Parrish lifts his head up to watch that interaction and frowns. I give Maxx a warning look, but he acts as if he had no idea what he was doing. Chasm is in the shower currently; I can hear the water running even with the door closed, and I can’t help but be curious about what he might be doing in there.
“Did you hear that my grandmother is demanding to spend the day with me on Saturday?” Parrish remarks, as if it’s a casual thing when we both know it’s not. I sit on the bed next to him and then decide, fuck it. We’re officially dating now, and I’m sick and tired of holding back. I waited too long for this and fought too hard for him to be prudish now.
I crawl up and curl against him, smiling as he shudders and sighs in pleasure, wrapping his arms tight around me. His scent sweeps over me, making my heavy lids feel like boulders have been placed on top of them. So tired.
We’re tech free for the moment, so it might be a good time to talk about Saffron’s letter or the dark web thing, but I just don’t know if I have it in me. Maxine is still safe; I got to see another live feed of her reading peacefully by the pool of whatever house she’s staying in currently. According to Chasm, that dining room I saw in the video last night wasn’t his; he doesn’t know where she is either.
Figures.
Justin is meticulous.
“Laverne,” Maxx says, her name an annoyed hiss on his tongue. “Fuck. Why? She didn’t exactly offer much support when you were missing.”
“She claims that Tess didn’t want her over here,” Parrish remarks, his voice dry and caustic. “I’m sure that’s true—they don’t get along particularly well—but I also don’t feel like she tried hard enough. I’ve never really been sure if she loves me or if I’m just the heir to her throne.”
“I hear she hired a private security firm to track you down,” Maxx continues as I snuggle into Parrish’s hoodie, and he keeps me tucked close to him. The sound of his heart beating is like a soothing metronome against the side of my face. “But that didn’t yield any results. Doesn’t that seem odd? You were, like, right fucking here. Just down the goddamn road.” X sounds supremely annoyed. If I think too hard about it, I get infuriated.
“It seems like something we should pay attention to,” Parrish agrees, and I sit up slightly. He makes an annoyed sound, but then we both hear footsteps and groan, drawing apart from one another in time for Tess to show up.
She’s fucking relentless.
“Are you guys getting ready for bed?” she asks, and Parrish tosses her a vexing look.
“Really? I’ve never had a bedtime before.”
“Don’t you start with me,” she says, but she’s smiling while she says it, so it loses any impact. “You’ve been through a lot, and we have a doctor’s appointment early in the morning.”
Parrish groans and tears his hoodie off, making my mouth water when his taut belly and tatted arms come into view. Even the bandages wrapping his chest are hot. I turn away. No mammal brain, no. Stop it. What is wrong with me? Old Dakota would’ve scoffed and pitied this new girl. Love sucks. Having your lover almost die sucks even more; I can’t seem to help myself.
Tess’ gaze swings over to me. I can tell she wants to ask if I’ll be staying in my own bed tonight, but then she must decide how heartless that sounds and bites her tongue. I can see it in the pinching of her cheeks.
“I’ll wake you in the morning,” Tess says finally, having regained some of her composure. “Good night boys, Dakota. I love you—all of you.” She points at Maxx, at the bathroom door where Chasm’s just emerged, me, Parrish. “Sleep well.”
“Love you, too, Tess,” Chasm calls out cheerfully, and she tosses a wave over her shoulder. “Damn, she’s in a good mood,” he murmurs, hair wet, droplets of warm water snaking down his gorgeous body, a towel thrown around his neck.
I drag my gaze away and kick the covers down to climb in.
“Regardless, I want to be asleep or at least pretending to be asleep when she comes back; she doesn’t like me in here.”
“It’s not appropriate,” Parrish says with a slight smirk. “You and your stepbrother and his idiot friends all sharing a room.”
“Oh, we’re idiots now?” Maxx suggests, settling down on his bed on the floor. “After we saved your ass? I see how it is. Next time, you can stay with the serial killer. To be fair, with your smart mouth, he was probably getting close to chucking you out and saying to hell with it all.”
Parrish snorts, and I laugh while Chasm grins.
We should maybe take things more seriously, but it feels so good to have him home, like the group is complete. Maxine is never far from my mind, but as long as I know she’s still safe, and that she isn’t suffering, I can’t obsess. I have to study, and in order to do that, I have to take some small breaks, or I’ll collapse.
The last few weeks have sapped all of my usual reserves.
“She probably thinks it’s weird that we’re getting along all of a sudden,” I say with a shrug. “We were never exactly friends before. Sort of … enemies and then lovers.”
“Enemies-to-lovers,” Parrish agrees, “a quality trope.” He leans over the edge of the bed and withdraws something from the cabinet portion of his nightstand. When he returns to a seated position, I see what it is, and I balk.
“Why do you still have that?” I whisper as I try—and fail—to snatch the paperback book from his hands. It’s titled Stepbrother Inked, and it’s a dirty-ass romance novel that I somehow, maybe chucked at Parrish’s head. I didn’t think he’d keep it though.
“It looked interesting. That, and weirdly apropos.” Parrish clears his throat as he turns the book over, using his left hand to keep me at arm’s length so I can’t snatch it from him. “He's a tattoo artist, the love of my life, the man of my dreams. But he’s also my stepbrother.” Parrish tosses me a cocky look, and I grit my teeth at him.
“Give it to me,” I growl, but he ignores me.
“Fate can be wicked cruel,” Parrish continues, snickering in response. “You really went to the school library, found this gem, and attempted to read it? First, I didn’t know they allowed porno books at Whitehall let alone encouraged students to read them. Second, I warned you over and over again not to fall in love with me. Look what happened.”
He releases me, and I fall into his lap just before he slaps me on the ass with the book.
“Give it back—now,” I repeat, turning over and holding out my hands. “Please? Question mark?” I say it aloud, and I don’t even care.
“No, I’m reading it. I want to see how many pages in before she fucks her stepbrother.” He flips through it and frowns. “There’s a guy named in Max in this, too?”
“That’s … a coincidence.” I sigh and give up, cuddling against Parrish and figuring if he really wants to read it, he can go right ahead. Maybe it’ll turn him on the way it did me? He puts his hand on my head and begins to stroke my hair.
“I’m gonna guess there isn’t a Korean-Irish dude name Kwang-seon McKenna whose grandma taught him to make kimchi and who is—undoubtedly—the hottest guy in the book?”
Parrish barks a laugh.
“At best, you get a spin-off series that nobody reads because everybody likes the main character better.”
“Oh, ouch,” Chas purrs, tapping at his chest with his palm. “If that’s true, then you’re the guy who wins at the end of a love triangle, but that all of the readers hated from the get-go. Nobody is Team Parrish.”
“Everybody is Team Parrish,” he replies, tossing the book on his nightstand and then scooting down so that he can tuck me close against him. Maxx flicks off the light for us, and I know without a doubt that I’ll be asleep in minutes. This playful camaraderie is just too soothing of a nightlight.
“What about Team Maxim? The guy who appears further on in the story, but, when it’s later adapted to film, gets his own theme song upon entrance? Plus, there are t-shirts, dolls, and collectible bottles of his fragrance.” X suggests his own character, and they all ch
uckle.
“What about the clumsy, dorky main character who likes video games and has a weird obsession with K-dramas, is a simp for Ashnikko, and has a smart mouth?” I mumble, already starting to drift off.
“She wins in every story,” Parrish promises me, and that’s that.
I fall asleep with a smile.
Parrish must be alert enough to remember to adjust our positions before Tess shows up because I’m not angrily awoken by a screaming mother in the middle of the night. When I wake up, he’s gone, and my heart palpates strangely until I remember about the doctor’s visit.
I roll over and go back to sleep, appreciating the sounds of Maxx and Chasm breathing on either side of me.
Eventually, Delphine wakes us all up and we head downstairs so Chasm and I can study while Maxx cooks.
“Life should be more glamorous after you rescue your best friend from a wine cellar after following some tricky ass clues,” Chasm mumbles, his primary focus still on a study sheet for his math class. We both pause at the sound of the garage door opening and exchange glances.
I try not to jump up in excitement when Parrish walks in, maintaining my focus on my work until he manages to sneak a kiss in while Tess is in the kitchen.
“Are you cleared to go back to school?” I ask, trying not to be too hopeful. It probably would be better if he stayed home, but I want him there, and he knows it.
He smirks at me.
“Maybe? Want to ask me nicely?” Parrish pauses and then shifts his mood quickly when he hears Tess coming back in this direction. “Yeah, I’m clear. I’m perfectly fine to start back on Monday.”
“Should I be congratulating you or apologizing?” Chasm asks, scribbling with his stylus and then pausing to point at me with it. “Naekkeo, do your work or you have zero chance of getting all A’s.”
“What’s naekkeo mean?” Tess asks as she appears with several plates in hand, one for her and one for Parrish. Maxx is right behind her, serving me and Chas before leaving and returning with his own plate.
“It means ‘mine’,” Parrish explains apathetically, as if he doesn’t care. “Or like, ‘my sweetheart’. It’s something only gross, young, obsessive couples say to each other. Aegyo vibes.”
Chasm flicks a grape at him and, as these asshole types always do, Parrish catches it.
“Mine?” Tess repeats with a grimace. “Oh, I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“It isn’t like, an alpha male sort of deal,” Chasm explains, still writing math problems and eating, all at the same time. Guess that explains how he’s able to wear so many hats. The boy is mad intelligent. “Just us being cutesy.” He makes a voice that has me rolling my eyes.
“You two must be so in love,” Maxx sighs, and Tess shivers.
“They’re far too young for that,” she explains, and then it’s my turn to cringe.
Our conversation is interrupted by Delphine as she pokes her head in.
“Would you like me to clean this up when you’re finished or wait for the study session to be over?”
“You can clean in here throughout the day,” Tess directs, and I do my best not to sigh. I’d have a hard time ordering someone else around to clean up my messes like that; I’ll take my own plates to the kitchen, thank you. “Lord knows they’ll turn this room into a disaster.” She’s smiling now as she gazes at Parrish.
“Yes, ma’am,” Delphine agrees with a polite bow, even though she only has a few days of work left. I wonder if Parrish returning makes her feel safer, if she might be inclined to stay? Then again, I can’t decide if she’s guilty or not, so it’s probably best she goes. “And welcome home, Mr. Vanguard,” she adds, drawing Parrish’s attention her way.
He blink a few times and then shrugs one shoulder.
“Thanks.”
Delphine disappears and we dive back into our studies. Again, Tess stays with us pretty much the whole day, but I’m happy to see her pounding keys on her laptop. Writing a new book perhaps? I almost hope so; I’d forgotten how damn good she was.
That evening, I make sure to stay away from Parrish’s room until Tess tells the boys good night, drops in to do the same for me, and then leaves. I get up, leaving my schoolwork on the bed, and return back to my spot at Parrish’s side.
“She told me I shouldn’t sleep next to you without a shirt,” he tells me right off the bat, and I sigh.
“Are you sure you want to tell her about us?” I ask, and Maxx gives us both a sharp look.
“That’s a terrible idea. I’m telling you right now: you will not like what will happen after.”
Parrish returns his friend’s look with one of his own.
“I don’t want Dakota to be a dirty secret,” he explains, and X sighs. Chasm just shakes his head.
“He’s right. Tess will lose her shit. She might even send Little Sister here back to New York.” Chas pauses and then narrows his amber eyes. “Although, I guess she couldn’t because Justin’s got full custody now.”
“Don’t remind me,” I reply, feeling that surge of frustration all over again. I can’t stand this feeling of waiting and wanting anymore. First with Parrish, now with Maxine. I don’t think I’ll handle weeks of prolonged suffering very well; I need solutions now. “Let’s just focus on these finals, celebrate at prom, then we can dive back into a real-life Agatha Christie novel.”
“Prom …” Chas begins with a long sigh. “I’ll go, but I’m not about to be happy about it.”
“You’ll be thrilled,” Parrish drawls absently as we snuggle up again. “We’ll be the hottest thruple on campus.”
“You think that’s funny, but everyone is going to be obsessing over you already. Once again, I don’t think you’ll like what this does to your popularity.” Chasm rolls over and then kicks off one of his blankets in annoyance as it tangles around his legs.
“Whitehall is going to be hell tomorrow,” Maxx breathes, sighing dramatically. “If you need me, I’ll be on standby. I don’t give a shit if I have to kick some fourteen-year-old’s ass: I’ll do it.”
“Nobody doubts that for even a second,” Parrish agrees, but he sounds genuinely pleased by the idea.
Monday morning, Tess gets a call from those two FBI agents—Agent Takahashi and whatever the angry redhead’s name is—and finds out that Parrish needs to go in for another interview.
“You’ll only miss today,” Tess tells him, but I can see that he’s furious. If only the FBI was as easily swayed by Parrish Vanguard as everyone else is. “There are make-up exams available on Friday; I already inquired. You’ll be fine.”
“You’d think I was the one who did the kidnapping,” Parrish says with a curled lip. He waits for Tess to step into the garage before turning and grabbing me for a kiss. I beat him to it, getting on my tiptoes and pressing our mouths together. His tongue delves between my lips right away, hot and insistent.
The move reminds me of our first kiss—my very first kiss—and I smile against his mouth.
Chasm sighs with annoyance but waits patiently off to one side.
“If I can manage to get away sooner, I will,” Parrish promises, putting his hands on my hips and glancing over at Chas. “Let them all know that as soon as I get back, they’re in trouble.”
“I’ll try; they’ve gone feral,” Chasm says with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Even your baby sister was on the attack.”
Parrish narrows his eyes to slits, flicking them in the direction of the staircase as descending footsteps sound in the hall. His gaze locks with Kimber’s as soon as she appears from around the corner.
Their eyes meet, and she goes completely still; I get the sense that she knows she’s in trouble.
“You didn’t think I’d hear about your bad behavior when I got back?” he asks with a long sigh, looking handsome as ever in his Whitehall prep blazer, slacks, and plaid tie.
“I thought you were dead honestly,” Kimber whispers, looking away as she finishes up the last, few steps. “Lying in a ditch somew
here.”
“So you thought you’d lure Dakota and Chasm to a group of girls with knives? If I were dead, that’s even more fucked-up. Didn’t you care that they might be feeling hurt, too?” Parrish studies her with that impossible gaze of his, the one that used to put me into a rage at the slightest provocation.
We said some horrible, horrible things to one another, that’s for sure.
“I ran away from you with Dakota in tow because I didn’t trust you or your friends either,” Chasm admits, and Kimber cringes. She looks like a kicked puppy right now. Part of me feels sorry for her, but the rest wonders if a verbal tongue-lashing from Parrish and Chasm isn’t an appropriate punishment. “You looked like you might try to kick her ass yourself.”
“I—” Kimber starts, but then Tess is popping her head back through the door.
“We have to go, honey,” she says softly, and Parrish sighs. “If there’s time left, I’ll drop you off at Whitehall in the afternoon.” Tess doesn’t move, waiting there for Parrish to join her and effectively ending the conversation.
Parrish gives Kimber another scathing look before he smoothes his expression into a neutral one and turns away to leave with Tess.
“Stay safe,” he calls casually, and then he disappears out the door and takes my heart with him.
When I glance back, I see that Kimber is watching me very, very carefully.
“Ooh, you’re in trouble,” Chasm purrs, frowning down at the little sister that Parrish and I share. “As you should be.”
She says nothing, slipping past him and into the garage to slump in the backseat of his car. It’ll be awkward riding with us, I’m sure.
“This should be interesting day,” I start, and Chasm shakes his head, pushing his lightning bolt bangs away from his forehead and giving me a look.
“Interesting? I sure as fuck hope not; I hope it’s boring and studious and plain. If I only have one wish left, that’d be it.”
Payback Princess (Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer Book 2) Page 57
