“I know. But some holes we’ve gotta dig ourselves out of. He’s not ready for help yet.”
He leaned back on the couch and took me with him. I pressed my cheek to his chest, curled my legs up in between his and let the rhythm of his breathing soothe me.
“How much money does he owe you?” Kane asked softly.
“Five hundred.”
“You need some money? For yourself, I mean? Did giving him that money cut you short?”
“No. But thanks. I have the money but I could tell something was off so I told him I didn’t. It’s so unlike Grayson to grab my purse and go through it like that.”
“He’s not himself, Viv. Try not to take it personal.”
“You know someone with a drug problem?”
He exhaled deeply, my cheek sinking down slightly as his chest fell. “Yeah. Used to, anyway. Me.”
I wanted to know more, but I wasn’t going to probe about something so personal. And I needed to process things with Grayson.
“I’m sorry about this,” I said. “I can’t go back to . . . you know . . . how things were in the kitchen.”
“It’s not your fault. Don’t be sorry.”
“I understand if you’d rather go than be around me right now. I won’t be much fun tonight.”
He smoothed a hand over my hair. “I should stay the night in case Grayson comes back. I’ll take the couch.”
I closed my eyes, a new wave of nausea rolling through my stomach at the thought of needing protection from my brother.
“We could watch a movie,” I suggested.
“Sounds good.”
I passed him the remote and told him to find one, and then I curled back up in my spot on his chest. All thoughts of sex had vanished. Now all I wanted was Kane’s closeness and comfort. And he delivered, wrapping his arms around me and laying with me in silence as I wondered just how much trouble Grayson was in.
Kane
My stiff neck wouldn’t allow me to sleep anymore. I opened my eyes and squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings. Dark purple chair with a white blanket folded over the back. White bookcase full of framed photos and paperbacks. Warm, sweet-smelling woman laying on my chest.
I was in Viv’s living room. We’d apparently fallen asleep on her couch together. The TV was still on and the first rays of morning sunlight were filtering in through the curtains.
Cringing, I twisted my neck just enough to dull the ache. I’d been awkwardly wedged up against the end of the couch all night, but I’d still slept soundly until a few minutes ago.
Viv stirred on my chest and raised her head to look at me.
“Hey,” she said in a groggy tone. “We slept here all night?”
“Yeah. Must’ve been tired.”
Her hair was messy and she had dark shadows of eye makeup under her eyes. The intimacy of waking up with her had my cock twitching to attention. If I got hard now, she’d feel it. And from the way her brows were drawn together with worry, I could see she wasn’t in the mood for sex.
“Maybe Grayson texted,” she said, picking up her phone from the coffee table. She swiped the screen and her face fell. “No. Nothing. I hope he’s okay.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said, shifting to relieve the pressure on my neck.
Viv slid off me and stood up. “You want coffee?” she asked, combing her hands through her messy waves of hair.
“No, I need to get going. I was planning to stop by the club when I left here last night and make sure things were going okay. I need to go count the deposits and make sure no one fucked ‘em up.”
I used her bathroom, put my boots on and slid into my leather jacket. She was sitting on the couch, elbows on her knees, looking lost in thought.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she said. “I was hoping we’d be waking up together this morning, but not like this.”
Her sheepish smile tugged at me, and I walked over and sat down next to her. “Hey. Don’t apologize. Shit happens.”