Sketchbook

"If you hate me so much, say stop... and I will."

He dips the brush into yellow paint, lifting it slowly before dragging the tip along my neck. The cold touch makes me shiver, a soft, embarrassed smile betraying me.

His focus gaze never leaves the path he's creating, consuming me like I'm something he's memorizing. The brush trails lower, teasing the sensitive hardening beneath my white shirt, now streaked with yellow, and my breath stutters.

There's no fight left in me.

He directs the brush further down, across my abdomen, causing my stomach to tighten.

"Birdie, say the word," he murmurs, voice low, rough, and strained between breaths. "Or I'll take all of you right now."

My eyes flutter. My lips part, and when his sharp gaze meets mine, I don't look away. He slowly wets his lips, and drags a deep breath, like he's holding himself back.

The brush slips lower, past the waistband of my skirt. My inside melts.

"I hate you." I try to act strong.

"Then tell me to stop." he whisper, his eyes traveling to my lips.

"I hate you."

Something quick shifts in his expression, a bit of danger but that's all.

Then he drops to his knees instantly, tearing my skirt in one swift motion.

I forget how to breathe, how to think, or how to speak.

***

Nevaeh is used to starting over, her father's job at least gave her that. But this time, there's no clean slate waiting for her. She's no longer sure if what she felt last year was love or just survival disguised as something softer.

The boys next door know her secrets, every buried truth she's tried to outrun to protect her family from being decimated. But now with a single word, the Burton boys could unravel her life completely.

School has resumed, and there's no escape. Her family isn't leaving Regal Oaks. Which means facing Rhys, the boy who once felt like half of her soul. And Conall, the one who would burn everything to have her back.

Caught between the truth she can't erase, Nevaeh is in a serious pickle this year.