screwed up too. Sidney fully admitted to herself that she wanted him. More than wanted him. Every time he touched her it felt like her body came alive and everything that went before was just a prelude. But he’d been right. She needed time and distance to figure out how she felt, to get over the damage that had been done, to try to let the wounds scab over, before she jumped into anything, no matter how much her skin wanted to feel those hands touch it.
She just had to have some time to be. And maybe get some answers. And give a few puppies their shots while she was at it. She just needed some time.
The kitchen door creaked open and Jessica walked in, a sheepish look on her face, the skin of her cheeks clearly mottled from a night spent crying.
“Hey,” she said, closing the door gently behind her.
“Did you stay at the clubhouse last night?” Sidney asked, it was one thing to screw up and sleep with Red when she hadn’t known, but it was another to stay the whole damn night after she’d found out.
“No, I called a cab and stayed at that shitty motel again. I didn’t think you’d want me here.”
Sidney nodded, that had been a good call on Jessica’s part. One of the few.
“Sidney, I swear I didn’t know. I know you don’t believe me but I’ve changed. I would never have slept with him if I’d known anything at all was going on between you two.”
Sidney toyed with the salt shaker, not really wanting to look at her sister, “In all honesty we’d already broken up. I just hadn’t accepted it yet.”
“Oh thank God. That guy is an asshole.”
“Red?” Sidney knew he’d been a jerk to her lately, but in general he was normally a pretty nice guy, “What’d he do? I mean besides sleep with my sister, because he gets a full boatload of asshole points for that.”
Jessica shrugged, “We had, er, words after you guys left and he tried to intimidate me, stood up and tried to walk at me like he was all macho and shit. Man, I hate guys like that.”
“Red?”
“Yes, Red. He never acted that way with you?”
“Never. Up until we broke up he was always kind and generous with me, protective.”
“Fuck if I know, he was a dick last night.” Jessica threw her bag in a chair and took a seat across from Sidney, “Maybe I just don’t bring out those kinds of feelings in guys.”
Sidney made a noncommittal sound and sipped her coffee. She wouldn’t say what she was thinking, that it was hard to feel protective over someone who was nothing more than a one night stand.
“So what happened, did he actually get physical with you?” Sidney couldn’t imagine Red actually hitting a woman, but then she wouldn’t have imagined him being so cold to her either.
“Oh hell no, that’s one thing I’m not putting up with. I stopped that shit before it could even get started.”
Sidney’s brows drew together. There was no way one hundred pound Jessica could have stopped someone as large as Red who wanted to get violent and walked away unscathed, and that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that as a shifter he seemed to be a good bit stronger than regular guys.
“How,” she asked.
“Weeeell, that’s whole different story, and one I needed to tell you anyway,” Jessica acted like she’d rather be anywhere than in the kitchen with Sidney.
“Ok, I’m listening.”
Jessica took a deep breath, “You sure you want to get into it this morning. Not to be rude or anything but you look like the shitty end of a dog on a bad day.”
Sidney’s eyes narrowed, “You don’t look like Miss America either. Just tell me.”
“Ok, but this is going to sound crazy, just sayin’. And I want you to listen to the whole thing before you freak out on me, okay?”
Sidney rolled her eyes and waved her hand, dismissing the warning, Jessica had no idea the amount of crazy she could actually consume without freaking out. One could say she’d built up a tolerance.
“So, about a year ago, around the
She just had to have some time to be. And maybe get some answers. And give a few puppies their shots while she was at it. She just needed some time.
The kitchen door creaked open and Jessica walked in, a sheepish look on her face, the skin of her cheeks clearly mottled from a night spent crying.
“Hey,” she said, closing the door gently behind her.
“Did you stay at the clubhouse last night?” Sidney asked, it was one thing to screw up and sleep with Red when she hadn’t known, but it was another to stay the whole damn night after she’d found out.
“No, I called a cab and stayed at that shitty motel again. I didn’t think you’d want me here.”
Sidney nodded, that had been a good call on Jessica’s part. One of the few.
“Sidney, I swear I didn’t know. I know you don’t believe me but I’ve changed. I would never have slept with him if I’d known anything at all was going on between you two.”
Sidney toyed with the salt shaker, not really wanting to look at her sister, “In all honesty we’d already broken up. I just hadn’t accepted it yet.”
“Oh thank God. That guy is an asshole.”
“Red?” Sidney knew he’d been a jerk to her lately, but in general he was normally a pretty nice guy, “What’d he do? I mean besides sleep with my sister, because he gets a full boatload of asshole points for that.”
Jessica shrugged, “We had, er, words after you guys left and he tried to intimidate me, stood up and tried to walk at me like he was all macho and shit. Man, I hate guys like that.”
“Red?”
“Yes, Red. He never acted that way with you?”
“Never. Up until we broke up he was always kind and generous with me, protective.”
“Fuck if I know, he was a dick last night.” Jessica threw her bag in a chair and took a seat across from Sidney, “Maybe I just don’t bring out those kinds of feelings in guys.”
Sidney made a noncommittal sound and sipped her coffee. She wouldn’t say what she was thinking, that it was hard to feel protective over someone who was nothing more than a one night stand.
“So what happened, did he actually get physical with you?” Sidney couldn’t imagine Red actually hitting a woman, but then she wouldn’t have imagined him being so cold to her either.
“Oh hell no, that’s one thing I’m not putting up with. I stopped that shit before it could even get started.”
Sidney’s brows drew together. There was no way one hundred pound Jessica could have stopped someone as large as Red who wanted to get violent and walked away unscathed, and that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that as a shifter he seemed to be a good bit stronger than regular guys.
“How,” she asked.
“Weeeell, that’s whole different story, and one I needed to tell you anyway,” Jessica acted like she’d rather be anywhere than in the kitchen with Sidney.
“Ok, I’m listening.”
Jessica took a deep breath, “You sure you want to get into it this morning. Not to be rude or anything but you look like the shitty end of a dog on a bad day.”
Sidney’s eyes narrowed, “You don’t look like Miss America either. Just tell me.”
“Ok, but this is going to sound crazy, just sayin’. And I want you to listen to the whole thing before you freak out on me, okay?”
Sidney rolled her eyes and waved her hand, dismissing the warning, Jessica had no idea the amount of crazy she could actually consume without freaking out. One could say she’d built up a tolerance.
“So, about a year ago, around the
Similar Books
