Accelerate

by Kay Marie

  I prop a hand on my hip. “You sure are a cocky bastard, ya know that?” I give him a flirty smile.

  He takes a step so he’s right in my space. “Not cocky, confident.” He leans in to kiss me when the front door opens.

  “Hey! We’re here,” Wren shouts. Shade jumps back and I focus on getting dinner started.

  “We’re in the kitchen,” Shade calls out to her. I’m not looking forward to spending any more time with Zack, but I know this is important to Wren— which is the only reason I even agreed to this. I might actually cut Zack if he acts any bit the douchebag he was the other night. I probably won’t get the chance too with Shade here. The two of us might end up fighting over who gets to fuck Zack up. I giggle to myself and Shade gives me a questioning look. I shake my head, telling him it’s nothing, just as Wren and Zack walk in.

  “Bubba, this is my boyfriend Zack,” Wren introduces them. “Zack, this is my brother, Shade.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Zack says. Shade holds his hand out to shake Zack’s and Zack hesitates for a beat too long before taking Shade’s hand. I notice a hint of irritation in Shade’s eye.

  “Yeah, you too.” Shade drops his hand.

  “Oh my gosh! Are you making your chicken alfredo,” Wren asks, excitement lacing her voice.

  “I am,” I reply.

  “Sienna makes the best chicken alfredo,” Wren tells Zack.

  “Will there be any salad,” Zack asks.

  “Nope,” I respond, popping the p and not looking at Zack. That prick thinks he can control what Wren eats again, he’s got another thing coming.

  “Do you need any help prepping,” Wren asks me.

  “No, Shade already offered to help. Y’all go hang out in the living room,” I tell Wren.

  “Sounds good. Just let us know when it’s ready.” She smiles at me before grabbing Zack’s arm and walking out of the kitchen. Shade is staring at me.

  “What the hell was that about,” he asks when they’re out of earshot.

  “What was what about,” I ask him, turning the stovetop on. While the pan is heating up, I prep the chicken. Shade moves next to me, leaning a hip against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s so close I can feel the heat radiating off him.

  “You telling Wren that I offered to help. Not that I mind. I’m just curious,” he tells me.

  “I guess I really didn’t think about it,” I admit. He leans in toward my face with that sexy smirk of his, pausing mere inches away.

  “Can I . . . oh,” Zack says walking into the kitchen. Shade straightens and I turn to face Zack. He’s got a sinister look in his eye. “I’m sorry. Was I interrupting something?”

  “What do you need, Zack?” I turn back around to the stove.

  “Does Wren know about the two of you,” he asks with disgust.

  “There’s nothing to know because there was nothing happening.” Shade’s voice has a seriousness to it I haven’t heard before. His words weren’t directed at me yet I still felt intimidated.

  “Right,” Zack responds as if he doesn’t believe Shade. “Can I have a glass of water?”

  Shade grabs a cup out of a cabinet, fills it with water and gives it to Zack. Once Zack leaves the kitchen Shade moves to my side again.

  “I don’t like him,” he says in a soft voice as if Zack could still be listening. “Also, what the fuck was up with him asking about a salad?”

  “He ordered a salad for Wren at dinner the other night. Said something about her needing to eat healthy or something,” I explain to him.

  “So he controls what she eats?”

  I shrug. “She didn’t seem bothered or surprised by it. Maybe she’s just conscious about what she eats in front of him. Some girls are like that.” Even as the words leave my mouth, I know it sounds dumb. By the look on Shade’s face, he thinks so too.

  “She’s never been conscious about that shit before. She’s never had a reason to be,” Shade says.

  “I know, that’s the same thing that went through my head,” I agree with him. I can see the wheels turning in Shade’s head. We don’t talk much the rest of the time I cook.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shade

  Zack is fucking zero for two right now. Strike one was him hesitating to shake my hand when Wren introduced us. He looked almost disgusted when I held my hand out to shake his. Disrespectful little fuck. I don’t know what he was thinking when he asked if Wren knew about Sienna and me. Did he think he would have some kind of blackmail or something? I should have talked to Wren about it yesterday. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Strike two is him thinking he can control anything my sister does or says.

  When Sienna told me he ordered for Wren the other night, the first thing to pop into my head is how my Pops was, and probably still is, with my Mom. It makes me wonder what Wren witnessed between the two of them after I left. Once Sienna is finished cooking dinner, I help her get the table set.

  “It’s time to eat!” Sienna calls to Wren and Zack.

  “Open those legs and I’ll eat till I die,” I whisper in her ear. She turns to face me and there’s a fire in her eyes.

  “Oh my gosh, Sienna! It smells amazing,” Wren says, walking into the kitchen. Sienna sobers up at that.

  “Thank you. Sit, enjoy,” Sienna replies. Wren and Zack both take their seats. “Wren and Shade would either of you like something to drink?”

  “I’ll get it. You sit down,” I tell her. She nods her head once and sits in the chair closer to Zack, leaving a spot for me next to her and Wren. I would have happily let her sit by Wren to keep her from having to sit by Zack. “What would you like? Tea, water, soda?”

  “Water for me please,” Wren tells me.

  “Make that two,” Sienna says. I grab waters for all three of us and bring them to the table. Zack is the first one to take food. He passes the pasta to Wren, giving her a stern look. She takes a small scoop and when the bread comes around, she takes the smallest piece.

  “Are you feeling okay, Wren? That’s not very much food,” I say to her. She looks to Zack before answering me.

  “Um, yeah. I’m okay. I’m not very hungry,” she tells me.

  “I call bullshit. This is your favorite meal,” I say. “You were saying how Sienna’s alfredo is the best and you’re not even gonna eat much?”

  “She said she isn’t very hungry,” Zack says harshly. I glare at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Wren fold in on herself and Sienna is more alert.

  “I know what she said and I know my sister. This isn’t like her,” I say it to Zack, but I’m looking at Wren.

  “And how would you know what she’s like? You’ve hardly been present in her life for the past six years,” Zack states.

  I freeze, bringing my eyes to his. “Who the fuck are you to comment about my relationship with my sister?” I snarl at him.

  Sienna places her hand on my arm, attempting to calm me. It isn’t until she touches me that I realize how tight I have my fists clenched.

  “You can’t say it’s not true, Shade,” Wren says quietly.

  “That’s how you feel,” I ask her. “And instead of talking to me, your brother, about it, you talk to this clown?”

  “This clown is my boyfriend. He’s been there for me more in the past six months than you have in the past six years,” Wren spits out. I’ve never heard her talk with so much venom in her voice before.

  “Would you rather I comment on whatever it is the two of you have been hiding,” Zack asks gesturing between Sienna and I. Sienna yanks her hand back to her lap. Wren looks between us, eyes wide as saucers.

  “Is he . . .” Wren starts to say.

  “This isn’t the time or place, Wren,” Sienna says to her.

  “Are you sleeping with my brother?” Wren snaps.

  “Is this what you wanted? To drive a wedge between Wren and those closest to her?” The rage building up is something I haven’t felt since the last time I was around my Pops.

  “I’
d say you’re doing a fine job of that on your own.” he sneers at me. Wren stands from the table, Sienna mirrors her.

  “Wren, please,” Sienna says.

  “Don’t.” She puts her hand up stopping her.

  “Wren, hear us out, please,” I say to her.

  Zack stands and moves to her side. “TJ lucked out with you choosing some criminal over him. You’re nowhere close to being good enough for him,” Zack says to Sienna, then looks to me. “Keep your Savage whore. Wren will be just fine without the two of you.”

  “You have some fucking nerve coming into my house and not only disrespecting me and my club but trying to control my sister and disrespect Sienna. I oughta put you six fucking feet under,” I growl out at him. Sienna puts a hand on my arm to keep me from going after Zack.

  “Wren, let’s go,” Zack says to her. She hesitates, starting at Sienna and me for a beat. “Come with me now or we’re done.”

  Wren turns and walks out of the room, shaking her head. Zack shoots daggers at us with his glare before following Wren. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough. If I go after him now, Wren will be more pissed off than she already is. I turn to Sienna as she drops back into her chair, tears welling in her eyes.

  “Sienna.”

  She lifts her head up to look at me and tears fall down her cheek. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she says.

  “Knew what was a bad idea,” I ask. I’m ninety percent sure she’s talking about us, but I’m hoping she’ll say the dinner.

  “You and me.” My whole body tenses up. Tears are streaming down her face now.

  “No, we’re not,” I state. She stands and starts gathering the dishes. I reach out for her hand and she freezes. I wait a minute before I pull her onto my lap. With a finger under her chin, I lift her face so I’m looking into her whiskey eyes. “I know people like Zack. My Pops was just like him. He had to be in control of everyone and everything around him, on top of being an alcoholic. Zack came here tonight with plans of driving a wedge between Wren and I. Doing it to you and she was just a bonus for him.”

  “So, what do we do,” she asks. This is a side of Sienna I didn’t expect to see so soon— a softer side. I gotta admit, I like it just as much as her fiery side. I brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “We give her a day or two to calm down. Then one of us can reach out to her,” I tell her. Her sad eyes cut straight to my heart. I want to do whatever I can to put a smile back on her beautiful face.

  “I should go home,” she says. She’s avoiding making eye contact with me.

  “Stay,” I tell her. She snaps her eyes to mine. I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her. “I mean it. Wren knows now, so why not?”

  “Okay, but we should really get this food put away,” she says.

  I give a light laugh and nod. “Good idea,” I agree with her.

  After we get everything cleaned and put away, we make our way into the living room. I sit on the couch and pull her next to me. Before I turn the TV on, I lift her chin up so she’s looking at me. “Everything is gonna be okay, I promise.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sienna

  Dinner was a nightmare. I should have been prepared for something like that to happen. In the years that I’ve known Wren, we’ve never gotten into a fight or an argument that lead us to not talking to each other. I can’t change anything that has already happened. I’ll give her a day or two to cool off, like Shade suggested, then go from there. He’s scrolling through a list of things to watch on Netflix when he stops and turns to me.

  “This might not be the best time to bring this up, but we never talked the other night,” he reminds me.

  “I guess I can’t avoid that forever, huh,” I ask.

  “Nope.” He shakes his head.

  I sigh. “What do you want to talk about?”

  "Why don't you do relationships," he asks me.

  "We've barely known each other a week. Are you sure you want to have that deep of a conversation already?" I pull my legs onto the couch and sit crisscross, facing Shade.

  He shrugs. "I don't see why not. Would it help if I admitted something about myself first," he bargains. Would it help?

  "Yeah, maybe," I tell him. When I start to think about it, I realize I don't even know his name. "But first, tell me your real name."

  "It's River," he says.

  "River," I try it out on my tongue. "I like that." He smiles at me like he likes hearing me say it.

  "So, I told you before that my Pops was controlling and an alcoholic. He's a high functioning alcoholic, so most people would never notice if he was drunk. He had his signs and I learned them quick. What I didn't tell you, and what Wren doesn't know, is he used to use me as his personal punching bag," he admits to me. "He wouldn't ever touch me if Wren or my Mom were home, so when they asked, I would tell them I got in a fight with someone from school. Then when he got tired of them fussing over me all the time, he got smarter about it and wouldn't leave marks where they could see."

  "Oh my God, Shade. That's awful, I'm sorry you had to go through that." I put my hand on his arm. He glances at my hand and gives me a small smile.

  "That's the thing. I could have left well before I turned 18, but I was too worried he would turn his anger toward Mom or Wren," he tells me. "But because I stayed as long as I did, Wren became the golden child. He doted on her and my mom both."

  "You stayed to protect Wren," I say in awe. "And she has no idea."

  He shakes his head. "Not a clue. In her eyes, he was the greatest dad ever. I never wanted to commit to one woman, in fear that I would turn out just like him. I very rarely drink either."

  "You're not like him though. He has evilness in him that even after the way he was toward you, never touched you," I tell him. "As much as you protected Wren, and wanted to protect me from Zack's disrespect, there's so much more good in you."

  "Thank you for saying that." He brings my hand to his mouth, kissing my palm.

  "I guess it's my turn to open up, huh?" I give a nervous giggle.

  "Please don't feel like you have to. Honestly, it's okay," he assures me.

  "No, I want to. Which is odd in itself because I've never wanted to talk about this with anyone. It's just . . . hard," I admit.

  He squeezes my hand. "Take as long as you need to," he tells me.

  I take a deep breath. "My dad walked out on my Mom and me when I was two. She got remarried when I was 10 to a guy named Ron. He had a son a year older than me named Damien. The first few years they were married, everything was great. We were one big, happy family. When I turned 13, I was a bit more developed than other girls my age," I tell him. Shade is trying really hard to stay calm. "Ron and Damien were constantly commenting on my body. To the point where my Mom was getting jealous of the things Ron was saying to me. She started to resent me, no matter how much I tried to tell her I didn't like it or that I wanted him to stop. One night when I was 15, Damien came into my room. He had been out with friends and had been drinking. He started touching me and when I tried to stop him, he threatened to put me in the hospital if I didn't do what he wanted."

  I pause, giving myself a moment to breathe. Tears are streaming down my face.

  "Sienna, you don't have to tell me anymore," Shade tells me.

  "I need to get it all out," I say. He nods, and I continue. "He ended up raping me that night. A couple of nights later, my mom was out with friends. Ron came into my room. He said something about how Damien told him how easily I gave it up to him and he wanted a turn. For the next two years, they both came into my room every couple of weeks to take what they wanted. I somehow managed to graduate a year early and left home without telling anyone."

  As soon as I finish talking, Shade pulls me into his lap and hugs me. I break and sob into his chest. He holds me a little tighter until I start to calm down. I pull away from him, wiping tears off my cheeks. He cups my face with his hand.

  "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me a
bout your past," he says, breaking the silence. Little by little, Shade is chipping away at the wall around my heart. I lean into his touch.

  “You make me want to try being in a relationship too,” I admit to him, referring to what he said to me Saturday night. A fire ignites in his eyes and the corner of his mouth lifts into that sexy smirk of his. He leans in and kisses me. It’s a simple kiss that causes butterflies in my stomach. He pulls me into him so my head is resting on his chest and turns on a show about cars. As I start to doze off, he kisses the top of my head.

  “Sleep sweet, Whiskey,” he whispers so softly I think I imagine it. It’s the last thing I hear before sleep completely takes over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Shade

  I turned on a show I knew Sienna wouldn’t want to watch because I could tell she was tired. I didn’t expect her to have such a fucked up past. It’s a lot for one person to bear. I don’t know how she’s kept it bottled up for so long without imploding on herself. I have a newfound respect for her, more so than before.

  I’m oblivious to the TV because I’ve been watching Sienna instead. I lightly trace my fingers across her back as she sleeps. She has an adorable pout that makes me curious what she’s dreaming about. I’m completely captivated by this woman. The front door opens, breaking me out of my trance.

  “Oh, hey Shade,” Cali says.

  “Hey, brother! How did . . .” Buster pauses when he sees Sienna asleep on my chest. Cali walks closer and her eyes go wide. Buster grins. “What’s going on here?”

  “Fuck off, Buster,” I whisper-shout at him. He chuckles. Cali glances from Sienna to me.

  “Is this Sienna? Isn’t she your sister’s best friend? What did I miss,” Cali questions.

  “It’s a long story and it’s been a long night. I’ll explain everything tomorrow,” I tell her.

  “Okay.” She nods. She looks to Sienna one more time before walking away.