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  “Yeah?” I kept my voice strong. “Why haven’t I seen you guys here before then? I’ve worked at Rocket’s for about a year now.”

  “Don’t come often. If we do, it’s usually for dinner.” Zay shrugged and looked over at Vin. I guess that explained it. I didn’t work the dinner shifts. It was usually only breakfast and lunch hours for me.

  I exhaled, flipping my notepad open. “What can I get you guys to drink?”

  “Whoa—wait.” Vin held his hands up, laughing a little. “How have you been, Marlena? Haven’t seen or heard from you since the party.”

  “It’s Marley,” I sighed. “And I’ve been good, I guess. Thanks for asking.” I pressed the ballpoint of my pen to the paper. “What are you drinking?”

  Zay fought a smile. “I’ll take an orange juice.”

  Vin ran his eyes all over me again. I didn’t like how he was looking at me, like I was naked—like he knew what was beneath the black apron and jeans and red T-shirt. “Apple for me.”

  I walked off before he could say anything else, but I felt him watching as I prepared the drinks behind the counter. I hated the old-fashioned set up at Rocket’s sometimes, and this day was one of the many reasons why.

  I couldn’t hide. The guests could see everything I did. They could see if I fucked up their orders, poured the wrong drink, made a snobby face, or, in Vin’s case, watch me because he felt like it.

  I returned with their drinks and they both ordered the pancake and bacon special we had running. I hardly checked in at their table after their food was served. I didn’t care if I didn’t get a tip from them. He was making me feel uncomfortable, and I only wanted him gone.

  I hadn’t planned on seeing him again—at least not anytime soon. Plus, I was sure Noelle was passing the message along that I didn’t want him to have my number.

  There was a reason for that. I didn’t like getting close to guys, especially ones like Vin. The hot ones that can make your panties wet with just the sound of their voice. The ones with money and expensive things—those were the ones who would leave you to rot . . . at least that’s what Nana would always say.

  Luke was a rich guy. He was a car dealership owner, knew my mother for years. They’d gone to college here together. When she got pregnant with me, he disappeared. Eight years down the road, and he came back, pretending he’d never even left her—and she actually took him in.

  He’d lost his dealership and all of his money, owed a lot of debt that Mom tried to help pay off, but it didn’t work. It only caused her to drown in debt, too. Luke started selling all kinds of drugs to make money, but then he started using them. He became an arrogant junkie, and I’d watched it all happen. Mom was fine before he came, but he turned her into one too.

  I had enough going on in my life. I didn’t need any more drama added to it.

  When they finished up, Zay took off, sparking a joint outside the diner and then texting on his cellphone, clearly waiting for Vin to come out. Of course Vin stuck around at his booth, waiting patiently for me to come back to the table.

  I had no other tables yet, and I knew Delaney would question why he was still sitting there, so I reluctantly returned.

  “I see Zay still doesn’t give a damn,” I noted.

  Vin smiled, glancing over his shoulder at Zay. “Never has.”

  “So what do you want from me?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Never said I wanted anything.” He flipped his hand over and revealed a one hundred dollar bill. “Here. I didn’t want to just leave it on the table, in case someone saw and took it.”

  I looked from the money to him, head tilting. “You think I need your charity just because I’m a waitress?”

  “It’s not charity. It’s a tip. Take it.” He matched my stare.

  “No.” I picked up the final bill with the ten dollar tip Zay left behind, stuffing it into the pocket of my apron and then walking to the nearest unoccupied table to stack a few of the dirty dishes.

  “Marley,” he called, stepping up behind me.

  “Could you just go, please?” I turned to face him with one hand on my hip. “I’m really not in the mood for flirting or whatever it is you want today.”

  His mouth twitched. “I’m just curious why I haven’t heard from you since the party.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a fun night. It happened and it’s over. I didn’t think it needed to be more than that.”

  It’s like he could read the lies spilling from my lips because he shook his head and laughed a little. “I guess I should have seen that coming, especially after you called me out for living at Holly Estates and driving a Corvette. ‘Rich guy,’ as you put it.” He smirked at that, and I hated that damn smirk, the small dimple that formed in his right cheek as he scanned me with warm eyes.

  I held back a smile. “I’m sure you have plenty of girls lined up for you anyway. Why does it matter what I think?”

  “There aren’t any girls lined up. And even if there were, I wouldn’t want them.”

  I sighed. “Just go, Vin. Please? I have tables to clean and guests to seat.”

  “All right. Fine.” He held up the money again, but this time there was a white piece of paper with it. “My number. What time is your shift over?”

  “5:30,” I responded.

  “Text me when your shift is over. We can talk more.”

  Yeah, like that was going to happen. “Sure thing,” I said, taking the money and the paper.

  He scanned me once before stepping back, raking his fingers through his thick bed of hair. “You’ll regret not texting me, Marlena.” He put on a crooked smile. I wanted to slap him for calling me by my real name. “I suggest you do it.”

  “It’s Marley!” I shouted back, catching the eyes of a few guests. “And I suggest you get lost now before I toss the number.”

  He laughed at that, walking to the exit.

  I turned my back, biting a smile as I picked up the dishes I’d stacked. On my way to the kitchen, I looked through the window and saw him and Zay walking to a black Chevy. Before he climbed in, he looked through the window, like he was searching for me.

  I guess it was a good sign that he looked back.

  And it was also a good sign when showed up again, exactly at 5:30. But he wasn’t in Zay’s Chevy. He was in his white Corvette with red stripes, watching as I tried to start my shitty car.

  “Need a ride?” he asked, after I finally caved and rolled my window down to look at him. He didn’t show any sign of pity, didn’t care that I was driving such a rundown, raggedy car. All he was looking for was a yes, or even a maybe from me.

  I didn’t know if all he wanted was sex or what, but I took the offer anyway. My car wasn’t going to start again for a while. It always did this, and I’d have to call Noelle to get a ride home until my cousin, Ryan, could come out and fix it.

  Not this time.

  I didn’t want to wait. I’d already been having a shitty day.

  I locked the Honda up and then climbed into his expensive car that smelled like leather and spiced cologne, side-eyeing him. As soon as I shut the door, he drove off, fiddling with the stick shit, all with a soft smile on his lips and a song by Kid Cudi flowing out of the speakers.

  I wish I could say that I was going to regret that night, but that would be a far stretch from the truth. I knew it was going to be great, just from the music alone and how he made me feel wanted and welcome, not like some loser riding in the passenger seat.

  I knew it was going to be good when he sparked the end of a joint and passed it to me. “You should relax. Inhale the good shit, and exhale the bullshit. Ever heard that?”

  I laughed when he said that. It was one of my favorite quotes. I had a T-shirt with those exact words on them and everything.

  After a few pulls, I was fine. I felt relaxed and giggly and had forgotten all about my terrible morning. But that wasn’t even the half of it.

  We did more than I expected that night.

 
; Things I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried.

  It was the start of us . . . the start of our addiction.

  VIN

  Present

  Trying to sleep was like pulling teeth.

  I tossed and turned in the bed, finding it incredibly hard to pull my shit together.

  For three years she was mine. For three years she was my sun, my moon, my fucking world. But now? She was with Lloyd, my fucking brother.

  I wasn’t stupid or oblivious to the truth. Luck had never been on my side, but this . . . well, shit. I was pretty sure fate was testing my patience now.

  I finally gave up on trying to sleep and rolled out of bed, going for my half-empty carton of cigarettes. Since I couldn’t smoke any weed I had to deal with cigs, but the nicotine buzz wasn’t strong enough. Not even the city view from this expensive hotel room was enough to distract or relax me.

  I stepped onto the patio and rested an elbow on the rail, taking a long pull as I stared out towards the city, still unable to clear my damn head.

  And then the memories hit me.

  “I’ll be yours forever, Vinny. You know that. No matter how low you get, I’ll be here.”

  She stroked my cheek as I lay there, drunk, vomiting over a dirty toilet. I couldn’t talk much. All I could do was stare at her through blurry vision and listen over dry heaves.

  “Just promise me this won’t happen anymore. Promise me you’ll try to get better.”

  I hesitated, studying her eyes. She was begging me inside—begging me to be better. To give the alcohol and drugs up. To only need her. I probably should have let her go then, before she had the chance to walk away from me, but I had too much pride to do that, and way too much love for her.

  I stabbed the butt of the cigarette on the silver guardrail and walked back into the hotel. My phone was buzzing. It was nearing midnight.

  I checked the screen. It was Bethany.

  I ignored the call. I wasn’t home, and I only used Bethany for a quick fuck, or vice versa. We weren’t official with the club yet, so she was probably calling to talk about nothing.

  Even if I had gone home and knew what I knew about Marlena now, I still wouldn’t have answered the phone. That’s how much this was bothering me.

  What made it worse was that I didn’t respect my brother. I wanted to destroy his happiness by spilling the cold, hard facts—that Marlena met me first. That we fell in love. That we used to fuck like animals and then cuddle until we fell asleep.

  I wanted to tell him that I’d known her way longer than he had and that I knew way more about her than he ever could. I wanted to rub it in his smug little face, tell him that my cock had been buried deep in her sweet, wet pussy too many times to count and that she was mine first.

  I literally took her first. She gave me her virginity. She begged me to take it. She wanted me so bad that night, and she wasn’t even drunk or high. She was sure. So I did it. I took her and made the sweetest love to her.

  She had tears in her eyes while I explored her body. That’s how powerful we were together.

  I would never forget that night. That’s when I found out the truth about her. That’s when I found out Marlena Winters had troubles too, and I did everything I could to get rid of them. But not even that was enough to hold her over long enough to wait for me.

  I walked back to the balcony, sitting in the chair, looking at the skyline. My hand slid over my cock and I shut my eyes, in need of release.

  Bright blue eyes appeared behind my sealed eyelids, her brown nipples, and caramel skin. I remembered the way she used to ride me, how she’d say my name while I clutched her hips tight. How I slammed into her from beneath, loving the feel of her tight pussy wrapped around me.

  I groaned, lowering my shorts and stroking my cock.

  “It’s okay to let go,” she whispered when I had a long day. All I wanted was a cold, hard drink—something to cool my nerves and the flame inside me. “Just give yourself to me, Vinny. Don’t worry about drinking. Get drunk on me. Take me.”

  Her words—that memory—were my undoing. A louder groan filled my throat and warmth instantly coated my hand. I didn’t stop until every drop was released.

  “Fuck,” I rasped.

  There was no way in hell he was keeping her. No fucking way. Memories like that didn’t just fade. Marlena was the best pussy I’d ever had. I never got tired of it—never wanted to stop being inside her. Not to mention her personality was one-of-a-kind. It was hard to find genuine, real women like her.

  My brother lived a good life. He got everything he ever wanted, and I never batted an eye or turned up my nose at it. He graduated from college, became a fucking pilot making six-to-seven figures every year.

  He was lucky and could get whatever he wanted, but I’d be damned if he was going to be so lucky as to take the first and only woman I ever loved. He could have everything else, but he wasn’t keeping her.

  • • • • •

  The next morning, I got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, taking the elevator down twenty minutes later to be picked up by Elton.

  I was alone in the backseat and glad about it. I figured Becks rode with her annoying husband to get to whatever restaurant I was being taken to.

  I rode with the window down, the air running through my hair, nowhere near ready to see my brother with his hands all over Marlena.

  Of course the ride was a short one. We pulled up to a restaurant by the mall. It was a busy area, but Elton found a clear space up front and let me out.

  I saw Mom and Will before I even got inside the restaurant. They were standing by the door, most likely waiting for me.

  “Hi, baby boy,” she chimed when I stepped inside. She kissed my cheek and said, “They’ve just called us back. Lloyd and Marlena are already about to grab their seats.”

  She turned and started down the hall, Will joining her side. I followed behind them, through the busy restaurant with a set up that was way too fancy for my liking, then again no one ever gave a shit about what I liked.

  I saw Marlena and Lloyd at a table near the back that was slightly secluded. He had his hand on her lap and my jaw immediately tensed. Marlena saw us coming and flashed a smile—not at me but at Becks and Will.

  Mom and Will sat first, and when I saw the only seat left open was the one to the left of Marlena, I couldn’t help but transform my scowl to a mischievous smile.

  As if she realized it too, her face stiffened and her throat bobbed. She picked up the glass pitcher of water and poured some into her glass, trying hard to distract herself as I took the seat and slid in closer.

  “Morning, Marlena,” I greeted lowly, slouching back in the chair.

  “Good morning, Vincent.”

  “You know I really hate when you call me by my full name,” I murmured, grabbing the glass pitcher and pouring some water into my empty cup too. I picked up a lemon as Lloyd spoke to Will, and Mom looked over the menu with a Bluetooth piece in her ear, talking to someone.

  “And I hate when you call me Marlena.”

  “Why? It’s what they call you. Your future in-laws.” I dropped the lemon in my water, smirking. She looked sideways, noticing the smirk and then shaking her head.

  “Don’t do that,” she said, so only I could hear.

  “Do what?”

  “Smirk at me like that.”

  “Like what, Marlena?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I mean. Stop it.”

  “I see you two are getting along.” Lloyd’s voice rose, interrupting us, and I looked past Marlena, at him. His eyes were hard, and he reached down, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

  “She’s fun to talk to. Kind of feels like I’ve known her for a really long time.” I flashed a smile at both of them. Marlena fidgeted.

  “I told you she would make you feel that way. Such a sweet girl,” Mom butted in after ending her call.

  “Sweet.” I sat back in my chair, sipping my water. “Yeah I remember
just how sweet she is.”

  The only one who heard my remark was Marlena, of course. I said it only loud enough for her to hear, and she cleared her throat, pretending she didn’t.

  “What will you be having, babe?” She asked Lloyd, putting emphasis on the last word. I gave a slight eye roll.

  Lloyd flipped through the menu. “I don’t know. I’m not really a fan of this place.”

  “Well, eat a bowl of hot cereal with raspberries the way the overpaid nanny Will hired used to make it,” I said, shrugging. “Isn’t that your favorite?”

  “Fuck off, drunky,” he spat.

  “You know you’re a pussy when you still have a nanny at the age of eighteen,” I laughed.

  Lloyd started to speak, but Becks butted in. “Boys!” she scolded, voice tight. “Don’t start bickering! We’re having a family brunch. Act like you have some home training.”

  “Asshole,” he grumbled.

  “Pussy,” I muttered back.

  Of course Will laughed, looking at me. “You and that smart mouth, boy. One day it’s gonna get you in a lot of trouble, and ain’t nobody at this table gonna save your ass, either.”

  “How about you just worry about ordering that highly anticipated meal of yours, Will, huh? Hey—when hell freezes over because you decided to go on a diet, then maybe I’ll worry about my smart mouth. How does that sound?”

  Will grimaced, and Marlena choked on her water. Lloyd immediately started patting her on the back.

  “You okay, babe?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” She forced a smile at him.

  I laughed, knowing she had laughed too. I knew that old Marlena was still in there somewhere.

  She pushed out of her chair. “Got water on my dress. Gonna run to the ladies’ room really quick and clean up. Excuse me.” She smiled across the table at Becks, who returned the kind gesture. She then glanced at me, those blue eyes holding mine for several seconds, before pushing her chair in and taking off.

  “Is it just me, or has she been acting weird since the party?” Lloyd asked, watching her walk down the hallway in her fitted maroon dress and strappy black heels.