Tamed (Torn #5)(61)

“So, what do you guys do for fun around here?” I asked.

“There are tons of things to do. We can go clubbing, hang out on the beach, or go shopping.”

She cringed on that last one. Chloe hated to shop. Unfortunately for her, I loved shopping.

“Whatever you want to do,” Chloe added.

“Sounds like we’re going to have a busy week. I can’t wait to check out all the stores,” I teased her.

“Ugh,” she grumbled, causing both Logan and me to laugh.

“I’m free most of this week, too, so I can hang out with you two,” Logan said. “Except when you go shopping. I’m busy those days.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Your loss.”

Our food arrived shortly after. We spent a couple of hours catching up at the diner before finally heading back to Chloe’s house. I asked Logan to come with us, but he declined. Apparently, he had plans with Jade. I wanted to hurl when he wiggled his eyebrows at me. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of plans they had.

When we arrived at Chloe’s house, I was surprised. I’d expected something…more. Drake was a rock star after all. I’d assumed that they lived in a decked-out mansion. That definitely wasn’t the case. While the house was large, it was simple. There was nothing flashy about it. It looked like every other house on this street. It was a two-story white house with a black roof and a small front porch. The only hint that someone famous lived here was the keypad on the gate and the huge privacy fence that extended all the way around the house.

“Your house is…nice,” I said as we climbed out of the car.

Chloe laughed. “Not what you were expecting?”

“Not really. I thought you’d live on the beach in a huge mansion or something.”

“Nah, we like it here. No one would think to check the L.A. suburbs for Drake. Jade and Logan live in an apartment not far from here. Eric, too. Adam’s the only one who lives on the beach. He’s got a full bachelor pad set up there.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized her mistake. She opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head. She frowned, but she kept quiet as we grabbed my bags from the back of her car.

Chloe unlocked her door and disabled the security alarm. Once we were inside, she locked the door and rearmed the system. I raised an eyebrow, but she just shrugged.

“We’re not in West Virginia anymore.”

“Obviously,” I mumbled.

I glanced around the foyer, taking everything in. The walls were painted a dark red. The color was warm and welcoming. The floors were a dark hardwood. A staircase sat only a few feet away from the front door, and we carried my bags upstairs.

“Is this one okay?” she asked as she opened the second door in the hallway.

We walked into the room. It was much larger than the one I had back in West Virginia. The walls and carpet were a cream color. A queen-sized bed sat against the far wall. Other than that and a closet, the room was completely empty.

“It’s perfect. Thank you for letting me stay with you.”

“Of course. I’m just excited to have you here. I miss spending time with you.”

“Me, too,” I said as I dropped my bag down onto the bed.

“I’ll leave you alone to get unpacked. Just come downstairs when you’re finished.”

I nodded, and she left, closing the door behind her. It took me a while to unpack everything even though I’d tried to pack light. I snorted. That wasn’t possible for me.

Once everything was put away, I headed back downstairs to find Chloe. At the bottom of the stairs, I made a right and entered a living room. I stopped when I saw Chloe and Drake cuddled up on the couch. Drake held her tightly as he whispered something in her ear. She smiled before dropping her head back onto his shoulder.

They looked so…happy. They were so deep into their own little world that they didn’t even see me standing in the doorway. I swallowed as I watched them. The way Drake was holding Chloe was like she was his everything. I wanted that. I wanted it so much that it hurt. I thought I’d never want a real relationship again, but Adam had changed that for me. Then, he’d destroyed any hope I had of finding happiness again. Every man I met, I would compare to him, and they never measured up.

I took a few steps backward until I was back in the foyer. Without a word, I turned and walked back up the stairs to my room, unwilling to ruin their moment together. Or maybe I just couldn’t handle being around anyone right now. I wasn’t sure which it was. All I knew was that I felt hollow inside.

I sent a silent prayer up that I wouldn’t have to see Adam while I was here. I didn’t think I would be able to handle it.





Los Angeles, California

I loved L.A. Back home, Morgantown was considered a big city. Compared to L.A., it was barely a speck on the radar. L.A. had everything a girl could want. Plus, there was no humidity. My hair loved that.

I spent every waking moment with Chloe. True to his word, Logan would hang out with us when we weren’t shopping. We had gone to the beach and hit up every Starbucks in sight. We’d even gone clubbing one night. Chloe and Logan were known by a few of Breaking the Hunger’s obsessive fans, but it wasn’t so much that they couldn’t go out in public. I hadn’t expected that. Still, I didn’t complain over the fact that we could go anywhere I wanted.