The Lies Between Us (The Devil's Dust #4)(57)

I remake the bed and take off my bra and shorts. I’m so tired all I want to do is climb in this bed and sleep. Just listen to music and sleep my way through this lockdown. I flip the lights off and put the ear buds in. The song “Locked Away” by R.City plays. I arch a brow, unsure of the song at first. I’ve never heard it before. As the lyrics continue, they speak right to my soul, telling my life story. A tear slips from my tired eyes as the song serenades me through reality and emotions I’m trying to deny. The fact that I’ve wanted nothing but to be there for Lip, and yet here I am, turning my back on him, not listening to a word he’s saying. The song guides me through emotions and feelings I can’t sort or explain, until my senses are drowned with sleep.

***

The bed dips, the feeling of warmth slips over me, and the smell of fresh mint wafts around me. Lip. I turn onto my belly and look over, finding Lip getting comfy right next to me in the bed. Has he lost his mind?

“I’m sorry, are you lost?” I ask, my voice muffled with sleep. The ride of self-pity is over, and now I’m pissed. I’m f*cking angry and really just want to deck Lip in his face.

Lip rests his head on the back of his hands and looks up at the ceiling. “There is nowhere else for me to sleep. The club is packed, Cherry,” he explains, sounding irritated, like he’s talking down to me. It grates on my nerves.

I push myself up with my arms, grab his pillow from under him and throw it on the floor.

“What the f*ck?” He leans over to grab his pillow, and I quickly shove my feet in his back and push his ass off the bed. He lands with a loud thump, and I move over into the middle of the bed.

“You like to lie so much, why don’t you sleep with the rug, baby,” I suggest in the most condescending voice I can muster.

He pulls himself up off the floor and stands. I can’t see him because it’s so dark, but I can tell his arms and chest are puffed out and outlined with anger. He’s pissed, and no doubt pinning me with the most furious stare. Good.

“Maybe you forgot, with your nose so stuck up in the air, but you f*cking lied to me, too, princess. So, why don’t you lie on the floor with me?” He grabs the mattress and in one swift movement pulls it off the box spring, and I land with a thump.

My mouth pops open with shock. Lip grabs his pillow and fluffs it before lying on the floor next to the mattress.

“There, now we’re even. Two liars, side by side.” He sniffs. “We’re equal.”

My eyebrows pull together, and my fingers dig into the mattress. “Yes. I lied to you, Lip, but I had no choice!” I shout.

Lip sits up and leans in, his face nearly touching mine. “Neither did I!” he shouts right back.

We sit like that, nose to nose, our breaths angry and hostile but in sync with each other. I’ve never seen Lip so angry, so furious. Before he was locked up, if someone disagreed with him, he’d look at me and brush the other person off. I used to think he was just down to earth and didn’t sweat the small stuff. I didn’t know he was just being a fake.

I pull away first and lie down, my back facing him.

***

The sound of yelling and stomping in the hallway wakes me from my sleep. I slowly peel my eyes open and find myself hanging halfway off the mattress. I raise my hand to wipe the sleep from my eyes, finding Lip’s hand entwined with mine. My palm is warm and sweaty, and he’s as close to the mattress as he can get. His eyes pop open and quickly find me raising our joined palms.

“Shit,” he whispers, snatching his hand from mine. I shove my sweaty palm to my chest and look away.

“Jesus, what the hell is going on out there?” Lip questions, looking at our closed door.

“I’m not sure. It woke me up, too,” I mutter. Lip sits up and hikes his knees, resting his elbows on them before swiping his fingers into his messy hair. My thighs clench; God, I love it when he does that. I close my eyes and shake my head. No, don’t react to him.

“I’ll go get us some breakfast,” he insists, standing.

“I can’t eat,” I state. My stomach is still in knots from everything, and the sound of food isn’t appealing. Lip arches a brow as he shoves his legs into some jeans.

“You should eat something,” he insists. I scoff and tilt my head to the side.

“Screw you,” I snide.

“Whatever, starve. That’ll really show me,” he mutters, grabbing his shirt off the floor and slamming the door behind him.

I flex my fingers and grit my teeth.

“Gah!” I scream. This man f*cking infuriates me!

Who grabbed whose hand last night when we were sleeping, me or him? I shake my head and stand to find some clothes. It doesn’t matter. I need to focus on getting out of here and figuring out a way to get my daughter back. Those are my top priorities right now.


LIP

I stride down the hallway, the smell of eggs wafting throughout the club. Hopefully, the ladies got together and made the whole club breakfast and not just their kids.

“Give that back!” Addie shouts, chasing Zane down the hallway. I jump out of the way as the two sprint through. Addie is Doc’s kid, and Zane is Shadow and Dani’s. I don’t know how old they are. Zane is small, and Addie is bigger. I don’t do well with kids. I think it goes back to my childhood or some shit. Or that’s what the shrinks in prison said, anyway. My dad was a tough ol’ man and made my life a living hell. He called me a *, told me I should have come out of my mom sprouting a vagina instead of balls.