Saved by the doctor.

We all sit in silence as Rocco is stitched up.

A young nurse, with blonde hair in a bun and perfect skin, joins us just as Bonnie is taking off her gloves. “Dr Sainsbury,” she says, with a shy look and a bat of her lashes.

A soft smile ensues on Bonnie’s face as the two share a silent conversation with their eyes. The nurse gathers rubbish for the hazardous waste bin beside the bed. She takes her gloves off, and then writes something down on Rocco’s chart.

Bonnie brushes behind her, and I swear the nurse shudders. I’d bet my last dollar there’s something going on with them. Has Bonnie moved on, or is she simply playing the game because I’m here with Rocco?

Before too long Rocco is discharged under my care, with instructions to keep a close eye on him during the next twelve hours.

When I reach my car door, I pause before we get in, staring at Rocco over the roof. “We never speak of this again. Got it?’ I bark at him.

He swings open his door and gets inside. I do the same, anxious for his reply.

“Why not, Suds? It’s funny as fuck.”

I turn to him, with my index finger pointing directly at his side. “I’m serious. I will gut you like a fish if you breathe a word of this to anyone.”

“I guess I’d better take down that Facebook post, then.”

“What? You’d better be fucking with me.”

“Kidding! I don’t even have an account. Why do you have to take everything so literally?”

I rest my head against the steering wheel. “I’m sorry. Tonight has been …” I breathe out heavily and think of what it is I’m trying to say here. “It’s been crazy.”

I couldn’t explain it any other way if I tried.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ROCCO

Something changed tonight. Something shifted. I now have a hot part-time lesbian living under my roof.

Earlier tonight I’d tried to get off in my room. Hearing her moans had added to my pleasure, but then I got curious. I had to make sure she wasn’t having a bad dream, because she was moaning … like a lot. I won’t lie; I was kinda hoping I could help her out with whatever she was doing in there. I didn’t expect to be knocked out for it.

I can’t wait to see the look on Jones’s face when I see him tomorrow. The prick is gonna laugh his arse off when he sees the state I’m in.

Tonight has by far been one of the weirdest fucking nights of my life.

The more time I spend around this chick, the more it has me thinking. Some of the things she said tonight are troubling me. I don’t get sentimental about shit, it’s not in my blood, but Soph has me curious.

“Why did you stick up for me?” I ask in all seriousness as we drive out of the hospital car park. She had the opportunity to badmouth me, and she could’ve said I have a problem with alcohol, which I do, yet she defended me instead?

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“Your ex assumed I was a junkie, some kind of addict.”

“I fucking can’t stand judgey people. They make me sick,” she spits out. I don’t have time for hoity-toity people either, but clearly, Suds has been judged. By just her parents, or others as well? “Fuck ’em, I say.”

“Yeah, fuck ’em.”

“Why didn’t you set her straight when she asked about us?”

“Because my business stopped being hers when we broke up. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for a deep and meaningful conversation with her tonight.”

“Fair enough.”

“Just because I didn’t set her straight, don’t go getting any funny ideas.”

I hold my hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, not thinkin’ a single thing,” I lie, because I can’t help but obsess over the fact that she’s not repulsed by the idea of there being a thing between us. Not that I ever get serious. Not anymore. It’s better to keep things strictly about sex. No expectations of something more. No sappy feelings, no relationship. Those things don’t exist in my world. Yeah, it’s a fucking lonely place here, but at least I can’t get fucked over. Trinity did a great job of that; she burned me bad. I won’t put myself in that position again.

****

“Have a couple of these for the pain,” Suds says, placing a couple of white round pills in my palm.

My hand shakes as I bring the glass of water to my lips, spilling some onto the kitchen floor.

“Are you cold?” she asks. Her green eyes wander over the bare skin of my arms. You won’t find any goosebumps, love.

Look at Suds being all worried about me. Who’d have thought she’d care? I think I’ve exhausted the anger out of her. I can’t say it wasn’t fun getting her to this point. I may get a little more mileage over tonight’s event than I first thought.

I swallow the tablets, and wipe the water from my lips with the back of my hand. “Nah, just thirsty, you know?”

“You can’t have these with alcohol,” she chirps.

I didn’t have to spell it out for her, did I? I nod in acknowledgment.

“See how you go with these, and if you’re still in pain in a few hours, you can have another two.” She reaches up and grabs my earlobe. “You’re missing an earring.”

“It was a piece of shit, anyway. Must’ve come out when I was down for the count.”

I walk up towards the bedrooms.

“I’ll help,” Suds offers.

We both scan the hallway floorboards for the rogue black earring. In jeans and a baggy hoodie sweatshirt, Soph gets down on her knees and checks the floor.

“You find it yet?”

No, Suds. Because I’m too busy watching that fine arse of yours as you crawl around on all fours.

I crouch down beside her and pretend to look for it. Really, I don’t give a shit if I find it or not.

Soph stands up and walks over to her bed. She turns to me with a handful of fake cock.

“You know, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use this again without thinking of you,” she says, finishing it with a soft laugh.

Winning. I bet she’ll think of me next time she has that fat-boy dilly inside her.

“That’s the nicest thing a chick has ever said to me,” I say, holding a hand over my heart.

“Urgh, that’s not what I meant, you idiot.”

Seeing her standing there with that toy in her hand has my mind delving to the darkest of places. Double penetration. Tying her up. Sucking on that sweet pussy while I drive the dildo inside her. Coming all over her plump, perky-as-fuck tits. She’s a greedy bitch if she plays with toys like this. She knows what she wants, and I love that she wasn’t afraid to get vocal and take care of herself. She’s not some stuck-up prude. She’s standing there with it, waving it around like it’s no big deal. She has no idea how much this is fucking turning me on.

And that ex-girlfriend of hers? Sweet mother of Christ, I would have paid my last penny to watch those two in action.

I clear my throat and adjust the crotch of my jeans. “Just admit it and we’ll both sleep easier.”

“Good night,” she says, her voice softer this time. She pauses with her hand on the doorway, staring at me. “Can you promise me something?”

“What?”

“That next time you’ll knock?”

“Maybe.”

“If you do it again, I’ll take my strap-on and peg you. Got it?”

“You’ll peg me?” What the hell?

“It’s a nice way of saying I’ll fuck you up the arse with a strap-on.”

That stern look on her face tells me she’s not exactly joking. I’m tempted to intrude on her privacy sometime in the near future to test her conviction on this. “That a promise?”

She laughs and places her hands on her hips, and then her shoulders slump. In the short time we’ve been home, the dark circles beneath her green eyes are more visible.

“I think we’ve had enough sex-toy shenanigans for one day, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll try to stay away if you’ll just try and keep the noise down, huh?”