Thrash Read Free

dazed. I’m barely able comprehend what he’s said
before he’s out of the room.
    He claimed me and then left me, and
while this is something I’ve fantasized about many a night, while I
was alone in my bed, stroking my own pussy and pretending it was
Duke-- I don’t want this. I only want him if it’s real, and it
never is real with Duke. So I don’t want it.
    I’m left looking for my clothes so I
can get out of here. I find my pants and pull them up my legs, then
find my thong and shove it in my jeans pocket. As I’m pulling the
bra tank on, I start to feel myself sobering up and the reality of
what I’ve done sneaks up on me. The only thing worse than denying
myself Duke is having Duke and then losing him.
    Now that I’ve been here, I can’t go
back to that place where I bury my feelings for him and pretend
that he’s just another member of the club.

Chapter 1
     
    “ HAVE
YOU HEARD a single word I’ve
said?” The words come out of my mouth, but
I still can’t believe I’m saying them. I’m way too young for this
shit.
    “ I heard you. Just fucking
chill, won’t you?” Jeremy says. My brother’s a good kid—or rather,
he’s not that bad of a kid—but he’s got a mouth on him. He wasn’t
always so bad, but the older he gets without his dad around the
more uncontrollable he gets.
    “ Then what did I say?”
Fuck. I sound exactly like my mother, and I hate that bitch. She
should be the one here, dealing with this shit.
    “ Look,” Jeremy says,
standing from his seat at the table. He’s so tall now, just like
his dad, Butch. Over six feet with broad shoulders and muscles that
have come out of seemingly nowhere. Jeremy’s as tan as anyone gets
around here, and despite his size and attitude, he’s still got the
same smile he did when he was little.
    “ I get it. You’re pissed
that you had to leave work. Point fucking taken.” Leaning over the
back of the chair he was just sitting in, he lets his hair fall
into his eyes as his head is tipped down. He looks like a grown man
already, and he’s only seventeen.
    “ No. Point not fucking
taken. That shit job I had to leave puts food in that smart mouth
of yours. Do me a favor and just don’t hit anybody else after your
suspension’s up, okay?”
    Tipping his head up slightly, he gives
me a blinding smile. “Sure thing, boss.”
    “ Don’t do that,” I say,
letting my head fall into my hands. I’m worn out and figuring that
it’s just not worth the fight. As much as I want to do right by the
kid, there’s only so much I can do. In less than a year he’ll be
eighteen and my guardianship will be over. The only thing I’ll have
then is the roof over his head and the fact that we’re the only
family each other has. When Butch-- Jeremy’s biological dad, and my
step-dad-- went down for something club-related back when I was in
high school, we ended up living with the club president and his
wife. It didn’t last long though and the president managed to get
social services off our asses and me and Jeremy back into our own
home. Now, looking at my brother, with all his attitude and
arrogance, I can’t remember why I wanted to take this on
myself.
    Rounding the table, he walks up behind
me and kisses the top of my head, saying, “Love you,
Sis.”
    “ No more fighting?” I say,
lifting my head and tilting it back to meet his eyes. His eyes are
a navy blue that he’s used to melt the panties off more than one of
his female peers.
    “ No more fighting,” he
says, backing up into the living room and then turning and walking
into his room. I know it’s bullshit, but it’s better than nothing.
If I can just keep him off the principal’s radar for the remainder
of summer session, he might be able to graduate on time next
spring.
    Pushing up from the table, I cross the
kitchen to my purse atop the counter by the stove, and pull out my
small compact mirror. Checking my makeup for signs of wear, I make
sure I don’t look half as much of a