See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(30)

His words make me think of Trey and the way he referred to his brothers. I don’t have anything left to say, so I hang up.

Rybeck won’t call back. He’ll probably shrug and roll over, back to sleep in his safe, warm bed.

I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

I’m cold to my core.

Slipping out of my hiding space, I shuffle back to the dorms, stopped by the sight of a window. I stand beneath it, gazing up at the narrow opening and remembering the way Trey shoved me through it so we could go skating.

I landed in a heap next to the toilet.

The toilet.

In the locker room.

The locker room with showers. Hot, scalding showers that can wash away my angst, give me that small reprieve I’m so desperate for.

Crunching my teeth together, I look up at the narrow pane of glass. It’s just out of my grasp. I tell myself I’m getting in at all costs.

It takes me five attempts, but finally my scrambling feet and stick arms get me through that window. I fall through with the grace of an elephant and land on my hip with a thump.

It hurts, but I’m too focused on uninterrupted shower time to care.

No one will find me in this darkened space.

My secret will be safe and I can finally get warm, get clean and maybe just for a microsecond feel like Ana again.





#18:

Understanding



Trey



I can’t sleep.

Hot lips are keeping me awake.

A soft, sensual tongue in my mouth.

I thump my covers and sit up, trying to rid myself of the memory. I kissed a guy…and I liked it.

Shoving the heel of my hand in my right eye, I mutter a string of curses, hoping not to wake the others. I have to get out of this room.

I have to run until my lungs are burning, breathe in icy cold air…do something to get rid of whatever the hell is going on inside of me.

I don’t want to be gay. Not because I think it’s wrong or whatever, I just… I didn’t think I batted for that team.

I’m pissed at Chris for kissing me. He crossed a line.

I should have pounded him, but how could I after I kissed him back?

I’m so confused right now my head is going to explode unless I do something physical.

Jumping out of bed, I pull on my shoes and head for the rink. I’ll skate laps until my legs give out.

It’s not close to dawn so I won’t get busted by the coach. I’ll just make sure I’m done and back in my room by four at the latest.

Mussing my hair, I grab my watch and accidentally knock Chris’s flashlight off the nightstand. I catch it just before it hits the floor. Riley starts to stir and I jump out of the room before he can open his eyes and catch me.

Creeping down the corridor, I use the light to guide my way down the steps and out into the fresh night air.

There’s a slight breeze. It’s icy and brutal. I should have grabbed a sweater. Hunching my shoulders against the cold blast, I run towards the rink, keeping an ear out for any foreign noises. No one’s around and I make it there unseen.

With a little jump and grunt, I pull myself through the bathroom window.

It’s weird how easily it opened.

I stare up at the glass, slightly confused until I hear the sound of water running.

My eyebrows knit. Who the hell is showering at this time of night?

I have the fleeting thought that maybe it’s Coach. But that’s dumb. The staff housing at Eton is lush. There’s no way he’d waste his time coming to the locker room.

Holding the flashlight by my side, I creep out of the toilet and sneak towards the showers. I shouldn’t care. I should just go for my skates and hit the rink. But if whoever’s in here gets out and hears me, I want to know who I’ll have to battle.

I keep the light off so as not to alert the guy to my presence. I’m acting like a total spy, keeping my back to the stalls as I near the end shower. My foot lands on a pile of clothes. I step over it, but my toe catches on a long piece of material and I have to stop to pull it off my shoe.

It’s hard to figure out what it is in the dim light. I rub my fingers over it, my confused frown only deepening.

Is the person injured?

It’s one hell of a long, thick bandage.

Dropping it back on the floor, I ease the last few feet and spot a body under the spray. It’s shadowy and hard to make out, but then he turns and “his” shape is so unexpected that I flick on my flashlight without thinking.

The person in the shower gasps, but then our eyes connect and everything freezes.

I can’t speak.

For a second I can barely breathe.

Chris?

But not Chris.

I run the light down “his” body and finally everything makes sense.

He’s a she. A damn hot one.

I take in her slender curves, from those perfect breasts all the way down to her slim calves. She just stands there, the water running over her face and dripping off her chin. She’s letting me look. I don’t know why. I’m kind of expecting her to gasp and cover herself at any second, but it’s like she wants me to know.

The second the beam of light reaches her toes the shower shuts off with a clunk.

She crosses her arms to cover her breasts and my eyes jump back to her face.

Tears are lining her lashes. She looks desperate…scared.