”

  The sound of his phone ringing was like a death knell.

  It was almost noon, and all the things I thought we needed to get done had just never quite come together.

  Camry hadn’t called him.

  The calls I’d put into the lawyer had yet to be returned.


  But now, as his phone rang, the two of us stared at it, and I knew we both felt a strange kind of dread.

  He finally answered it right before it would have kicked over to voice mail – four rings. That’s exactly how many rings it would take.

  I knew from the expression on his face that the call was going to be…problematic.

  I listened to his side of the conversation, mostly monosyllabic, and his voice never changed inflection even once.

  When he finally disconnected, he moved over to the window and stared outside. “That was Camry,” he said softly.

  “You don’t sound overly happy.”

  He laughed, but it was bitter and…broken. “It was just typical Camry. I’m meeting her in a little while.”

  I wanted to tell him no, tell him it wasn’t a good idea. But I didn’t think there was any point in arguing with him. He had to do what he had to do. We’d come out here for this anyway.

  “Any chance she’s decided to leave Stefano and come back with you?”

  “Fat fucking chance.” Kaleb gave me a grim look, then went back to staring outside. “I…ah…she asked me to come alone. I should probably get going. It’s on the other side of town, and I’ll have to take a cab.”

  “I…” My throat was dry. I didn’t like the sound of this. Not at all.

  Panic began to chatter and screech inside me.

  I didn’t want him to see his sister. I didn’t want him leaving me period.

  What if…?

  My mouth went dry.

  I should tell him.

  It was possible – not necessarily probable – but possible that I was pregnant. He wouldn’t take off alone to deal with his sister when we had something going on here. What if something happened?

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to go alone?” I asked, uneasy at the idea.

  “Yeah.” Kaleb looked away. “It will be fine.”

  I really didn’t like that. Heart hammering against my ribs, I turned away and shoved my hands through my hair. “Okay.” I nodded and made myself say it again. “Okay.”

  If I said it enough times, everything would be okay.

  That was how it worked, right?

  “Are you okay?” Kaleb sounded closer, and I spun to meet his gaze. “I’m fine. Just…on edge. I need to um…I want to meet a lawyer that Samuel suggested anyway. Do you remember Samuel?”

  “Of course.” His eyes studied my face.

  Searching for the lie. For the fear.

  But I hid it, locked down deep. If he could do this, so could I.

  “What’s this about the lawyer?” he asked. His eyes continued to study mine, probing, and I knew he’d seen my uneasiness.

  Okay, so what? He knew I didn’t like the idea of him meeting up with Camry again – and the fact that she’d told him to come alone? Yeah, that was even more worrisome.

  “Piety?”

  “Oh. Yeah. Well, Samuel knows somebody here in Vegas who specializes in immigration, and I want to see if she can help you and Camry out.” I did need to talk to the lawyer. Samuel had recommended we all speak with Liushi Testudo while we were here and I did plan on doing that.

  I offered him a smile and reached out, tugging him closer to kiss him. His mouth was warm, and I wanted to stay there forever.

  Really…forever.

  I couldn’t imagine him not being here anymore.

  And what if I was pregnant? He couldn’t possibly leave the US now.

  Thirty-Four

  Kaleb

  The house was empty.

  I’d been waiting there for too long already, and Camry was either ignoring me on purpose, or she was so strung out she didn’t know I’d been texting her.

  Of course, it was possible she was passed out.

  Drunk.

  Or maybe she’d overdosed…

  “Stupid bastard, just stop it already.” I groaned and rubbed my hands up and down my face, as if it would scrub the images from my brain. I couldn’t do that though.

  I’d been dealing with these nightmarish thoughts ever since I realized just how bad Camry’s drug problem was. Sooner or later, she would either be forced to get clean, or she would end up dead. These things never ended well, a fact I’d been adjusting to for longer than I liked to admit.

  Shit, what if she was inside there and she was strung out…or worse?

  “Camry!” I practically threw myself at the door, banging on it so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t rattle on its hinges.

  There was no answer though.

  Spinning away, I paced down to the window and stared inside, hands cupped around my face to block out the light. It didn’t do any good. I couldn’t see a damn thing thanks to the layer of dirt coating the window.

  I slammed a fist into the wall. A faint pain splintered through my hand, but I ignored it as I turned around and braced my back against the building.

  A car came rolling by, thick black smoke blowing out the back, and I could feel the eyes of the occupants roaming over me, sizing me up. Like any big city, Las Vegas had its fair share of bad neighborhoods. This was definitely one of them.

  I stared back, waiting until the driver took a right and disappeared. Then I shoved away from the house and jumped over the mostly broken porch, walking around the house, looking for some sign that Camry was here, or recently had been. The house was a boarded-up wreck, and if anybody had lived here in recent memory, they probably needed to be tested for shit like tetanus and anthrax…and who knows what. There was no way anybody could live in a dump like this and not get sick.

  Of course, Camry hadn’t told me she lived here.

  She’d said to meet her here.

  And that had been...I checked the time. Over an hour ago.

  What the hell was I doing still waiting around here?

  “I’m fucking done.”

  I’d had it.

  I gave another look around the house. I’d give her one more call and maybe another to that ass Stefano, then I was going back to the hotel.

  “Where are you?” I demanded when her voicemail came on. It wasn’t her, of course, and that just made me even angrier. “I’m done with your bullshit and tricks. This is enough, Camry. I’m done.”

  Then I tried calling Stefano. I gave him a similar version of the message I left Camry, although I was a lot less polite.

  Then, without bothering to give the hellhole behind me another look, I headed for the sidewalk. I was going to find a bus stop and get back to the hotel.

  By the time I reached my destination, I was hotter than hell, frustrated and tired.

  But I was ready to see Piety.

  Except…when I let myself into the room, she was gone.

  The room was quiet, and judging from the looks of things, housekeeping had come and gone. I moved through the suite in silence, hoping she was resting or something. She had seemed tired the past few days, but no.

  I was alone.

  Pulling out my phone, I sent her a text, then flung myself down on the couch and threw my arm over my eyes. I was trying to work up the energy to take a shower, then maybe scrounge and see what sort of food was in the pantry. There had to be something, although I doubted the cheese, fruit, and crackers would fill the hole in my gut.

  I could order room service, but I never felt right doing that without Piety being here.

  Just as I went to sit up and drag my tired arse off to the shower, the phone rang.

  I grabbed it, thinking it was Piety. Or maybe Camry. A few hours too late. But Sam Westmoreland’s name flashed across the screen. I blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to Astra’s lawyer, but I’d have to get over that.

  There was a second ring, then a third.

  “Hello.”

  “Kaleb, Sam Westmoreland here. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing alright,” I said, lying through my teeth.

  And he heard it. “You sure about that?”

  “Well,
if you want the truth…” I paused, then decided against it. “I could tell you how I really am, but you don’t have all night, and I was just starting to mellow out. What can I do for you, Sam?”

  But he wasn’t ready to let it drop. “You sure you don’t want to talk about it? Might help. Not to mention, it’s all confidential.”

  “Shit. What the hell.” I sighed and gave him a quick rundown of what happened with my sister, leaving out the more personal details between Piety and me.

  “You know she’s sick.” Sam’s voice was gentle and understanding.

  I didn’t want any of it.

  “Yeah, I got that memo. She’s sick. And I know she did this to herself. I know she’s an addict, but she chose this life, and I’m tired of being understanding. Tired of trying to help her turn her life around when all she wants to do is fuck over me and anybody else who cares about her.” The anger in my voice caught me off-guard but I couldn’t undo it, couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to. “I’m just tired of it.”

  “I bet you are. I can’t imagine how hard this is.” He was quiet a moment, then added softly, “Maybe you need to talk to somebody about it.”

  I scoffed, but he cut me off.

  “I’m serious. The families of addicts have a harder time than a lot of people realize. You had an even harder time because you’ve been trying to be a parent to her as well as dealing with your own shit. You never had a chance to finish growing up yourself, Kaleb.”

  The words made me uncomfortable, and I chose to focus on something else. “Tell me something, counselor. Is it typical for an attorney to tell his clients to get counseling to get his shit together?”

  “More common than you know. Sometimes I feel like a teacher, a bouncer, and a playground monitor all rolled into one – and a counselor.” He laughed. “We do what we have to, Kaleb. But listen, none of this is why I called. I assume you know about the annulment papers.”