Bryce had already placed all the empty bottles in the case, so I took it downstairs and placed it beside the other. The pizza was still left, untouched, on the stove. I wrapped it up and put it away in the fridge as leftovers.

And then I took a deep breath and took my cell phone onto the patio that extended off of my parents’ bedroom. As I curled on one of the patio loungers, I dialed my father’s phone number.

“Hello?” he asked, slightly confused. My father always seemed to be confused.

“Hey, dad,” I said quietly and wished I had grabbed a blanket.

“Oh, sweetie. How are you?” He even sounded cheerful.

“Mom called. She left a message.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, sweetie.” He didn’t sound it. He still sounded cheerful.

“What happened?”

“You don’t need to bother with those details. What’s important is that your mother and I are making the best choice for all parties.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“I think she may be in Paris, but who knows with your mother. She could be in Japan, for all I know.”

“Are you coming home?”

There was a slight pause before he said, unapologetically, “Oh dear. I’m sorry. I can’t bring myself to come home. The memories, you know, sweetie.”

Again. I didn’t know. I hadn’t even known there were problems.

“I haven’t heard from you in three months and the first I hear anything—it’s a voice message saying that you’re getting a divorce?”

“Oh honey. That’s not fair. You could’ve called too, you know. Communication is a two-way street.”

“In marriages,” I said, surprisingly unemotional. “Not when it comes to parents and their children. I haven’t seen you guys for five months.”

“We’ve been over this before. Your mother and I wished to spend time in Italy.

Your mother wanted to reconnect with her family roots—”

I couldn’t believe—I stared at the phone. I could still hear my father, but I slowly, ever so slowly, closed my phone.

My father’s voice was no longer and I was left without even a dial tone.

I took a deep breath before I stood and moved back inside. I wrapped a blanket around me and moved back into my father’s study. I slid one of the bookcases aside and revealed his hidden liquor cabinet. Inside was champagne, crystal, wine, whiskey, bourbon. Anything and everything. There were even a few imported beer bottles.

I grabbed the rum and walked to the media room. I turned on a television station that played music videos and tipped my head back for my first shot.

I grimaced and then took another.

It took forever, but slowly the world faded away.

And then Bryce’s arms were there and he had lifted me against his chest. I offered him the bottle of rum and he took a shot.

He hissed from the burn and I tried to make fun of him, but it was work. Words didn’t make sense in my mind or from my mouth. Something just didn’t connect.

When I felt my bedcovers, I came alive and pulled Bryce on top of me. He held back, which irritated me. I knew what I wanted and I wanted him. It didn’t take long before I was on top of Bryce. I rubbed my body against his and nipped at his lips. It seemed to finally infuse him and he took charge, like he always did.

This time I didn’t want the same. I shook my head numbly and moved to my knees.

Bryce groaned, but he stayed where he was.

I glanced at him and turned around.

It took a little bit, but all the sudden he was on top of me and he slid into me from behind. I felt him wrap an arm around my stomach as he plastered himself to my back.

From the first thrust, I had to brace myself against the wall so I didn’t bang my head against it.

We’d never tried it this way before.

It just felt different for me, but Bryce seemed to explode. I’d never heard the guttural groan that escaped him before as he collapsed onto my back. My own body shook. Bryce slid out, kept his arm around my stomach, and tugged me back down to the bed. He tucked me into his side and flung a leg over mine. He seemed to engulf me into him and his face rested just underneath my jaw.

I remember wondering where the rum had gone when I faded off.

CHAPTER NINE

When I woke, Bryce was still beside me. He nuzzled the back of my neck and ran a hand down the front of my body. It caressed and rubbed at all the right spots to spark tingles. When his hand slipped between my legs, I gasped but closed my eyes. The pleasure soothed some new aches that didn’t quite make sense.

A little later, Bryce tucked me underneath him, sheathed himself and slid inside.

We didn’t look at each other, but it was slow and sensual. I ran my hands over his shoulders and back. Bryce seemed to tremble.

At the final thrust, I curled back on my side and Bryce moved behind me. He didn’t wrap his arms around me, like he did sometimes. He rested on his back and a second later, I heard his even breathing. He had fallen asleep.

I checked the clock and saw that it was a little after eight in the morning.

When I made my way into the shower, I shook my head past the fuzz. Something had happened last night, but…

I dropped the bar of soup when I remembered. I remembered everything.

The soap remained on the floor as I stood frozen in place. I ran over every word, action, and each thrust of warmth that had spread throughout my body.

Groaning softly, I finished in the shower and stepped out to dry off.

Bryce was still asleep when I slipped into some clothes.

I padded barefoot down to the kitchen and saw the near-empty bottle of rum.

Grimacing, I capped it and replaced it in my father’s hidden liquor cabinet. I moved the bookcase back in place and left the study. It didn’t look like it had even been touched in the first place.

When I heard my shower running, I filled two glasses of water and returned to my bedroom.

Bryce was still in the shower so I laid on my bed and snuggled into the bedcovers.

A little later, he came back and stopped short.

Our eyes met and he smiled a very satisfied smile.

I laughed and then cringed from the rum’s revolt in my stomach.

Bryce chuckled and sat beside me. He ran a hand down my arm and murmured, “So, that was new.”

I laughed again, but stopped short from the nausea inside.

“We could get to school in time for second period.”