Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
My appetite diminishes as I take in the pride in his voice and face. “I see.”
His mouth tilts up slightly as he gazes at me. “Anyway, despite the…unusual circumstances that led to it, I’m glad you’re back. We really did miss you.”
“I missed you guys, too,” I say, returning his smile.
“You should come to the house for dinner this weekend,” he says as he brushes his hands together. “We can make it a new family tradition thing. Plus, Dad will be there, and I’m sure he’d love to see you, too.”
The mention of his father makes me bristle, instantly snatching me back to a time in my life I’d rather forget. My breaths come faster as the memories flood back into my head, the Chinese food now feeling like a brick in my stomach.
“Cleo!” Dad shouts from his study.
I cringe inwardly as the guys continue playing their video game as I slowly pick myself up from the floor. I take slow steps down the hall and stop in the doorway of his study. Dad sits at his desk surrounded by stacks of paper and a bottle of whiskey. Ever since Mom died, he’s buried himself in work and alcohol. I’m not sure if it’s a way for him to deal with his grief, but it only means trouble for me.
“Yes?” I ask, my voice small.
“Come,” he says.
I wring my hands in front of me as I hesitate, but my feet eventually move when he aims his pointed gaze at me. He pushes away from his desk and pats his lap. There’s no point in telling him no unless I want to be in trouble. I take reluctant steps over to him and sit on his lap. He grinds into me as he pulls me tighter to him before he scoots up closer to his desk. I try my best not to move, but it’s so uncomfortable when there’s something poking me. Every time I try to wiggle away from it, he repositions me right back onto it, grinding against me for a few seconds before he stops.
He continues with his work as if nothing is wrong, as if I’m not on the verge of tears because this feels wrong, and I don’t like it. He always does this when he knows the boys are occupied, as he knows they won’t come in and see what he’s doing. His hand occasionally touches my chest as he sniffs my hair.
“I see you’ve been using your mom’s shampoo,” he murmurs in my ear. “I like it.”
I cast a longing look at the door, wishing someone would walk in to give me a way out. I wish the boys would take a break from their stupid video game long enough to see where I’ve disappeared to. I wish Mom was still here. This never happened when she was alive. Now I’m stuck in a house with a predator who no longer sees me as his daughter, but as someone to inflict his sick fantasies on.
I have to find a way out of here.
“Cleo?” Talon says, his touch jerking me back to my current reality. I gasp and slide out of his reach. I almost think I see his father’s face instead of his, but Talon’s concerned brown eyes come back into focus. “Are you okay?”
I know I can’t tell him what’s going on with me. The way he and his brother idolize their father, they’d probably never believe anything I said. I slowly shake my head and move further away from him.
“I think you should go,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. His brows furrow in confusion.
“What? Why?” he asks. “What happened just now?”
The longer he sits there, the more I think of his father and everything he’d done to me. All the pictures he’d taken, the watching me in the shower, forcing me to sit on his lap while he worked, touching me in places that he shouldn’t have. Their father was the reason I had to leave them all those years ago. I don’t know why I was delusional enough to think that reconnecting with them wouldn’t involve their father, but it’s only proving that I can’t be involved with them. I can’t be involved with him.
“Please, just go,” I say, my voice trembling as I fight the tears that threaten to roll down my cheeks. “This was all a mistake. I should’ve just avoided you guys instead of letting you infest my life again.”
“Infest?” He frowns at me. “So now we’re an inconvenience to you?”
“You’re a problem!” I snap. “One that I don’t need.” A tear falls before I can stop it, but I quickly swipe it away. “I need you to leave, and I don’t want anything to do with either of you.”
“You don’t get to do that again, Cleo,” Talon says, his face slowly growing red as he becomes more upset. “How the hell were we just having a conversation and then you suddenly freak out on me without warning? What the hell did I do?”