*Being Published in 2022*
❝You can't deny that you're attracted to me, Nyx. Instead of fighting it, let's see what happens,❞ he grumbled, hands roaming my body. His thumb brushed my bottom lip. ❝Open up for me, baby.❞
...
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"But they looked so nice!" Indigo blurted as I helped her slip into her pyjamas. Freshly washed, she smelt like a little baby. There was powder on her chin and her hair was brushed flat against her head, pulled into a neat bun. At first, she complained she looked like an egg but calmed down when I said she was a pretty egg. "And even though I was a little meanie, they were still nice. I don't understand."
I wiped the powder from her chin, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Just because they're nice to you doesn't mean they're nice to everyone else," I murmured, straightening her pink nightie.
She wrapped her arms around my neck. "Are you angry at me for sitting with them?" Her lips were a tiny pout, and I chuckled, brushing my knuckles over her smooth cheek. "You looked angry. I tried to make them hurt for hurting you, but I don't think they took me seriously."
A lot of her pronunciation was incorrect because of her two missing front teeth. Picking her up, she squealed as I placed her in the rickety bed. "I'll admit, Indie, I was angry. And I'm sorry if I took that out on you." I felt bad about the way I snapped at her to get her bag. "And I'm grateful that you tried to stand up for me."
"Always," she countered, curling up into her blankets. "I didn't really like the blondie, anyway. I made his eye twitch." I snorted at that, thinking back to Sebastian. I didn't have a problem with him, but he hated me solely because his asshole of a captain still hated me. I wanted to move on. That hatred was unjustified, but I didn't mind dishing back whatever he served.
I kissed Indigo's head, whispering that she needed to get some sleep. Annie wasn't home yet even though her shift at the cafe ended hours ago and she wasn't picking up her phone. I tried to calm myself. It was her first day, and we hadn't figured out transport yet. Nailea had dropped me so I could get Indigo, and then I drove home in Annie's truck. Annie assured me that the bus was still an option for her, but for how long? Bus fare was expensive once it piled up.
Turning off the light and closing the door to the room, I stepped out into the tiny living room, seeing Poppy settled at the coffee table, books spread out in front of her. "Still busy with homework?" She'd been busy since I got home, having stayed by herself until I arrived with Indigo.
Indigo may have looked like Annie, but Poppy was all me. She looked exactly like I did when I was twelve. From the blonde hair to her bright eyes, she was my spitting image since we both took after our mom, something we both paid dearly for. She peered up at me, eyes drooping with lethargy. "I'm nearly done."
