Rocking Kin (The Lucy & Harris Novella Series Book 3) (28 page)

Since Lana had pulled Kin along with her, I went home alone that night. I was glad Gray wasn’t home when I got there, but at the same time I wished he was there so I didn’t have to think about all the things going through my head right then.

Trying to keep myself out of my dark thoughts, I showered and crawled into bed. I hadn’t slept in anything but a plastic chair for four days and my body ached for some real rest, but my brain wouldn’t shut down. I lay there, staring at the ceiling for the longest time. I thought about calling my sister but didn’t want to disturb her with what was on my mind. I thought about texting Kin, but didn’t want to interrupt whatever she had been dragged off to deal with. From the look on Lana’s face earlier, it had been important.

Being front and center while Harris’s life had been tossed upside down made me take a harder look at my own life. My friend had had everything going for him. A successful club that he’d built up on his own. A girlfriend who loved him and would do anything for him. It was a life that anyone would be envious of and one that had turned to ash overnight. He’d nearly lost his life, had lost his girl, and he didn’t even want to talk about his club. Thankfully he had a full staff who could handle his absence effortlessly.

What did I have?

A girlfriend I loved more than life. A career that was showing some kickass potential of success. A sister and adopted mother who loved me.

It wasn’t a bad life, that was for sure, but I felt like it was missing something.

I was still trying to figure out what that something was when my phone rang. Without looking at the screen I put it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hi,” Kin’s voice came out on a husky sigh but I still heard the quiver.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m outside. Can I come up?” she asked, but I was already jogging through the apartment.

“I’m on my way down, babe.” I punched the call button for the elevator but it was three floors up. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better,” she muttered. “I’m just tired, Jace.”

Finally, the elevator arrived and I stepped on. There were three other people already inside and two of them gasped when they saw me. I grimaced and looked down at myself. I was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else. Not even shoes. Shit. In my rush to get to Kin I hadn’t even thought about clothes.

Ignoring the other three people, I tightened my hold on the phone. “It’s getting late, baby. I thought you would’ve gone back to your dad’s.”

“I should have, but I couldn’t bring myself to go. If you don’t want me to come up, I can just take a cab back to Malibu.”

“No,” I nearly shouted, making the other people in the elevator jump. “No, I want you to stay. I was just worried about you, that’s all.”

“Oh.” She let out a sigh that sounded relieved.

The elevator felt like it took forever to descend. I tapped my hand against my thigh as I impatiently waited for the doors to open. Once they were wide enough that I could get through, I jogged through the lobby and out to the street where Kin was waiting by the door. Relief washed over me in a way I didn’t understand and scared the hell out of me as I wrapped my arms around her.

She fell against my chest, her body almost limp from exhaustion. “Lucy’s leaving,” she burst out. “She’s leaving.”

I jerked in reaction. “What?” I grasped her chin and tilted her head up to meet my eyes. “She’s leaving? Where the hell is she going?”

“Georgetown,” she said, wiping at her tear-stained face. “Her mom thinks it will be the best thing for her. She didn’t want to go, but Lana convinced her it would be a good idea. She’s leaving and I won’t have anyone…” She stopped, shaking her head. “Fuck, that sounds so selfish.”

I pulled her into the building and toward the elevators. We needed privacy. I didn’t want anyone to overhear us talking about Lucy. Thankfully we were the only ones on the elevator this time and I pulled her against me as I tried to wrap my mind around Lucy actually leaving.

How could she do that to Harris?

How?

It pissed me off that she was just going to abandon him. It wasn’t right, damn it.

Back in the apartment, I took Kin into my room and pushed her down onto the edge of my bed. “So she’s really going to leave? What about Harris?”

Kin grimaced. “She didn’t want to go, Jace. It wasn’t her idea. It’s what her mom wants and Lana agreed it would be best for both her and Harris to have some time and space to clear their heads.”

Some of my anger at Lucy evaporated. She didn’t want to go, but her family was pushing for it. With my head a little clearer I could see what her mom meant. Maybe the distance would help her and Harris through the shitstorm Tessa had stirred up.

Blowing out a long breath, I dropped down next to Kin on my bed. “Well, fuck.”

She nodded her head. “Agreed.”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her head down onto my chest. “You going to be okay, baby? I know she’s your best friend.”

“I’ll miss her, but I agree that Lucy needs some time to clear her head. She’s a mess though, Jace. Whatever was in those texts fucked her up. Do you know what it was? Did Harris tell you?”

My hand tightened and I had to let her go or risk hurting her. “Yeah, babe. It was some ugly shit that I don’t want to fill your head with. She took videos of her and Harris doing things and tried to post them to revenge porn sites. Emmie was able to get them down before they went viral.”

“That’s so fucked up. No wonder Lucy is so destroyed.” She shook her head, her eyes glassy with more tears. “If that had been us it would’ve killed me to see you with another chick.”

“You won’t ever have to worry about that happening, Kin. I haven’t been with anyone since I saw you at First Bass that first night. Once I saw you again, I knew there would be no one else for me.” I’d been blindsided by how much I’d been lying to myself. I’d missed her, but up until I’d seen her again I hadn’t realized just how much. This girl was my world and I’d fucked up royally when I’d walked away from her.

“So you never took any of those girls you used to make me jealous home?” she looked up at me with a mixture of amusement and hurt.

I cupped her face in my hands. Tracing my thumb over her full bottom lip, I told her the truth. “No. Not one of them. I was only trying to get a reaction out of you; other than that they meant nothing.”

Relief flooded across her face and she gave me a tiny smile. “I’m glad. I had some pretty ugly pictures running through my mind of you with them. And me cutting off your balls.”

I winced at the last part. “Damn, baby. Have some mercy on my boys.”

She laughed and it was music to my ears.

She was so beautiful right then that my breath got trapped in my chest and I couldn’t have kept my hands to myself even if I’d tried. Lowering my head, I caught her mouth with my lips and dived in for a kiss that had us both seeing stars.

She followed me under as a wave of need consumed us both. Her hands went to my bare chest, her nails biting into my flesh as she raked them down over my stomach. We fell back onto the bed and I pulled her over me, letting her have the upper hand. If she wanted this to stop, she could stop it, but I needed her too damn much to put the brakes on myself.

The kiss went on and on, her tongue exploring my mouth while I savored the taste of her on my own. Fuck, she tasted good. Her body stretched out along mine, her thighs spreading so that she was practically straddling my waist. With her hair falling over her shoulder I felt like we were being curtained in and we could hide from the world for as long as we wanted.

Gasping for air, Kin lifted her head, but only long enough to pull her shirt over her head. I wanted to push her onto her back and feast my eyes on the skin she had just bared for me, but she was already lowering her head and I was lost once more in the taste of her.

My body was aching—throbbing—for her. I needed to be inside of her, needed to have her wrapped around me while I marked her as my own. Her hands explored me and it was only as her fingers traced over my heart that it came to me what my life was missing.

Nothing.

I wasn’t missing out on anything. I had the girl I loved. I had my family, friends, and career. Nothing else mattered. As long as Kin was right there in my arms, my life was fucking perfect.

Epilogue

Kin

“Wake up!”

I jerked awake, sitting straight up in bed. My hair was a mess and I was sure there was drool on my face, but I didn’t bother to wipe it away as I glared up at the person standing over my bed.

“I hate you,” I grumbled as Carolina flopped down onto my bed.

She giggled and made herself comfortable among my pillows before pushing something into my hands. “Happy birthday, Kin.”

I blinked sleep out of my eyes as I focused on the present my stepsister had just put in my lap. Over the last month, Carolina and I had gotten closer. She had become the friend I’d needed when Lucy had left for Georgetown and I wasn’t afraid to admit that I’d needed her friendship more than I’d realized. With my stepsister having my back, it was easier to go back to my father’s house at the end of every day.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Caro,” I scolded her even as I started unwrapping the pretty present.

“I wanted to,” she assured me as she watched me open the box underneath. “I hope you like it.”

Finding the picture inside had my heart clenching. It was a beautiful frame, which had probably cost Carolina a full month’s allowance, but it was the picture that was the real present for me. I blinked back tears as I saw myself between Lucy and Angie. I remembered Caleb using my phone to take the picture the night I’d snuck out with Angie to go to First Bass. The picture had been on my phone and I’d put it on my computer, which was where Carolina must have found it.

Seeing Lucy’s smiling face made me miss her that much more. I hadn’t seen her smile since her birthday. When I talked to her on the phone I heard the pain that was still so close to the surface, and when I FaceTimed with her I saw the shadows under her eyes. She was a ghost of her former self and my heart broke for her.

Harris wasn’t much better, though. He never smiled anymore. His eyes were cold and dead and he was working himself into an early grave with all the new projects he was undertaking at the club. I worried about him more than I did Lucy, though. I knew how strong Lucy really was. Harris wasn’t nearly as strong—even if he did want the world to think he was.

“Thanks, Caro. This is beautiful.”

She gave me a warm smile. “I’m glad you like it. I thought it would be perfect for your new room.”

Excitement eased away some of the ache in my chest for my friends. It was my birthday. My promise to my mother was officially over and I could leave Scott Montez’s house without a single regret. I already had an apartment ready and waiting on me, thanks to Carter.

“You’re going to come visit me, right?” I demanded as I settled back against the pillows beside her.

She rolled her eyes. “Duh. I plan on spending more time at your place than home. Trust me, I don’t like it here any more than you do.”

I grimaced. “I wish I could take you with me.” While Carolina and I had gotten closer, I had realized that she was just as much a prisoner in that house as I was. Her mother and sister used her, embarrassed her, and made her life twice as hellish as they did my own. My warden was my promise to my mother, but hers was her age. She was only fifteen. She was stuck with her mom for a few more years at least.

“I’m going to miss you,” I told her honestly as I leaned my head back. “I’ve kind of gotten used to you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.”

I reached for her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I’m only a phone call away.”

“Thanks, Kin.”

We sat there, talking for a little longer until Carolina had to get ready for school. I should have been getting ready too, but I was going to skip school that day and get my apartment ready. I rushed around, putting the last of my stuff in my suitcases.

I’d thought about asking Jace to pick me up, but I knew he would be busy at First Bass. He was helping Harris more and more and spent more time at the club than at home unless I was with him. So I zipped up the last case and carried them downstairs, figuring I would just call a cab.

As I opened the front door, I expected Jillian to come out of the kitchen to snip at me, but she didn’t appear and I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped out onto the front step. Putting the cases on the walkway, I closed the door.

A car honking had me jerking around. My eyes landed on a brand new Range Rover and the blond girl sitting behind the wheel. My heart melted when Angie opened the driver’s door and got out. Caleb stepped out of the passenger side and I nearly cried at the sight of them both. I knew they were coming out to California for my birthday, but I hadn’t expected them until later in the day.

“Hey there, sugar bug.” Angie wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me hard. “Happy birthday!”

I laughed through my happy tears as I hugged her back. “This is the best surprise ever,” I told them as I got squished in a step-sandwich between my brother and sister.