Chapter Sixteen

D ahlia slept in my arms for about two hours, and I never wanted to let go of her. Her eyes rapidly moved behind her closed eyelids. I wondered what she dreamed about and what made her whimper in fear. My poor sister has been through so much. Life dealt her a shitty hand, but she has me and there's no getting rid of me.

When she woke up, she changed her clothes and applied makeup that covered the bruises, and I drove her into town with my Camaro instead of my Yamaha.

Dahlia shifts in her seat and taps her finger on her knee, drawing my attention to how fucking sexy her legs are in those fishnets. My mouth waters as I remember how delicious she is. I want to mark her inner thighs with my teeth or carve my name into them so no one else will claim what's mine.

Dahlia's cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink when she notices that I'm staring, and then she shyly looks out the window. I side-eye her and shake my head as I turn my attention back to the winding road into town.

"Don't do that," I say .

She turns toward me, eyebrows drawing together. "Don't do what?"

"Don't pretend what we did earlier never happened. I want to see you. All of you," I say. "Even when you're looking at me like you can't stand another minute without feeling my tongue in your pussy."

"Jaxon," she says with a gasp.

I'm sure she meant that as an objection, but it came out huskier and more like a plea.

I reach over the console and place my hand on her thigh, slipping it inward so my knuckles brush against her pussy. Dahlia doesn't push me away like she would have twenty-four hours ago. She opens her legs wider, inviting me to keep touching her as I drive. I squeeze her thigh, enjoying the feel of her thickness and soon-to-be earmuffs after we're done shopping.

"Jaxon."

"Hm?" I glance at Dahlia, giving her my full attention for a moment.

She nibbles her plump bottom lip for a second as she gathers courage for what she'll say next, which makes me uneasy because she always keeps me on my toes.

"No one can know about this," she says. "About us."

"People will find out eventually." My fingertips burrow beneath the wide fishnets, seeking more of her skin.

"They can't, though, or this won't work." Dahlia shifts her hips, needing more from me. My needy little sister. Multiple orgasms a few hours ago didn't cut it, now, did it?

"Fuck what everyone else thinks, flower," I say.

I slow the car but keep it cruising. My fingers ease beneath the waistband of her shorts and dive lower until I find her cunt, rubbing circles outside her panties, right over her clit. Dahlia's hips buck, and she grabs my wrist, holding me in place as she grinds against my hand .

"It's frowned upon," she says, finding reasons to convince herself that we can't be together. Her wet pussy says differently, and we both know it.

I dip my finger inside her weeping cunt, and groan at her keening cry.

"I don't care." I add a second finger inside her, stretching her further.

I'm not small, and judging by how tight she is, it'll take some work for my dick's head to even squeeze inside her.

"You shouldn't care either," I say. "What will they do? Mock us? They already do. Try to start fights? I'm capable of finishing what they start, sister."

"Fuck, please don't call me that while you're fingering me," she breathes.

Her pussy squeezes on my fingers. I smirk.

"You sure about that, sis?" I rub my palm against her clit. My smile widens as she arches her back and bites her bottom lip to quiet her cries as she comes.

I ride out the orgasm with her by pumping my fingers in her quivering pussy. She gyrates her hips against my hand until she goes limp, panting in her seat. I slip out of her, stick my coated fingers into my mouth, and groan. My eyes close as her taste courses through my veins like a potent drug.

We drive into the town that's already decorated for Halloween. Orange and purple lights twinkle on buildings. Carved pumpkins sit outside shops, along with homemade ghosts made from thin paper that flutter in the fall breeze. I park in the crowded lot outside of the Halloween store.

"Please behave," Dahlia says before she's out of the car and shutting the door behind her.

My good mood sours. I get out and lock the doors behind me before I follow Dahlia into the shop. I stick by her side, refusing to endure a repeat of what happened yesterday. We're greeted by loud music and even louder people. Squealing kids run around in the large store.

"Did your mom tell you what she wanted?" I ask.

Dahlia shakes her head. "Just that she wants decorations and pumpkins."

Of course she didn't specify, and I'm sure Evelyn will find a reason to bitch about the things Dahlia picks out.

We pass through an aisle with fake spiders, webs, gravestones, and bloody hands. Dahlia picks up a package of spiderwebs and examines it before she moves down the aisle with it in her hand. I pluck it from her, so it's me who's holding everything for her. She gives me a quizzical look, like she's not used to me helping her all the time.

"Are you going to get anything here for yourself?" she asks as she goes back to shopping.

"No."

Dahlia frowns and picks up a fake bloody dagger and eyes it before she looks at me. "Why not?"

"No need."

She lets out a cute snort and rolls her eyes. "C'mon, Jax. I know you like this holiday. You don't need to pretend that you're over it."

I step behind her and lean in so my lips are next to her ear. Her spine straightens, and she turns enough to peek at me from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, I enjoy it," I whisper.

I tilt my head, angling it to look like I'm about to kiss her, then move my body closer to hers to hide my hand as I squeeze her ass. She freezes, then leans into my touch and swallows hard.

"I enjoy seeing you dressed in slutty outfits while you hand out candy to the kids. Especially when you bend over and give me an eyeful of your juicy ass when you think I'm not looking," I say .

"Jaxon!" she gasps.

A young couple about our age side-eyes us. The girl's face twists in disgust and her boyfriend glares at me, but I see the jealousy in his gaze when he looks at Dahlia.

I grin. "So yeah, I love Halloween. If you'll let me, I can pick out your outfit this year."

Dahlia whips around and shushes me while pushing her fingers against my lips. I know I'm a dick for being blatantly open about my attraction and feelings toward my sister, but I meant what I said about not giving a fuck what people think. The town is small, and people talk. It's only a matter of time before they spread the rumor. This time around, it'll be true.

I catch Dahlia's fingers between my teeth and gently nibble on them. Her pupils dilate and her breathing quickens as I lick her finger pads like I flicked her clit earlier.

"Dahlia?"

I stiffen at the deep voice and swing my gaze to the tall blond man walking up to us with an excited smile. Dahlia drops her hand and faces him. Now I want to snap his neck for getting her attention when it should be me. He stops a foot away from my sister, standing a few inches taller than her and only an inch shorter than me.

"Um, yeah?" she says.

"Hey, sorry, I don't mean to intrude," he says. "I'm Michael Smith, by the way. I don't know if you remember me."

His name sounds familiar. I sift through my mind, recalling all the people I've met. It's at the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember.

"I'm...sorry." She shakes her head and forces a smile. "I don't remember."

He holds up his phone, the screen displaying an app with her picture on it. "We matched, and it's such a lucky coincidence to see you here. "

I narrow my eyes at the screen, my lip curling back. It's a dating website, and Dahlia's picture looks back at me, along with her name, age, and the city she lives in. She notices too and sucks in a sharp breath. I snap my gaze to her and clench my teeth until they grind together.

She's on a goddamn dating website?

Jealousy runs rampant inside me, battling the tiny voice in the back of my head that tells me I can't make a scene. She doesn't want anyone to know about us, and that's the only thing holding me back from punching Michael.

Dahlia gives the asshole a tight-lipped smile, her shoulders practically up to her ears. "Oh, that's?—"

"I don't know if you remember me from high school, but we had the same geometry class in the tenth grade." He eases Dahlia's confusion with a soft chuckle and lowers his phone. "It's fine if you don't remember me. I kept to myself to avoid any attention."

He nervously glances at me, and I cock my head. I never fucked with anyone in high school unless they started it. Mickey being a prime example.

The light bulb in Dahlia's head blinks on, and her eyes widen as she remembers him. "Oh, yeah! You had black hair and always wore headphones. I think I remember you talking to me about one of our favorite bands."

Michael leans forward. I know that move. He can't hear her, probably because he's been so busy looking her over and settling his gaze on her breasts.

What she said finally clicks, and his smile widens as he rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, emo was the thing back then, and I couldn't be that without the black hair."

Dahlia giggles.

I slowly turn to her, my face falling flat as red fills my vision. She acts oblivious to the fact that I'm about to lose my mind.

"How have you been?" she asks him.

Oh. So she's going to play this game. Act interested in him, lead him on, piss me off, and expect good results from it.

Michael's grin widens, and he puffs out his chest like she just said she'll marry him or some shit. "I've been great. Went to the gym, lost all that weight, and now I'm working toward getting my master's in engineering." He looks at me again, but his eyes dart away when he meets my glare. "I know you're hanging out with your brother, but would you want to get a late lunch?"

Dahlia's cheeks pinken, and she refuses to look at me. Her legs tremble, and I arch an eyebrow. She knows what I'll do if she goes on a date with this asshole, yet she still entertains him. Maybe my jealousy is getting to me, but I'm curious about what she'll do with him. I fold my arms over my chest, keeping my expression blank.

"W-well, I'm kind of—" she says.

"Oh, I know. How about I get your number and we can set up a date?" Michael briefly touches her arm, an excited smile on his face.

I don't hold back my grin when he looks at me. It's genuine, but for all the wrong reasons.

"You know what, sis?" I turn to Dahlia and lick my lips, my tongue curling against the sharp end of my canine tooth. "I'll finish shopping. You go ahead and go on a date with him. I wouldn't want to clam-jam you. Text me when you need a ride."

Dahlia's cheeks flush, and fear creeps into her eyes. "Jaxon?—"

I turn to Michael and blow him a kiss before I leave the aisle to put space between me and him. The weight of Dahlia's stare follows me until I round the corner and I'm out of her sight. I fish my cell phone from my pocket and pull up the group chat thread with my friends.

Jaxon

We have a new target.

Aiden

Please tell me it's Mickey this time.

Ryder

Who?

Jaxon! WHO?

Aiden

Dude, give him a fucking second to respond.

Hawk

Guys, I'm trying to fucking sleep.

Aiden

Then put your phone on silent, ya ass.

Hawk

I can still feel the phone vibrate, dick.

Aiden

Not my problem. ;)

Jaxon

Michael Smith. Ring any bells?

Hawk

Wait. The same Michael from high school?

Aiden

Oh shit! Is that the same dude who cried about being a nice guy but took pics of girls in the locker room?

Ryder

He also spread rumors about any of the girls who turned him down and went under the radar for it. No one knew it was him.

Aiden

If no one knew, then how do you know?

Ryder

I know things. You should know that by now.

Aiden

har har har.

Hawk

Why is Michael a target all of a sudden?

Jaxon

I think you know the reason by now.

Ryder

… Jaxon.

Hawk

Well. I'm awake. Where are we meeting and when are we getting him?

Jaxon

I'm at Spooks. Meet me here as soon as possible.

I slip my phone back into my pocket, not needing to read any more of the messages. If it's important, they'll call. In the meantime, I'll wait for them and keep an eye on Dahlia. I don't want Mr. I'm-A-Nice-Guy to try something with my girl.