Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Nova

Even with the other’s turning up and making our small hangout a party, it's been the best day ever. Knowing my mom isn’t being hurt and that I will be reunited with her in a couple of days has made everything bearable. But there is one thing that has been eating at me, when I do get her back, what then?

Would we leave?

The thought of leaving my new friends and…Vox doesn’t sit well with me.

“You look like you ate a lemon.” I turn away from the water’s edge to see Vivian standing beside me with a concerned look on her face.

“Do not.”

She giggles. “Yeah, you do and I am woman enough to know that a face like that can only mean you are thinking about a boy and that boy better be my brother.” I smile.

“You gonna kick my ass if I was thinking about someone else?”

“Of course and then I would make the three idiots help me hide your body.” I marvel at the bond her and Vox share. There is only one person I have been close to aside from my mom and that’s Waylen.

“When I get my mom back, I don’t know if we will be able to stay here and I guess… I kind of don’t want to leave this place,” I answer honestly.

“This place or a certain person?” I exhale and nod. She smiles and bumps her shoulder against mine. “You like my brother don’t you?”

No use in lying so I tell her the truth. “Is it weird if I tell you that I liked him before I even knew him?”

“How so?”

“Vox hasn’t been my biggest fan since I arrived. Him and the guys gave me hell but when he came to me as two horns , I don’t know how or even when it happened, I started developing feelings for him. I guess, I never admitted it to myself but I think a part of me always knew two horns was Vox but I was too scared to allow myself to see the truth.”

“I get it.” Her tone holds an icy edge to it. “People can be someone totally different in the light of day but behind closed doors, a guy can be someone you have always wanted them to be and show you the world through their eyes, but when the sun rises they return to being elusive and acting like you are nothing to them.”

“Are we still talking about me?” I ask. She shakes her head as if clearing away those thoughts and loops her arm through mine and drags me back toward the party. I can feel everyone’s gaze on me and it's unnerving.

“Relax, they are all staring because you're wearing Vox’s hoodie.” I frown at her.

“How do they know it’s Vox’s?” It’s just a plain black hoodie, nothing special.

“It says Hatchett across the back .” I groan as I lean into her and nuzzle into the side of her neck as she laughs and pats the back of my head. “I guess my brother forgot to mention that, didn't he?” The laughter in her tone is clear.

“Ya think?” I mumble into her shoulder, then pull back to look around at the crowd of students who are all mostly drunk and dancing around the bonfire. When I feel his gaze boring into the side of me, I fight back my grin.

“My brother not only declared you off limits with that hoodie but he hasn’t been able to stop staring at you, Nova.” The lilt of worry in her tone has me forgetting about Vox and focusing solely on Vivian.

“What’s wrong?” I press.

“Vox doesn’t let anyone get close to him, Nova. All he has is me, Mom, Ez, Hayze and Archer. It’s been that way since our dad died, he’s scared to care and open up to anyone in case they hurt him. Don’t fucking hurt him because I don’t want to hate you, but I will if you break my brother’s heart.” Her eyes are filled with unshed tears and I suddenly feel like the weight of an elephant has been dropped onto my shoulders.

“I…” I clamp my mouth closed trying to formulate words but coming up blank. I have no idea what to say to that. When an arm wraps around my waist from behind I instantly know it's him and melt into his embrace without thought.

“Why do you look like you’re gonna cry?” Vox asks Vivian. She waves her hand and smiles at her brother, but this time the smile is filled with love and happiness for her brother. “You’re acting weird, Vi.”

“Shut up.” They begin to bicker and poke fun at each other, I pull my phone out of my pocket and check my messages and feel a pang of sadness when I don’t see a message from Waylen. He has been acting so weird since he left and missing our nightly phone calls and not responding to my 4221 message earlier.

“Come on, time to go home.” I deflate in his embrace. He spins me around and cups my face between his hands. He searches my gaze for a second before bending down and kissing me. I stand here shocked for a second. Not because of the kiss but because he is doing it in front of everyone. The kiss is over before I can give in to it, he rests his forehead against mine. “You’re staying at our place, witch.” I don’t argue when he interlocks his fingers with mine and leads me away from the fire. We gather our things and head to his car with Ez, Hayze, Vivi and Archer following behind us.

The entire drive back I spend lost in my own thoughts, I keep thinking about Saturday night and what it entails. When we arrive back at Vox’s I look across the lawn to see Nexus and Thomas’ cars parked in the driveway. A part of me knows me not going home will just enrage them but the fact they can’t hold my mom’s safety over my head any longer means they can’t do shit. I smile at the sight of Archer’s car pulling in behind us and climb out of Vox’s car.

“Do they ever go home?” I ask Vox when he comes to stand beside me.

“Sometimes, but mostly they crash here. Vivian doesn’t like leaving our mom alone and I don’t like leaving them either so we choose to stay here.”

“What about Ezekiel’s mom?” I ask.

Vox sighs and wraps an arm around my shoulder as he leads me inside his house. “She only comes here or stays home. When they lost his little sister she changed, losing his dad I think was the final straw.” Sadness rushes through me for the woman with the kind eyes that I met briefly.

Vox leads me into the living room and pulls me down onto the sofa beside him. I lean into him and sigh in contentment. The others join us moments later and then the guys begin fighting over the PS5 controllers and who gets to play first. Vivian rolls her eyes and shoots me a nod to follow her, I try to stand but Vox won’t let me go.

“Where do you think you are going?”

“With your sister, now let me go.” Much like his sister just did, he rolls his eyes and then reluctantly releases me. I smile down at him and shake my head.

“She’s my friend.”

He scoffs. “And I never thought I would see the day a chick ditched me for my twin.”

I laugh at the big idiot. “You do know she is hotter than you, right?” I say teasingly, the mirth in his eyes dies instantly.

“Agreed.”

“Yeap.”

“Say it again for the ones in the back.” The three guys call out in agreement. When Vox snaps his angry glare toward them, I take that as my cue and rush out of the room to find Vivi in the kitchen, smiling like an idiot.

“I knew you were going to shake things up around here, and I love it.” I shake my head and help her carry some sodas and chips into the living room for everyone, then reclaim my seat next to Vox, who doesn’t waste any time wrapping his arm around me and pulling me onto his lap. Vivian and I chat as the guys continue to play their racing car game that has them all shouting and fighting.

Jane came down earlier and ordered us all pizza and told us not to be up late. I felt awkward when she caught me sitting on her son’s lap but all she did was smile fondly. I expected her to be pissed that Vox brought a girl home but she seemed almost happy about it.

The feeling of being jostled wakes me. I crack my eyes open and look up at Vox only to realize he’s carrying me.

“Go back to sleep, witch.” The husky tone of his voice has me snuggling into his chest. I know the second we enter his room because the scent of cedarwood and pine is strongest. Vox places me gently down onto his bed and moves across the room to his drawers. He pulls out a shirt and tosses it to me.

“What’s this?”

“Sleeping in that has to be more comfortable than jeans.” I mutter my thanks and suddenly feel nervous when I stand and peel his hoodie off. I can feel his gaze on me the entire time. The second I lose my shirt and push my jeans down my legs I feel his heat at my back and still. “Do you have any idea what seeing you in this fucking bathing suit all day did to me.” To drive his point home he grabs my waist and pulls me into him so I can feel his hard length pressed against my back.

“Vox.” I don’t know why I say his name or what I even wanted to ask him but the instant he skims his lips along my neck I’m putty in his hands.

“What do you want, witch?” I tilt my head to the side giving him better access to nip at my neck.

“You.” One simple word is all it takes for him to lose control, he spins me around and captures my lips in a kiss that robs me of air. He tugs at the strings on my top and the material falls away, pooling between our bodies. Next, he pulls at the strings on either side of my bottoms. The moment they fall away he pushes me back onto the bed.

Vox rids himself of his clothing and climbs on top of me, licking a trail from my belly button to my lips. The feeling of his heated skin pressed against mine feels amazing. He’s right, having no barriers between us makes this real and different on so many levels. We’re both exposed now and there is no more hiding who we really are. He nudges my legs open wider to accommodate his size, something about this moment feels different.

He stares into my eyes as he slowly pushes inside me. I can’t bring myself to look away from him as he begins to move, his thrusts controlled and measured, hitting the right spot each time. I reach up and grip the back of his head, pulling his lips to mine and showing him without words that I care about him. I moan into his mouth when his thrust hits deeper and forces me to arch my back off the bed. He bends his arms and presses his elbows into the mattress either side of my head, bringing him closer to me. I lock my legs around his waist needing to feel him deeper.

“Oh shit,” I moan, a devilish smirk graces his stupidly gorgeous face.

“You like that, little witch?”

“Yes,” I grit out through clenched teeth, trying to keep quiet and not wanting his mom or any of the others to hear me.

“Good, now fuck me.” He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me as he rests back on his haunches. Without an ounce of hesitation I do as he demanded, resting my hands on the tops of his shoulders for leverage. I start bouncing up and down loving the strangled sounds that escape him each time I slam down onto his waiting cock. I bite down on my lip to keep myself from crying out when he meets my thrust. God, he feels so deep and I can’t decipher where he begins and where I end.

“I’m so close,” I cry out. He smacks his hand over my mouth, tightens his other arm around my waist, then sucks my nipple into his mouth and thrusts up inside me. I scream into his hand which doesn’t do much to muffle the sound. The illusion he painted of me being the one in control is shattered—he may be on the bottom but we both know he has always been in control the whole time. I can do nothing except hold on to him as he fucks me into oblivion, the orgasm that rips through me has me spent and limp in his hold. Spots dance in the corner of my eyes but I refuse to give into the exhaustion as I watch him cum.

The face he makes as he empties everything inside me is a sight of pure beauty. Vox Hatchett is a God amongst men and rugged as fuck, but oh so sexy and knowing I am the one who put that blissed out look on his face is empowering. I know with certainty that seeing that look in his eyes is going to become an addiction which scares the fuck out of me because Vox isn’t the type of guy to settle down and put a ring on it, he is a fleeting moment and I am terrified when he decides he’s done with me that I won’t be able to put the pieces of my heart back together.