“What?”
She wipes the sudden tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. I should feel like a piece of shit for making her cry, and usually I would, but I’m too livid to care right now.
With one arm still covering her chest, she takes Xavi’s hand and allows him to help guide her out of the tub, stunning me because she never accepts help from anyone anymore.
He links their soapy fingers together as he carefully walks her over the wet tiles, side-stepping around Carter to get her to her bedroom door.
“You good?” he asks quietly, and I can tell he’s not asking if she can make it to her room without help. He knows she can do it. He’s asking if she’s good mentally, not physically.
She nods, giving him a small smile. “Night, Xav.”
“Night, babe.”
I glare at him when he calls her that, but he doesn’t look fazed. The cocky little shit saunters back over to the bath and grabs his hoodie off the floor, throwing it on over his soaking wet body. “You should watch the way you speak to her,” he says, brave enough to look me dead in the eye.
“Get out before I throw you out the fucking window.”
He scoffs out a laugh and shakes his head at me, shoving his feet into his sneakers without bothering to dry them first. His devil-may-care attitude pisses me off—everything about him pisses me off. I take a step closer to him, grinding my teeth when Carter grabs my shoulder to stop me.
“He’s sixteen,” he reminds me, kneading his fingertips into my flesh, probably trying to soothe the tension in my muscles.
Knowing he’s right—I can’t beat the shit out of a child—I grab Carter’s hand and pull him into me, his bare chest and abs pressed flush against mine. I’d forgotten we were still shirtless until he touched me, but now I use it to my advantage. I don’t miss the way Xavi’s tongue slips out to lick his lip ring as he bounces his eyes between us. Smirking, I pull Carter’s mouth to mine but keep my eyes on Xavi, using the only way I know I can get to him. I lick around Carter’s tongue and snake my hand around to his back, sliding it down into his jeans to finger his already wet, open hole, picking up where we left off. I ignore the way my dick gets harder at the flash of heat in Xavi’s eyes. Or maybe it’s jealousy. Probably a little of both.
Most people think he’s only friends with my sister because he wants to fuck her, but I know better. I know what he really wants, and it kills him that he can’t have it.
“What are you still doing here?” I ask him, purposely crooking my finger inside Carter to make him moan, licking a long line up the side of his neck.
Xavi’s eyes narrow on me, but then he slides that easy grin of his back into place, making a point to lift his middle finger up before slamming the door on his way out.
Brat.
“Baby boy got his feelings hurt,” Carter jokes, a knowing laugh escaping him when I push his head back by his jaw and dig my fingers into his face.
“Shut up.”
CHAPTER 6
XAVI
PRESENT
“He really left you out here in the cold?” Carter laughs, grinning down at me as he takes in the bruises on my face and the blood on my chin.
“What did you expect, Carter?” I glare at him as I move to stand, ignoring his hand when he holds it out for me. “You told me you wouldn’t blindside him.”
“And you believed me?”
Not really.
But what choice did I have? Carter did me a favor. He saved my ass in more ways than one. And anyone who knows Carter Westwood knows he doesn’t do shit for anyone for free. This is the price I’m paying. Move in with them for my first year of college—or for what’s left of it, at least. I wasn’t in the best shape back in September, which is why I’m starting my freshman year in January.
“Come on.” He walks for the house and tosses me a key. “Your room’s upstairs, third door on the right.” He smirks over his shoulder. “Nate’s is the second.”
Of course it is.
I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder. He opens the front door, and I hesitate at the threshold, running my thumb over the jagged edge of the key at my side. “He hates me, Carter.”
He stops and turns to face me. Slowly running his eyes over my body from head to toe, he nods as he takes in my appearance. “I think you’ll live.”
I doubt it, but okay.
I follow him inside the vast entryway and through to the massive kitchen on our left, taking in the bright white walls and the dark wooden countertops, the sink free of dishes and the appliances all lined up just so. This place is spotless, but that doesn’t surprise me. Nate’s a clean freak. I bet he inspects every inch of this place every time the cleaners leave, obsessively scrubbing any spots they missed.
“What are you smiling at?” Carter asks.
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “Where’s your room?”
“Right opposite Nate’s.”
“What about the girl?” I ask, trying to act unfazed as I set my bag down on the floor next to the island. “Frankie. Does she have her own room?”
“Yeah, but she sleeps in Nate’s most of the time.”
I nod and look away, annoyed at the stab of jealousy twisting my insides. “Right.”
Carter smirks again and opens the freezer door, grabbing an ice pack and wrapping it up in a hand towel. “Here,” he says, tipping his chin at my face as he passes it over.
I take it and hold it up to my cheek, watching as he wets another towel at the sink and walks over to me. Moving my ass back against the counter, he pushes his hips into mine, gently taking my jaw in his hand to wipe the blood off. I fight a cringe and turn my face away from his, taking the towel from him to do it myself. He grins wickedly as he steps back, hands raised in mock surrender. I narrow my eyes, still unsure what the hell he thinks he’s playing at. He’s always loved messing with people, but this is fucked up, even for him.
“Why am I here, Carter?” I whisper, not wanting anyone else in this house to hear me. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because it’s fun.”
He leaves me alone then, disappearing through the door without a backward glance.
Once I’ve finished cleaning myself up, I rinse the blood from the towel and ring it out in the sink. I’d rather not get my ass handed to me for making a mess, so I wipe up the water, then find the laundry room off the kitchen and toss the towels into the hamper. Grabbing my bag, I don’t dare check out any of the other rooms down here on my way back to the entryway. I walk up the staircase and along the hall, stopping outside the third door on the right.
He better not be fucking with me.
Carefully, as if I’m handling a ticking bomb, I twist the handle and peek inside the room, relieved when I find it empty. I wouldn’t put it past Carter to set me up and make me walk into Nate’s room unannounced.
Stepping inside, I quietly close the door behind me and set my bag down on the floor. The room is huge, just like Katy said it would be. The walls are white up here too, the floors a light, dusty gray color. The queen-sized bed is made up with white sheets, topped with a fluffy gray throw blanket and matching pillows. There’s a TV on the wall opposite, a ridiculously big walk-in closet Katy would have had no problem filling, and an equally big en-suite bathroom in the corner of the room.